A dot matrix ranging mechanism

Abstract

The present invention provides a dot matrix ranging mechanism, which includes a ranging platform, and a plurality of through holes are provided on the ranging platform; ranging modules for the upper surface of the workpiece to be ranged are movably arranged on the plurality of through holes; the plurality of through holes and the ranging modules are arranged in an array on the ranging platform. By arranging the ranging modules in an array, the function of performing multi-point ranging operations on the upper surface of the workpiece can be achieved. By performing multi-point ranging on the upper surface of the workpiece, the purpose of accurately ranging the workpiece can be realized. Furthermore, the ranging purpose of the upper surface of the workpiece to be ranged is realized, the ranging efficiency of the upper surface of the workpiece is improved, thereby effectively reducing the influence on the process temperature of the areas of other workpieces that have completed the printing process, and further ensuring the product quality and accurately measuring the distance to the surface of the workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of additive manufacturing measurement, and particularly to a dot matrix ranging mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In current additive manufacturing, manual measurement is required, which involves a large amount of work and is time-consuming. There may also be errors in the measured values. Moreover, the shapes are mostly irregular, especially the temperature of the upper surface of the workpiece is high. Since the mainstream method of metal additive manufacturing is to perform layer-by-layer stacking based on the obtained sliced model of the target product, the upper surface is the current processing surface during the manufacturing process and is the highest temperature surface of the entire workpiece. This poses another problem for manual measurement, as measurement can only be carried out after the workpiece has cooled. To ensure product quality, the workpiece needs to maintain a relatively stable temperature level. In the existing production process, the main method is to wait for natural cooling after stopping the machine for measurement, resulting in low ranging efficiency and affecting manufacturing efficiency. Using water cooling can effectively improve the ranging efficiency and shorten the cooling time, but some materials have poor oxidation resistance and are not suitable for direct water cooling, or uncontrollable direct water cooling may cause excessive cooling rate and product defects. If the input heat during the surfacing process of the upper surface of the printed workpiece is not removed in time and is conducted to the components of the printing equipment, the parts will work at a high temperature for a long time, affecting the processing accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention proposes a dot matrix ranging mechanism. By arranging a plurality of ranging modules with ranging channels in an array on a ranging table and making the bottom of the ranging modules contact the upper surface of the workpiece, when performing the ranging operation on the upper surface of the workpiece, only circulating coolant needs to be introduced into the ranging channels, so that the ranging modules can contact the upper surface of the workpiece, thereby achieving the purpose of measuring the height of the upper surface of the workpiece, improving the ranging efficiency of the upper surface of the workpiece, and by measuring the upper surface of the printed workpiece, effectively meeting the accurate measurement of the height of the printed workpiece, realizing the measurement of irregular printing surfaces, and thus ensuring product quality.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is realized as follows:

[0005] A dot matrix ranging mechanism includes a ranging table, and a plurality of through holes are provided on the ranging table; a plurality of ranging modules for measuring the upper surface of the workpiece are movably arranged on the plurality of through holes; the plurality of through holes and the ranging modules are arranged in an array on the ranging table. By arranging the ranging modules in an array, the function of performing multi-point ranging operations on the upper surface of the workpiece can be achieved, and by performing multi-point ranging on the upper surface of the workpiece, the purpose of accurately ranging the workpiece can be realized.

[0006] Furthermore, it includes a frame erected above one side of the additive printing workbench; the ranging table is installed on the frame through a mounting plate.

[0007] Furthermore, a translation slide rail is provided on the frame; the mounting plate is slidably connected to the translation slide rail; a translation cylinder is provided between the mounting plate and the frame; a lifting cylinder is installed between the mounting plate and the ranging table.

[0008] Furthermore, a ranging channel for the coolant to flow through is provided inside the ranging module; on one side where the coolant flows, there is also a ranging sensor for measuring the distance from the surface of the workpiece; the ranging module is provided with a ranging sensor; the ranging sensor protrudes from the ground of the ranging module and contacts the upper surface of the workpiece. By performing contact ranging on the upper surface of the workpiece with the highest temperature through the ranging module, while achieving the purpose of ranging the upper surface of the workpiece, it also ensures the processability during the workpiece printing process. And during this contact ranging process, the coolant does not directly contact the upper surface of the workpiece, and it also plays an effective role in protecting the metal properties of the workpiece, avoiding product defects.

[0009] Furthermore, the ranging channels of several ranging modules are sequentially connected in series through hoses.

[0010] Furthermore, the ranging module includes a ranging base and a top cover sealed and installed on the ranging base; the ranging channel is located on the ranging base; the top cover is provided with a liquid inlet hole and a liquid outlet hole; both the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole communicate with the ranging channel.

[0011] Furthermore, the ranging channel is arranged in an S shape or a U shape on the ranging base.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a first spring piece, the fixed end of the first spring piece is fixedly arranged on the ranging table, and the free end of the first spring piece is connected to the top of the ranging module.

[0013] Furthermore, both the ranging base and the top cover are provided with interconnected ranging holes; the ranging probe is movably arranged on the ranging holes; the top cover is provided with a second spring piece; the fixed end of the second spring piece is fixedly arranged on the top cover; the free end of the second spring piece is connected to the top of the ranging probe.

[0014] Furthermore, a sealing groove is provided on the ranging base; an annular sealing ring is provided on the sealing groove; the top cover is fixedly installed on the ranging base through bolts. The leak-proof sealing ring can play a role in preventing the coolant from leaking out of the ranging hole.

[0015] Advantages of the present invention: By arranging a plurality of ranging modules with ranging channels in an array on the ranging platform and making the bottom of the ranging module contact the upper surface of the workpiece, when measuring the distance of the upper surface of the workpiece, only circulating coolant needs to be introduced into the ranging channel, so that the ranging module can contact the upper surface of the workpiece, thereby achieving the purpose of measuring the height of the upper surface of the workpiece, improving the ranging efficiency of the upper surface of the workpiece. During the ranging process, the coolant does not contact the surface of the workpiece. The array type, that is, the dot matrix ranging method, realizes the purpose of simultaneously measuring the upper surface of a workpiece with an irregular shape, improving the adaptability. A ranging probe is correspondingly installed on each ranging module, which can be used to perform multi-point ranging operations on the upper surface of the workpiece. By performing multi-point ranging on the upper surface of the workpiece, the purpose of accurately ranging the workpiece can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a dot matrix ranging mechanism of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a dot matrix ranging mechanism of the present invention from a first perspective;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the bottom of the ranging platform;

[0020] Figure 4 For Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of part A in

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the ranging module;

[0022] Figure 6 It is an exploded view of the ranging module;

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of the ranging module from another perspective.

[0024] Attached drawing reference numerals: 1, distance measuring station; 2, distance measuring module; 3, distance measuring channel; 4, first spring piece; 5, hose; 6, distance measuring seat; 7, top cover; 8, liquid inlet hole; 9, liquid outlet hole; 10, distance measuring probe; 11, distance measuring hole; 12, second spring piece; 13, annular sealing ring; 14, frame; 15, mounting plate; 16, translation slide rail; 17, translation cylinder; 18, lifting cylinder; 19, bottom plate; 20, liquid inlet pipe; 21, liquid outlet pipe; 22, leak-proof sealing ring. Detailed implementation manners

[0025] 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. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0026] See Figures 1 to 7 , a dot matrix distance measuring mechanism, including a distance measuring station 1. A distance measuring module 2 for measuring the upper surface of a workpiece is provided on the distance measuring station 1. A distance measuring channel 3 for the coolant of an external distance measuring system to flow through is provided inside the distance measuring module 2. The bottom of the distance measuring module 2 is in contact with the upper surface of the workpiece. When performing the distance measurement operation on the upper surface of the workpiece, only need to introduce circulating coolant into the distance measuring channel 3, so that the distance measuring module 2 can be in contact with the upper surface of the workpiece to achieve the purpose of measuring the height of the upper surface of the workpiece and improve the distance measurement efficiency of the upper surface of the workpiece. The bottom surface of the distance measuring module 2 in contact with the upper surface of the workpiece protrudes from the bottom surface of the distance measuring station 1. Since the bottom surface of the distance measuring module 2 protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the distance measuring station 1, when moving the distance measuring station 1 to the upper surface of the workpiece, the distance measuring module 2 can be in full contact with the upper surface of the workpiece, ensuring that full contact can be achieved for efficient distance measurement. By using the distance measuring module to perform contact distance measurement on the upper surface of the workpiece with the highest height, while achieving the purpose of measuring the upper surface of the workpiece, in this contact distance measurement process, the coolant does not directly contact the upper surface of the workpiece, and also plays an effective role in protecting the metal properties of the workpiece, avoiding product defects.

[0027] Specifically, a plurality of through holes are provided on the distance measuring platform 1, and the above-mentioned distance measuring module 2 is movably arranged on each of the through holes. Among them, the through holes penetrate the upper and lower surfaces of the distance measuring platform, and the through holes are used to install and place the distance measuring module 2 to achieve the purpose that the distance measuring module 2 can contact the upper surface of the workpiece. Since the upper surface of the workpiece is relatively rough and uneven during the process of additive manufacturing of the workpiece, in order to enable as many contact surfaces as possible between the upper surface of the workpiece and the distance measuring module 2 to further improve the distance measuring efficiency, in this embodiment, a plurality of through holes for installing the distance measuring module 2 are designed on the distance measuring platform 1. By evenly distributing the plurality of distance measuring modules 2 at different positions on the distance measuring platform 1, when the workpiece needs to be distance measured, the distance measuring platform 1 is moved to the upper surface of the workpiece. Since each distance measuring module 2 is movably arranged on the corresponding through hole, and the upward or downward movement of each distance measuring module 2 is not interfered by other distance measuring modules 2, when encountering the upper surface of the workpiece with a relative height difference, the corresponding distance measuring module 2 can contact the corresponding upper surface of the workpiece under the action of its own gravity or other external driving forces to perform contact distance measurement operations, achieving the purpose of simultaneously distance measuring the upper surface of the workpiece with an irregular shape and improving the adaptability.

[0028] Preferably, it further includes a first spring piece 4. The fixed end of the first spring piece 4 is fixedly arranged on the distance measuring platform 1, and the free end of the first spring piece 4 is connected to the top of the distance measuring module 2. Specifically, the free end of the first spring 4 is fixedly connected to the top of the distance measuring module 2 to achieve the purpose of installing the distance measuring module 2 on the through hole. And because the first spring 4 itself has elasticity, the purpose of movably installing the distance measuring module 2 on the through hole is further achieved. Correspondingly, when performing contact distance measurement with the upper surface of the workpiece, the first spring 4 also provides a downward pressing force for the distance measuring module 2, enabling the distance measuring module 2 to fully contact the upper surface of the workpiece.

[0029] Furthermore, the distance measuring channels 3 of several distance measuring modules 2 are sequentially connected in series through a hose 5, that is, each distance measuring module 2 is connected in series through the hose 5. In this way, the purpose of connecting all the distance measuring modules 2 into a complete distance measuring system can be achieved. And only by respectively connecting the two distance measuring modules 2 at the head and tail in the distance measuring system formed by the series connection to the liquid inlet pipe 20 and the liquid outlet pipe 21 of the external distance measuring system, the purpose of cyclic distance measurement can be achieved, so as to quickly output the coolant from the distance measuring channel 3 and timely input the low-temperature coolant, improving the heat exchange efficiency and balancing the temperature of the workpiece surface.

[0030] Preferably, the plurality of through holes and the distance measuring modules 2 are arranged in an array on the distance measuring platform 1, which can achieve the purpose of evenly measuring the height of the upper surface of the workpiece.

[0031] Specifically, the distance measurement module 2 includes a distance measurement base 6 and a top cover 7 hermetically mounted on the distance measurement base 6. The distance measurement channel 3 is located on the distance measurement base 6. The bottom surface of the distance measurement base 6 is used to contact the upper surface of the workpiece. By arranging the distance measurement channel 3 on the distance measurement base 6, the distance measurement effect is improved. The top cover 7 is provided with a liquid inlet hole 8 and a liquid outlet hole 9, and both the liquid inlet hole 8 and the liquid outlet hole 9 communicate with the distance measurement channel 3. The liquid inlet hole 8 and the liquid outlet hole 9 are used to install and connect the hose 5. In the specific series connection method, in this embodiment, the liquid outlet hole 9 of any one distance measurement module 2 is connected to the liquid inlet hole 8 of an adjacent distance measurement module 2 through the hose 5, and the purpose of connecting all the distance measurement modules 2 in series can be achieved.

[0032] Preferably, the distance measurement channel 3 is arranged in an S shape or a U shape on the distance measurement base 6, which can play a role in expanding the contact area during heat exchange on the side surface of the workpiece, improve the heat exchange efficiency, and balance the surface temperature of the workpiece to protect the temperature measurement sensor from being damaged by high temperature and affecting the measurement of the surface height of the workpiece.

[0033] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the distance measurement module 2 is provided with a distance measurement probe 10 for measuring the surface temperature of the workpiece. The distance measurement base 6 and the top cover 7 are both provided with connected distance measurement holes 11. When the top cover 7 is installed on the distance measurement base 6, the distance measurement holes 11 on the top cover 7 are correspondingly connected to the distance measurement holes 11 on the distance measurement base 6. The distance measurement probe 10 is movably arranged on the distance measurement holes 11. The top cover 7 is provided with a second spring piece 12. The fixed end of the second spring piece 12 is fixedly arranged on the top cover 7, and the free end of the second spring piece 12 is connected to the top of the distance measurement probe 10. Specifically, the free end of the second spring 12 is fixedly connected to the top of the distance measurement probe 10 to achieve the purpose of movably installing the distance measurement probe 10 on the distance measurement holes 11. In addition, further, the bottom of the distance measurement probe 10 protrudes downward from the bottom of the distance measurement base 6, so that when the distance measurement module 2 contacts the surface of the workpiece, and due to the elasticity of the second spring itself, the distance measurement probe 10 can achieve full contact with the surface of the workpiece, and then achieve the purpose of accurate distance measurement. And a plurality of distance measurement modules 2 are installed on the distance measurement table 1 in a uniformly arrayed manner, and a distance measurement probe 10 is correspondingly installed on each distance measurement module 2. In this way, the function of performing multi-point distance measurement on the upper surface of the workpiece can be achieved. By performing multi-point distance measurement on the upper surface of the workpiece, the purpose of accurately measuring the distance of the workpiece can be achieved.

[0034] Preferably, the distance measurement base 6 is provided with a sealing groove, and an annular sealing ring 13 is arranged on the sealing groove. The distance measurement channel 3 is arranged on the distance measurement base 6 inside the annular sealing ring 13. The top cover 7 is fixedly installed on the distance measurement base 6 through bolts to achieve the purpose of sealing installation between the top cover 7 and the distance measurement base 6.

[0035] In addition, a leak-proof sealing ring 22 is provided on the distance measuring hole 11, and the leak-proof sealing ring 22 can prevent the coolant from leaking out of the distance measuring hole 11.

[0036] Furthermore, since distance measurement operation is not required during additive surfacing printing of the workpiece, and distance measurement operation is only needed on the surface of the workpiece after one or more printing layers are completed. Therefore, in order to enable the dot matrix cyclic distance measurement mechanism to adapt to the additive printing equipment, in this embodiment, the dot matrix cyclic distance measurement mechanism further includes a frame 14 installed on one side above the additive printing workbench. Here, the additive printing workbench is the working base for additive surfacing of the workpiece in the additive printing equipment. The distance measurement table 1 is installed on the frame 14 through a mounting plate 15. A translation slide rail 16 is provided on the frame 14, and the mounting plate 15 is slidably connected to the translation slide rail 16. Specifically, in the way of the sliding connection, a slider adapted to the translation slide rail 16 can be set on the mounting plate 15. A translation cylinder 17 is provided between the mounting plate 15 and the frame 14. The cylinder body of the translation cylinder 17 is installed on the mounting plate 15, and the piston rod of the translation cylinder 17 is connected to the frame 14 to achieve the purpose of translating the distance measurement table 1. A lifting cylinder 18 is installed between the mounting plate 15 and the distance measurement table 1. The cylinder body of the lifting cylinder 18 is installed on the bottom plate 19 at the bottom of the mounting plate 15, and the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 18 is connected to the distance measurement table 1 to achieve the purpose of lifting the distance measurement table 1.

[0037] Working principle: When distance measurement operation is required, by controlling the translation cylinder 17, the mounting plate 15 is pushed to move on the translation slide rail 16. Since the distance measurement table 1 is installed on the mounting plate 15 through the lifting cylinder 18, the purpose of moving the distance measurement table 1 above the workpiece can be achieved. Then, the lifting cylinder 18 is driven to lower the distance measurement table 1 so that the distance measurement module 2 on the distance measurement table 1 can be pressed down to a position where it is in full contact with the upper surface of the workpiece. Next, coolant is introduced into the distance measurement channel 3 to perform the distance measurement operation on the workpiece surface.

[0038] Advantages of this embodiment: By arranging multiple ranging modules with ranging channels in an array on the ranging platform and making the bottom of the ranging module contact the upper surface of the workpiece, when performing the ranging operation on the upper surface of the workpiece, only circulating coolant needs to be introduced into the ranging channel, so that the ranging module can contact the upper surface of the workpiece, thereby achieving the purpose of measuring the height of the upper surface of the workpiece, improving the ranging efficiency of the upper surface of the workpiece, effectively reducing the influence on the process temperature of the area where the printing process has been completed, the coolant does not contact the workpiece surface during the ranging process, playing an effective role in protecting the metal properties of the workpiece, avoiding product defects, adopting an array or dot matrix ranging method, achieving the purpose of simultaneously performing ranging operations on the upper surfaces of workpieces with irregular shapes, improving adaptability, and a ranging probe is correspondingly installed on each ranging module, which can play a role in performing multi-point ranging operations on the upper surface of the workpiece. By performing multi-point ranging on the upper surface of the workpiece, the purpose of accurately ranging the workpiece can be achieved.

[0039] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0040] It should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention.

[0041] In addition, the terms "first", "second", "element I", "element II" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", "element I", "element II" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality of" and "several" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0042] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dot matrix ranging mechanism, characterized in that: It includes a ranging platform, and a number of through holes are provided on the ranging platform; A ranging module for the upper surface of the ranging workpiece is movably arranged on each of the through holes; The through holes and the ranging modules are arranged in an array on the ranging platform; A ranging channel for the coolant to flow through is provided inside the ranging module; On the side where the coolant flows, there is also a ranging sensor for measuring the distance of the workpiece surface; The ranging module is provided with a ranging sensor; The ranging sensor protrudes from the bottom surface of the ranging module and contacts the upper surface of the workpiece; The ranging channels of several ranging modules are connected in series in sequence through hoses; The ranging module includes a ranging seat and a top cover sealed and installed on the ranging seat; The ranging channel is located on the ranging seat; The top cover is provided with a liquid inlet hole and a liquid outlet hole; Both the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole communicate with the ranging channel; Both the ranging seat and the top cover are provided with communicating ranging holes; A ranging probe is movably arranged on the ranging hole; The top cover is provided with a second spring piece; The fixed end of the second spring piece is fixedly arranged on the top cover; The free end of the second spring piece is connected to the top of the ranging probe; It further includes a first spring piece, the fixed end of the first spring piece is fixedly arranged on the ranging platform, and the free end of the first spring piece is connected to the top of the ranging module.

2. A dot matrix ranging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It includes a frame erected on one side above the additive manufacturing workbench; The ranging platform is installed on the frame through a mounting plate.

3. A dot matrix ranging mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: A translation slide rail is provided on the frame; The mounting plate is slidably connected to the translation slide rail; A translation cylinder is provided between the mounting plate and the frame; A lifting cylinder is installed between the mounting plate and the ranging platform.

4. A dot matrix ranging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ranging channel is arranged in an S shape or a U shape on the ranging seat.

5. A dot matrix ranging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing groove is provided on the ranging seat; An annular sealing ring is provided on the sealing groove; The top cover is fixedly installed on the ranging seat through bolts.

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