A vertical installation micro-friction drag chain structure

Abstract

The application discloses a vertical installation micro-friction drag chain structure, which comprises a drag chain, wherein the drag chain is vertically installed, one side of the drag chain is arranged on a supporting roller, the other side of the drag chain is arranged on an auxiliary roller, and turning is performed; the supporting roller movement drives the auxiliary roller and the drag chain to move. Compared with the prior art, the drag chain structure of the application discloses abandons the traditional track type design, and an auxiliary roller is added. Compared with the installation mode without the roller, the auxiliary roller can be added to discard the drag chain groove and shorten the length of the drag chain. Due to the existence of the auxiliary roller, the two drag chains are not affected by the gravity of the trolley during operation, so that the two drag chains themselves will not generate friction, and the design at the turning place also better guarantees that the drag chain can stably operate. The friction force received by the guide rail from the operation to the end can be kept stable, so that the operation stability is not caused by different movement distances, thereby effectively guaranteeing the accuracy of the detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cable chain technology, and more specifically to a vertically mounted micro-friction cable chain structure. Background Technology

[0002] The precision long guide rail measuring device mainly consists of a precision guide rail, a motion platform, a length measuring system, and a precision control system. The precise positioning of the precision long guide rail measuring device is mainly affected by the accuracy of the guide rail, the control system, and the length measuring system. However, even if the machining and installation accuracy of the long guide rail, the accuracy of the control system, and the accuracy of the length measuring system are guaranteed, the drag chain mechanism that moves with the motion platform becomes the biggest influencing factor in achieving micron-level positioning accuracy.

[0003] The unpredictable external forces caused by the cable chain's position along the entire length of the long guide rail, the automatic stacking friction of the cable chain, and the friction between the cable chain and the contact surface are the main reasons affecting the positioning accuracy of the motion platform on the long guide rail. To reduce the relative movement friction contact surface of the cable chain and reduce the impact of frictional external forces on the motion platform, the length of the cable chain can be shortened as much as possible while meeting the platform's motion range requirements.

[0004] Currently, cable chains used in precision long guideway measuring devices are generally fixed in the middle and extend to both sides. When the motion platform is in the middle of the guideway, the cable chains are stacked vertically in the left cable chain groove, and rollers are installed above the right cable chain groove. As the motion platform moves from the middle position, the cable chains move on the rollers, thus the stacked area of ​​the cable chains becomes smaller and smaller, and the frictional force acting on the motion platform also decreases. However, as the motion platform moves across the entire range of the long guideway, the frictional force between the cable chains increases continuously with the increase of the stacked area due to the weight of the cable chains themselves. The frictional force of the cable chains constantly changes. For ultra-long guideways greater than 50m, in some areas of the guideway, it will be much greater than the design static load driving force of the motion platform, causing great uncertainty in the driving and positioning of the motion platform at any position on the long guideway, making it difficult to achieve the requirements of precise positioning. In addition, due to the contact movement between the cable chains and the cable chain grooves, the gradually increasing frictional force of the stacked cable chains leads to increased noise and also reduces the lifespan of the cable chains themselves. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In addressing the issue that uneven friction caused by the cable chain increasing with distance affects the operability and stability of the trolley during precision testing on long guide rails in existing technologies, thereby impacting testing accuracy, the present invention aims to provide a vertically mounted micro-friction cable chain structure. This structure ensures that the friction generated by the cable chain remains uniform throughout its operation, regardless of the running distance. It can be adapted to any long guide rail, and its main purpose is to improve the stability of the trolley during operation, ultimately enhancing testing accuracy.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the technical solution adopted by this invention is as follows:

[0007] A vertically mounted micro-friction cable chain structure is provided, including a cable chain, which is vertically mounted. One side of the cable chain is mounted on a support roller, and the other side of the cable chain is mounted on an auxiliary roller, and it can turn. The movement of the support roller will drive the cable chain on the auxiliary roller to move.

[0008] Furthermore, a drag chain groove is provided below the support roller to hold the motor drive wires required to drive the trolley or other drive wires that are compatible with the guide rail.

[0009] Furthermore, the auxiliary roller includes a roller cover, and two roller covers are provided. A bearing is provided between the two roller covers. One end of a support shaft is connected to the side of one roller cover away from the bearing, and the other end of the support shaft is connected to the guide rail.

[0010] Furthermore, the turning radius of the cable chain at the auxiliary roller is smaller than the distance between the two roller covers.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0012] Compared to existing designs, the cable chain structure of this invention abandons the traditional tracked design, sacrificing a small amount of space beside the guide rail to vertically position the cable chain. Furthermore, an auxiliary roller is added, and a space slightly larger than the minimum turning radius is provided at the cable chain's turning points. Compared to installation methods without rollers, adding the auxiliary roller eliminates the need for cable chain grooves and shortens the cable chain length (typically half the guide rail length). Due to the presence of the auxiliary roller, the two cable chains are not subject to friction due to their own weight during operation. The design at the turning points further ensures smooth operation of the cable chains. The friction force on the guide rail remains almost constant from start to finish, thus preventing operational instability due to distance and significantly improving calibration accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the drag chain structure of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the drag chain structure of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary roller structure of the drag chain structure of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the roller cover structure of the drag chain structure of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the bearing structure of the drag chain structure of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a cable chain structure installed horizontally;

[0019] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the tensile force curves for different installation methods of cable chains.

[0020] The components include: 1. Support roller; 2. Auxiliary roller; 3. Roller cover; 4. Cable chain groove; 5. Bearing; 6. Support shaft; 7. Cable chain. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described below to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present invention. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the scope of the specific embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes are obvious as long as they are within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined and determined by the appended claims. All inventions utilizing the concept of the present invention are protected.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] like Figure 1-2 As shown, a vertically mounted micro-friction cable chain structure includes a cable chain 7, which is vertically mounted. One side of the cable chain 7 is mounted on a support roller 1, and the other side is mounted on an auxiliary roller 2, allowing it to turn. Movement of the support roller 1 drives the cable chain on the auxiliary roller 2 to move. A cable chain groove 4 is provided below the support roller 1. When the cable chain moves with the guide rail, there is no stacking of the upper and lower cable chains, and no contact movement with the cable chain groove.

[0024] Specifically, for the first 20 meters of the trolley's movement, since the cable chain 7 does not need to turn, only one support roller 1 is needed to fix and support the cable chain 7. The spacing between the support rollers 1 is not fixed and depends on the material of the cable chain 7. Because there is only one roller for the first 20 meters, a cable chain groove 4 must be designed below the roller to house the motor drive cable or other drive cables compatible with the guide rail. After 20 meters, auxiliary rollers 2 are designed at appropriate intervals according to the material of the cable chain 7 and its turning radius to allow the cable chain 7 to turn. During the trolley's movement, the cable chain 7 can be driven through the auxiliary rollers 2, eliminating the need to extend the groove further to accommodate the cables.

[0025] Reference Figure 3-5As a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary roller 2 includes roller covers 3, of which two roller covers 3 are provided, and a bearing 5 is disposed between the two roller covers 3. One end of a support shaft 6 is connected to the side of one roller cover 3 away from the bearing 5, and the other end of the support shaft 6 is connected to the guide rail. The turning radius of the cable chain 7 at the auxiliary roller 2 is smaller than the distance between the two roller covers 3. In this embodiment, the bearing 5 is a rolling bearing. Due to the high machining precision of each part, the rolling friction generated inside the roller when the guide rail moves is relatively small.

[0026] Example 2

[0027] This invention's patented cable chain structure has been applied to an 80m air-bearing guide rail in the long-length chamber of the Institute of Geometry, National Institute of Metrology, China. Since there is no friction between the guide rail platform and the rail after air is introduced, the main sources of friction for the guide rail are the motor drive wheel and the cable chain. Before conducting the experiment, the motor drive wheel should be fixed in place to eliminate the friction between the motor drive wheel and the guide rail. Therefore, the only source of external resistance is the friction from the cable chain.

[0028] The following are the tensile strength data for two suitable placement methods for long guide rail cable chains:

[0029] Using an 80m air-floating guide rail as a reference, an external tension force is applied to the guide rail platform using a tension gauge. The force applied when the guide rail just reaches the uniform motion level and the force applied after reaching the uniform motion level are monitored respectively.

[0030] Table 1. Tension readings for different placement methods.

[0031]

[0032] Cable chain surface is installed horizontally (e.g.) Figure 6 As shown, the cable chain is located within the cable chain groove 4. The length of the cable chain is the same as the length of the guide rail, and the travel distance is also the same as the length of the guide rail. Due to the weight of the guide rail, there is a maximum overlapping area for the cable chains. There is relative motion and friction between the two overlapping layers of cable chains. Because the surface of the cable chain is not smooth, there is a large frictional force. In addition, there is also friction between the cable chain and the guide rail groove. As the overlapping area increases, the frictional force also increases.

[0033] from Figure 7 It can be seen that, Figure 7 The starting position of the horizontal axis guide rail is Figure 1As shown, at the fixed position of the outer cable chain (generally half the length of the guide rail), due to the cable chain stacking phenomenon at this position during horizontal installation, the tension applied at the beginning of the platform's movement is already close to the tension applied during the uniform speed period of vertical installation, compared to vertical installation. Furthermore, as the guide rail travels further, the overlap area between the cable chains increases, leading to a gradual increase in friction. This increasing friction is detrimental to the motor's control over the guide rail's movement precision. When the guide rail reaches 50m, the chain overlap area is at its maximum, and the externally applied tension also approaches its maximum value of 45N. In contrast, with vertical installation, the friction from the cable chain stabilizes at 10N at 15m, significantly improving the motor's precise control over the guide rail's movement. Therefore, the experimental results confirm that this invention also greatly improves the friction caused by the cable chain during long guide rail movement.

[0034] The cable chain structure of this invention is mainly used for guide rails longer than 30 meters used in precision testing. The size of the cable chain can be determined according to the actual guide rail. The installation distance of the auxiliary wheels is also determined according to the actual spatial position. Generally, the distance between the two wheels only needs to be slightly larger than the minimum turning radius of the cable chain.

[0035] Before measurement, check the cable chain's placement, ensuring it is vertically positioned between the rollers, and verify that the minimum turning radius at the cable chain's bends meets the standard. Because of the different cable chain placement methods, the friction force acting on the long guide rail will not be affected by the increase in distance, thus not affecting the measurement accuracy.

[0036] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

[0037] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A vertically mounted micro-friction cable chain structure, comprising a cable chain (7), characterized in that, The cable chain (7) is installed vertically, with one side of the cable chain (7) set on the support roller (1) and the other side of the cable chain (7) set on the auxiliary roller (2) and turning; the movement of the support roller (1) will drive the cable chain on the auxiliary roller (2) to move; The auxiliary roller (2) includes a roller cover (3), and two roller covers (3) are provided. A bearing (5) is provided between the two roller covers (3). One of the roller covers (3) is connected to one end of a support shaft (6) on the side away from the bearing (5). The other end of the support shaft (6) is connected to the guide rail. The turning radius of the cable chain (7) at the auxiliary roller (2) is less than the distance between the two roller covers (3); When the cable chain moves with the guide rail, it remains vertical throughout its entire stroke and is in constant rolling contact with the support roller (1) and the auxiliary roller (2), thereby achieving no cable chain stacking phenomenon between the upper and lower cable chains and no contact movement between the cable chain and the cable chain groove.

2. The vertically installed micro-friction cable chain structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support roller (1) is provided with a drag chain groove (4) for placing the motor drive line required to drive the trolley or other drive lines that are matched with the guide rail.

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