A Ferris wheel-style product transport device

Abstract

This application provides a Ferris wheel-style product transfer device, including a sun gear, multiple planetary gears, multiple product carrier platforms, a drive mechanism, and a transmission mechanism. The multiple planetary gears are arranged around the sun gear, and each planetary gear is connected to one of the product carrier platforms. The drive mechanism drives the sun gear to rotate, and the sun gear is connected to the planetary gears via the transmission mechanism. Each planetary gear both rotates on its own axis and revolves around a central axis, with the angular velocity of its revolution being equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to its rotation. This device uses a Ferris wheel-style rotating mechanism to replace the previous assembly line, making the equipment structure more compact and smaller in size. Through the transmission mechanism, the planetary gears both rotate on their own axis and revolve around a central axis, and the angular velocity of their revolution being equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to their rotation, ensuring that the product carrier platforms remain stable during rotation and do not wobble.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to product transport technology, and more particularly to a Ferris wheel-type product transport device. Background Technology

[0002] The existing product transport mechanism is mainly a conveyor belt system, but this transport method results in long horizontal logistics lines and large equipment space occupation.

[0003] Patent CN202110188660.7 provides a three-dimensional automatic circulating storage and supply device, which drives each basket to rotate in a vertical plane through a transmission gear shaft. However, this supply structure is difficult to keep each basket stable, and the products will shake during the rotation, which is not conducive to processing or inspection operations. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a Ferris wheel-type product transport device that occupies less space, has a more compact structure, and can maintain the stable position of the product.

[0005] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of them. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form to prepare for the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a Ferris wheel-type product transport device is provided, comprising a sun gear, a plurality of planetary gears, a plurality of product support platforms, a drive mechanism, and a transmission mechanism. The plurality of planetary gears are arranged around the sun gear, each planetary gear is connected to one of the product support platforms, the drive mechanism drives the sun gear to rotate, the sun gear is connected to the planetary gears via the transmission mechanism, and the planetary gears both rotate on their own axis and revolve around the sun gear. The angular velocity of the planetary gears revolving around the sun gear is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the angular velocity of their own axis.

[0007] In one embodiment, the product support platform remains horizontal during rotation.

[0008] In one embodiment, the transmission mechanism is a belt drive mechanism, a gear drive mechanism, or a chain drive mechanism.

[0009] In one embodiment, the transmission mechanism includes a belt and a tensioner pulley, the belt passing over the sun gear and each of the planet gears and being tensioned by the tensioner pulley.

[0010] In one embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a driver and a timing belt, the driver being connected to the sun gear via the timing belt.

[0011] In one embodiment, the driver is a servo motor.

[0012] In one embodiment, the number of product support platforms is 'a', and the product support platforms are evenly distributed around the axis of rotation of the sun gear at intervals of 360° / a, and the sun gear rotates 360° / a each time.

[0013] In one embodiment, a product limiting member is provided on the product carrier platform, which can restrict the horizontal movement of the product in the plane of rotation.

[0014] In one embodiment, the product support platform includes a product support surface, and the static friction coefficient f of the product support surface satisfies f ≥ ω. 2 *r, where ω is the angular velocity of the product platform and r is the radius of the product platform.

[0015] In one embodiment, the product support platform has a hollow structure, and at least part of the bottom surface of the product is exposed when it is placed on the product support platform.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: through the transmission mechanism, the planetary gears both rotate on their own axis and revolve around the sun, and the angular velocity of the revolution is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the angular velocity of the rotation, so that the product support platform remains stable during the rotation process and does not shake, thereby facilitating the inspection or processing of products at various workstations. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] The above-described features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar related characteristics or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of this application from another angle;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a front view of an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the product support platform structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Wherein: 1-Sun gear; 2-Planet gear; 3-Product support platform; 31-Product limiting component; 32-Product bearing surface; 41-Driver; 42-Synchronous belt; 51-Belt; 52-Tensioner; 6-Outer shell. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the aspects described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention in any way.

[0025] like Figures 1-3 As shown in the illustration, this application provides a Ferris wheel-style product transport device, including a sun gear 1, multiple planetary gears 2, multiple product support platforms 3, a drive mechanism, and a transmission mechanism. The multiple planetary gears 2 are arranged around the sun gear 1, and each planetary gear 2 is connected to a product support platform 3. The drive mechanism drives the sun gear 1 to rotate. The sun gear 1 is connected to the planetary gears 2 via a transmission structure. The planetary gears 2 both rotate on their own axes and revolve around the sun gear 1. The angular velocity of the planetary gear 2's revolution around the sun gear 1 is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to its rotational angular velocity. For example, each planetary gear 2 revolves clockwise around the axis of the sun gear 1 at an angular velocity of 60° / s, while simultaneously rotating counterclockwise around its own axis at an angular velocity of 60° / s.

[0026] This device replaces the previous assembly line with a Ferris wheel-style rotating mechanism, resulting in a more compact structure and smaller size. Furthermore, compared to the naturally suspended basket structure in existing Ferris wheel designs, this device uses a transmission mechanism to drive the planetary gear 2 to both rotate on its own axis and revolve around the sun. The angular velocity of the revolution is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the angular velocity of the rotation, ensuring that the product support platform 3 remains stable during rotation, preventing swaying or overturning due to inertia, thereby reducing errors in subsequent inspection or processing.

[0027] The product support platform 3 can maintain a stable state by either always being tilted at a certain angle or always being horizontal. This stable state can be set and adjusted initially. In this embodiment, the product support platform 3 is always kept horizontal to prevent the product from tilting or sliding.

[0028] The transmission mechanism can be a belt drive mechanism, a gear drive mechanism, or a chain drive mechanism, etc. By reasonably setting the transmission ratio, the angular velocity of the planetary gear's revolution is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the angular velocity of its rotation.

[0029] In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism uses belt drive. The belt 51 passes around the sun gear 1 and each planet gear 2, and is tensioned by the tensioner 52. Compared to other transmission structures, belt drive allows for a lighter overall weight of the equipment. Furthermore, it can also be used as follows... Figure 2 As shown, a housing 6 is provided over the transmission mechanism, the sun gear 1 and the planet gears 2, and each planet gear 2 is connected to the housing 6.

[0030] The drive mechanism includes a driver 41 and a timing belt 42. The driver 41 is connected to the sun gear 1 via the timing belt 42. Preferably, the driver 41 is a servo motor, which ensures that the acceleration and deceleration of the sun gear 1 are relatively smooth during rotation, and that excessive or insufficient acceleration does not cause product displacement.

[0031] The number of product carrier platforms 3 can be set as needed. In this embodiment, there are 6 product carrier platforms 3, which are evenly distributed around the axis of rotation of the sun gear 1 at 60° intervals. The sun gear 1 rotates 60° each time.

[0032] Furthermore, in order to prevent the product from sliding, a product limiting member 31 can be provided on the product carrier platform 3. The product limiting member 31 can clamp or block the product, thereby restricting the product's horizontal movement in the plane of rotation.

[0033] If the product limiting component 31 is not provided, static friction can also be used to prevent the product from sliding. When the product rotates, the static friction force it experiences can be approximated as F = mf (where m is the product mass and f is the static friction coefficient), and the maximum centrifugal force can be approximated as F′ = mω. 2 *r (where m is the product mass, ω is the angular velocity of the product support platform, and r is the radius of rotation of the product support platform). When the static friction force F > the maximum centrifugal force F′, the product will not slip. Therefore, the static friction coefficient f of the product support surface 32 must satisfy f ≥ ω. 2 *r. The static friction coefficient can be increased by setting friction patterns on the product's bearing surface 32 or by covering it with anti-slip material.

[0034] To reduce equipment size, existing technologies often use horizontal turntables to transfer products. While horizontal turntables reduce the space occupied by the equipment, when processing or inspecting the bottom surface of the product is required, a robotic arm or other mechanism is needed to clamp the product, exposing the bottom surface, resulting in a complex equipment structure. Therefore, in a possible embodiment, the product support platform 3 can be designed as follows: Figure 4 The hollow structure shown allows at least part of the bottom surface of the product to be exposed when it is placed on the product support platform 3, thereby facilitating the processing or inspection of the bottom surface of the product and making full use of the characteristics of the Ferris wheel structure.

[0035] In summary, the Ferris wheel-type product transfer device proposed in this application significantly reduces the installation space due to its Ferris wheel structure. The planetary gears, driven by a transmission mechanism, both rotate on their own axis and revolve around the sun, with the angular velocity of the revolution equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to that of the rotation. This ensures that the product platform remains stable during rotation, preventing swaying or overturning due to inertia.

[0036] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0037] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0038] The above description is merely a preferred example of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application shall be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A Ferris wheel-style product transfer device, characterized in that: The device includes a sun gear, multiple planet gears, multiple product support platforms, a drive mechanism, and a transmission mechanism. The multiple planet gears are arranged around the sun gear, and each planet gear is connected to one of the product support platforms. The drive mechanism drives the sun gear to rotate, and the sun gear is connected to the planet gears via the transmission mechanism. The planet gears both rotate on their own axis and revolve around the sun gear. The angular velocity of the planet gear's revolution is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the angular velocity of its rotation. The product support platform maintains a certain angle of tilt or remains horizontal throughout the rotation process; The product support platform is equipped with a product limiting component, which can restrict the horizontal movement of the product within the plane of rotation; or, The product support platform includes a product support surface, and the static friction coefficient f of the product support surface satisfies f≥ω²*r, where ω is the angular velocity of the product support platform and r is the radius of the product support platform. The product support platform has a hollow structure, and at least part of the bottom surface of the product is exposed when it is placed on the product support platform.

2. The Ferris wheel-type product transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism is a belt drive mechanism, a gear drive mechanism, or a chain drive mechanism.

3. The Ferris wheel-type product transfer device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism includes a belt and a tensioner pulley, the belt passing around the sun gear and each of the planet gears, and being tensioned by the tensioner pulley.

4. The Ferris wheel-type product transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive mechanism includes a driver and a timing belt, the driver being connected to the sun gear via the timing belt.

5. The Ferris wheel-type product transfer device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The driver is a servo motor.

6. The Ferris wheel-type product transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of product support platforms is 'a', and the product support platforms are evenly distributed around the axis of rotation of the sun gear at intervals of 360° / a. The sun gear rotates 360° / a each time.

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