Ball worm and gear transmission structure for precise feed switching of radio telescope

Abstract

The invention discloses a ball worm gear and worm transmission structure for precise feed switching of a radio telescope, and belongs to the technical field of transmission devices, the ball worm gear and worm transmission structure comprises a worm and a worm gear, and the worm gear and the worm are provided with a first groove and a second groove respectively; the second groove is in a spiral line shape, and the central axis of the second groove coincides with that of the worm. A plurality of first grooves are formed in the outer concave surface of the worm wheel and are uniformly distributed along the outer concave surface; a ball is arranged in each first groove, and the balls freely rotate in the corresponding first grooves; the worm is meshed with the worm gear, the ball part at the meshing position is located in the first groove, and the other part is located in the second groove. The invention has the characteristics of small return difference, high efficiency, bidirectional transmission, high bearing capacity and high rigidity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of transmission device technology, and in particular to a ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feeding of radio telescopes. Background Technology

[0002] A certain telescope antenna is a feedforward antenna, consisting of a main surface, a secondary surface, and multiple feed sources. When operating at different frequency bands, the corresponding feed sources need to be switched to their theoretical positions. Due to the antenna's large aperture, if the feed sources deviate too much from their theoretical positions, it will severely affect the electrical performance. Therefore, the transmission accuracy requirements for the feed switching mechanism are extremely high.

[0003] To meet the technical requirements of precision feed-up for radio telescopes, a ball-driven worm gear transmission structure suitable for precision feed-up of large-aperture antennas must be designed. Existing technology CN109538697A discloses placing balls between the worm wheel and worm to replace sliding friction with rolling friction, thus changing the original sliding transmission of the worm gear to rolling transmission, significantly improving transmission efficiency. However, when the balls move through the guide hole, the contact points of adjacent balls move in opposite directions, resulting in sliding friction between the balls. This reduces transmission efficiency and can also cause transmission jamming due to ball damage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feed-through in radio telescopes, which features low backlash, high efficiency, bidirectional transmission capability, high load-bearing capacity, and high rigidity.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feed switching in a radio telescope includes a worm and a worm wheel, wherein the worm wheel and the worm are respectively provided with a first groove and a second groove; The second groove is spiral-shaped, and its central axis coincides with the central axis of the worm. The first groove is provided in multiple ways, all located on the outer concave surface of the worm gear and evenly arranged along the outer concave surface; each first groove is provided with a ball, and the ball can rotate freely in the corresponding first groove; The worm meshes with the worm wheel, with the ball portion at the meshing position located in the first groove and the other portion in the second groove; The first groove contains multiple balls, and adjacent balls are separated by a partition block in the first groove; the partition block has the freedom to slide along the first groove, and both sides of the partition block are semi-circular concave surfaces for mating with the balls.

[0006] Furthermore, the worm is a toroidal worm.

[0007] Furthermore, it also includes a cage to prevent the balls from dislodging; the cage is mounted on the outer side of the concave surface of the worm gear; The retainer is provided with an anti-detachment groove, which is directly opposite the first groove, and the width of the anti-detachment groove is smaller than the width of the first groove.

[0008] Furthermore, the worm gear is provided with a channel; the channel corresponds one-to-one with the first groove, and the two ends of the channel are respectively connected to the two ends of the corresponding first groove to form an annular channel, and the ball has the degree of freedom to move through the annular channel.

[0009] Furthermore, the annular channels on the worm gear are independent, and the balls circulate within their respective annular channels.

[0010] The beneficial effects of adopting the above-mentioned optimized technical solution are as follows: 1. The present invention effectively isolates adjacent balls by setting a special isolation block in the first groove, so as to avoid them from contacting and wearing each other; the isolation block has semi-circular concave surfaces on both sides to cooperate with the balls, which not only ensures the flexible rotation of the balls, but also significantly reduces friction and vibration, greatly improving the transmission stability and component life.

[0011] 2. This invention can reduce backlash by controlling the machining accuracy of the balls. If a certain preload is applied to the balls, the backlash can be eliminated, which will greatly improve the transmission accuracy.

[0012] 3. This invention transforms the transmission of the worm gear from sliding friction to rolling friction, thereby significantly improving transmission efficiency; it also reduces heat generation, creating favorable conditions for improving load-bearing capacity.

[0013] 4. The conventional worm gear transmission of the present invention is based on sliding friction, and power can only be transmitted from the worm to the worm wheel. However, the worm gear transmission described in the present invention is based on rolling friction, thereby realizing reverse transmission. That is, power can be transmitted from the worm to the worm wheel, or from the worm wheel to the worm.

[0014] 5. The worm used in this invention is a toroidal worm, with multiple sets of balls participating in the meshing, which greatly improves the load-bearing capacity and rigidity. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is the front view of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a magnified view of the balls and cage.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a side view of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the ball bearing circulation path.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a worm gear.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a worm gear.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a front view of the cage structure.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a side view of the cage structure.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the passage.

[0025] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the isolation block.

[0026] In the diagram, 1 is the ball bearing, 2 is the worm gear, 3 is the worm wheel, 4 is the cage, 5 is the end cap, 6 is the channel, 7 is the spacer block, 8 is the concave surface, 2-1 is the second groove, and 4-1 is the anti-disengagement groove. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Reference Figures 1 to 11 This embodiment includes a ball bearing 1, a worm gear 2, a worm wheel 3, a cage 4, an end cap 5, a channel 6, and an isolation block 7.

[0029] Both the worm gear 3 and the worm 2 are machined with semi-circular grooves. The worm gear 3 has multiple first grooves, all located on its outer concave surface 8 and evenly distributed along it. Each first groove is designed independently and does not contact the others. In this embodiment, the worm 2 is a toroidal worm. The second groove 2-1 machined on the worm 2 is helical, with the central axis of the helix coinciding with the central axis of the worm 2.

[0030] The worm gear 3 and worm 2 are driven by balls 1. Balls 1 are installed in each first groove, and a retainer 4 mounted on the worm gear 3 prevents the balls 1 from disengaging from the first groove. The transmission method is as follows: the worm gear 3 and worm 2 mesh, with part of the balls 1 at the meshing position located in the first groove and the other part in the second groove 2-1. In the prior art, the rotation of the worm 2 drives the rotation of the worm gear 3 through sliding friction; in this embodiment, the balls 1 convert sliding friction into rolling friction.

[0031] To further achieve the desired effect, this embodiment employs a retainer 4, which is fixedly connected to the worm gear 3 and located on the outer concave surface 8 of the worm gear 3 to prevent the ball 1 from falling off the first groove of the worm gear 3. Firstly, the retainer 4 is an annular structure that is secured to the outer concave surface 8 of the worm gear 3. The annular surface of the structure is adapted to the outer concave surface 8 of the worm gear 3, and multiple anti-detachment grooves 4-1 are provided on the annular surface. The anti-detachment grooves 4-1 correspond one-to-one with the first groove. The width of the anti-detachment grooves 4-1 is smaller than the width of the first groove and smaller than the diameter of the ball 1.

[0032] To enhance the effect of rolling friction, this embodiment includes a channel 6; the two ends of channel 6 can be directly connected to the two ends of the first groove of the worm gear 3. Alternatively, refer to... Figure 10 In this embodiment, the worm gear 3 not only has a first groove on its outer concave surface, but also a through groove inside. The through groove is located below the first groove, and the adjacent ends of the through groove and the first groove are connected by the channel 6, so two channels 6 are required. The two channels 6, the first groove, and the through groove are connected end to end to form an annular channel, which constitutes the reversing device. The ball 1 rolls freely in the annular channel.

[0033] The number of channels 6 is determined by the transmission ratio and the number of worm gear 2 heads. The ball bearings 1 in each channel 6 circulate independently and do not affect each other. This transforms the worm gear transmission from sliding friction to rolling friction.

[0034] The diameter of ball 1 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of channel 6 to reduce friction during circulation. Adjacent balls 1 are separated by a spacer block 7 to prevent wear between adjacent balls 1.

[0035] The worm 2 is a toroidal worm, which enables multiple sets of balls 1 to engage simultaneously.

[0036] The worm gear 3 is machined with multiple sets of round holes to accommodate the installation of the channel 6 and the circulation of the ball 1.

[0037] The cage 4 is a split type. After processing, it is cut along the center line for easy assembly. The anti-dislodgement groove 4-1 of the cage 4 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball 1. Without affecting the rolling of the ball 1, it can prevent the ball 1 from shaking radially along the worm gear 3 and further prevent the ball 1 from falling off.

[0038] The end cap 5 has a set of round holes, which are fixedly connected to the worm gear 3 by bolts. The end face of the end cap 5 is tangent to the channel 6, thereby constraining the channel 6 to move axially along the worm gear 3 and preventing the channel 6 from falling off.

[0039] The inner diameter of channel 6 is slightly larger than the diameter of ball 1, and the wall thickness is uniform. It is bent into an arc shape with a certain curvature to reverse the rolling path of ball 1.

[0040] The isolation block 7 has two semi-circular grooves made of motion engineering plastic, which reduces the wear of the ball bearing 1.

Claims

1. A ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feed-through in a radio telescope, comprising a worm (2) and a worm wheel (3), characterized in that, The worm wheel (3) and the worm (2) are respectively provided with a first groove and a second groove (2-1); The second groove (2-1) is helical, and its central axis coincides with the central axis of the worm (2); The first groove is provided in multiple ways, all located on the outer concave surface (8) of the worm gear (3) and evenly arranged along the outer concave surface (8); each first groove is provided with a ball (1), and the ball (1) can rotate freely in the corresponding first groove; The worm (2) meshes with the worm wheel (3), and the ball (1) at the meshing position is partially located in the first groove and partially in the second groove; Multiple balls (1) are provided in the first groove, and adjacent balls (1) are separated by a partition block (7) in the first groove; the partition block (7) has the freedom to slide along the first groove, and both sides of it are semi-circular concave surfaces for cooperating with the balls (1).

2. The ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feed-changing in a radio telescope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The worm (2) is a toroidal worm.

3. The ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feed-changing in a radio telescope according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a retainer (4) for preventing the ball (1) from dislodging; the retainer (4) is mounted on the outer side of the concave surface (8) of the worm gear (3); The retainer (4) is provided with an anti-detachment groove (4-1), which is directly opposite to the first groove, and the width of the anti-detachment groove (4-1) is smaller than the width of the first groove.

4. The ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feed-changing in a radio telescope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The worm gear (3) is also provided with a channel (6); the channel (6) corresponds one-to-one with the first groove, and the channel (6) connects to the corresponding first groove to form an annular channel, and the ball (1) has the freedom to move in the annular channel.

5. The ball worm gear transmission structure for precision feed-changing in a radio telescope according to claim 4, characterized in that, The annular channels on the worm gear (3) are independent of each other, and the ball (1) circulates in its own annular channel.

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