A multi-section spring wire and a variable-stiffness compression spring device with such a structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi - section spring wire and a variable - stiffness compression spring device having such a structure, belonging to the technical field of spring wires and variable - stiffness compression springs. The multi - section spring wire of the present invention is a cylindrical helical spring wire body formed by alternately splicing a female spring wire section and a male spring wire section. The spring wire body maintains its cylindrical helical shape through a cage that matches its shape. By controlling the angular displacement of the rotating disk, the present invention can achieve real - time control of the spring stiffness. At the same time, designing the overall spring wire into a multi - section spring wire can greatly reduce the torque driven by the rotating disk while significantly increasing the stiffness adjustment range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi - section spring wire and a variable - stiffness compression spring device with such a structure, belonging to the technical field of spring wires and variable - stiffness compression springs. Background Art

[0002] Patent No. 2019100168452 discloses a controllable variable - stiffness cylindrical helical spring device, which changes the spring mean diameter by directly twisting a traditional cylindrical helical spring to achieve a spring with adjustable stiffness. The stiffness - adjustable spring of this structure is limited by the yield problem caused by large deformation of the spring wire, has a very small amplitude - adjustment range, requires a very large torsional moment, and the spring is prone to instability during torsion and requires a complex cage for limiting, so it is not conducive to market promotion.

[0003] Traditional helical springs are all made by heating and winding spring steel wire rods, and the stiffness of the spring is determined by the cross - section of the wire rod, the winding diameter, and the winding pitch. Therefore, the stiffness is set. Some stiffnesses are linear (the stiffness does not change with spring deformation), and some are non - linear (different deformation amounts correspond to different stiffnesses). However, no matter which method, this kind of stiffness is "fixed" and cannot be adjusted according to the actual use conditions. In some industrial fields, a spring with a flexibly variable stiffness is exactly needed. For example, in an automotive shock - absorption system, the traditional shock - absorption system consists of a spring and a damper. Generally, the damping force of the damper can be changed to correct the shock - absorption system, but the stiffness of the existing spring cannot be changed to achieve a better shock - absorption effect. Therefore, usually the spring needs to be replaced, and sometimes even the damper is replaced. However, after replacement, it also corresponds to a certain working condition. For example, changing a soft spring to a hard spring improves the handling but reduces the comfort. Vice versa, so if the stiffness of the spring can be adjusted in real time like the damper, the shock - absorption system can better play its role; Vortex - induced vibration power generation is a very promising direction in the field of new - energy power generation. A key problem here is how to adjust the mode of the system according to different external excitations (wind, waves, etc.) to maximize the amplitude of the vibrating structure and the power - generation efficiency, and a spring with variable stiffness is exactly a "key" to solve this problem; In the field of industrial automation, variable - stiffness springs also have a very important role, such as oil - pressure buffers, industrial casters, etc. Based on the above situation, there is currently no commercially available variable - stiffness spring on the market. Therefore, this field has an attractive prospect and also full of challenges. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the deficiencies existing in the above - mentioned prior art, and provide a multi - section spring wire and a compression spring device. The compression spring device has a simple structure, variable stiffness, a large amplitude - adjustment range, and a small torsional moment.

[0005] A multi - section spring wire, which is particularly characterized in that it is a cylindrical helical spring wire body composed of alternately spliced spring wire female sections 1 and spring wire male sections 2, and the spring wire body maintains its cylindrical helical shape through a cage 3 that matches its shape;

[0006] The middle of the spring wire female section 1 is in a slope shape, and the front and rear ends of the spring wire female section 1 extend horizontally forward and backward to form a U - shaped restraint joint 4;

[0007] The middle of the spring wire male section 2 is in a slope shape, and the front and rear ends of the spring wire male section 2 extend horizontally forward and backward to form a plate - type restraint joint 5;

[0008] Both the U - shaped restraint joint 4 and the plate - type restraint joint 5 are provided with mounting holes 6. By inserting a pin shaft through the mounting holes 6, the connection between the spring wire female section 1 and the spring wire male section 2 is realized;

[0009] The spring wire female section 1, the spring wire male section 2, and the cage 3 are all made of spring steel;

[0010] Both the spring wire female section 1 and the spring wire male section 2 are provided with connection blocks 7 on their sides for connecting the cage 3.

[0011] A variable - stiffness compression spring device composed of multi - section spring wires, which is particularly characterized in that it includes multi - section spring wires. The top of the multi - section spring wires is installed in a rotating disk 8, and the bottom is installed in a fixed disk 9. On the side where the rotating disk 8 and the fixed disk 9 install the multi - section spring wires, a chute 10 is opened in the diameter direction. Both the top and the bottom of the multi - section spring wires are installed with coordination blocks 11. The coordination blocks 11 are embedded in the chute 10 and can slide reciprocally along the length of the chute 10. The rotating disk 8 is installed in a rotating disk bracket 12 and can rotate in the rotating disk bracket 12. A driving mechanism for driving its rotation is installed on the top of the rotating disk 8. The rotating disk bracket 12 is embedded in an annular guide 13 and can move up and down along the height direction of the annular guide 13. A plurality of spaced - apart guide bars 14 are provided on the outer wall height direction of the rotating disk bracket 12, and a guide groove 15 that cooperates with the guide bars 14 is provided on the inner wall height direction of the annular guide 13. The fixed disk 9 is installed at the bottom of the annular guide 13;

[0012] The driving mechanism includes a connection disk 25 and a turbine 16 installed on the connection disk 25. The turbine 16 is driven by a worm 17, and the connection disk 25 is installed on the rotating disk 8;

[0013] The rotating disk bracket 12 is an annular bracket assembled from two components A18 and one component B19. Both sides of the components A18 and B19 in the height direction are provided with protruding strips 20 extending outwards. Two adjacent protruding strips 20 together form the guide bar 14;

[0014] At the top of the component B19, there is a worm semi-circular lower support groove 24. The worm 17 is installed in the worm semi-circular lower support groove 24. At the top of the rotating disk support 12, there is a sealing disk 21. On the lower surface of the sealing disk 21, there is a worm semi-circular upper support groove 22 that is used in cooperation with the worm semi-circular lower support groove 24;

[0015] On the inner wall of the rotating disk support 12, there is a rotating disk limiting groove 23. The rotating disk 8 is embedded in the rotating disk limiting groove 21 and can rotate along the rotating disk limiting groove 23.

[0016] The structure of the multi-section spring wire of the present invention and the variable-stiffness compression spring device with this structure are ingeniously designed. By directly twisting the traditional cylindrical helical spring to change the mean diameter of the spring, problems such as a small amplitude adjustment range and a large torsional moment brought by the stiffness-adjustable spring are solved. When the existing cylindrical helical spring is compressed or stretched, the spring wire is subjected to shear stress (torsional shear stress and shear stress). During normal operation, the overall deformation is large, but the stress and strain of the spring wire are not large, and the spring wire does not fail; when the cylindrical helical spring is twisted around the axis to change its mean diameter, the spring wire is subjected to bending stress. Even if the change in the mean diameter is very small, the stress and strain of the spring wire are very large. Usually, when the stiffness changes very little, the spring wire has already failed. At the same time, due to the bending stress on the spring wire, the torsional moment for changing the mean diameter is generally very large, so a speed reducer with a very high reduction ratio is required to drive it. To sum up, the present invention retains the anti-torsional shear stress and shear stress of the spring wire, and can solve the above problems by eliminating or greatly weakening the bending stress of the spring wire. The spring wire is made into sections spliced together and then fixed by a cage. This way can achieve the above-mentioned effects. The spliced spring wire is shaped by the cage, and at the same time, instability is avoided during torsion. The connection can resist shear stress but releases the bending stress (the torsional moment required for the cage to twist is small and can be ignored). Through such a design, low-torque rotation can be used to change the mean diameter of the cylindrical spring, thereby changing the stiffness of the spring and increasing the stiffness adjustment range to 1K~4K, where K is the spring stiffness. By controlling the angular displacement of the rotating disk, the present invention can achieve real-time control of the spring stiffness. At the same time, designing the overall spring wire into multi-section spring wire can greatly reduce the torque driven by the rotating disk, while the stiffness adjustment range is greatly increased. The present invention can form a set of automotive intelligent shock absorbers when equipped with a servo motor and a damper, and is expected to compete with air spring shock absorbers. At the same time, it will play an irreplaceable role in the field of vortex-induced vibration power generation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 : Structural schematic diagram of a multi-section spring wire of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 : Structural schematic diagram of the female section of the spring wire;

[0019] Figure 3 : Structural schematic diagram of the male section of the spring wire;

[0020] Figure 4 : Schematic structural diagram of the cage;

[0021] Figure 5 : Schematic structural diagram of the assembly of the female spring wire section and the male spring wire section;

[0022] Figure 6 : Schematic structural diagram of the variable stiffness compression spring device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 : Schematic structural diagram of the assembly of the multi - section spring wire with the rotating disc and the fixed disc;

[0024] Figure 8 : Schematic structural diagram of the assembly of the rotating disc bracket and the annular guide;

[0025] Figure 9 : Exploded view of the rotating disc bracket and the annular guide;

[0026] Figure 10 : Schematic structural diagram of component B;

[0027] Figure 11 : Schematic structural diagram of component A;

[0028] Figure 12 : Schematic structural diagram after the assembly of the rotating disc, component B, the driving mechanism, and the worm semi - circular lower support groove;

[0029] Figure 13 : Schematic structural diagram of the sealing disc.

[0030] In the figure: 1. Female spring wire section; 2. Male spring wire section; 3. Cage; 4. U - shaped restraint joint; 5. Plate - type restraint joint; 6. Mounting hole; 7. Connecting block; 8. Rotating disc; 9. Fixed disc; 10. Chute; 11. Coordination block; 12. Rotating disc bracket; 13. Annular guide; 14. Guide strip; 15. Guide groove; 16. Turbine; 17. Worm; 18. Component A; 19. Component B; 20. Rib; 21. Sealing disc; 22. Worm semi - circular upper support groove; 23. Rotating disc limit groove; 24. Worm semi - circular lower support groove; 25. Connecting disc. Specific embodiments

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Embodiment 1

[0033] A multi - section spring wire according to this embodiment, please refer to Figures 1-5 . The multi - section spring wire of this embodiment is a cylindrical helical spring wire body composed of alternating splicing of a female spring wire section 1 and a male spring wire section 2 (the splicing method should limit the shear freedom and release the bending freedom). The spring wire body maintains its cylindrical helical shape through a cage 3 that matches its shape. The female spring wire section 1, the male spring wire section 2, and the cage 3 are all made of spring steel. The function of the cage 3 is to enable the cylindrical helix formed by splicing the male spring wire section 2 and the female spring wire section 1 to maintain its shape and remain stable during operation without buckling deformation. Among them, the middle of the female spring wire section 1 is in a slope shape, and the front and rear ends of the female spring wire section 1 extend horizontally forward and backward to form a U - shaped restraint joint 4. The middle of the male spring wire section 2 is in a slope shape, and the front and rear ends of the male spring wire section 2 extend horizontally forward and backward to form a plate - type restraint joint 5. Installation holes 6 are provided on both the U - shaped restraint joint 4 and the plate - type restraint joint 5. By inserting a pin shaft through the installation holes 6, the connection between the female spring wire section 1 and the male spring wire section 2 is realized. Connection blocks 7 for connecting the cage 3 are provided on the sides of the female spring wire section 1 and the male spring wire section 2. The cage 3 is bolted or welded through the connection blocks 7 on the female spring wire section 1 and the male spring wire section 2. The cage must meet the requirement of not undergoing plastic deformation under large deformations and at the same time have good rigidity.

[0034] Embodiment 2

[0035] A variable - stiffness compression spring device according to this embodiment, refer to the attached Figures 1-13 . It includes the multi - section spring wire described in Embodiment 1. The top of the multi - section spring wire is installed in a rotating disk 8, and the bottom is installed in a fixed disk 9. A chute 10 is provided on the diameter direction of the side where the rotating disk 8 and the fixed disk 9 install the multi - section spring wire. Coordination blocks 11 are installed at the top and bottom of the multi - section spring wire. The coordination blocks 11 are embedded in the chute 10 and can slide reciprocally along the length of the chute 10. The rotating disk 8 is installed in a rotating disk bracket 12 and can rotate within the rotating disk bracket 12. A driving mechanism for driving its rotation is installed at the top of the rotating disk 8. The rotating disk bracket 12 is embedded in an annular guide 13 and can move up and down along the height direction of the annular guide 13. A plurality of spaced - apart guide bars 14 are provided on the outer wall of the rotating disk bracket 12 in the height direction. A guide groove 15 for cooperating with the guide bars 14 is provided on the inner wall of the annular guide 13 in the height direction. The fixed disk 9 is installed at the bottom of the annular guide 13;

[0036] The specific structure of the driving mechanism is as follows: The driving mechanism includes a connecting disk 25 and a turbine 16 installed on the connecting disk 25. The turbine 16 is driven by a worm 17, and the connecting disk 25 is installed on a rotating disk 8. The turbine 16, the worm 17, the connecting disk 25, and the rotating disk 8 are rigidly connected together and rotate as a whole under the drive of the worm 17, driving the multi-section spring wire to bend. The rotating disk 8 is connected to the multi-section spring wire through a coordination block 11. The worm and turbine are the driving components of the entire device, and the self-locking property of the worm and turbine ensures that the multi-section spring wire can stay stably at a certain working position.

[0037] Among them, the rotating disk bracket 12 is an annular bracket assembled from two component A18s and one component B19. On both sides of the component A18 and the component B19 in the height direction, there are protruding strips 20 extending outward. Two adjacent protruding strips 20 together form a guiding strip 14. On the inner wall of the rotating disk bracket 12, there is a rotating disk limiting groove 23. The rotating disk 8 is embedded in the rotating disk limiting groove 21 and can rotate along the rotating disk limiting groove 23. The function of the annular guiding member 13 is to make the guiding strip 14 of the rotating disk bracket 12 axially move along the guiding groove 15 of this member, restricting the rotating disk bracket 12 from rotating axially. At the same time, the annular guiding member 13 is rigidly connected to the fixed disk 9. The function of the guiding strip 14 is to rigidly connect the component A18 and the component B19 together, and at the same time assemble the rotating disk 8. The rotating disk 8 rotates along the rotating disk limiting groove 23, so that the multi-section spring wire bends.

[0038] On the top of the component B19, there is a worm semi-circular lower bracket groove 24, and the worm 17 is installed in the worm semi-circular lower bracket groove 24. On the top of the rotating disk bracket 12, there is a sealing disk 21. On the lower surface of the sealing disk 21, there is a worm semi-circular upper bracket groove 22 that cooperates with the worm semi-circular lower bracket groove 24. The above structure is used to install the worm 17. The sealing disk 21 is another fixing component of the worm 17, and at the same time is a reinforcing component and can be used as a component for connecting to external equipment.

[0039] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: By controlling the angular displacement of the rotating disk, the real-time control of the spring stiffness can be achieved. At the same time, designing the overall spring wire as a multi-section spring wire can greatly reduce the torque driven by the rotating disk, while the stiffness adjustment range is greatly increased. If equipped with a servo motor and a damper, it can form a set of automotive intelligent shock absorbers, and is expected to compete with air spring shock absorbers. At the same time, it will play an irreplaceable role in the field of vortex-induced vibration power generation.

[0040] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, for those of ordinary skill in the art, it can be understood that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirits of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi - section spring wire, characterized in that it is a cylindrical helical spring wire body formed by alternately splicing a female spring wire section and a male spring wire section, and the spring wire body maintains its cylindrical helical shape through a cage matching its shape; the middle of the female spring wire section is in a slope shape, and the front and rear ends of the female spring wire section extend horizontally forward and backward to form U - shaped restraint joints; the middle of the male spring wire section is in a slope shape, and the front and rear ends of the male spring wire section extend horizontally forward and backward to form plate - type restraint joints; installation holes are provided on both the U - shaped restraint joints and the plate - type restraint joints, and a pin shaft is inserted through the installation holes to realize the connection between the female spring wire section and the male spring wire section; the female spring wire section, the male spring wire section and the cage are all made of spring steel; connection blocks for connecting the cage are provided on the sides of both the female spring wire section and the male spring wire section.

2. A variable - stiffness compression spring device, characterized in that it has the multi - section spring wire described in claim 1. The top of the multi - section spring wire is installed in a rotating disk, and the bottom is installed in a fixed disk. A chute is provided in the diameter direction on the side where the rotating disk and the fixed disk install the multi - section spring wire. Coordination blocks are installed at the top and bottom of the multi - section spring wire. The coordination blocks are embedded in the chute and can slide reciprocally along the length of the chute. The rotating disk is installed in a rotating disk bracket and can rotate in the rotating disk bracket. A driving mechanism for driving its rotation is installed at the top of the rotating disk. The rotating disk bracket is embedded in an annular guide and can move up and down along the height direction of the annular guide. A plurality of spaced - apart guide strips are provided on the outer wall of the rotating disk bracket in the height direction, and guide grooves for cooperating with the guide strips are provided on the inner wall of the annular guide in the height direction. The fixed disk is installed at the bottom of the annular guide.

3. A variable - stiffness compression spring device according to claim 2, characterized in that the driving mechanism includes a connection disk and a turbine installed on the connection disk. The turbine is driven by a worm, and the connection disk is installed on the rotating disk.

4. A variable - stiffness compression spring device according to claim 2, characterized in that the rotating disk bracket is an annular bracket assembled by two component A and one component B. Convex strips extending outward are provided on both sides of the component A and the component B in the height direction, and two adjacent convex strips together form a guide strip.

5. A variable - stiffness compression spring device according to claim 4, characterized in that a semi - circular lower worm support groove is installed at the top of the component B, the worm is installed in the semi - circular lower worm support groove, a sealing disk is installed at the top of the rotating disk bracket, and a semi - circular upper worm support groove for cooperating with the semi - circular lower worm support groove is installed on the lower surface of the sealing disk. A rotating disk limit groove is provided on the inner wall of the rotating disk bracket, and the rotating disk is embedded in the rotating disk limit groove and can rotate along the rotating disk limit groove.

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