A gear rack intermittent motion mechanism

Abstract

The present invention discloses a rack-and-pinion intermittent motion mechanism, comprising a gear and a rack, the gear being provided with an axle, the gear meshing with the rack, the gear being provided with a locking portion, the rack being connected to a guide rail along its length, the guide rail being provided with a guide platform, the guide platform being configured to cooperate with the locking portion of the gear to enable the gear to perform translational motion along the guide rail. The present invention has the beneficial effect of providing an intermittent motion mechanism using a rack-and-pinion mechanism, capable of switching between multiple intermittent cycles in a compact size, and capable of adjusting the intermittent cycle to increase or decrease, adapting to a wider range of working conditions, and having greater application value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intermittent transmission, in particular to a gear rack intermittent motion mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Intermittent motion mechanisms can be categorized as unidirectional or reciprocating. These mechanisms are widely used in production, such as feeding workpieces on shapers, indexing tools on turret lathes, and stepping conveyors on assembly lines. Achieving pauses during unidirectional motion is crucial to their design. During the mechanism's motion, if the active and passive components lose contact, or if they remain in contact but the active component is not pushing, the passive component stops moving. Ratchet mechanisms, grooved wheel mechanisms, incomplete gear mechanisms, cam unidirectional intermittent motion mechanisms, and escapements all use this method to achieve intermittent motion.

[0003] In an incomplete gear mechanism, the driving gear has incomplete teeth, typically only one or a few. The driven gear has several normal teeth and a locking arc. While the driving gear rotates continuously, the driven gear moves intermittently. When the gear is stopped, the locking arc on the driven gear aligns closely with the locking arc on the driving gear, ensuring that the driven gear remains in a fixed position and does not wander.

[0004] The main motion characteristic of this intermittent motion mechanism, represented by an incomplete gear mechanism, is the ability to switch back and forth between a transmission state and a locked state. However, existing intermittent motion mechanisms generally place the structural features supporting the transmission state and the structural features supporting the locking state on a common machining surface, and require the active and passive components to cooperate. For example, the active and passive components of an incomplete gear mechanism should both be incomplete gears. This can also be understood as the intermittent motion mechanism storing the information flow for switching between the transmission and locking states on the active and passive components, respectively. A more accurate definition is: "In existing intermittent motion mechanisms, the information determining the switching action is stored separately on the two moving element elements of a moving pair." This results in a moving element that has stored information for a particular intermittent motion mechanism being unable to simultaneously serve as a moving element for another intermittent motion mechanism with a different period, nor can it continue to serve as a moving element for a conventional continuous motion mechanism.

[0005] The active or driven parts of existing intermittent motion mechanisms cannot be compatible with intermittent motions of multiple different cycles and continuous motion at the same time. Intermittent motion structures that want to achieve complex motions are often complex and large in size, and cannot be applied to a wider range of working conditions.

[0006] In addition, existing intermittent motion mechanisms can only work in closed-loop motion cycles, and their scalability in engineering applications is poor.

[0007] Improvements to the existing technology are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: in view of the deficiencies of the existing technology, a gear rack intermittent motion mechanism is provided which is compatible with intermittent motions of multiple different cycles and continuous motion at the same time.

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a gear and rack intermittent motion mechanism, including a gear and a rack, the gear is provided with a wheel axle, the gear is engaged with the rack, the gear is provided with a locking part, the rack is connected to a guide rail along the length direction, the guide rail is provided with a guide platform, and the guide platform is used to cooperate with the locking part of the gear to make the gear move translationally along the guide rail.

[0010] Furthermore, when the gear moves along the length direction of the rack, the gear moves in a combined motion of translation and rotation; when the gear moves along the length direction of the guide rail, the gear moves in a translational motion.

[0011] Furthermore, the locking portion includes a boss, the boss is coaxially arranged with the wheel axle, and a locking string is provided on the side of the boss;

[0012] The guide platform of the guide rail is arranged corresponding to the boss.

[0013] Furthermore, a plurality of locking strings are provided on the side surface of the boss, and the plurality of locking strings are arranged at an angle along the circumferential direction of the boss.

[0014] Furthermore, the gear is provided with a plurality of bosses, which are all coaxially arranged with the wheel axle, and a locking string is provided on the side surface of each boss.

[0015] Furthermore, the locking chords of different bosses are arranged at angles to each other.

[0016] Furthermore, the diameters of the plurality of bosses are the same.

[0017] Furthermore, a ball groove is provided on the chord plane of the locking chord, and a ball is provided in the ball groove.

[0018] Furthermore, the guide rails are arranged at both ends of the rack.

[0019] Furthermore, the rack and the guide rail are spaced apart.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: providing an intermittent motion mechanism through the cooperation of gears and racks, which can realize the switching of multiple intermittent cycles in a smaller size, and can adjust the increase or decrease of the intermittent cycle, can adapt to a wider range of working conditions, and has better application value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The specific structure of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the minimum unit structure of an embodiment of the rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the minimum unit structure of another embodiment of the rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the minimum unit structure of the third embodiment of the rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the motion process of an embodiment of the rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the motion process of another embodiment of the rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism of the present invention;

[0027] 1- Gear;

[0028] 11- axle;

[0029] 12- boss; 121- first locking string; 122- second locking string;

[0030] 13-second boss; 131-second boss locking string;

[0031] 2- rack;

[0032] 3-guide rail; 31-guide platform; 32-second guide platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are 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 should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0035] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features being referred to. Thus, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0036] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, terms such as "mounted," "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0037] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Furthermore, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0038] In the description of this specification, the reference terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms should not be understood as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0039] Example

[0040] See also Figure 1 A gear rack intermittent motion mechanism includes a gear 1 and a rack 2, the gear 1 is provided with a wheel shaft 11, the gear 1 is engaged with the rack 2, the gear 1 is provided with a locking portion, the rack 2 is connected to a guide rail 3 along the length direction, the guide rail 3 is provided with a guide platform 31, and the guide platform 31 is used to cooperate with the locking portion of the gear 1 to make the gear 1 move translationally along the guide rail 3.

[0041] In this embodiment, the gear 1 is a gear 1 suitable for a conventional gear rack mechanism, with a complete number of teeth; the rack 2 is a rack 2 suitable for a conventional gear rack mechanism, with a complete number of teeth, and the gear 1 is meshed with the rack 2.

[0042] The axle 11 is an axis fixed at the center of the gear. The translational axle 11 can drive the gear 1 to perform translational motion, and the rotational axle 11 can drive the gear 1 to perform rotational motion. The axle 11 can be connected to various external mechanisms, and the external mechanism drives the axle 11 to translate, and the rotation of the gear 1 can also be transmitted and output to the external mechanism by the axle 11.

[0043] Specifically, when the gear 1 moves along the length direction of the rack 2, the movement mode of the gear 1 is a composite movement of translation and rotation; when the gear 1 moves along the length direction of the guide rail 3, the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3 cooperates with the locking portion of the gear 1 to prevent the gear 1 from rotating, so that the movement mode of the gear 1 is translational movement.

[0044] The locking portion of the gear 1 includes a boss 12 , which is coaxially arranged with the wheel axle 11 . A locking chord 121 is provided on the side of the boss 12 . The guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3 is arranged corresponding to the boss 12 .

[0045] The locking chord 121 is a chord plane formed along the chord length on the boss 12 parallel to the end face of the gear 1. The shape and position of the chord plane are determined by the motion cycle of the gear rack intermittent motion mechanism.

[0046] Furthermore, a plurality of locking chords 121 are provided on the side surface of the boss 12 , and the plurality of locking chords 121 are arranged at an angle along the circumferential direction of the boss 12 .

[0047] See also Figure 2 When the gear 1 needs to be compatible with multiple motion cycles, multiple locking strings can be set on the side of the boss 12, and each locking string is provided with a string plane. In this embodiment, one motion cycle is achieved by the cooperation of the first locking string 121 and the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3 on one side of the rack 2, and another motion cycle is achieved by the cooperation of the second locking string 122 and the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3 on the other side of the rack 2.

[0048] Furthermore, the gear 1 is provided with a plurality of bosses, and the plurality of bosses are coaxially arranged with the wheel axle 11 . A locking chord is provided on the side of each boss, and the locking chords of different bosses are arranged at an angle.

[0049] See also Figure 3 If the chord planes of two locking strings are so close in shape that they are difficult to be machined on the same boss, another layer of boss can be superimposed on the boss 12, that is, a second boss 13 can be added. The second boss 13 is coaxially arranged with the boss 12, and the two locking strings with similar shapes and positions are respectively arranged on the two bosses. Correspondingly, guide platforms of corresponding motion cycles are arranged on the guide rail 3, such as a guide platform 31 corresponding to the first locking string 121 of the boss 12, and a second guide platform 32 corresponding to the second boss locking string 131 of the second boss 13, so that the rotational motion of the gear 1 can be locked in different motion cycles.

[0050] In order to ensure structural strength and locking effect, the diameters of the multiple bosses are the same.

[0051] Similarly, multiple bosses can be provided on both sides of the gear 1 or on the same side of the gear 1 as needed.

[0052] Furthermore, the guide rails 3 are provided at both ends of the rack 2 , and the rack 2 and the guide rails 3 may be spaced apart as needed.

[0053] The guide rail 3 is a straight, rigid strip extending parallel to and behind the rack 2. It can be considered a toothless continuation of the rack. A guide platform 31 on the guide rail 3 engages and slides against the locking chord 121 of the gear 1. When the gear 1 moves within the rack section, it undergoes a combination of translational and rotational motion on the rack 2. When the gear 1 reaches the guide rail section, the teeth of the rack 2 disengage, and the locking chord 121 on the gear 1 engages the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3, allowing the gear 1 to translate along the guide rail 3 while its rotational motion is locked.

[0054] Furthermore, a ball groove is provided on the chord plane of the locking chord 121, and a ball is provided in the ball groove.

[0055] In order to reduce the friction between the locking string 121 of the gear 1 and the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3 and reduce the wear of the locking string 121, the chord plane of the locking string 121 is provided with a plurality of ball grooves, each of which is provided with a semi-buried ball, so that the chord plane of the locking string 121 changes from sliding to rolling on the guide platform 31, thereby achieving the effect of extending the service life.

[0056] See also Figure 4 In a specific embodiment, the axle 11 of the gear 1 is driven by an external mechanism, causing the gear 1 to translate along the length direction of the rack 2 and the guide rail 3. In the T11 stage, the axle 11 drives the gear 1 to translate on the rack 2, and the rack 2 is engaged with the gear 1. The relative translational movement of the rack 2 and the gear 1 drives the gear 1 to rotate. The rotational movement of the gear 1 is transmitted to the inside of the external mechanism through the axle 11, and can be used to drive various other connecting mechanisms inside the external mechanism to operate.

[0057] The axle 11 is driven by the external mechanism to continue to translate until it moves out of the rack 2 and enters the guide rail 3, entering the T12 stage. At this time, while the gear 1 is disengaged from the rack 2, the locking string 121 of the gear 1 is in contact with the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3, causing the gear 1 to slide along the length direction of the guide rail 3. At this time, the gear 1 will not rotate, and thus cannot drive various other connecting mechanisms inside the external mechanism to operate.

[0058] See also Figure 5 In another specific embodiment, the axle 11 of the gear 1 is driven by an external mechanism, so that the gear 1 translates along the length direction of the rack 2 and the guide rail 3. In the T21 stage, the axle 11 drives the gear 1 to translate on the rack 2, and the rack 2 is engaged with the gear 1. The relative translational movement of the rack 2 and the gear 1 drives the gear 1 to rotate. The rotational movement of the gear 1 is transmitted to the inside of the external mechanism through the axle 11, and can be used to drive various other connecting mechanisms inside the external mechanism to operate.

[0059] The axle 11 is driven by the external mechanism to continue to translate until it moves out of the rack 2 and enters the guide rail 3, entering the T22 stage. At this time, while the gear 1 is disengaged from the rack 2, the locking string 121 of the gear 1 is in contact with the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3, causing the gear 1 to slide along the length direction of the guide rail 3. At this time, the gear 1 will not rotate, and thus cannot drive various other connecting mechanisms inside the external mechanism to operate.

[0060] When another rack section is connected after this guide rail 3, the wheel axle 11 is driven by the external mechanism to continue to translate until it moves out of this guide rail 3 and enters the next rack section, that is, enters the T23 stage. At the same time, the locking string 121 of the gear 1 disengages from the guide platform 31 of the guide rail 3, and the gear 1 engages with the next rack section and resumes the rotational movement to move forward. The gear 1 is driven by the external mechanism to continue to translate until it moves out of the next rack section and enters the next guide rail, and enters the T24 stage. At this time, the gear 1 disengages from the rack, and the locking string 121 of the gear 1 engages with the guide platform of the guide rail, causing the gear 1 to slide along the length direction of the guide rail. At this time, the gear 1 will not rotate, and thus cannot drive various other connecting mechanisms inside the external mechanism to operate.

[0061] Therefore, as long as several sections of racks and guide rails of different lengths are alternately added, the axle 11 can continuously switch back and forth between the two motion states. For the external mechanism, a continuous translation motion is input to the axle 11, and an intermittent rotation motion of the axle 11 output can be obtained.

[0062] The rack-and-pinion intermittent motion mechanism in this embodiment features variable start and end cycles, and can even be open-loop. By adding new racks and guide rails to extend the cycle, new cycles can be added without affecting the existing segment layout, i.e., the original cycle. This intermittent cycle can be increased or decreased, allowing for the use of multiple different cycles in sequence. This makes the open-loop intermittent motion mechanism a novel intermittent motion mechanism. Implemented as a rack-and-pinion mechanism with a full tooth count, it can smoothly mesh with a conventional continuous rack-and-pinion mechanism connected to the intermittent mechanism and function as a conventional continuous gear. These novel features enable this intermittent motion mechanism to reduce the structural dimensions of its components based on its basic mechanical principles, adapting it to a wider range of operating conditions.

[0063] From the perspective of motion principle, it can be defined as: "In a gear rack intermittent motion mechanism, the information that determines the switching action is stored in a moving pair element of each of the two moving pairs, and the two moving pairs work alternately before and after a switching action; therefore, for the two moving pair elements of each moving pair, one of them stores the information participating in the intermittent motion and is expressed as a switching action, and the other does not store information, but is only passively cut into a motion segment participating in the intermittent motion, and is cut out and put on hold before the arrival of the other motion segment." Therefore, it is possible to adapt to changing motion cycles that can be increased or decreased in an open loop while retaining the ability to be compatible with continuous motion mechanisms, because the two moving pair elements that store the cycle information are not in the same moving pair, and the moving pair element for the switching action is not the same as the moving pair element for executing the subsequent motion after the switch.

[0064] From the above description, it can be seen that the beneficial effects of the present invention are: providing an intermittent motion mechanism through the cooperation of gears and racks, which can realize the switching of multiple intermittent cycles in a smaller size, and can adjust the increase or decrease of the intermittent cycle, can adapt to a wider range of working conditions, and has better application value.

[0065] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention's description and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism, characterized in that: It includes a gear and a rack, the gear is provided with a wheel shaft, the gear is meshed with the rack, the gear is provided with a locking portion, the rack is connected to a guide rail along the length direction, the guide rail is provided with a guide platform, and the guide platform is used to cooperate with the locking portion of the gear to make the gear move translationally along the guide rail; When the gear moves along the length direction of the rack, the gear moves in a combined motion of translation and rotation; when the gear moves along the length direction of the guide rail, the gear moves in a translational motion.

2. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The locking portion includes a boss, the boss is coaxially arranged with the wheel axle, and a locking string is provided on the side of the boss; The guide platform of the guide rail is arranged corresponding to the boss.

3. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: A plurality of locking strings are provided on the side surface of the boss, and the plurality of locking strings are arranged at an angle along the circumferential direction of the boss.

4. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: The gear is provided with a plurality of bosses, which are all coaxially arranged with the wheel axle, and a locking string is provided on the side surface of each boss.

5. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The chord planes of the locking chords of different bosses are arranged at an angle to each other.

6. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to claim 5, wherein: The diameters of the plurality of bosses are the same.

7. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: A ball groove is provided on the chord plane of the locking chord, and a ball is provided in the ball groove.

8. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to claim 7, wherein: The guide rails are arranged at both ends of the rack.

9. The rack and pinion intermittent motion mechanism according to claim 7, wherein: The rack is spaced apart from the guide rail.

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