Intelligent footing device and height balancing method

Abstract

This invention discloses an intelligent leveling device and height balancing method, comprising multiple sets of leveling components. Each set of leveling components includes a bottom support, a pneumatic rod, and a cylinder. One end of the pneumatic rod is located inside the cylinder, and the other end extends out of the cylinder and connects to the bottom support. The cylinder and the pneumatic rod can slide relative to each other. An air passage and an air outlet are provided on the pneumatic rod, with the air passage and air outlet connected. A stop valve is provided at the air outlet. A distance sensor is provided on the cylinder to obtain the distance of the cylinder from the ground, and a pressure sensor is provided in the air passage to obtain the pressure inside the air passage. The air passages of multiple pneumatic rods are connected by an air pipe, which is connected to an air inlet. The distance sensor, pressure sensor, and stop valve are all connected to a controller. The controller performs leveling based on the pressure inside the air passage and the distance of the cylinder from the ground, ensuring the accuracy and safety of leveling the leveling device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ground height balancing technology, and more particularly to an intelligent ground device and height balancing method. Background Technology

[0002] The statements in this section are merely background information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] Many devices require a high degree of overall levelness to function properly. For example, the ATM's mechanism and cash box need to be relatively level for normal operation. Currently, the levelness of these devices is mostly adjusted manually by tightening the leveling bolts. When the device has multiple leveling bolts, each bolt needs to be adjusted individually, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and difficult to control in terms of relative height. The leveling bolts are often designed with a diameter at the top and bottom that is larger than the diameter in the middle, making it inconvenient to automatically tighten them using traditional hexagonal screwdrivers and socket wrenches. Furthermore, adjusting each bolt individually to achieve levelness can easily lead to imbalance and a risk of the device tipping over. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes an intelligent leveling device and a height balancing method, which enables automatic leveling of the leveling feet and prevents equipment from tipping over due to pressure imbalance during the leveling process.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] Firstly, an intelligent grounding device is proposed, comprising multiple grounding components. Each grounding component includes a bottom support, a pneumatic rod, and a cylinder. One end of the pneumatic rod is located inside the cylinder, and the other end extends out of the cylinder and connects to the bottom support. The cylinder and the pneumatic rod can slide relative to each other. An air passage and an air outlet are provided on the pneumatic rod, with the air passage and the air outlet connected. A stop valve is provided at the air outlet. A distance sensor is provided on the cylinder to obtain the distance of the cylinder from the ground, and a pressure sensor is provided in the air passage to obtain the pressure in the air passage. The air passages of multiple pneumatic rods are connected by an air pipe, which is connected to an inflation port. The distance sensor, pressure sensor, and stop valve are all connected to a controller.

[0007] The controller is used to adjust the pressure of all cylinders to the pressure reference value during the first inflation stage of the air pipe by controlling the opening and closing of the top stop valve; and to adjust the ground distance of all cylinders to be equal to the set value during the second inflation stage.

[0008] Furthermore, the cylinder has a head end and a tail end, respectively. The head end of the cylinder is provided with a rod outlet, and the rod extends out of the cylinder from the rod outlet. The rod outlet is sealed to the rod.

[0009] Furthermore, the airways of multiple air springs are connected end to end via air tubes.

[0010] Furthermore, when the foot assembly is in its initial state, all distance sensors are located on the same horizontal plane, and all pressure sensors are located on the same horizontal plane.

[0011] Furthermore, the inflation port is connected to the inflation / deflation valve, and the inflation / deflation valve is connected to the controller.

[0012] Furthermore, a screw is connected to the tail end of the cylinder.

[0013] Furthermore, the controller is used to close the stop valve in the corresponding foot assembly when the pressure in the airway of the foot assembly reaches the pressure reference value during the first inflation stage of the trachea.

[0014] Furthermore, the controller selects the pressure in the air passage of the first cylinder at the foot assembly where the first cylinder is located, at the first inflation stage of the air passage, as the pressure reference value.

[0015] Furthermore, the controller is used to obtain the ground clearance of each cylinder after the first inflation stage is completed, compare each ground clearance with a set value, open the inflation / deflation valve and the top stop valve in the mounting bracket of the cylinder with a ground clearance greater than the set value to depressurize the cylinder, and close the top stop valve in the mounting bracket of the cylinder when the ground clearance of the cylinder is equal to the set value; when the ground clearance of all cylinders is less than or equal to the set value, the inflation / deflation valve is closed.

[0016] Open the stop valve in the base assembly of the cylinder where the distance from the ground is less than the set value, open the inflation / deflation valve, and inflate the air passage. When the distance from the ground of the cylinder is equal to the set value, close the stop valve and the inflation / deflation valve.

[0017] Secondly, a height balancing method for an intelligent foot device is proposed, including:

[0018] Inflate the trachea through the inflation port;

[0019] The controller controls the opening and closing of the top stop valve, and during the first inflation stage of the air pipe, the pressure of all cylinders is adjusted to the pressure reference value.

[0020] During the second inflation phase, the ground clearance of all cylinders is adjusted to be equal to the set value.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] 1. This invention achieves automatic adjustment of the foot height by setting up air rods and cylinders and inflating them. During the foot height adjustment process, the pressure in the air passages is used to initially adjust the foot height, ensuring pressure balance in each cylinder and preventing the equipment from tipping over due to pressure imbalance. Then, based on the distance of each cylinder from the ground, the height of each cylinder is finely adjusted to make all cylinders the same distance from the ground, thus achieving balanced adjustment of the foot height.

[0023] 2. In this invention, a distance sensor is placed at the tail end of the cylinder. The distance between the cylinder and the ground obtained by the distance sensor can directly reflect the height of the equipment and the ground, and can further ensure the accuracy of equipment leveling.

[0024] 3. A screw is connected to the tail end of the cylinder, and the screw is used to connect to the equipment, which improves the ease of use of this invention.

[0025] Advantages of additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of this application. The illustrative embodiments of this application and their descriptions are used to explain this application and do not constitute an undue limitation of this application.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a top view of the device disclosed in Example 1.

[0028] Figure 2 This is an initial state diagram of the device disclosed in Embodiment 1;

[0029] Figure 3 This is an airflow direction diagram of the device disclosed in Example 1.

[0030] The components are: 1. Cylinder, 2. Bottom support, 3. Air pipe, 4. Top stop valve, 5. Air rod, 6. Air valve, 7. Inflation / release valve, 8. Distance sensor, 9. Pressure sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0032] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of this application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] In this embodiment, a smart foot device is disclosed, such as Figures 1-3 As shown, the system includes multiple sets of base components. Each set of base components includes a bottom support 2, a pneumatic rod 5, and a cylinder 1. One end of the pneumatic rod 5 is located inside the cylinder 1, and the other end of the pneumatic rod 5 extends out of the cylinder 1 and connects to the bottom support 2. The cylinder 1 and the pneumatic rod 5 can slide relative to each other. An air passage and an air outlet are provided on the pneumatic rod 5. The air outlet is located inside the cylinder 1, and the air passage communicates with the air outlet. A stop valve 4 is provided at the air outlet. The stop valve 4 is essentially a solenoid valve, and its opening and closing are controlled by the stop valve. The air passages of multiple air rods 5 are connected by air pipes 3. Air pipes 3 are connected to air inlets, and air release valves 7 are installed at the air inlets. The air inlets are connected to the air release valves 7, and the opening and closing of the air inlets are controlled by the air release valves 7. When air is charged into the air pipes 3 through the air inlets, the gas can enter each air rod through the air pipes 3. When the stop valve is opened, the gas entering the air rods enters the cylinder through the stop valve, causing the cylinder to move upward.

[0035] Preferably, the cylinder 1 has a head end and a tail end, respectively. The head end of the cylinder 1 is provided with a rod outlet, and the rod 5 extends out of the cylinder 1 from the rod outlet. A sealing element is provided at the rod outlet to achieve a sealed connection between the rod outlet and the rod 5.

[0036] The air passage on the air rod 5 extends to the bottom support 2. A valve 6 is installed on the bottom support 2. The valve 6 is connected to the air passage, and the air pipe 3 is connected to the valve 6.

[0037] A screw is connected to the tail end of the cylinder, and the screw is connected to the equipment to be leveled, making the device disclosed in this embodiment more convenient to use.

[0038] The arrangement of multiple sets of foot assemblies is determined according to the bottom of the connected equipment. They can be arranged in a rectangle or a ring, and the number of foot assemblies is determined according to the number of foot assemblies required by the equipment.

[0039] According to the shape formed by the base components, the air passages of multiple air rods 5 are connected end to end through air tubes.

[0040] All identical parts in each foot assembly are the same size to facilitate later adjustment of the foot height.

[0041] To achieve accurate and safe leveling of the footrest device, a distance sensor 8 is installed on each cylinder 1 to obtain the cylinder's distance from the ground; a pressure sensor 9 is installed in each air passage to obtain the pressure within the air passage; the distance sensor, pressure sensor, stop valve, and inflation / deflation valve are all connected to a controller. The controller is used to adjust the pressure of all cylinders to the pressure reference value during the first inflation stage of the air pipe by controlling the opening and closing of the stop valve; during the second inflation stage, it adjusts the distance of all cylinders from the ground to be equal to the set value; based on the cylinder's distance from the ground and the pressure within the air passage, the controller controls the opening and closing of each stop valve, ultimately adjusting the cylinders to the same position from the ground.

[0042] Preferably, the distance sensor 8 is placed at the tail end of the cylinder 1. The distance of the cylinder from the ground obtained by the distance sensor can directly reflect the height of the equipment above the ground.

[0043] The pressure sensor 9 is placed inside the airway, at the connection point between the air rod 5 and the bottom support 3.

[0044] When the foot assembly is in its initial state, all distance sensors and all pressure sensors are on the same horizontal plane. By using the acquired pressure or distance to adjust the height of the foot, there is no intermediate data calculation process, which simplifies the calculation workload of the controller.

[0045] To ensure safety during the leveling process, prevent the equipment from tipping over, and guarantee the accuracy of the leveling, the leveling is set up in two stages: a first air tube inflation stage and a second air tube inflation stage. In the first inflation stage, the pressure in each cylinder is adjusted to ensure that the pressure in the cylinders is at the same level. In the second inflation stage, the distance between the cylinders and the ground is finely adjusted to make the cylinders equal to the set value.

[0046] Specifically, the controller is used to close the stop valve in the corresponding foot assembly when the pressure in the airway of the foot assembly reaches the pressure reference value during the first inflation stage of the trachea.

[0047] Preferably, the controller selects the pressure reference value as the pressure in the air passage of the first cylinder at the location foot assembly where the first cylinder is located at a distance equal to the set value during the first inflation stage of the air passage.

[0048] In the first inflation stage, the pressure in the air passage of the first cylinder whose ground clearance is equal to the set value is selected as the pressure reference value. The pressure in the remaining cylinders is adjusted according to this pressure reference value. This eliminates the need for secondary adjustment of the ground clearance of the cylinders whose ground clearance is equal to the set value in the second inflation stage, simplifying the adjustment process. Furthermore, by using the pressure in the air passage of the first cylinder's ground clearance assembly as the pressure reference value to adjust the pressure of the remaining cylinders, only minor adjustments to the ground clearance of the remaining cylinders in the second inflation stage are required. This ensures the balance of the equipment during the leveling process and prevents the equipment from tipping over.

[0049] The controller is used to obtain the ground clearance of each cylinder after the first inflation stage is completed, compare each ground clearance with a set value, open the inflation / deflation valve and the top stop valve in the mounting bracket of the cylinder with a ground clearance greater than the set value to depressurize the cylinder, and close the top stop valve in the mounting bracket of the cylinder when the ground clearance of the cylinder is equal to the set value; when the ground clearance of all cylinders is less than or equal to the set value, the inflation / deflation valve is closed.

[0050] Open the stop valve in the base assembly of the cylinder where the distance from the ground is less than the set value, open the inflation / deflation valve, and inflate the air passage. When the distance from the ground of the cylinder is equal to the set value, close the stop valve and the inflation / deflation valve.

[0051] by Figure 1 Taking the leveling device with four base components shown as an example, the leveling process of the base device will be explained.

[0052] Based on their distance from the inflation port, the four base components are numbered as follows: 1#, 2#, 3# and 4#. Among them, 1# is closest to the inflation port and 4# is farthest from the inflation port.

[0053] When inflating the air pipe and leveling the height of the anchor assembly, open all the stop valves in anchor assemblies #1, #2, #3, and #4. Since #1 is closest to the inflation port, the cylinder in anchor assembly #1 will reach the set height first. At this point, record the pressure in the air passage of anchor assembly #1 as a pressure reference value, and close the stop valve in anchor assembly #1. Maintain the pressure in the cylinder of anchor assembly #1 unchanged and continue inflating. When the pressure in the air passage of anchor assembly #2 reaches the pressure reference value, close the stop valve in anchor assembly #2 and maintain the pressure in anchor assembly #2 unchanged. The pressure inside the cylinder of the #1 base assembly remains constant, and inflation continues. When the pressure inside the air passage of the #3 base assembly reaches the pressure reference value, the top stop valve in the #3 base assembly is closed, and the pressure inside the cylinder of the #3 base assembly remains constant. Inflation continues, and when the pressure inside the air passage of the #4 base assembly reaches the pressure reference value, the top stop valve in the #4 base assembly is closed, and the pressure inside the cylinder of the #4 base assembly remains constant. Since the pressure inside the cylinders is adjusted based on the pressure reference value, inflation to the air pipes is stopped after this stage of adjustment is completed. The gas pressure in all four cylinders is the same, ensuring the balance of the equipment and preventing it from tipping over.

[0054] Due to differences in manufacturing or sealing errors in each cylinder rod, the height reached by the cylinder may deviate when it reaches the set pressure value. Therefore, a fine-tuning process is performed in the second inflation stage to ensure the accuracy of leveling.

[0055] During the fine-tuning of the second inflation stage, firstly, the ground clearance of the cylinders in the #2, #3, and #4 foot assemblies is obtained, and the relationship between the ground clearance of the cylinders in the #2, #3, and #4 foot assemblies and the set value is determined. The inflation / deflation valve and the top stop valve in the foot assembly where the cylinder's ground clearance is greater than the set value are opened to depressurize the cylinder. When the cylinder drops to the ground clearance equal to the set value, the top stop valve in the foot assembly where that cylinder is located is closed until the ground clearance of all cylinders is less than or equal to the set value.

[0056] When the cylinder's ground clearance is less than the set value, open the stop valve in the mounting bracket to pressurize the cylinder by supplying air into the air pipe. When the cylinder's ground clearance equals the set value, close the stop valve and the pressurization / depressurization valve. The air flow direction for cylinder pressurization and depressurization is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 In the image, (a) shows the gas flow direction when the cylinder is being filled, and (b) shows the gas flow direction when the cylinder is being vented.

[0057] For example, after the first inflation stage is completed, the distance from the ground of cylinders in anchor assemblies #2 and #3 is greater than the set value, while the distance from the ground of cylinder in anchor assembly #4 is less than the set value. Then, the inflation / deflation valve and the check valves in anchor assemblies #2 and #3 are opened, while the other check valves are closed, causing the cylinders in anchor assemblies #2 and #3 to depressurize. When the distance from the ground of cylinder in anchor assembly #2 reaches the set value, the check valve in anchor assembly #2 is closed, and the cylinder in anchor assembly #3 continues to depressurize. When the distance from the ground of cylinder in anchor assembly #3 reaches the set value, the check valve in anchor assembly #3 is closed, and the inflation / deflation valve is also closed.

[0058] Next, open the top stop valve and the inflation / deflation valve in the #4 anchor assembly to inflate the air pipe and pressurize the cylinder in the #4 anchor assembly until it reaches the set distance from the ground. Then, close the inflation / deflation valve and the top stop valve in the #4 anchor assembly. The anchor height adjustment is now complete, and all cylinders in the anchor device are at the set distance from the ground. The height adjustment of the anchor device is now complete.

[0059] This embodiment achieves automatic adjustment of the height of the foot support device by setting up air rods and cylinders and inflating them. During the height adjustment process, the height of the foot support device is initially adjusted by the pressure in the air passage to ensure pressure balance in each cylinder and prevent the equipment from tipping over due to pressure imbalance during adjustment. Then, the height of each cylinder is finely adjusted according to its distance from the ground to make all cylinders the same, thus achieving safe and accurate balanced adjustment of the foot support height.

[0060] Example 2

[0061] In this embodiment, a height balancing method for an intelligent foot device disclosed in Embodiment 1 is disclosed, comprising:

[0062] Inflate the trachea through the inflation port;

[0063] The controller controls the opening and closing of the top stop valve, and during the first inflation stage of the air pipe, the pressure of all cylinders is adjusted to the pressure reference value.

[0064] During the second inflation phase, the ground clearance of all cylinders is adjusted to be equal to the set value.

[0065] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the specific implementation of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart foot device, characterized in that, The device includes multiple sets of base components. Each set includes a bottom support, a pneumatic rod, and a cylinder. One end of the pneumatic rod is located inside the cylinder, and the other end extends out of the cylinder and connects to the bottom support. The cylinder and the pneumatic rod can slide relative to each other. The pneumatic rod has an air passage and an air outlet, which are connected. A check valve is installed at the air outlet. A distance sensor is installed on the cylinder to obtain the distance of the cylinder from the ground, and a pressure sensor is installed in the air passage to obtain the pressure inside the air passage. The air passages of multiple pneumatic rods are connected by an air pipe, which is connected to an air inlet. The distance sensor, pressure sensor, and check valve are all connected to a controller. The airways of multiple pneumatic cylinders are connected end to end through an air tube; When the foot assembly is in its initial state, all distance sensors are located on the same horizontal plane, and all pressure sensors are located on the same horizontal plane. When the foot assembly is in its initial state, the air inlet is connected to the air inlet / outlet valve, and the air inlet / outlet valve is connected to the controller. The controller is used to adjust the pressure of all cylinders to the pressure reference value during the first inflation stage of the air tube by controlling the opening and closing of the top stop valve; and to adjust the ground distance of all cylinders to be equal to the set value during the second inflation stage. The controller is used to close the stop valve in the corresponding foot assembly when the pressure in the airway of the foot assembly reaches the pressure reference value during the first inflation stage of the trachea. The controller selects the pressure reference value as the pressure in the air passage of the first cylinder at the foot assembly where the first cylinder is located, at the first inflation stage of the air passage with a ground clearance equal to the set value.

2. The intelligent foot device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cylinder has a rod outlet at the front end, and the rod extends out of the cylinder from the rod outlet. The rod outlet is sealed to the rod.

3. The intelligent foot device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The tail end of the cylinder is connected to a screw.

4. The intelligent foot device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is used to obtain the ground clearance of each cylinder after the first inflation stage is completed, compare each ground clearance with a set value, open the inflation / deflation valve and the top stop valve in the mounting bracket of the cylinder with a ground clearance greater than the set value to depressurize the cylinder, and close the top stop valve in the mounting bracket of the cylinder when the ground clearance of the cylinder is equal to the set value; when the ground clearance of all cylinders is less than or equal to the set value, the inflation / deflation valve is closed. Open the stop valve in the base assembly of the cylinder where the distance from the ground is less than the set value, open the inflation / deflation valve, and inflate the air passage. When the distance from the ground of the cylinder is equal to the set value, close the stop valve and the inflation / deflation valve.

5. A height balancing method for an intelligent foot device as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, include: Inflate the trachea through the inflation port; The controller controls the opening and closing of the top stop valve, and during the first inflation stage of the air pipe, the pressure of all cylinders is adjusted to the pressure reference value. During the second inflation phase, the ground clearance of all cylinders is adjusted to be equal to the set value.

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