Air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function and use method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides an air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function and a method for using the same. The air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function includes a guide rail, two side slides arranged on both sides of the guide rail, a drive assembly for driving the two side slides to move toward the guide rail, and an adjustment plug provided with a pressure sensor. The adjustment plug has a first state of being inserted between the side slide and the guide rail and a second state of being removed from the side slide and the guide rail. When the adjustment plug is in the first state, the drive assembly drives the side slide to press against the adjustment plug to stop the operation of the drive assembly after the pressure detected by the sensor reaches a set value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function and a use method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the demand for ultra-precision and ultra-high-speed machining, the use of air-bearing linear stages is becoming more and more widespread. For different processed products, the assembly requirements for air-bearing guide rails are becoming more and more stringent. The existing manually adjusted assembly of air-bearing guide rails has its own shortcomings, such as difficulty in adjustment, large gap control error, and poor operation repeatability.

[0003] In view of this, it is necessary to improve the existing air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function, so as to solve the problems of the existing air-floating guide rails being difficult to adjust manually and having large gap control errors.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides an air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function, the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function includes a guide rail, two side slides arranged on both sides of the guide rail, a driving component for driving the two side slides to move toward the guide rail, and an adjustment plug provided with a pressure sensor, the adjustment plug having a first state of being inserted between the side slide and the guide rail and a second state of being removed from the side slide and the guide rail. When the adjustment plug is in the first state, the driving component drives the side slide to press against the adjustment plug to stop the operation of the driving component after the sensor detects that the pressure reaches a set value.

[0006] As a further improvement of the present invention, the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function further includes a manipulator for clamping the adjustment plug and switching between the first state and the second state.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function further includes an image acquisition device provided on the manipulator.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function further includes an upper slide plate arranged above the side slide plate, and the upper slide plate fixes the side slide plate via a detachable fixing member.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the driving assembly includes pressure plates arranged on both sides of the side slide and respectively abutting against the side slides on both sides, a first connecting plate and a second connecting plate arranged on both sides of the pressure plate and respectively abutting against the pressure plates on both sides, and a driving member that pushes the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate from both sides.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the driving member includes a pull rod passing through the first connecting plate and connected to the second connecting plate, and a pneumatic cylinder arranged on the side of the first connecting plate away from the second connecting plate. The pneumatic cylinder is connected to the pull rod to drive the pull rod to move in a direction perpendicular to the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the driving assembly further includes a support block disposed below the pull rod for supporting the pull rod.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function further includes a base for supporting the guide rail and the side slide, and a pedestal for supporting the base.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for using an air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function, comprising the following steps:

[0014] S1: Providing the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function as described above;

[0015] S2: inserting the adjusting plug between the side slide plate and the guide rail to place the adjusting plug in the first state;

[0016] S3: starting the driving assembly to drive the two side slides to move toward the guide rail and press against the adjustment plug;

[0017] S4: The pressure sensor on the adjusting plug detects that the pressure reaches the disengagement pressure, fixes the side slide plate, and drives the driving assembly in the reverse direction;

[0018] S5: Remove the adjustment plug to put it in the second state.

[0019] As a further improvement of the present invention, the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function also includes a manipulator for clamping the adjustment plug and switching it between the first state and the second state. In step S2, the adjustment plug is clamped by the manipulator and inserted between the side slide and the guide rail. Between step S3 and step S4, there is also a step S31: the pressure sensor on the adjustment plug detects that the pressure reaches a limited pressure, and the manipulator releases the adjustment plug.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: the air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function and the use method thereof can realize gap adjustment, with low adjustment difficulty, small gap control error, and good operation repeatability, which can well simplify complicated assembly techniques and ensure the uniformity and stability of assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of area A in the middle;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a front structural schematic diagram of the air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure in the middle BB direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all 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.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances. In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the air-floating guide rail device 100 with a gap adjustment function of the present invention includes a guide rail 1, two side slides 2 arranged on both sides of the guide rail 1, a base 3 for supporting the guide rail 1 and the side slides 2, a base 4 for supporting the base 3, a driving assembly 5 for driving the two side slides 2 to move toward the guide rail 1, an adjustment plug 6 provided with a pressure sensor 61, a manipulator 7 for clamping the adjustment plug 6, an image acquisition device 8 arranged on the manipulator 7, an upper slide 9 arranged above the side slide 2, and a control unit.

[0029] The adjusting plug 6 has a first state in which it is inserted between the side slide 2 and the guide rail 1, and a second state in which it is removed from the side slide 2 and the guide rail 1. When the adjusting plug 6 is in the first state, the driving component 5 drives the side slide 2 to press against the adjusting plug 6 to stop the operation of the driving component 5 after the sensor detects that the pressure reaches a set value.

[0030] The manipulator 7 is used to grip the adjustment plug 6 and switch between the first and second states. The manipulator 7 is fixed to the base 4 and is flexible, allowing for multi-angle movement. Two manipulators 7 are provided to simultaneously grasp two adjustment plugs 6 and insert them between the side slides 2 and the guide rails 1 on either side.

[0031] The guide rail 1 and the side slide 2 are located on the base 3 .

[0032] The image acquisition device 8 can be used to observe the relative position between the side slide 2 and the guide rail 1, and can also be used to select adjustment plugs 6 of different thicknesses. In this embodiment, the image acquisition device 8 is a camera.

[0033] The upper slide 9 secures the side slide 2 via detachable fasteners 91. In this embodiment, the fasteners 91 are bolts. When the bolts are loosened, the side slide 2 can be adjusted relative to the guide rail 1, thereby creating a desired clearance for the adjustment plug 6. Once the clearance is confirmed, the bolts are tightened to maintain the desired clearance.

[0034] The driving assembly 5 includes a pressure plate 51 arranged on both sides of the side slide 2 and respectively abutting against the side slide 2 on both sides, a first connecting plate 52 and a second connecting plate 53 arranged on both sides of the pressure plate 51 and respectively abutting against the pressure plates 51 on both sides, and a driving member pushing the first connecting plate 52 and the second connecting plate 53 from both sides.

[0035] The driving member includes a pull rod 54 passing through the first connecting plate 52 and connected to the second connecting plate 53, a pneumatic cylinder 55 arranged on the side of the first connecting plate 52 away from the second connecting plate 53, and a support block 56 arranged under the pull rod 54 to support the pull rod 54. The pneumatic cylinder 55 is connected to the pull rod 54 to drive the pull rod 54 to move in a direction perpendicular to the first connecting plate 52 and the second connecting plate 53.

[0036] The manipulator 7 , the image acquisition device 8 and the driving component 5 are all connected to the control unit and controlled by the driving component 5 .

[0037] The method for using the air-floating guide rail device 100 with a gap adjustment function includes the following steps:

[0038] S1: providing the air-floating guide rail device 100 with the gap adjustment function;

[0039] S11: Loosen the fixing member 91 so that a certain movable space is reserved between the side slide 2 and the guide rail 1; start the image acquisition device 8 to identify the size of the gap and simultaneously select and adjust the screen;

[0040] S2: inserting the adjusting plug 6 between the side slide 2 and the guide rail 1 to put it in the first state, the adjusting plug 6 is clamped by the manipulator 7 and inserted between the side slide 2 and the guide rail 1;

[0041] S3: The driving assembly 5 is activated to drive the two side slides 2 to move toward the guide rail 1 and press against the adjustment plug 6. In this embodiment, high-pressure gas is injected into the pneumatic cylinder 55 to exert a pulling force on the pull rod 54, which drives the pressure plate 51 to move against the two side slides 2 through the first connecting plate 52 and the second connecting plate 53, thereby pressing the adjustment plug 6 to the side of the guide rail 1.

[0042] S31: The pressure sensor 61 on the adjusting plug 6 detects that the pressure reaches a limit pressure, and the manipulator 7 releases the adjusting plug 6. This step can prevent the manipulator 7 from being damaged by continued application of pressure.

[0043] S4: The pressure sensor 61 on the adjusting plug 6 detects that the pressure reaches the disengagement pressure, fixes the side slide 2, and drives the driving assembly 5 in the reverse direction. When the pressure reaches the disengagement pressure, it indicates that the gap has reached the set value. By tightening the fasteners, the upper slide 9 and the side slide 2 are fixed, and the gap between the side slide 2 and the guide rail 1 is maintained. The pneumatic cylinder 55 is ventilated in the reverse direction to loosen the first connecting plate 52, the second connecting plate 53, and the pressure plate 51.

[0044] S5: Remove the adjusting plug 6 to put it in the second state. In this step, the adjusting plug 6 is also removed by the robot 7.

[0045] The air-floating guide rail device 100 with gap adjustment function and its use method of the present invention can achieve gap adjustment with low adjustment difficulty, small gap control error, and good operation repeatability, which can well simplify complicated assembly techniques and ensure assembly uniformity and stability.

[0046] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0047] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function, characterized in that: The air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function includes a guide rail, two side slides arranged on both sides of the guide rail, a driving component for driving the two side slides to move toward the guide rail, an adjustment plug provided with a pressure sensor, a manipulator, and an image acquisition device arranged on the manipulator. The adjustment plug has a first state of being inserted between the side slide and the guide rail and a second state of being removed from the side slide and the guide rail. When the adjustment plug is in the first state, the driving component drives the side slide to press against the adjustment plug to stop the operation of the driving component after the sensor detects that the pressure reaches a set value. The manipulator is used to clamp the adjustment plug to switch between the first state and the second state.

2. The air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function further includes an upper slide plate arranged above the side slide plate, and the upper slide plate fixes the side slide plate via a detachable fixing member.

3. The air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes pressure plates arranged on both sides of the side slide and respectively abutting against the side slides on both sides, a first connecting plate and a second connecting plate arranged on both sides of the pressure plate and respectively abutting against the pressure plates on both sides, and a driving member pushing the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate from both sides.

4. The air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving member includes a pull rod passing through the first connecting plate and connected to the second connecting plate, and a pneumatic cylinder arranged on the side of the first connecting plate away from the second connecting plate. The pneumatic cylinder is connected to the pull rod to drive the pull rod to move in a direction perpendicular to the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate.

5. The air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function according to claim 4, characterized in that: The driving assembly further includes a support block disposed below the pull rod for supporting the pull rod.

6. The air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function further includes a base for supporting the guide rail and the side slide, and a pedestal for supporting the base.

7. A method for using an air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function, characterized in that: The steps include: S1: Providing an air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; S2: inserting the adjusting plug between the side slide plate and the guide rail to place the adjusting plug in the first state; S3: starting the driving assembly to drive the two side slides to move toward the guide rail and press against the adjustment plug; S4: The pressure sensor on the adjusting plug detects that the pressure reaches the disengagement pressure, fixes the side slide plate, and drives the driving assembly in the reverse direction; S5: Remove the adjustment plug to put it in the second state.

8. The method for using the air-floating guide rail device with gap adjustment function according to claim 7, characterized in that: The air-floating guide rail device with a gap adjustment function also includes a manipulator for clamping the adjustment plug and switching between a first state and a second state. In step S2, the adjustment plug is clamped by the manipulator and inserted between the side slide and the guide rail. Between step S3 and step S4, there is also a step S31: the pressure sensor on the adjustment plug detects that the pressure reaches a limit pressure, and the manipulator releases the adjustment plug.

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