Novel pneumatic stepping actuator

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of pneumatic actuators, in particular to a novel pneumatic stepping actuator which comprises a pneumatic driving mechanism and a transmission mechanism, the pneumatic driving mechanism comprises an air cylinder, the transmission mechanism comprises a box body, and a box cover is arranged at the top of the box body. During working, the pneumatic driving mechanism is connected with a valve element of the 24-way rotary valve through the transmission mechanism, a piston rod of the air cylinder moves to drive the shifting fork to move, and then the ratchet wheel, the pawl disc, the sun wheel planet wheel, the wheel carrier and the output shaft are driven to rotate and output to the connected 24-way rotary valve; the reciprocating motion of the piston of the air cylinder can be converted into the rotary motion of the valve core so as to realize the on-off switching of 24 valve ports, so that the novel pneumatic stepping actuator is formed, the structure is simple, the size is small, a hydraulic device is omitted, all possible faults from the hydraulic device are avoided, the fault rate is reduced, and the working efficiency is improved. And the working stability and reliability of the pneumatic actuator are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of pneumatic actuators, in particular to a novel pneumatic stepping actuator. Background Art

[0002] Pneumatic actuators are devices that use compressed air as a power source to convert air pressure energy into mechanical motion. They are widely used in industrial automation control systems to drive valves, robotic arms, conveyors and other equipment. Their core feature is to achieve fast and reliable linear or rotational motion through air pressure changes.

[0003] A pneumatic actuator is required for the operation of the 24-way rotary valve. At present, the 24-way rotary valve is traditionally driven by hydraulic means. The device is generally equipped with an independent small hydraulic unit (HPU) and an independent control unit. The operation cycle of the rotary valve is designed according to a five-year maintenance window. During use, before a full cycle, various faults such as pipeline / cylinder oil leakage, air leakage (accumulator), valve failure, unstable pressure, and oil line blockage will occur from time to time. Therefore, how to effectively reduce the failure rate and improve the stability and reliability of the pneumatic actuator is one of the problems that need to be solved in the current working process of the pneumatic actuator; for this purpose, a new pneumatic stepper actuator is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel pneumatic stepping actuator to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a novel pneumatic stepping actuator, comprising a pneumatic drive mechanism and a transmission mechanism, the pneumatic drive mechanism comprising a cylinder, the transmission mechanism comprising a box body, a box cover is provided on the top of the box body, the cylinder is installed on the outer wall of the box body, the piston rod end of the cylinder extends into the interior of the box body and is connected to a shift fork, one end of the shift fork is connected to a ratchet, the inner side wall of the ratchet is connected to a pawl plate, the outer side wall of the pawl plate is connected to a connecting shaft, one end of the connecting shaft is fixedly connected to a sun gear, the outer side wall of the sun gear is connected to a planetary gear, the outer side wall of the planetary gear is connected to a wheel frame, one end of the wheel frame is connected to an output shaft, an upper cover is provided at the bottom of the box body, and a lower cover is provided at the bottom of the upper cover.

[0006] As a further preferred embodiment of the present technical solution: the number of the cylinders is four, the inner wall of the cylinder is slidably connected with a piston, one side of the piston is provided with a piston rod, and the outer wall of the cylinder is respectively provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; the four-cylinder configuration realizes online cylinder closing maintenance and cylinder closing switch. After the cylinder is closed, both ends of the cylinder are connected to the atmosphere, and cleaning oil or grease is injected through the upper opening. When the piston moves left and right, the cylinder wall is cleaned and lubricated, and dirt and excess oil can be discharged through the lower drain port; each cylinder is equipped with two independent air source interfaces, so that the piston can reciprocate in the cylinder. By using eight independent air source interfaces, the exhaust volume of each cylinder body is reduced, and the air control valve adopts a small diameter to reduce noise. The design of the angular stroke of 70 degrees reduces the problem of excessive stroke of the conventional 90-degree cylinder. The noise is reduced by adopting eight independent air source interfaces, small-caliber air control valves and other measures, and the mechanical transmission chain is improved by the front ratchet mechanism, etc., which improves the positioning accuracy and reduces the gear error.

[0007] As a further preferred embodiment of the present technical solution: a feedback bracket is installed on the top of the box cover, a digital display is provided inside the feedback bracket, a switch box is provided on the top of the feedback bracket, a proximity switch seat is installed inside the switch box, and a feedback rod is provided on the outer wall of the proximity switch seat; the pneumatic stepping actuator is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) to control the gas inlet and outlet of the cylinder, thereby accurately controlling the movement stroke and speed of the piston to achieve accurate control of the rotation angle and speed of the twenty-four-way rotary valve core. The programmable logic controller (PLC) has a pre-programmed control algorithm, and the control algorithm sets different piston movement modes according to the working requirements of the twenty-four-way rotary valve to achieve a variety of different twenty-four valve port on-off combinations.

[0008] As a further preferred embodiment of the technical solution: the top of the switch box is screwed connected with an inverted rear cover.

[0009] As a further preferred embodiment of the technical solution: the box body, the box cover, the switch box, the reverse rear cover, the upper cover and the lower cover are all made of high-strength metal materials.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0011] When the present invention is working, the pneumatic drive mechanism is connected to the valve core of the twenty-four-way rotary valve through the transmission mechanism, and the movement of the piston rod of the cylinder drives the movement of the shift fork, which in turn drives the ratchet, the pawl plate, the sun gear planetary gear, the wheel frame and the output shaft to rotate, and outputs to the connected twenty-four-way rotary valve, so that the reciprocating motion of the cylinder piston can be converted into the rotational motion of the valve core to realize the on-off switching of the twenty-four valve ports, thereby forming a new type of pneumatic stepping actuator with simple structure and small size, eliminating the hydraulic device, avoiding all possible failures from the hydraulic device, reducing the failure rate, and improving the stability and reliability of the pneumatic actuator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cylinder in the present invention;

[0015] Figure 4 It is a right view structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the planetary gear and the sun gear in the present invention;

[0017] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the transmission mechanism in the present invention;

[0018] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of the pneumatic drive mechanism in the present invention.

[0019] In the figure:

[0020] 1. Pneumatic drive mechanism; 2. Transmission mechanism; 3. Box; 4. Fork; 5. Cylinder; 6. Piston; 7. Box cover; 8. Feedback bracket; 9. Digital display; 10. Switch box; 11. Proximity switch seat; 12. Feedback lever; 13. Reverse rear cover; 14. Ratchet plate; 15. Ratchet; 16. Upper cover; 17. Planetary gear; 18. Sun gear; 19. Lower cover; 20. Output shaft; 21. Wheel frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as limitations on the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install", "connect", "connect", and "set" 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 an indirect connection 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 this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0023] See also Figure 1-7 The present invention provides a technical solution: a novel pneumatic stepping actuator, including a pneumatic drive mechanism 1 and a transmission mechanism 2, the pneumatic drive mechanism 1 includes a cylinder 5, the transmission mechanism 2 includes a box body 3, a box cover 7 is provided on the top of the box body 3, the cylinder 5 is installed on the outer wall of the box body 3, the piston rod end of the cylinder 5 extends into the box body 3 and is connected with a fork 4, one end of the fork 4 is connected with a ratchet 15, the inner wall of the ratchet 15 is connected with a pawl plate 14, the outer wall of the pawl plate 14 is connected with a connecting shaft, one end of the connecting shaft is fixedly connected with a sun gear 18, the outer wall of the sun gear 18 is connected with a planetary gear 17, the outer wall of the planetary gear 17 is connected with a wheel frame 21, one end of the wheel frame 21 is connected with an output shaft 20, an upper cover 16 is provided at the bottom of the box body 3, and a lower cover 19 is provided at the bottom of the upper cover 16.

[0024] Under the above setting, the pneumatic drive mechanism 1 is connected to the valve core of the twenty-four-way rotary valve through the transmission mechanism 2, and the movement of the piston rod of the cylinder 5 drives the fork 4 to move, and then drives the ratchet 15, the pawl plate 14, the sun gear 18, the planetary gear 17, the wheel frame 21 and the output shaft 20 to rotate, and outputs to the connected twenty-four-way rotary valve, so that the reciprocating motion of the piston 6 of the cylinder 5 can be converted into the rotational motion of the valve core to realize the on-off switching of the twenty-four valve ports, thereby forming a new type of pneumatic stepping actuator with simple structure and small size, eliminating the hydraulic device, avoiding all possible failures from the hydraulic device, reducing the failure rate, and improving the stability and reliability of the pneumatic actuator.

[0025] In this example, specifically: the number of cylinders 5 is four, the inner wall of the cylinder 5 is slidably connected with a piston 6, one side of the piston 6 is provided with a piston rod, and the outer wall of the cylinder 5 is respectively provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; the four-cylinder 5 configuration realizes online cylinder closing maintenance and cylinder closing switch. After the cylinder is closed, both ends of the cylinder 5 are connected to the atmosphere, and cleaning oil or grease is injected through the upper opening. When the piston 6 moves left and right, the cylinder wall is cleaned and lubricated, and dirt and excess oil can be discharged through the lower drain port; each cylinder 5 is equipped with two independent air source interfaces, so that the piston 6 can reciprocate in the cylinder 5. With eight independent air source interfaces, the exhaust volume of each cylinder body is reduced, and the air control valve adopts a small diameter to reduce noise. The design of the angular stroke of 70 degrees reduces the problem of excessive stroke of the conventional 90-degree cylinder 5. By adopting eight independent air source interfaces, small-caliber air control valves and other measures, the noise is reduced, and the mechanical transmission chain is improved by the front ratchet mechanism, etc., the positioning accuracy is improved, and the gear error is reduced.

[0026] In this example, specifically: a feedback bracket 8 is installed on the top of the box cover 7, a digital display 9 is provided inside the feedback bracket 8, a switch box 10 is provided on the top of the feedback bracket 8, a proximity switch seat 11 is installed inside the switch box 10, and a feedback rod 12 is provided on the outer wall of the proximity switch seat 11; the pneumatic stepping actuator is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) to control the gas inlet and outlet of the cylinder 5, so as to accurately control the movement stroke and speed of the piston 6, so as to realize the precise control of the rotation angle and speed of the twenty-four-way rotary valve core. The programmable logic controller (PLC) has a pre-programmed control algorithm, and the control algorithm sets different piston 6 movement modes according to the working requirements of the twenty-four-way rotary valve, so as to realize a variety of different twenty-four valve port on-off combinations.

[0027] In this example, specifically: the top of the switch box 10 is screwed with a reversed rear cover 13 .

[0028] In this example, specifically: the box body 3, the box cover 7, the switch box 10, the reverse rear cover 13, the upper cover 16 and the lower cover 19 are all made of high-strength metal materials; the high-strength metal material is duplex stainless steel UNSS31803 material, which is used to improve the structural strength and corrosion resistance of the actuator body.

[0029] During the installation of the actuator, the four piston cylinders, angular stroke conversion components, mechanical transmission components, etc. are accurately installed according to the designed layout and connection method to ensure the matching accuracy between the components. The eight independent air source interfaces are connected to the air supply system to ensure the stability of the air supply. The relevant sensors and monitoring equipment are installed to realize operation visualization and motion monitoring functions.

[0030] The working principle of the present invention is: four cylinders 5 are configured to realize online cylinder closing maintenance and cylinder closing switch. After the cylinder is closed, both ends of the cylinder 5 are connected to the atmosphere, and cleaning oil or grease is injected through the upper opening. When the piston 6 moves left and right, the cylinder wall is cleaned and lubricated, and dirt and excess oil can be discharged through the lower drain port; each cylinder 5 is equipped with two independent air source interfaces, so that the piston 6 can reciprocate in the cylinder 5. Eight independent air source interfaces are used, and the exhaust volume of each cylinder body is reduced. The air control valve adopts a small diameter to reduce noise. The design of the angular stroke of 70 degrees reduces the problem of excessive stroke of the conventional 90-degree cylinder 5. By adopting eight independent air source interfaces, small-caliber air control valves and other measures, the noise is reduced, and the front ratchet mechanism and other improvements are made. The mechanical transmission chain is improved, the positioning accuracy is improved, and the gear error is reduced. The pneumatic drive mechanism 1 is connected to the valve core of the twenty-four-way rotary valve through the transmission mechanism 2. The movement of the piston rod of the cylinder 5 drives the fork 4 to move, and then drives the ratchet 15, the pawl plate 14, the sun gear 18, the planetary gear 17, the wheel frame 21 and the output shaft 20 to rotate, and the output is output to the connected twenty-four-way rotary valve, so that the reciprocating motion of the piston 6 of the cylinder 5 can be converted into the rotational motion of the valve core to realize the on-off switching of the twenty-four valve ports, thereby forming a new type of pneumatic stepping actuator with simple structure and small size, eliminating the hydraulic device, avoiding all possible failures from the hydraulic device, reducing the failure rate, and improving the stability and reliability of the pneumatic actuator.

[0031] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A new type of pneumatic stepping actuator, characterized by: The invention comprises a pneumatic drive mechanism (1) and a transmission mechanism (2), wherein the pneumatic drive mechanism (1) comprises a cylinder (5), and the transmission mechanism (2) comprises a box body (3), wherein a box cover (7) is provided on the top of the box body (3), and the cylinder (5) is mounted on the outer side wall of the box body (3), and the piston rod end of the cylinder (5) extends into the interior of the box body (3) and is connected to a shift fork (4), and one end of the shift fork (4) is connected to a ratchet (15), and the inner side of the ratchet (15) is provided with a plurality of piston rods. The outer wall of the box body (3) is connected to a pawl plate (14), the outer wall of the pawl plate (14) is connected to a connecting shaft, one end of the connecting shaft is fixedly connected to a sun gear (18), the outer wall of the sun gear (18) is connected to a planetary gear (17), the outer wall of the planetary gear (17) is connected to a wheel frame (21), one end of the wheel frame (21) is connected to an output shaft (20), and an upper cover (16) is provided at the bottom of the box body (3), and a lower cover (19) is provided at the bottom of the upper cover (16).

2. The novel pneumatic stepping actuator according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The number of the cylinders (5) is four, the inner wall of the cylinder (5) is slidably connected with a piston (6), one side of the piston (6) is provided with a piston rod, and the outer wall of the cylinder (5) is respectively provided with an air inlet and an air outlet.

3. The novel pneumatic stepping actuator according to claim 2 is characterized in that: A feedback bracket (8) is installed on the top of the box cover (7), a digital display (9) is provided inside the feedback bracket (8), a switch box (10) is provided on the top of the feedback bracket (8), a proximity switch seat (11) is installed inside the switch box (10), and a feedback rod (12) is provided on the outer side wall of the proximity switch seat (11).

4. The novel pneumatic stepping actuator according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The top of the switch box (10) is screwed with a reversed rear cover (13).

5. The novel pneumatic stepping actuator according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The box body (3), the box cover (7), the switch box (10), the reverse rear cover (13), the upper cover (16) and the lower cover (19) are all made of high-strength metal materials.

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