Low-cost linear driving device

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of linear driving devices, and discloses a low-cost linear driving device which comprises a driving motor, a transmission mechanism, an output rod and a cylinder body, the transmission mechanism comprises a shell and a transmission assembly arranged in the shell, an in-cylinder space penetrating through the two ends of the cylinder body in the length direction of the cylinder body is formed in the cylinder body, and one end of the cylinder body is detachably connected to the shell; the output end of the driving motor is in driving connection with the transmission assembly, the output rod penetrates through the shell and the space in the cylinder and is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly, and the driving motor drives the output rod through the transmission assembly to move in the axis direction of the output rod and rotate around the axis of the output rod at the same time. A connector is arranged at the end, away from the cylinder body, of the output rod and used for being connected with a mechanical load. The cost is low, the linear driving stroke is not limited by the length of the cylinder body, and the use flexibility is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of linear drive devices, and in particular to a low-cost linear drive device. Background Art

[0002] The electric cylinder is a linear drive element, which functions similarly to hydraulic cylinders and air cylinders and can drive mechanical loads to perform linear motion. Compared with hydraulic cylinders and air cylinders, electric cylinders have the advantages of high motion accuracy, fast response and compact structure. Existing electric cylinders are mainly composed of a cylinder barrel, a lead screw and a motor. The cylinder barrel contains a guide mechanism, sealing components and precision transmission devices, which have a complex structure and a high cost. On the other hand, the bottom of the cylinder barrel is usually sealed, so the lead screw cannot pass through the bottom of the cylinder body, resulting in the lead screw's movement stroke being limited by the length of the cylinder barrel, resulting in the electric cylinder's applicability and flexibility in use to small installation spaces. In mechanical motion conditions with low precision requirements, the use of existing electric cylinders is costly;

[0003] Therefore, a low-cost linear drive device is urgently needed to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on the above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a low-cost linear drive device, which has low cost, wide linear drive stroke range, is not limited by cylinder length, and has high flexibility in use.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A low-cost linear drive device comprises a driving motor, a transmission mechanism, an output rod and a cylinder body, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises a housing and a transmission assembly arranged in the housing, wherein a cylinder space is formed in the cylinder body and passes through both ends along the length direction of the cylinder body, wherein one end of the cylinder body is detachably connected to the housing, and the other end is provided with a mounting seat, wherein the mounting seat is used to be installed on an external device, wherein the output end of the driving motor is driven to connect to the transmission assembly, wherein the output rod is provided through the housing and the cylinder space, and is transmission-connected to the transmission assembly, wherein the driving motor drives the output rod to move along its own axis direction and rotate around its own axis at the same time through the transmission assembly, wherein a connector is provided at one end of the output rod away from the cylinder body, and wherein the connector is used to connect a mechanical load.

[0007] As a preferred solution for a low-cost linear drive device, the length of the cylinder is adjustable.

[0008] As a preferred solution for a low-cost linear drive device, it also includes a proximity sensor. A mounting hole is opened on the cylinder body at a preset distance away from the housing, and the proximity sensor is arranged at the mounting hole to detect the presence or absence of the output rod.

[0009] As a preferred solution for a low-cost linear drive device, it also includes a control module. The drive motor and the proximity sensor are both communicatively connected to the control module. The control module is used to receive the signal of the proximity sensor and control the start and stop of the motor.

[0010] As a preferred solution for a low-cost linear drive device, it also includes a connecting bolt. A connecting seat is provided at one end of the cylinder body, a first threaded hole is provided on the connecting seat, a second threaded hole is provided on the outer shell, and the connecting bolt is threadedly connected to the first threaded hole and the second threaded hole.

[0011] As a preferred solution for a low-cost linear drive device, the transmission assembly includes a worm and a turbine, the output end of the drive motor is drive-connected to the worm, the turbine is transmission-connected to the worm, the outer periphery of the output rod is provided with an external thread, the inner ring of the turbine is provided with an internal thread, the external thread and the internal thread are threadedly connected to form a spiral pair, the drive motor drives the worm to rotate, the worm drives the turbine to rotate, and the turbine drives the output rod to move along its own axis while rotating around its own axis.

[0012] As a preferred solution for a low-cost linear drive device, the connector is in a ring-shaped structure.

[0013] As a preferred solution of a low-cost linear drive device, the mounting seat is provided with a connecting ear, and the connecting ear is provided with a connecting hole.

[0014] As a preferred solution for a low-cost linear drive device, a first mounting flange is provided on the housing, and a second mounting flange is provided on the drive motor, and the first mounting flange is detachably connected to the second mounting flange.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0016] The present invention provides a low-cost linear drive device, which drives the transmission component through a driving motor to drive the output rod to move along its own axial direction and rotate around its own axis, thereby realizing linear drive of a mechanical load and rotational drive of the mechanical load at the same time, with a simple structure and low cost; at the same time, since the space in the cylinder runs through both ends of the cylinder body, when the output rod moves, the end away from the connecting head can pass through one end of the cylinder body, so that the linear drive stroke range of the output rod is larger and is not limited by the length of the cylinder body, thereby making it applicable to a wider range, that is, it can be applicable to working conditions with larger stroke requirements and also to working conditions with smaller driving space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the contents of the embodiments of the present invention and these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a low-cost linear drive device provided in this embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 A partial structural schematic diagram of a low-cost linear drive device provided in this embodiment (the drive motor, transmission mechanism and output rod are not shown).

[0020] In the figure:

[0021] 1. Driving motor; 2. Casing; 3. Output rod; 4. Cylinder body; 40. Space inside the cylinder; 5. Connecting head; 50. Hinge hole; 6. Mounting seat; 7. Connecting ear; 70. Connecting hole; 8. Connecting seat; 9. First mounting flange; 10. Second mounting flange; 11. Connecting bolts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It is also necessary to explain that, for ease of description, only parts related to the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, rather than all structures.

[0023] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" 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 directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0024] In the invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0025] In the description of the present embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and other directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0026] The electric cylinder is a linear drive element, which functions similarly to a hydraulic cylinder and a pneumatic cylinder and can drive a mechanical load to perform linear motion. Compared with hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, electric cylinders have the advantages of high motion accuracy, fast response and compact structure. The existing electric cylinder is mainly composed of a cylinder barrel, a screw and a motor. The cylinder barrel contains a guide mechanism, a sealing component and a precision transmission device, which has a complex structure and a high cost. On the other hand, the bottom of the cylinder barrel is usually sealed, so the screw rod cannot pass through the bottom of the cylinder body 4, resulting in the movement of the screw rod being limited by the length of the cylinder barrel, resulting in the low applicability and flexibility of the electric cylinder for narrow installation space. In the case of mechanical action conditions with low precision requirements, the existing electric cylinder is expensive to use; or in the case of space-constrained conditions, the existing electric cylinder cannot meet the requirements.

[0027] Based on the above technical issues, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, this embodiment provides a low-cost linear drive device, which includes a drive motor 1, a transmission mechanism, an output rod 3 and a cylinder body 4. The transmission mechanism includes a shell 2 and a transmission assembly arranged in the shell 2. A cylinder space 40 is formed in the cylinder body 4 and passes through both ends along the length direction of the cylinder body 4. One end of the cylinder body 4 is detachably connected to the shell 2, and the other end is provided with a mounting seat 6. The mounting seat 6 is used to be installed on an external device. The output end of the drive motor 1 drives the transmission assembly to be connected. The output rod 3 is penetrated through the shell 2 and the cylinder space 40, and is connected to the transmission assembly. The drive motor 1 drives the output rod 3 to move along its own axis and rotate around its own axis through the transmission assembly. A connector 5 is provided at the end of the output rod 3 away from the cylinder body 4. The connector 5 is used to connect a mechanical load. The transmission assembly is driven by the driving motor 1, which drives the output rod 3 to move along its own axial direction and rotate around its own axis, thereby realizing linear drive of the mechanical load and rotational drive of the mechanical load at the same time. There is no need to set complex structures such as guide mechanisms and sealing components inside the transmission mechanism. It is suitable for mechanical action conditions with relatively low precision requirements, with a simple structure and low cost. At the same time, since the cylinder space 40 runs through both ends of the cylinder body 4, when the output rod 3 moves, the end away from the connecting head 5 can pass through one end of the cylinder body 4, so that the linear drive stroke range of the output rod 3 is larger, and is not limited by the length of the cylinder body 4. The cylinder body 4 can even be directly disassembled, so that it has a wider range of application, that is, it can be suitable for conditions with large stroke requirements and conditions with small driving space.

[0028] Among them, the length of the cylinder body 4 is adjustable, so that the length of the cylinder body 4 can be designed and adjusted according to the size of the installation space. For example, the low-cost linear drive device includes a plurality of cylinder bodies 4, each of which has a different length. Cylinder bodies 4 of different lengths are selected and assembled according to different working conditions, and the flexibility of use is high. Alternatively, the low-cost linear drive device includes a plurality of cylinder bodies 4, each of which has the same or different lengths, and one end of a cylinder body 4 can be detachably connected to one end of another cylinder body 4. According to the use requirements, one, two or more cylinder bodies 4 can be assembled end to end on the housing 2, and one or more cylinder bodies 4 can also be removed as needed to achieve the change of the length of the cylinder body 4. The cylinder body 4 has better versatility and higher flexibility of use.

[0029] Optionally, the connector 5 is an annular structure, that is, the connector 5 is a hinged joint, and the hinged joint has a hinge hole 50 for hinged connection with a mechanical load to facilitate driving the mechanical load to rotate.

[0030] Specifically, the mounting seat 6 is provided with a connecting ear 7, and the connecting ear 7 is provided with a connecting hole 70. The connecting hole 70 is connected to an external device, for example, by rotationally connecting to the external device through a rotating shaft, or by connecting to the external device through a bolt, which is specifically set according to actual needs. More specifically, two relatively spaced connecting ears 7 are vertically provided on a side of the mounting seat 6 away from the housing 2, and each connecting ear 7 is provided with a connecting hole 70. The low-cost linear drive device can be fixedly or rotationally connected to an external device through the two connecting holes 70, and the connection stability is relatively high.

[0031] Further, the transmission assembly includes a worm and a turbine, the output end of the driving motor 1 drives the worm, the turbine is connected to the worm, the outer periphery of the output rod 3 is provided with an external thread, the inner ring of the turbine is provided with an internal thread, the external thread and the internal thread are threadedly connected to form a spiral pair, the driving motor 1 drives the worm to rotate, the worm drives the turbine to rotate, and the turbine drives the output rod 3 to move along its own axis while rotating around its own axis. The transmission is realized by the worm and the turbine, which is not only simple in structure, low in cost, but also easy to assemble. Compared with the electric cylinder in the prior art, the low-cost linear drive device provided in this embodiment adopts the driving motor 1 to provide the driving force, and the simple worm and turbine transmission drives the output rod 3 to reciprocate and rotate at the same time, so as to realize the linear drive and rotation drive of the mechanical load under the low-cost structure, and the linear drive stroke is not limited by the length of the cylinder body 4, the use range is wide, and the disassembly and assembly are convenient, and the practicality is good. It should be noted that the transmission pair composed of the worm and the turbine is a relatively mature prior art, so it is not shown in the figure of this embodiment.

[0032] In this embodiment, a first mounting flange 9 is provided on the housing 2, and a second mounting flange 10 is provided on the drive motor 1, and the first mounting flange 9 is detachably connected to the second mounting flange 10. For example, the first mounting flange 9 and the second mounting flange 10 are fixed by bolt connection, which is convenient for disassembly and assembly, and has a simple structure, low cost, and good connection stability.

[0033] Specifically, the cylinder body 4 is detachably connected to the housing 2 through a connecting bolt 11, and a connecting seat 8 is provided at one end of the cylinder body 4, and a first threaded hole is provided on the connecting seat 8, and a second threaded hole is provided on the housing 2, and the connecting bolt 11 is threadedly connected to the first threaded hole and the second threaded hole. Among them, there are multiple first threaded holes and multiple second threaded holes, and correspondingly, there are multiple connecting bolts 11, such as two, three, four, etc., which are specifically set according to actual needs. The cylinder body 4 and the transmission mechanism are fixed and separated by tightening and loosening the connecting bolt 11, which is convenient for selectively disassembling and assembling the cylinder body 4, thereby realizing the application of the low-cost linear drive device in different working conditions. For example, for a relatively narrow space, the cylinder body 4 is removed, so that the overall occupied space of the low-cost linear drive device is smaller, and the housing 2 is directly fixed on the external device; or for other working conditions, it is connected to the external device through the mounting seat 6 on the cylinder body 4, and the cylinder body 4 also guides and protects the output rod 3.

[0034] In order to prevent the output rod 3 from being separated from the transmission mechanism, the low-cost linear drive device further includes a proximity sensor. A mounting hole is provided on the cylinder body 4 at a preset distance away from the housing 2. The proximity sensor is arranged at the mounting hole to detect the presence of the output rod 3. The preset distance away from the housing 2 is the safety limit distance between the end of the output rod 3 away from the connector 5 and the transmission mechanism. When the output rod 3 moves along its own axis, that is, moves along the length direction of the cylinder body 4 in the cylinder space 40, when the output rod 3 moves to a preset distance away from the cylinder body 4, that is, when the end of the output rod 3 away from the connector 5 is close to the housing 2 relative to the mounting hole, the proximity sensor cannot detect the presence of the output rod 3, indicating that the output rod 3 has moved to the safety limit distance in the moving direction away from the cylinder body 4. According to the detection signal of the proximity sensor, the drive motor 1 can be turned off in time to prevent the output rod 3 from continuing to move in the direction away from the cylinder body 4, so as to prevent the output rod 3 from being separated from the transmission mechanism.

[0035] Specifically, the low-cost linear drive device further includes a control module, and the drive motor 1 and the proximity sensor are both connected to the control module in communication, and the control module is used to receive the signal of the proximity sensor and control the start and stop of the motor. When the proximity sensor detects the existence of the output rod 3, the drive motor 1 works normally, and when the proximity sensor cannot detect the existence of the output rod 3, a signal is transmitted to the control module, and the control module controls the drive motor 1 to stop, thereby ensuring the reliability of the use of the low-cost linear drive device.

[0036] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A low-cost linear drive device, characterized in that: It includes a driving motor, a transmission mechanism, an output rod and a cylinder body. The transmission mechanism includes a shell and a transmission assembly arranged in the shell. A cylinder space is formed in the cylinder body and runs through both ends along the length direction of the cylinder body. One end of the cylinder body is detachably connected to the shell, and the other end is provided with a mounting seat. The mounting seat is used to be installed on an external device. The output end of the driving motor is driven to connect to the transmission assembly. The output rod is provided in the shell and the cylinder space and is connected to the transmission assembly. The driving motor drives the output rod to move along its own axis and rotate around its own axis through the transmission assembly. A connector is provided at the end of the output rod away from the cylinder body. The connector is used to connect a mechanical load.

2. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the cylinder body is adjustable.

3. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A proximity sensor is also included. A mounting hole is provided on the cylinder body at a preset distance away from the housing. The proximity sensor is arranged at the mounting hole to detect whether the output rod exists.

4. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a control module, the driving motor and the proximity sensor are both communicatively connected to the control module, and the control module is used to receive the signal of the proximity sensor and control the start and stop of the motor.

5. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a connecting bolt. A connecting seat is provided at one end of the cylinder body. A first threaded hole is opened on the connecting seat. A second threaded hole is opened on the shell. The connecting bolt is threadedly connected to the first threaded hole and the second threaded hole.

6. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission assembly includes a worm and a turbine. The output end of the drive motor is drivingly connected to the worm, and the turbine is drivingly connected to the worm. The outer periphery of the output rod is provided with an external thread, and the inner ring of the turbine is provided with an internal thread. The external thread and the internal thread are threadedly connected to form a spiral pair. The drive motor drives the worm to rotate, and the worm drives the turbine to rotate. The turbine drives the output rod to move along its own axis and rotate around its own axis at the same time.

7. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connector is in a ring structure.

8. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting seat is provided with a connecting ear, and the connecting ear is provided with a connecting hole.

9. The low-cost linear drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing is provided with a first mounting flange, the drive motor is provided with a second mounting flange, and the first mounting flange is detachably connected to the second mounting flange.

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