Gate valve and vacuum coating machine adopting same

Abstract

The invention relates to a gate valve and a vacuum coating machine adopting the gate valve. The gate valve comprises a valve cabin, and a moving frame, a valve plate, a transmission assembly and a V-shaped guide rail which are arranged in the valve cabin, one side of the valve cabin is in butt joint with a cavity opening of a coating cavity, the V-shaped guide rail is laid at the bottom of the valve cabin and extends from one side to the other side, the valve plate is supported on the movable frame through fulcrums in the middles of the two sides of the valve plate and is suspended, the bottom of the movable frame is installed on the V-shaped guide rail through V-shaped rollers, and the transmission assembly is driven by a motor and is parallel to the V-shaped guide rail. The movable frame and the valve plate are integrally inclined backwards in the moving process, the upper end of the valve plate leans against a limiting strip on the upper portion of the rear side of the valve cabin through a roller, and when the movable frame and the valve plate on the movable frame move to the closing position, the valve plate is pressed at a cavity opening of the film coating cavity through an air cylinder to achieve sealing or is separated from the cavity opening to return to the original position. The invention provides a solution for sealing the cavity opening of the vacuum coating machine, the sealing structure is simple, and the sealing reliability is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vacuum coating machines, and particularly to a multi-chamber vacuum coating machine. Background Art

[0002] A multi-chamber vacuum coating machine refers to a coating machine having two or more serially connected vacuum chambers. During the coating process, each chamber needs to be isolated by a valve plate. The present invention aims to propose a solution for such a valve plate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a gate valve for sealing the orifice of a coating chamber of a vacuum coating machine.

[0004] The object of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solution: A gate valve includes a valve chamber and a moving frame, a valve plate, a transmission assembly, and a V-shaped guide rail disposed therein;

[0005] One side of the valve chamber is对接 with the orifice of the coating chamber. The V-shaped guide rail is laid at the bottom of the valve chamber and extends from one side to the other side. The valve plate is suspended by supporting on the moving frame through the fulcrums in the middle of its two sides. The bottom of the moving frame is installed on the V-shaped guide rail through V-shaped rollers. The transmission assembly is driven by a motor and is disposed parallel to the V-shaped guide rail, and is connected to the moving frame by a flat key, so as to drive the moving frame and the valve plate thereon to move between the two sides of the valve chamber and thus switch between the open and closed positions. During the movement, the moving frame and the valve plate as a whole tilt backward, and the upper end of the valve plate relies on a limiting strip at the upper rear side of the valve chamber through a roller. A plurality of cylinders are respectively distributed from top to bottom at the positions on both sides of the orifice of the coating chamber of the valve chamber. A plurality of pressure lugs are respectively distributed corresponding to both sides of the valve plate. When the moving frame and the valve plate thereon move to the closed position, the cylinders and the pressure lugs just form a matching structure one by one, so that the cylinders act to push or pull the valve plate to press it against the orifice of the coating chamber to achieve sealing or to withdraw from the orifice and return to the original position.

[0006] When the above gate valve is used for sealing and isolating between the orifices of two coating chambers in series of a multi-chamber vacuum coating machine, the valve chamber should be a closed structure, and one side is inserted into the orifice connecting the two coating chambers in series.

[0007] The structure of the valve plate supported on the moving frame is as follows:

[0008] The moving frame is in a "匚" shape with an upward opening. A convex block is respectively provided at the upper end of the two vertical frames on both sides. The valve plate is located between the two vertical frames of the moving frame and is hung on the convex blocks on both sides through U-shaped hooks with downward openings in the middle of its two sides. The contact surface between the convex block and the hook is processed with a rounded corner, and there is a certain margin between their fits, so that the valve plate can swing forward and backward by a certain amplitude.

[0009] The movable frame is installed on the V-shaped guide rail via a V-shaped roller installed at the front of the bottom of the movable frame, so that the center of gravity of the movable frame and the valve plate as a whole is moved backward.

[0010] The V-shaped guide rail is convex in the middle, and the corresponding V-shaped roller is concave in the middle.

[0011] The transmission assembly is a sprocket chain transmission assembly.

[0012] As a preferred solution: the valve plate has at least one pressure ear on each of the two sides of the upper part, and the matching structure with the cylinder is as follows:

[0013] A bayonet is formed on the side of the pressing ear facing the closing movement direction of the valve plate, and the front end of the output shaft of the cylinder forms an "I"-shaped clamping position. When the valve plate moves to the closed position, the bayonet of the pressing ear just fits into the middle of the "I"-shaped clamping position of the cylinder, so that the cylinder can both push and pull the valve plate.

[0014] When the valve plate of the present invention needs to be opened after performing the closing action, it is necessary to first separate the valve plate from the coating cavity opening and return it to its original position to avoid wearing the sealing ring of the cavity opening. Therefore, the matching structure of the cylinder and the pressure ear in the present invention is required to be able to drive the valve plate to move in both the forward and backward directions.

[0015] Except for the two pressing ears on both sides of the upper part of the valve plate, the remaining ears form a matching structure when the valve plate moves to the closed position, through the upper baffle plate and the cylinder output shaft that penetrates into the valve cabin from the rear side. Although this structure can only push the valve plate to press it into the cavity mouth of the coating cavity, the advantage of this structure is that it is more convenient to process and debug.

[0016] When designing the matching structure of the above-mentioned pressing ear and the cylinder, the pressing ear on the side facing the closing movement direction of the valve plate can be designed to protrude less from the valve plate, and the cylinder matching it can have a greater extension, while the pressing ear on the other side of the valve plate can protrude more from the valve plate, and the cylinder matching it can have a smaller extension, so as to avoid the situation where the pressing ear and the cylinder interfere with each other during the movement of the valve plate.

[0017] The present invention also provides a vacuum coating machine using the above-mentioned gate valve.

[0018] Beneficial effects:

[0019] The present invention provides a solution for cavity sealing of a vacuum coating machine, particularly for isolating and sealing between two chambers in a multi-chamber vacuum coating machine connected in series, which has not only a simple sealing structure but also high sealing reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 , 2 A top view of a gate valve according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3-5 The side view of the plug valve according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 The rear view of the plug valve according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7-9 It is a schematic diagram of the state change when the moving frame and the valve plate perform the closing action under the action of the cylinder. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] The plug valve of this embodiment is used for sealing and isolating between the orifices of two serial coating chambers as shown in Figure 1-6 and includes a valve chamber 1 and a moving frame 21, a valve plate 22, a transmission assembly 3 and a V-shaped guide rail 4 arranged therein. The valve chamber 1 is a closed structure, and the orifices a and b of two serial coating chambers are connected in series through its right side and are respectively butted with them. The V-shaped guide rail 4 is laid at the bottom of the valve chamber 1 and extends from the left side to the right side. The moving frame 21 is in a "C" shape with an upward opening, and a convex block 211 is respectively arranged at the upper ends of the vertical frames on both sides. The valve plate 22 is located between the two vertical frames of the moving frame 21 and is suspended by U-shaped hooks 221 with downward openings in the middle of both sides thereof hanging on the convex blocks 211 on both sides. The contact surfaces of the convex block 211 and the hook 221 are chamfered, and there is a certain margin in the fit between the two, so that the valve plate 22 can swing forward and backward by a certain amplitude. The front sides of both sides of the bottom of the moving frame 21 are respectively installed on the V-shaped guide rail 4 through a V-shaped roller 212, and this way makes the overall center of gravity of the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 lean backward. The transmission assembly 3 adopted is a sprocket and chain transmission assembly, which is driven by a motor 5 and is arranged parallel to the V-shaped guide rail 4 behind it, and is connected to the moving frame 21 through a flat key 6. The flat key 6 is here composed of two toothed plates buckled up and down, and it can allow the transmission assembly 3 to drive the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 thereon to move between the left and right sides of the valve chamber 1, so that when switching between the open and closed positions, it allows them to have a certain displacement in the front and back directions. During the movement, the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 are tilted backward as a whole, and the upper end of the valve plate 22 leans on a limiting strip 11 at the upper rear part of the valve chamber 1 through a roller 222 at the middle position thereof. A plurality of cylinders 7 are respectively distributed from top to bottom at the positions of both sides of the orifice of the coating chamber on the valve chamber 1, and a plurality of pressure lugs 223 are respectively distributed corresponding to both sides of the valve plate 22. When the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 thereon move to the right closing position of the valve chamber 1, the cylinders 7 and the pressure lugs 223 just form a matching structure one by one, so as to make the valve plate 22 press on the front coating chamber orifice ( Figure 1 、 2 The reaction in is the coating chamber orifice on the upper side) to achieve sealing or disengage from the orifice and return to the original position (make the valve plate 22 lean on the limiting strip 11 again).

[0025] For the matching structure of the cylinder 7 and the pressing ear 223, various design schemes can be formed. Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the pressure ears 223 on both sides of the valve plate 22 are protruding backwards, and the whole is a protruding baffle, such as Figure 3-5 As shown. Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the output shaft of the cylinder 7 penetrates into the interior of the valve cabin 1 from the rear side of the valve cabin 1. When the valve plate 22 moves to the closed position, that is, Figure 2 The output shaft of the cylinder 7 is just opposite to the baffle plate to form a structure that facilitates push fit. The two pressing ears 223 on both sides of the upper part of the valve plate 22 are slightly different from the other pressing ears 223. The right side of the baffle plate of the two pressing ears 223 on both sides of the upper part of the valve plate 22 is respectively formed with a bayonet c, such as Figure 2 As shown, the output shaft design of the cylinder 7 correspondingly matched with the two pressing ears 223 is also slightly special compared with other cylinders 7, and the front end of the output shaft forms an "I"-shaped clamping position, such as Figure 1 , 2 As shown, when the valve plate 22 moves to the closed position, the two pressing ears 223 on both sides of the upper part of the valve plate 22 just snap into the middle of the "I"-shaped snap position of the corresponding cylinder, thereby forming a structure that is convenient for pushing and pulling the valve plate 22.

[0026] In this embodiment, when the valve plate 22 needs to be opened after performing the closing action, it is necessary to first separate the valve plate 22 from the cavity opening a of the front coating cavity and lean back on the limit strip 11 to avoid wearing the sealing ring on the cavity opening a during the movement of the valve plate 22. Therefore, the two pressing ears 223 on the top and the cylinder 7 adopt a push-pull matching structure, while a simplified push-matching structure is adopted at other positions. This method can simplify the debugging between the cylinder 7 and the pressing ears 223 and their processing process.

[0027] In this embodiment, the cylinder 7 is installed at the rear side of the valve cabin 1. In other embodiments, the cylinder 7 can also be installed at the front side of the valve cabin 1. At this time, the matching structure of the cylinder 7 and the pressing ear 223 needs to complete the push-pull action, so the pressing ear and the cylinder can select the matching structure of the above-mentioned bayonet and the "I"-shaped clamping position. In this case, the right pressing ear of the valve plate 22 can be designed to be flush with the valve plate 22, and the left pressing ear can protrude forward.

[0028] from Figure 1 , Figure 2It can also be seen that the degree to which the pressing ears 223 on both sides of the present embodiment protrude from the valve plate 22 is different. It is obvious that the pressing ear 223 on the right side of the valve plate 22 protrudes less, and the degree to which the pressing ear 223 on the left side protrudes more. Correspondingly, it can also be seen that the cylinder 7 that cooperates with the pressing ear 223 on the right side has a large elongation, and the cylinder 7 that cooperates with the pressing ear 223 on the left side has a small elongation. In this way, the problem of the pressing ear 223 on the right side of the valve plate 22 and the cylinder 7 on the left side of the cavity a can be avoided during the movement of the valve plate 22 from left to right. Of course, this is a solution when the positions of the pressing ears 223 on both sides of the valve plate 22 are symmetrical. In fact, the conflict problem can also be solved by displacing the installation positions of the pressing ears 223 on both sides in the up and down directions. Even more, the problem can be solved only by limiting the position of the pressing ear 223 on the right side of the valve plate 22 and the cylinder 7 on the left side of the cavity a, that is, the pressing ear 223 on the right side of the valve plate 22 is always kept on the right side of the cylinder 7 on the left side of the cavity a, such as Figure 1 shown.

[0029] The action process of the gate valve in this embodiment is briefly described as follows:

[0030] 1) The motor 5 drives the sprocket to rotate through the coupling, and the sprocket drives the chain to move. The chain drives the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 thereon to move from the open position on the left side of the valve cabin 1 to the closed position on the right side along the V-shaped guide rail 4 through the flat key 6. The top roller 222 of the valve plate 22 rests on the limit strip 11 at the upper rear part of the valve cabin 1. At this stage, the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 are controlled by the motor 5.

[0031] 2) After the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 thereon are controlled by the motor 5 to move to the closing position on the right side of the valve cabin 1, the pressing ears 223 on both sides of the valve plate 22 form a matching structure with the connector at the front end of the output shaft of the cylinder 7, such as Figure 2 The cylinder 7 drives the moving frame 21 and the valve plate 22 to move through the connector and the pressing ear 223 (since the bottom of the moving frame 21 is mounted on the V-shaped guide rail 4 through the V-shaped roller 212, it can swing back and forth to a certain extent). The state changes as shown in FIG. Figure 7-9 As shown, the valve plate 22 is finally pressed against the cavity a to complete the sealing. The movable frame 21 and the valve plate 22 at this stage are controlled by the cylinder 7.

[0032] 3) During the process of opening the valve plate 22, the valve plate 22 and the movable frame 21 are first returned to their original positions by the cooperation of the cylinder 7 and the pressing ear 223, and then controlled by the motor 5, the movable frame 21 and the valve plate 22 are driven by the sprocket chain transmission assembly to return to the closed position on the left side of the valve cabin 1 by relying on the limit bar 11.

[0033] The gate valve in the above embodiment is used between two coating chambers in series. If it is used in the coating chamber at the end of a vacuum coating machine, the requirements for the valve cabin 1 will be reduced, and it is not required to form a closed structure. The corresponding valve cabin 1 only needs to connect to one coating chamber.

[0034] The above embodiments are only preferred implementation modes of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the protection scope of the present invention. Various equivalent deformations of the above-described technical solutions made by technicians in this field without creative work should all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gate valve, characterized in that: It includes a valve chamber, a moving rack, a valve plate, a transmission assembly and a V-shaped guide rail arranged therein; One side of the valve chamber is docked with the opening of the coating chamber. The V-shaped guide rail is laid at the bottom of the valve chamber and extends from one side to the other side. The valve plate is suspended by being supported on the moving rack through the fulcrums in the middle of its two sides. The bottom of the moving rack is installed on the V-shaped guide rail through V-shaped rollers. The transmission assembly is driven by a motor and arranged parallel to the V-shaped guide rail, and is connected with the moving rack through a flat key, so as to drive the moving rack and the valve plate thereon to move between the two sides of the valve chamber, thereby switching between the open and closed positions. During the moving process, the moving rack and the valve plate as a whole tilt backward, and the upper end of the valve plate leans against a limiting strip at the upper rear part of the valve chamber through a roller. A number of cylinders are respectively distributed from top to bottom at the positions on both sides of the coating chamber opening of the valve chamber. A number of pressure lugs are respectively distributed corresponding to both sides of the valve plate. When the moving rack and the valve plate thereon move to the closed position, the cylinders and the pressure lugs just form a matching structure one by one, so that the cylinders can push or pull the valve plate to press it on the coating chamber opening to achieve sealing or retreat from the opening back to the original position.

2. The gate valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: When used for sealing and isolating between the openings of two coating chambers in series of a multi-chamber vacuum coating machine, the valve chamber is a closed structure, and one side is inserted into the opening connecting the two coating chambers in series.

3. The gate valve according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The structure of the valve plate supported on the moving rack is as follows: The moving rack is in a "C" shape with an upward opening. A convex block is respectively arranged at the upper end of the vertical frames on both sides. The valve plate is located between the two vertical frames of the moving rack and is hung on the convex blocks on both sides through U-shaped hooks with downward openings in the middle of its two sides. The contact surfaces between the convex blocks and the hooks are rounded, and there is a certain margin in the fit between the two, so that the valve plate can swing forward and backward by a certain amplitude.

4. The gate valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: The moving rack is installed on the V-shaped guide rail through the V-shaped rollers installed in front of its bottom.

5. The gate valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The V-shaped guide rail is of a middle convex type, and correspondingly, the V-shaped roller is of a middle concave type.

6. The gate valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission assembly is a sprocket and chain transmission assembly.

7. The gate valve according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cooperation structure between at least one pressure lug on each of the upper two sides of the valve plate and the cylinder is as follows: A bayonet is formed on one side of the pressure lug facing the closing moving direction of the valve plate. The front end of the output shaft of the cylinder forms an "I"-shaped clamping position. When the valve plate moves to the closed position, the bayonet of the pressure lug just snaps into the middle of the "I"-shaped clamping position of the cylinder, so that the cylinder can both push and pull the valve plate.

8. The gate valve according to claim 7, characterized in that: Except for the two pressure lugs on the upper two sides of the valve plate, when the other pressure lugs move to the closed position, the cooperation structure is formed by the way that the upper baffle on them faces the output shaft of the cylinder penetrating into the valve chamber from the rear side.

9. The gate valve according to claim 8, characterized in that: The pressure lug on one side of the valve plate facing its closing moving direction protrudes less, and the cylinder cooperating with it has a large elongation. Correspondingly, the pressure lug on the other side of the valve plate protrudes more, and the cylinder cooperating with it has a small elongation.

10. A vacuum coating machine using the gate valve according to any one of claims 1-9.

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