A damper-adjustable spherical hinge device and a rotating platform

Abstract

The application discloses a damping-adjustable spherical hinge device and a rotating platform. The damping-adjustable spherical hinge device comprises a sleeve, a moving ball and a static ball placed in the sleeve, and a precession screw. The moving ball is placed in the adjacent area of the static ball. The precession screw is transversely installed on the sleeve through a precession screw hole opened on the side of the sleeve. The damping torque applied to the moving ball is adjusted by rotating the precession screw to push the static ball to rotate in the sleeve. The application pushes the static ball to move through the precession screw. After the damping torque applied to the moving ball reaches the set requirement, the static ball is fixed by tightening the fastening screw. The fine adjustment and control of the damping torque applied to the moving ball are realized through the indirect damping torque application method, and the service life of the equipment is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of rotating platform technology, and in particular to a damped adjustable ball hinge device and a rotating platform. Background Technology

[0002] The combination of a ball joint and a support is a common design scheme for rotating platforms. A ball joint provides three rotational degrees of freedom and consists of a ball joint and a ball seat. Currently, if a damping structure is incorporated into the ball joint, it is usually a washer-type structure. Springs or elastic washers are used as the physical support points for adjusting the damping. Common ball joints are sliding ball joints, meaning the relative movement between the ball head and the ball socket is sliding. If the ball head and ball socket are fitted too tightly, there will be significant sliding friction, resulting in excessive damping torque on the ball head. If the fit is too loose, the clearance friction will be too low, which is unsuitable for applications with specific requirements for ball head friction. Using multiple small balls to form a structure similar to a ball bearing to reduce the friction on the ball head is a common design. However, this design cannot precisely and finely adjust the motion friction of the ball head component.

[0003] The clearance of precision ball joints affects the working accuracy of equipment, necessitating compensation and correction of ball joint motion errors to improve the motion control accuracy of the equipment. It was found that the ball joint clearance follows a normal distribution at a confidence level of 0.05. This indicates that high-precision damping control of ball joints is currently lacking.

[0004] Due to the mechanical structure design of ball joints, there are three problems when adjusting the damping of the ball head:

[0005] One issue is the inconvenience of damping adjustment. Current products cannot easily adjust the damping while the ball hinge is running online after installation; in some applications, special requirements are needed in the assembly method for online adjustment, increasing engineering costs.

[0006] Secondly, the damping torque cannot be precisely adjusted. Currently, controlling the damping of the ball head from the bottom results in either too much or too little damping. The damping adjustment step is too large, which is not conducive to working applications where high damping parameter values ​​are required.

[0007] Thirdly, there are spring-type damping systems. Due to the inherent elastic fatigue of the materials, this problem is currently difficult to avoid and overcome. After a period of use, the elastic material fatigues, causing a significant change in the damping value.

[0008] However, controlling the damping torque on the ball joint within a relatively small range has significant practical value in engineering applications. In many cases, the damping torque on a damped ball joint is a crucial parameter essential for mechanical control. Currently, there is no effective method for precisely controlling the clearance of ball joints, thus the damping of rotating platforms composed of ball joints cannot be controlled with high precision. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To address the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a damping adjustable ball joint device and a rotating platform, which achieves fine control of the damping torque by indirectly applying damping torque.

[0010] The present invention provides a damping adjustable ball hinge device, comprising: a sleeve, a moving ball and a stationary ball placed inside the sleeve, and a precessing screw;

[0011] The moving ball is placed in the adjacent area of ​​the stationary ball;

[0012] The precession screw is horizontally mounted on the sleeve through a precession screw hole opened on the side of the sleeve;

[0013] The damping torque applied to the moving ball is adjusted by rotating the precessing screw to drive the stationary ball to rotate within the sleeve.

[0014] Optional, also includes:

[0015] A fastening screw is installed on the sleeve through a fastening screw hole on the side of the sleeve. It is used to fix the stationary ball by tightening the fastening screw after the moving ball reaches the set damping torque.

[0016] Optionally, the sleeve opening is configured as an inward contraction hole.

[0017] Optionally, the moving ball is also connected to a ball joint rod that extends deep into the sleeve.

[0018] Optionally, other geometric shapes may be provided between the moving sphere and the stationary sphere.

[0019] Optionally, the damping torque applied to the moving ball is adjusted by rotating the precessing screw to drive the stationary ball within the sleeve, including:

[0020] The contact point between the precessing screw and the stationary ball is set, the advance ratio of the stationary ball is adjusted by rotating the precessing screw, and the damping torque on the moving ball during the adjustment process is detected by a measuring tool. After the damping torque on the moving ball reaches the set requirement, the movement of the precessing screw is stopped.

[0021] The present invention also provides a rotating platform, including a connecting column and a damping adjustable ball hinge device as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the connecting column is fixedly connected to the bottom of the ball hinge device.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0023] This invention provides a damping adjustable ball hinge device and a rotating platform. The ball hinge device includes a double-ball system consisting of a sleeve, a moving ball, and a stationary ball. The stationary ball is driven to move by a precessing screw. After the damping torque on the moving ball reaches the set requirement, the fixing screw is tightened to fix the stationary ball. By indirectly applying the damping torque, the damping torque can be precisely controlled, and the service life of the equipment is improved. In addition, this invention uses a laterally arranged precessing screw to control the damping torque of the ball moving on a spherical surface, which further facilitates damping adjustment.

[0024] The rotating platform in this invention consists of a ball joint device with adjustable damping and a connecting support. It is connected to the connecting support using screw holes on the sleeve base to form a rotating platform, which can be applied to applications requiring specific damping torque for three-dimensional spherical rotation. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a rotating platform with an adjustable damping ball hinge device provided by the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the precessing screw motion of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the ball hinge device with adjustable damping according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the damping torque adjustment process of the present invention.

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Adjustable damping ball hinge device; 2. Connecting support; 11. Sleeve; 12. Moving ball; 13. Stationary ball; 14. Advancing screw; 15. Fastening screw; 16. Advancing screw threaded hole; 17. Fastening screw threaded hole; 18. Ball hinge rod; 19. Base threaded hole. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, and not all of the structures.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] See Figure 1 The present invention provides a damping adjustable ball hinge device 1, comprising: a sleeve 11, the sleeve 11 being a ball socket for placing a ball head, and the ball head in this embodiment adopting a double ball system, namely a moving ball 12 and a stationary ball 13.

[0033] Optionally, the moving ball 12 is placed in the adjacent area of ​​the stationary ball 13. The stationary ball 13 may have the same diameter as the moving ball 12. The surfaces of both balls are smooth and can be made of rigid materials. The fitting accuracy between the sleeve 11 and the two balls meets the requirements.

[0034] Furthermore, the moving sphere 12 and the stationary sphere 13 can be selected as spheres of the same or different diameters depending on the needs of the application; and the geometry of the stationary sphere 13 is not limited to a sphere and can be replaced by other polyhedra.

[0035] Furthermore, other geometric shapes, such as spheres or cylinders, can be inserted between the moving sphere 12 and the stationary sphere 13.

[0036] According to the pre-designed precision requirements, the opening positions on the side of the sleeve 11 are arranged, and the advance screw 14 is horizontally installed on the sleeve 11 through the advance screw screw hole 16 opened on the side of the sleeve 11.

[0037] In this embodiment, a damping torque is applied to the moving ball 12 indirectly. The control point of the damping torque on the moving ball 12 is transmitted through a rigid push rod connected to the stationary ball 13, allowing for fine adjustment of the frictional force experienced by the moving ball 12 during rotation. Specifically, rotating the precessing screw 14 pushes the stationary ball 13 to move within the sleeve 11, thereby adjusting the damping torque applied to the moving ball 12. A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the precessing screw movement during damping adjustment is shown below. Figure 2 .

[0038] Specifically, the contact point position between the advancing screw 14 and the stationary ball 13 is set, the advance ratio of the stationary ball 13 during the adjustment process is adjusted by rotating the advancing screw 14, and the damping torque of the moving ball 12 during the adjustment process is detected by a measuring tool. After the damping torque of the moving ball 12 reaches the set requirement, the movement of the advancing screw 14 is stopped.

[0039] For example, when adjusting the damping torque on the moving ball 12, the advance screw 14 is screwed in, which pushes the stationary ball 13 upward. The damping torque on the moving ball 12 during the adjustment process is detected by a measuring tool. After the damping torque of the moving ball 12 reaches the set requirement, the movement of the advance screw 14 is stopped. By presetting different damping torque values, the damping torque applied to the moving ball 12 can be adjusted.

[0040] The specific adjustment method is as follows:

[0041] First, two directions are defined. In this embodiment, two perpendicular directions are used, which can be... Figure 1 The x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular to each other. The ratio between the distances that the two directions move under the same precession mechanism through a connecting device is called the precession distance ratio, or simply the precession ratio, denoted as r.

[0042] When the precessing screw 14 acts on the stationary ball 13, the feed ratio is required to be greater than 1. Given the feed ratio, if the center of the ball is taken as the coordinate center, the horizontal contact point between the precessing screw 14 and the stationary ball 13 at the center of the threaded hole is the downward angle of the line connecting that contact point and the center of the ball. Figure 1 Angle B in the middle.

[0043] Figure 1 In this equation, angle A = 90° - B, and the angle value of angle A is denoted as α, where 0 < α < 90°. The relationship between angle A and the advance ratio is calculated using the formula: α = π / 2 - arc sin[2r / (1+r²)]. The corresponding downward angle α can be obtained based on different advance ratios.

[0044] By setting the feed ratio r, the angle A can be obtained. As angle A gradually decreases with the precession of the precession screw 14, the feed ratio also changes. It can be proven mathematically that as α decreases, the r value gradually increases. By achieving a state where the r value increases linearly with the advancement of the precession screw 14, it is possible to achieve a smaller increase in the damping torque on the moving ball when the precession screw 14 advances by the same pitch, thus achieving the purpose of finely adjusting the damping torque.

[0045] In this embodiment, the feed screw can be installed laterally to control the magnitude of the damping torque on the moving ball 12, making the control process very convenient.

[0046] Furthermore, the device also includes a fastening screw 15, which is installed on the sleeve 11 through a fastening screw hole 17 opened on the side of the sleeve 11. The installation height of the fastening screw 15 can be the same as that of the advancing screw 14, or it can have a certain deviation in installation height. The fastening screw 15 is used to fix the stationary ball 13 by tightening the fastening screw 15 after the moving ball 12 reaches the set damping torque, thereby ensuring that the damping torque on the moving ball 12 remains unchanged.

[0047] The precession screw 14 used in this embodiment is made of rigid material, and the limiting torque that it experiences without deformation cannot be very large. Therefore, the damping adjustable structure provided by this invention can generally only adjust the damping torque within a small order of magnitude.

[0048] Optionally, the opening of the sleeve 11 is configured as an inward contraction hole, which can lock the moving ball 12 inside the sleeve 11 and prevent it from coming out.

[0049] The moving ball 12 is also connected to a ball joint rod 18 that extends deep out of the sleeve 11, for connecting to an external component that needs to rotate.

[0050] See further Figure 1 The present invention also provides a rotating platform, including a connecting pillar 2 and a damping adjustable ball hinge device 1 as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the connecting pillar 2 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the ball hinge device. In this embodiment, the geometry of the connecting pillar 2 can be arbitrarily set, as long as the ball hinge device can be fixed by bolts or other means through the base screw hole 19.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a ball joint device with adjustable damping according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The ball joint device is mounted on a cuboid platform, forming a ball joint rotating platform with adjustable damping.

[0053] For example, in this embodiment, both the moving ball and the stationary ball are rigid balls with a radius of 7mm, the sleeve 11 has a wall thickness of 5mm, and the opening diameter of the upper edge is 13.2mm.

[0054] With the initial feed ratio set to 2.5, the calculated pitch angle B = 46.4°. Therefore, the pitch angle B corresponding to the contact point between the feed screw hole and the stationary ball should be this value (see [reference]). Figure 1 (The position of the downward angle B in the image).

[0055] A threaded hole is made in the sleeve wall, with a thread pitch of 1 mm and a diameter of 6 mm. The vertical distance from the center of the threaded hole to the upper edge of the sleeve is 21 mm. In this embodiment, the threaded hole of the advancing screw and the threaded hole of the fastening screw are on the same horizontal plane and are distributed at both ends of the diameter of the circle on the cross-section of the sleeve. The two threaded holes have the same dimensional parameters.

[0056] When adjusting the damping torque, first loosen the fastening screw and adjust the precession screw. A torque wrench or similar tool can be used to measure the torque applied by the precession screw. During adjustment, rotate the precession screw evenly. As the precession screw advances, the instantaneous torque of the precession screw can be observed on the torque wrench. When the torque of the precession screw changes linearly, the damping torque on the moving ball increases non-linearly.

[0057] Adjust the precession screw to a suitable position. While the ball joint rod connected to the moving ball rotates, use a torque wrench or other measuring tools to check if the damping torque on the moving ball meets the preset requirements. If there is any deviation, fine-tune the precession screw until the damping torque on the external connecting rod meets the preset requirements. Then stop the precession screw's movement and tighten the fixing screw to compact the stationary ball. The damping torque adjustment process in this embodiment is as follows: Figure 4 As shown.

[0058] Note that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, the scope of which is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A damping adjustable ball joint device, characterized in that, include: The sleeve, the moving ball and stationary ball placed inside the sleeve, and the precessing screw; The moving ball is placed in the adjacent area of ​​the stationary ball; The precession screw is horizontally mounted on the sleeve through a precession screw hole opened on the side of the sleeve; The damping torque applied to the moving ball is adjusted by rotating the precessing screw to drive the stationary ball to rotate within the sleeve. A fastening screw is installed on the sleeve through a fastening screw hole on the side of the sleeve, and is used to fix the stationary ball by tightening the fastening screw after the moving ball reaches the set damping torque. The damping torque applied to the moving ball is adjusted by rotating the precessing screw to drive the stationary ball within the sleeve, including: The contact point between the precessing screw and the stationary ball is set, the advance ratio of the stationary ball is adjusted by rotating the precessing screw, and the damping torque on the moving ball during the adjustment process is detected by a measuring tool. After the damping torque on the moving ball reaches the set requirement, the movement of the precessing screw is stopped.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opening of the sleeve is configured as an inward contraction hole.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving ball is also connected to a ball joint rod that extends deep into the sleeve.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Other geometric shapes are also arranged between the moving sphere and the stationary sphere.

5. A rotating platform, characterized in that, It includes a connecting strut and a damping adjustable ball joint device according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the connecting strut is fixedly connected to the bottom of the ball joint device.

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