Automatic transmission device and braking device used for automatic transmission device

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic transmission device system and a braking device for the same. A brake device including: a brake drum; a brake lining is arranged on the brake arm; the elastic component acts on the brake arm, so that a brake lining on the brake arm is in contact with the brake drum; the electromagnetic actuator comprises an electromagnetic rod, and when the electromagnetic actuator is powered on, the electromagnetic rod lifts the brake arm, so that a brake lining of the brake arm is separated from the brake drum; the sensor is configured to monitor a first position and a second position with a specific distance a in the extending process of the electromagnetic rod and output a first signal and a second signal respectively when the electromagnetic rod passes through the first position and the second position. According to the brake device, it is guaranteed that the gap between the brake arm and the brake drum is not too small.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of braking devices for automatic transmission devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a braking device for an automatic transmission device and an automatic transmission device configured with such a braking device. Background Art

[0002] The braking system of an automatic transmission device usually uses a brake lining to make frictional contact with a brake drum, thereby providing braking for a rotating shaft. The brake lining is usually mounted on a brake arm. When braking is not required, the brake arm is lifted by an electromagnet so as not to interfere with the rotation of the rotating shaft. During the use of the braking device, the brake lining will continuously wear, and the staff needs to regularly adjust the gap between the brake lining and the brake drum when the brake arm is lifted. The staff generally relies on a caliper to insert into the gap between the electromagnet and the brake arm to adjust the position of the nut on the brake arm that contacts the electromagnet. Due to the uncertainty of manual adjustment, when the adjustment is excessive, the brake drum will have a jump during the rotation with the rotating shaft, resulting in an accidental contact between the brake drum and the brake arm, and this accidental contact will pose a risk of smoking. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to solve or at least alleviate the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] On the one hand, there is provided a braking device for an automatic transmission device, which includes: A brake drum; A brake arm, on which a brake lining is provided; An elastic member, which acts on the brake arm so that the brake lining on the brake arm contacts the brake drum; An electromagnetic actuator, which includes an electromagnetic rod. When the electromagnetic actuator is energized, the electromagnetic rod lifts the brake arm to separate the brake lining of the brake arm from the brake drum; and A sensor, which is configured to monitor a first position and a second position with a specific spacing a during the process of the electromagnetic rod lifting the brake arm and output a first signal and a second signal respectively when the electromagnetic rod passes through the first position and the second position.

[0005] Optionally, in an embodiment of the braking device, the braking device includes a moving plate connected to the electromagnetic rod and moving together with the electromagnetic rod. The sensor is a fixed contact switch, and the moving plate contacts the contact switch.

[0006] Optionally, in an embodiment of the braking device, the contact switch is an integrated contact switch and includes a first circuit for outputting the first signal and a second circuit for outputting the second signal.

[0007] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, the contact switch remains in contact with the moving plate during the stroke of the electromagnetic rod from the first position to the second position.

[0008] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, the contact switch includes: A housing; A resilient button having opposite outer and inner ends, the outer end of the resilient button being exposed outside the housing and in contact with the moving plate; and A first circuit and a second circuit inside the housing. When the electromagnetic rod moves past the first position, the corresponding movement of the inner end of the resilient button causes the first circuit to switch to conduction or cut-off to output a first signal, and when the electromagnetic rod moves past the second position, the corresponding movement of the inner end of the resilient button causes the second circuit to switch to conduction or cut-off to output a second signal.

[0009] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, the specific distance a is greater than 1 mm.

[0010] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, the electromagnetic rod has an initial position and a termination position. The maximum stroke S of the electromagnetic rod is the stroke from the initial position to the termination position. The first position and the second position are between the initial position and the termination position, and the second position is closer to the termination position than the first position. Wherein, the distance from the second position to the termination position is less than 10% of the maximum stroke S.

[0011] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, the distance from the first position to the termination position is between 30% and 50% of the maximum stroke S.

[0012] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, the braking device includes two brake arms symmetrically arranged on both sides of the brake drum. In the braking position, the two brake arms surround the brake drum. Each brake arm includes opposite first and second ends. The first end of the brake arm is rotatably connected to a fixed bracket. The elastic member is a spring that acts on the brake arm to push the brake arm towards the brake drum. The electromagnetic actuator acts on the second end of the brake arm.

[0013] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, a position adjustment bolt is provided at the position on the brake arm where it contacts the electromagnetic rod of the electromagnetic actuator.

[0014] Optionally, in the embodiment of the braking device, the braking device further includes a control device, which is connected to the sensor. During the entire process in which the electromagnetic rod of the electromagnetic actuator lifts the braking arm, the control device monitors whether the first signal and the second signal are received, and outputs a prompt when the first signal or the second signal is missing.

[0015] An automatic transmission device is also provided, and the automatic transmission device includes the braking device according to each embodiment.

[0016] The braking device according to the embodiment of the present invention ensures that the gap between the braking arm and the brake drum is not too small. Description of the Drawings

[0017] Referring to the drawings, the disclosure of the present application will become more understandable. It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. In addition, similar numbers in the drawings are used to represent similar components, where: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an escalator device is shown; Figure 2 A front view of the braking device for an automatic transmission device according to an embodiment is shown; Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 The top view of the braking device in; Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 The partial enlarged view in; Figure 5 The schematic position of the electromagnetic rod of the electromagnetic actuator according to an embodiment is shown; and Figure 6 The internal structure of the sensor according to an embodiment is shown. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0018] Figure 1 The escalator 10 is illustrated. In the following description, it should become apparent that the present invention is applicable to other automatic transmission devices, such as moving walkways. The escalator 10 generally includes a truss 12 extending between a lower station 14 and an upper station 16. A plurality of sequentially connected steps or treads 18 are connected to a step chain 20 and travel through a closed-loop path within the truss 12. A pair of handrails 27 includes a moving handrail 29. The drive machine 26 or drive system is typically located in a machine space 28 below the upper station 16; however, an additional machine space 28' may be located below the lower station 14. The drive machine 26 is configured to drive the treads 18 and / or the handrail 29 through the step chain 20. The drive machine 26 operates to move the treads 18 in a selected direction at a desired speed under normal operating conditions.

[0019] The tread plate 18 makes a 180-degree change in the forward direction in a turning area 19 located below the lower landing 14 and the upper landing 16. The tread plate 18 is pivotally attached to the step chain 20 and follows the closed-loop path of the step chain 20, running from one landing to another and back again.

[0020] The drive machine 26 includes a first drive member 32 such as a motor output sheave, which is connected to a drive motor 34 through a belt reduction assembly 36. The belt reduction assembly 36 includes a second drive member 38 such as an output sheave, which is driven by a tension member 39 such as an output belt. In some embodiments, the first drive member 32 is the driving member and the second drive member 38 is the driven member.

[0021] As used herein, in various embodiments, the first drive member 32 and / or the second drive member 38 can be any type of rotating device, such as a sheave, pulley, gear, wheel, sprocket, tooth, pinion, etc. In various embodiments, the tension member 39 can be configured as a chain, belt, cable, strap, band, strip, or any other similar device that operatively connects two elements to provide a driving force from one element to another. For example, the tension member 39 can be any type of interconnecting member that extends between the first drive member 32 and the second drive member 38 and operatively connects the first drive member 32 and the second drive member 38. In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the first drive member 32 and the second drive member can provide belt reduction. For example, the diameter of the first drive member 32 can be approximately 75 mm (2.95 inches), while the diameter of the second drive member 38 can be approximately 750 mm (29.53 inches). For example, belt reduction allows for the replacement of sheaves to change the speed for 50 or 60 Hz power applications or different step speeds. However, in other embodiments, the second drive member 38 can be substantially similar to the first drive member 32.

[0022] As noted, the first drive member 32 is driven by the drive motor 34 and is thus configured to drive the tension member 39 and the second drive member 38. In some embodiments, the second drive member 38 can be an idler gear or a similar device that is driven by means of the tension member 39 through an operative connection between the first drive member 32 and the second drive member 38. The tension member 39 travels around a loop defined by the first drive member 32 and the second drive member 38, which loop may hereinafter be referred to as the small loop. The small loop is provided for driving a larger loop, which is formed by the step chain 20 and is driven by, for example, an output sheave 40. Under normal operating conditions, based on the moving speed of the first drive member 32 driven by the drive motor 34, the tension member 39 and the step chain 20 move in unison.

[0023] The escalator 10 further includes a controller 115 that is in electronic communication with the drive motor 34. As shown, the controller 115 can be positioned in the machine space 28 of the escalator 10 and is configured to control the operation of the escalator 10. For example, the controller 115 can provide a drive signal to the drive motor 34 to control the acceleration, deceleration, stopping, etc. of the tread 18 via the step chain 20. The controller 115 can be an electronic controller including a processor and an associated memory, the memory including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform various operations. The processor can be, but is not limited to, a single-processor or multi-processor system of any architecture among a variety of possible architectures, including field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), central processing units (CPUs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or graphics processing unit (GPU) hardware arranged homogeneously or heterogeneously. The memory can be, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or other electronic, optical, magnetic, or any other computer-readable medium.

[0024] Although described herein as a specific escalator drive system and specific components, this is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will recognize that other escalator system configurations can operate with the present invention disclosed herein.

[0025] Reference Figures 2 to 4 To introduce the specific structure of the braking device. The braking device can be used for the brake drum 1 of the automatic transmission device to be fixed to the output shaft of the motor 34 or any other transmission shaft, thereby providing braking for the automatic transmission device. The braking device can include: a brake drum 1; a brake arm 2, on which a brake lining 230 is provided; an elastic member 120 that acts on the brake arm 2 such that the brake lining 230 on the brake arm 2 contacts the brake drum 1; an electromagnetic actuator 5, the electromagnetic actuator 5 includes an electromagnetic rod 51, when the electromagnetic actuator is energized, the electromagnetic rod 51 lifts or jacks up the brake arm 2 to separate the brake lining 230 of the brake arm 2 from the brake drum 1; and a sensor 41 configured to monitor a first position and a second position with a specific spacing a during the process of the electromagnetic rod 51 lifting the brake arm 2 and output a first signal and a second signal respectively when the electromagnetic rod 51 passes through the first position and the second position.

[0026] Should be connected. In the illustrated embodiment, the braking device includes a pair of braking arms 2, 3. The pair of braking arms 2, 3 has an arc shape matching the periphery of the brake drum 1 at the section 23 in contact with the brake drum 1, such that the pair of braking arms 2, 3 can embrace the brake drum 1 during braking to provide braking force. Correspondingly, the electromagnetic actuator 5 can be an electromagnet having two electromagnetic rods 51, 52. For example, it includes two electromagnets for jacking up the braking arms 2, 3 on both sides. Nevertheless, alternatively, only a single braking arm on one side can be provided. Correspondingly, the electromagnetic actuator 5 is an electromagnet including only a single electromagnetic rod.

[0027] In some embodiments, the braking arms 2, 3 on both sides can be arranged substantially symmetrically. Taking the braking arm 2 on one side as an example, it includes opposite first end 21 and second end 22. The first end 21 of the braking arm 2 is rotatably connected to the fixed bracket 11, such as through a rotating pin 210. In some embodiments, the electromagnetic actuator 5 acts on the second end 22 of the braking arm 2 to make the lever arm of the output force of the electromagnetic actuator 5 as large as possible. In some embodiments, the elastic member is a spring 120 acting on the braking arm 2 to push the braking arm 2 towards the brake drum 1. The spring 120 can be arranged on the fixed guiding column 122, between the adjustable member 121 at the end of the guiding column 122 and the braking arm 2. The adjustable member 121 can be a nut capable of moving threadedly along the guiding column 122, thereby adjusting the elastic force of the spring 120. In some embodiments, the acting position 24 of the spring 120 is between the second end 22 of the braking arm 2 and the section 23 where the brake lining is located. In some embodiments, a position adjustment bolt 221 is provided at the position on the braking arm 2 where it contacts the electromagnetic rod 51 of the electromagnetic actuator. The adjustment bolt 221 is installed in the threaded hole at the second end 22 of the braking arm 2, whereby the position can be adjusted tangentially along the rotation direction of the braking arm 2 around the rotation point 210, so as to adjust the position of the braking arm 2 when it is lifted, as will be detailed below.

[0028] In some embodiments, in order to accurately monitor the position of the electromagnetic rod with a simple structure, the braking device includes a moving plate 61 connected to the electromagnetic rod 51 and moving together with the electromagnetic rod 51. The sensor is a fixedly arranged contact switch 41. Each contact switch 41 is an integral switch, and the contact button 42 of the contact switch 41. The contact button 42 remains in contact with the moving plate 61 during at least part of the stroke (the stroke between the first position and the second position) of the electromagnetic rods 51, 52 to monitor the position of the electromagnetic rod 51.

[0029] Continue to refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6To introduce the stroke of the electromagnetic rod and the specific structure of the contact switch. For the electromagnetic rod 51, depending on the structure of the electromagnetic actuator, it has an initial position and a termination position. The maximum stroke S of the electromagnetic rod 51 is the stroke from the initial position to the termination position. When the electromagnetic actuator 5 is installed on the fixed bracket 13, the initial position and the termination position of the electromagnetic rod are also determined. Generally, a spring is provided inside the electromagnetic actuator 5 to tend to push the electromagnetic rod 51 towards the termination position. The purpose is to make the electromagnetic rod 51 still remain in contact with the brake arm 2 (specifically, the adjusting bolt 221) when the brake arm 2 is in the braking position, rather than returning to the initial position, thereby improving the response speed. At this time, the position of the electromagnetic rod 51 depends on the adjusting bolt 221 at the second end 22 of the brake arm 2. Hereinafter, the position of the electromagnetic rod 51 at the braking position where the brake arm 2 contacts the brake drum 1 is called the braking docking position. The distance from the braking docking position to the initial position is called the air gap, and the distance from the braking docking position to the termination position is called the lifting distance. The braking docking position can be set by the adjusting bolt 221. Desirably, the braking docking position is set in the middle section of the maximum stroke S, for example, the distance from the starting position is between 40% and 50% of the maximum stroke S. During the use of the braking device, as the brake lining 230 wears, the air gap will gradually decrease and the lifting distance will gradually increase. When the air gap is too small, that is, when the braking docking position is too close to the initial position, if the brake lining continues to wear, there is a risk that the brake lining 230 cannot contact the brake drum 1 (because the brake arm 2 is blocked by the electromagnetic rod 51 that has returned to the initial position). Therefore, the usual practice is to send staff to the site regularly to adjust the adjusting bolt 221 ( Figure 2 adjusted to the right in Figure 2 ), which will cause the braking docking position of the electromagnetic rod 51 to move towards the termination position. The adjustment by the staff is achieved by using a vernier caliper and rotating the adjusting bolt 221. However, such manual adjustment is prone to overshoot, resulting in the braking docking position being too close to the termination position and the lifting distance being too small. Since the brake drum 1 will vibrate when it rotates, if the lifting distance of the electromagnetic rod 51 is too small, it will cause a small gap between the brake lining 230 on the brake arm 2 and the brake drum 1, resulting in smoking when the brake drum 1 rotates, which will trigger problems such as system alarms and emergency shutdowns. And the contact switch according to the embodiment of the present invention can ensure that the lifting distance is greater than a specific distance a or a so-called safety distance a.

[0030] The braking device according to an embodiment of the present invention ensures that the lifting distance of the electromagnetic rod 51 is greater than a specific spacing a by monitoring two signals of the electromagnetic rod 51 passing through two positions, a first position and a second position, with a specific spacing a. In some embodiments, the specific distance a can be set to be greater than 1 mm. In alternative embodiments, the specific distance a can be set to be greater than 1.2 mm. In some embodiments, since an integrated switch is selected as the contact switch, it has a first circuit and a second circuit built therein. Through the contact switch with the first circuit and the second circuit built therein, the specific spacing a is completely determined by the internal structure of the contact switch. Considering the limited space on the braking device, it is difficult to install two sensors. Using an integrated sensor not only simplifies the installation but also reduces the influence of the installation error on the detection result. In addition, the contact switch is more stable and reliable and has a lower cost compared with electromagnetic sensors, optical sensors, etc.

[0031] As Figure 5 shown, the first position L1 and the second position L2 are between the initial position and the termination position, and the second position L2 is closer to the termination position than the first position L1. In other words, during the process of the electromagnetic rod 51 lifting the brake arm 2, it first passes through the first position L1 and then passes through the second position L2. In some embodiments, the distance between the second position L2 and the termination position is less than 10% of the maximum stroke S, that is, the second position L2 is close to the termination position. In some embodiments, the distance from the first position L1 to the termination position is between 30% and 50% of the maximum stroke S, that is, the first position L1 is near the midpoint of the maximum stroke and closer to the termination position side.

[0032] Continue to refer to Figure 6, which shows an exemplary contact switch. The contact switch 41 may include: a housing 410; an elastic button 42, the elastic button 42 including opposite outer end 421 and inner end 422, the outer end 421 of the elastic button 42 being exposed outside the housing 410 and contacting the movable plate 61. Although not shown, the elastic button 42 is supported by a spring, whereby it moves synchronously with the movable plate 61 during at least part of the stroke of the movable plate 61. A first circuit 401 and a second circuit 402 are provided inside the housing. Since the elastic button 42 moves synchronously with the electromagnetic rod 51 through the movable plate 61 during the movement stroke of the electromagnetic rod from the first position to the second position, therefore, the initial position ', the termination position ', the maximum stroke ', the braking stop position ', the first position L1' and the second position L2' of the inner end 422 of the elastic button 42 corresponding to the position of the electromagnetic rod 51 are schematically shown inside the contact switch. Of course, the inner end 42 of the elastic button 42 may also be able to achieve only the movement from the first position L1' to the second position L2'. When the electromagnetic rod moves past the first position, the inner end 422 of the elastic button moves past the corresponding first position L1', and this movement causes the first circuit 401 to switch to conduction or cut-off to output a first signal. And when the electromagnetic rod moves past the second position, the inner end 422 of the elastic button moves past the corresponding second position L2', and this movement causes the second circuit 402 to switch to conduction or cut-off to output a second signal. And the above-mentioned specific spacing a can be set by the first position L1' and the second position L2' inside the contact switch, which is independent of the installation position of the contact switch to allow a certain installation position error for the contact switch. In an alternative embodiment, the contact switch may adopt other suitable forms. For example, it may have two elastic buttons corresponding to the first circuit 401 and the second circuit 402 respectively and both contacting the movable plate. In some embodiments, the inner end 422 of the elastic button may be a commonly used detected object such as a contact piece, a magnet or a baffle for blocking light.

[0033] In some embodiments, the braking device further includes a control device, the control device being connected to the sensor. During the process of the electromagnetic rod of the electromagnetic actuator lifting the braking arm, the control device monitors whether the first signal and the second signal are received, and outputs a prompt or an alarm when the first signal or the second signal is missing. The control device may perform self-monitoring after adjusting the adjusting bolt 221. If it is found that the first signal is missing, it can be considered that the adjusting bolt 221 has been adjusted too much and the staff can readjust it. If the second signal is missing, it can be considered that there is a problem with the braking device or the sensor, and the staff needs to further check.

[0034] According to another aspect of the present invention, an automatic transmission device is also provided, and the automatic transmission device includes the braking device according to each embodiment. The braking device according to the embodiment of the present invention realizes the state monitoring of the braking device through a simple structure, and avoids the occurrence of situations such as the braking device smoking and unexpected shutdown.

[0035] The specific embodiments described above in this application are only for more clearly describing the principle of this application, in which each component is clearly shown or described to make the principle of the present invention easier to understand. Without departing from the scope of this application, those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or changes to this application. Therefore, it should be understood that these modifications or changes should all be included within the scope of the patent protection of this application.

Claims

1. A braking device for an automatic transmission device, comprising: A brake drum; A brake arm provided with a brake lining thereon; An elastic member that acts on the brake arm such that the brake lining on the brake arm contacts the brake drum; An electromagnetic actuator including an electromagnetic rod, when the electromagnetic actuator is energized, the electromagnetic rod lifts the brake arm to separate the brake lining of the brake arm from the brake drum; And A sensor configured to monitor a first position and a second position having a specific spacing a during the process of the electromagnetic rod lifting the brake arm and output a first signal and a second signal respectively when the electromagnetic rod passes through the first position and the second position.

2. The braking device according to claim 1, wherein, The braking device includes a moving plate connected to the electromagnetic rod and moving together with the electromagnetic rod, the sensor is a fixed contact switch, and the moving plate contacts the contact switch.

3. The braking device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The contact switch is an integrated contact switch and includes a first circuit for outputting a first signal and a second circuit for outputting a second signal.

4. The braking device according to claim 2, wherein The contact switch remains in contact with the moving plate during the travel of the electromagnetic rod from the first position to the second position.

5. The braking device according to claim 2, wherein The contact switch includes: A housing; An elastic button including an outer end and an inner end opposite to each other, the outer end of the elastic button is exposed outside the housing and contacts the moving plate; and The first circuit and the second circuit inside the housing, when the electromagnetic rod moves past the first position, the corresponding movement of the inner end of the elastic button causes the first circuit to switch to conduction or cut-off to output a first signal and when the electromagnetic rod moves past the second position, the corresponding movement of the inner end of the elastic button causes the second circuit to switch to conduction or cut-off to output a second signal.

6. The braking device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The specific distance a is greater than 1 mm.

7. The braking device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The electromagnetic rod has an initial position and a termination position, the maximum stroke S of the electromagnetic rod is the stroke from the initial position to the termination position, the first position and the second position are between the initial position and the termination position, and the second position is closer to the termination position than the first position, wherein the distance from the second position to the termination position is less than 10% of the maximum stroke S.

8. The braking device according to claim 7, wherein The distance from the first position to the termination position is between 30% and 50% of the maximum stroke S.

9. The braking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The braking device includes two brake arms symmetrically arranged on both sides of the brake drum, in the braking position, the two brake arms surround the brake drum, each brake arm includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end of the brake arm is rotatably connected to a fixed bracket, the elastic member is a spring that acts on the brake arm to push the brake arm towards the brake drum, and the electromagnetic actuator acts on the second end of the brake arm.

10. The braking device according to claim 9, characterized in that, A position adjustment bolt is provided at the position on the brake arm where it contacts the electromagnetic rod of the electromagnetic actuator.

11. The braking device according to claim 1, wherein, The braking device further includes a control device, which is connected to the sensor. During the entire process in which the electromagnetic rod of the electromagnetic actuator lifts the brake arm, the control device monitors whether it receives the first signal and the second signal, and outputs a prompt when the first signal or the second signal is missing.

12. An automatic transmission device, characterized in that, The automatic transmission device includes the braking device according to any one of claims 1-11.

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