Encoder and measuring device

Abstract

The invention provides an encoder and a measuring device. The encoder comprises an outer cover, a track, a rolling assembly and a detection assembly. The outer cover is provided with a rail containing cavity, and the rail containing cavity comprises a first opening and a second opening which are oppositely arranged. The track is arc-shaped, and the two ends of the track penetrate out of the first opening and the second opening respectively. The rolling assembly comprises an upper rolling assembly and a lower rolling assembly which are in rolling fit with the track, and the upper rolling assembly and the lower rolling assembly are arranged in the track containing cavity and are oppositely arranged relative to the track. The detection assembly comprises a magnetic grid and a magnetic grid read head, the magnetic grid is arranged in the length direction of the track, the magnetic grid read head is arranged on the rolling assembly, and a preset gap is kept between the magnetic grid read head and the magnetic grid. The arc-shaped track is adopted, the magnetic grid moves along with the arc-shaped track, the magnetic grid read head is fixed, and then the track rotation angle is calculated through the relative displacement between the magnetic grid and the magnetic grid read head. In addition, the rolling assembly and the detection assembly are accommodated in the outer cover, so that the overall structure of the encoder is compact.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of encoders, in particular to an encoder and a measuring device. BACKGROUND

[0002] As a kind of precision measuring device for converting mechanical displacement or rotation into electrical signal, encoder is widely used in industrial automation, robot control, numerical control machine tool and many other fields. Magnetic grid encoder gradually stands out in some occasions with high requirements for measurement accuracy and environmental adaptability due to its strong anti-interference ability, high resolution and good reliability.

[0003] However, the existing magnetic grid encoder still has some deficiencies in practical application. For example, the structure design of some magnetic grid encoders is not compact enough, and the volume is large, which is not conducive to installation in equipment with limited space. Some magnetic grid encoders can only be applied to linear displacement scenes, and cannot be adapted to arc track scenes that need to obtain angle values, and there is a lack of suitable high-precision magnetic grid encoders.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design an encoder and a measuring device to solve the above technical problems. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides an encoder and a measuring device, which can measure the rotation angle of the track and has a compact structure.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, an encoder is provided, comprising:

[0007] An outer cover has a track accommodating cavity, and the track accommodating cavity comprises a first opening and a second opening arranged oppositely;

[0008] A track is arranged in an arc shape, and two ends of the track pass out of the first opening and the second opening, respectively;

[0009] A rolling assembly comprises an upper rolling assembly and a lower rolling assembly rolling with the track, and the upper rolling assembly and the lower rolling assembly are arranged in the track accommodating cavity and arranged oppositely with respect to the track; and

[0010] A detection assembly comprises a magnetic grid and a magnetic grid reader, the magnetic grid is arranged along the length direction of the track, and the magnetic grid reader is arranged on the rolling assembly and maintains a predetermined gap with the magnetic grid.

[0011] Further, the upper rolling assembly comprises a positioning trolley and an upper rolling piece arranged on the positioning trolley, and the lower rolling assembly is configured with a lower rolling piece; the upper rolling piece abuts against the upper surface of the track, the lower rolling piece abuts against the lower surface of the track, and the magnetic grid reader is arranged on the upper rolling piece.

[0012] Further, the upper rolling member is a bearing, and the bearing is rotatably connected to the positioning trolley; the lower rolling member is a ball, and the middle part of the lower surface of the track is provided with a ball groove for accommodating the ball.

[0013] Further, the upper rolling member is a bearing, and the bearing is rotatably connected to the positioning trolley; the lower rolling member is a bearing, and the lower surface of the track is provided with two outer taper surfaces matched with the bearing.

[0014] Further, the upper rolling member is a ball, and the positioning trolley is symmetrically provided with two ball grooves for accommodating the ball relative to the magnetic grid reader; the lower rolling member is a bearing, and the lower surface of the track is concavely provided with two inner taper surfaces matched with the bearing.

[0015] Further, the upper rolling member is a ball, and the positioning trolley is symmetrically provided with two ball grooves for accommodating the ball relative to the magnetic grid reader; the lower rolling member is a ball, and the middle part of the lower surface of the track is provided with a ball groove for accommodating the ball.

[0016] Further, the outer cover is provided with a locking hole, and the locking hole is from one side of the outer cover to the opposite side of the outer cover through the lower part of the track; along the sliding direction of the track, the lower rolling member at least partially overlaps with the locking hole.

[0017] Further, the application further comprises a gasket, and the gasket is arranged between the outer cover and the positioning trolley.

[0018] Further, the application further comprises a track protection layer, and the track protection layer covers the upper surface of the track and the surface of the magnetic grid.

[0019] The material of the track protection layer is stainless steel.

[0020] According to the second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a measuring device is provided, which comprises the encoder of the first aspect and a plurality of finger exoskeleton units; one of the finger exoskeleton units is fixed on the outer cover; the rest of the finger exoskeleton units are sequentially rotatably connected, and one of the finger exoskeleton units is fixed on one end of the track.

[0021] The application has the following beneficial effects: the application adopts an arc-shaped track, the magnetic grid moves along the arc-shaped track, the magnetic grid reader is fixed, and then the rotation angle of the track is calculated through the relative displacement between the magnetic grid and the magnetic grid reader. In addition, the rolling assembly and the detection assembly are accommodated in the outer cover, so that the overall structure of the encoder is compact.

[0022] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this specification and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this specification.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a partial structural diagram of the encoder in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the encoder from another perspective in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a state diagram of track movement in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is the first embodiment of the cooperation between the upper and lower scroll members in this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a second embodiment of the cooperation between the upper and lower scroll members in this application;

[0029] Figure 6 This is the third embodiment of the cooperation between the upper and lower scroll members in this application;

[0030] Figure 7 This is the fourth embodiment of the cooperation between the upper and lower rolling elements in this application;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the measuring device in the embodiments of this application.

[0032] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0033] 100 - Encoder; 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d - Finger exoskeleton units;

[0034] 10-Outer cover; 11-First opening; 12-Second opening; 13-Locking hole; 14-Mounting hole;

[0035] 20 - Track; 21a, 21b - Ball grooves; 22 - Outer conical surface; 23 - Inner conical surface; 24 - Fixing part;

[0036] 30 - Scrolling component; 31 - Upper scrolling component; 311 - Positioning trolley; 312 - Upper scrolling element; 32 - Lower scrolling component; 321 - Lower scrolling element;

[0037] 40 - Detection component; 41 - Magnetic grid; 42 - Magnetic grid reader;

[0038] 50-Gasket;

[0039] 60 - Track protection layer. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The technical solutions in the embodiments (or "implementations") of this application will be clearly and completely described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0041] If the embodiments of this application contain terms relating to directional indications or positional relationships (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, inside, outside, top, bottom, center, vertical, horizontal, longitudinal, transverse, length, width, counterclockwise, clockwise, axial, radial, circumferential, etc.), such terms are only used to explain the relative positional relationships and movements between components in a specific posture (as shown in the attached figures); if the specific posture changes, the directional indications or positional relationships will also change accordingly. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" used in the embodiments of this application are only for descriptive convenience and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0042] The embodiments described in this specification will now be described in detail.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, this application discloses an encoder 100, which includes an outer cover 10, a track 20, a rolling assembly 30, a detection assembly 40, a gasket 50, and a track protective layer 60.

[0044] Please refer to the reference again. Figures 2-3 As shown, the outer cover 10 has a track receiving cavity, which includes a first opening 11 and a second opening 12 disposed opposite to each other. Both ends of the track 20 extend through the first opening 11 and the second opening 12, respectively. When the track 20 slides within the track receiving cavity, as one end of the track 20 extends out of the first opening 11, the corresponding other end enters the track receiving cavity through the second opening 12. Similarly, as one end of the track 20 extends out of the second opening 12, the corresponding other end enters the track receiving cavity through the first opening 11.

[0045] The outer casing 10 is composed of two hollow shells joined together to form a track cavity. The rolling assembly 30, the detection assembly 40, and the gasket 50 are placed inside the track cavity 20. This integrated, compact design makes the encoder 100 small in size, facilitating installation and use in space-constrained environments.

[0046] The two housings are provided with locking holes 13 and multiple mounting holes 14. The limiting bolt in the locking hole 13 passes through one housing and passes under or above the track 20 to the other housing to achieve locking.

[0047] The plurality of mounting holes 14 are shrunk through the bolt holes. In this way, the outer cover 10 is detachably structured, so that the track 20 can be quickly disassembled or installed, and can be freely extracted as a whole, facilitating assembly, maintenance and modular design.

[0048] The track 20 is arranged in an arc shape, and the track receiving cavity is also arranged in an arc shape, so that the track 20 can slide along the arc shape, and the angle value of the measurement assembly can be measured, that is, the rotation angle of the track 20 is calculated through the circular arc displacement of the track 20.

[0049] The rolling assembly 30 includes an upper rolling assembly 31 and a lower rolling assembly 32 which are rollingly matched with the track 20. The upper rolling assembly 31 and the lower rolling assembly 32 are arranged in the track 20 receiving cavity and oppositely arranged with respect to the track 20. In this way, on the one hand, the upper rolling assembly 31 and the lower rolling assembly 32 clamp the track 20 from top to bottom, so as to ensure that the track 20 can only move along the designed circular freedom. On the other hand, the rolling matching between the upper rolling assembly 31 and the lower rolling assembly 32 and the track 20 ensures the stability of the track 20 sliding along the circumference.

[0050] The upper rolling assembly 31 includes a positioning trolley 311 and an upper rolling piece 312 arranged on the positioning trolley 311. The upper rolling piece 312 abuts against the upper surface of the track 20.

[0051] The lower rolling assembly 32 is configured with a lower rolling piece 321. The lower rolling piece 321 abuts against the lower surface of the track 20. Among them, along the sliding direction of the track 20, the lower rolling piece 321 at least partially coincides with the locking hole 13, and the coincidence forms mechanical interference, which can prevent the outer cover 10 from being separated from the track 20.

[0052] Referring to Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the upper rolling piece 312 is a bearing, and four bearings are arranged symmetrically along the length direction and the width direction of the positioning trolley 311. The bearings are rotatably connected to the positioning trolley 311, and a detection assembly 40 is arranged between the front and rear bearings. Among them, front and rear refer to the direction of the body of the positioning trolley 311.

[0053] The lower rolling piece 321 is a plurality of rolling balls. The middle part of the lower surface of the track 20 is provided with a rolling ball groove 21a for accommodating the rolling balls along the length direction, and the plurality of rolling balls move in the rolling ball groove 21a. Among them, the more the number of rolling balls, the better the limiting effect, and the pressure borne by the track 20 is evenly distributed to the plurality of rolling balls, reducing the pressure on a single rolling ball.

[0054] The multiple balls and the two ends of the ball groove 21a are left with a gap. Specifically, the multiple balls have a movement allowance in the track 20, i.e. the rolling range of the balls. When changing the movement direction, the balls first start with rolling movement, and when reaching the limit, i.e. abutting against one end of the ball groove 21a, the rolling friction is converted into sliding friction, so that the resistance of the track 20 at the start of movement can be reduced.

[0055] Referring to Figure 5 The upper rolling member 312 is a bearing, and four bearings are provided, which are symmetrically arranged along the length direction and the width direction of the positioning trolley 311. The bearings are rotationally connected to the positioning trolley 311, and a detection assembly 40 is arranged between the front and rear bearings. Here, the front and rear refer to the direction of the body of the positioning trolley 311.

[0056] The lower rolling member 321 is a bearing, and the number of bearings is multiple and divided into two groups. The lower surface of the track 20 is convexly provided with two outer tapered surfaces 22 matched with the bearings, and the two groups of bearings are respectively supported on the two outer tapered surfaces 22.

[0057] Referring to Figure 6 The upper rolling member 312 is a ball, and the positioning trolley 311 is symmetrically arranged with two ball grooves 21b containing the ball with respect to the detection assembly 40. Multiple balls move in the ball grooves 21b. Among them, the more the number of balls, the better the limiting effect, which evenly distributes the pressure on the track 20 to multiple balls, reducing the pressure on a single ball.

[0058] The multiple balls and the two ends of the ball groove 21b are left with a gap. Specifically, the multiple balls have a movement allowance in the track 20, i.e. the rolling range of the balls. When changing the movement direction, the balls first start with rolling movement, and when reaching the limit, i.e. abutting against one end of the ball groove 21b, the rolling friction is converted into sliding friction, so that the resistance of the track 20 at the start of movement can be reduced.

[0059] The lower rolling member 321 is a bearing, and the number of bearings is multiple. The lower surface of the track 20 is concavely provided with two inner tapered surfaces 23 matched with the bearings. The two inner tapered surfaces 23 form a bearing groove opening downward, and multiple bearings are arranged in the bearing groove and respectively abut against the inner tapered surfaces 23. Among them, the adjacent two bearings are arranged at a right angle and abut against the two inner tapered surfaces 23.

[0060] Referring to Figure 7 The upper rolling member 312 is a ball, and the positioning trolley 311 is symmetrically arranged with two ball grooves 21b containing the ball with respect to the magnetic grating reader 42. Multiple balls move in the ball grooves 21b. Among them, the more the number of balls, the better the limiting effect, which evenly distributes the pressure on the track 20 to multiple balls, reducing the pressure on a single ball.

[0061] The multiple balls and the two ends of the ball groove 21b have a gap. Specifically, the multiple balls have a movement allowance in front and back of the track 20, i.e. the rolling range of the balls. When changing the movement direction, the balls first start with rolling movement, and when reaching the limit, i.e. abutting against one end of the ball groove 21b, the rolling friction is converted into sliding friction, so that the resistance of the track 20 at the start of movement can be reduced.

[0062] The lower rolling member 321 is a plurality of balls, and the middle part of the lower surface of the track 20 is provided with a ball groove 21a along the length direction to accommodate the balls, and the multiple balls move in the ball groove 21a. Among them, the more the number of balls, the better the limiting effect, and the pressure borne by the track 20 is distributed to the multiple balls, reducing the pressure on a single ball.

[0063] The multiple balls and the two ends of the ball groove 21a have a gap. Specifically, the multiple balls have a movement allowance in front and back of the track 20, i.e. the rolling range of the balls. When changing the movement direction, the balls first start with rolling movement, and when reaching the limit, i.e. abutting against one end of the ball groove 21a, the rolling friction is converted into sliding friction, so that the resistance of the track 20 at the start of movement can be reduced.

[0064] Figures 4-7 Only part of the combination between the upper rolling assembly 31 and the lower rolling assembly 32 is listed, including but not limited to this. Among them, when used in a small space, the upper rolling assembly 31 and the lower rolling assembly 32 can be selected as the sliding friction scheme of ball matching ball. When used in a relatively spacious space, the upper rolling assembly 31 and the lower rolling assembly 32 can be selected as the rolling friction scheme of bearing wheel, which is not limited in detail.

[0065] The detection assembly 40 includes a magnetic grid 41 and a magnetic grid reader 42. The magnetic grid 41 is arranged along the length direction of the track 20, and the magnetic grid reader 42 is arranged on the positioning trolley 311 and maintains a predetermined gap with the magnetic grid 41. When the track 20 slides, the track 20 synchronously drives the magnetic grid reader 42 to move, and when the relative position between the magnetic grid reader 42 and the magnetic grid 41 changes, the circular arc displacement distance can be converted into the rotation angle of the track through the calculation of the magnetic grid signal.

[0066] In this embodiment, the middle part of the upper surface of the track 20 is provided with a groove opening upward along the length direction, and the magnetic grid 41 is placed in the groove. In this way, the height of the magnetic grid 41 protruding from the upper surface of the track 20 can be reduced, and the overall structure of the encoder 100 is more compact.

[0067] The gasket 50 is arranged between the outer cover 10 and the positioning trolley 311. The thickness of the gasket 50 is adjustable. By replacing the gasket 50 with different thickness, the friction between the upper rolling member 312 and the track 20 can be finely adjusted. At the same time, the position of the magnetic grid reading head 42 mounted on the upper rolling member 312 can also be adjusted correspondingly, so that the magnetic grid reading head 42 and the magnetic grid 41 maintain a predetermined distance, thereby ensuring the accuracy and stability of the signal obtained by the detection assembly 40.

[0068] The track protection layer 60 covers the upper surface of the track 20 and the surface of the magnetic grid 41, so as to reduce external pollution and wear caused by frequent mechanical friction between the upper rolling member 312 and the upper surface of the track 20, while ensuring the detection accuracy of the magnetic grid reading head 42. The material of the track protection layer 60 is thin stainless steel.

[0069] In the present application, the arc-shaped track 20 is adopted, and the magnetic grid reading head 42 moves with the arc-shaped track 20. The magnetic grid reading head 42 is fixed, and the rotation angle of the track 20 is calculated through the relative displacement between the magnetic grid reading head 42 and the magnetic grid 41. In addition, the rolling assembly 30 and the detection assembly 40 are accommodated in the outer cover 10, so that the overall structure of the encoder 100 is compact.

[0070] The present application also discloses a measuring device, which comprises the encoder 100 and a plurality of finger exoskeleton units 200a, 200b, 200c and 200d. One of the finger exoskeleton units 200a is fixed on the outer cover 10. The measuring device in the present embodiment is specially used for collecting data of the flexion degree of freedom of the metacarpophalangeal joint MCP2, and is placed in an off-axis manner, so that the center of the circular arc track 20 can be arranged to be perpendicular to the two-direction rotation shaft, thereby realizing the rotation measurement of the single-axis point with two degrees of freedom.

[0071] The remaining finger exoskeleton units 200b, 200c and 200c are sequentially connected in rotation, so as to realize the rotation of the two degrees of freedom of the proximal interphalangeal joint PIP and the distal interphalangeal joint DIP. In addition, one of the finger exoskeleton units 200b is provided with a groove, one end of the track 20 is provided with a fixing portion 24, and the fixing portion 24 is arranged in the groove and fixed by bolts. In this way, the encoder 100 is directly connected with the finger exoskeleton unit, the force receiving structure and the encoder 100 are combined into one, and the flexion degree of freedom of the finger exoskeleton unit 200b, 200c and 200d can be obtained in the limited space.

[0072] In the present embodiment, the encoder 100 is placed in an off-axis position, and the rotation shafts of the two degrees of freedom of the metacarpophalangeal joint MCP2 (flexion) and MCP1 (swing) intersect at the center point a of the circular arc track 20, so that the data collection of the two degrees of freedom of the metacarpophalangeal joint becomes possible.

[0073] It should be noted that the technical solutions or technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined or supplemented with each other without conflict. The scope of protection of the present application is not limited to the precise structure described in the above embodiments and shown in the accompanying drawings; any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An encoder, characterized in that, It includes: The outer cover has a track receiving cavity, the track receiving cavity including a first opening and a second opening disposed opposite to each other; The track is arc-shaped, with its two ends extending from the first opening and the second opening, respectively. A rolling assembly includes an upper rolling assembly and a lower rolling assembly that roll in cooperation with the track, the upper rolling assembly and the lower rolling assembly being disposed within the track receiving cavity and disposed opposite to the track; and The detection component includes a magnetic grating and a magnetic grating read head. The magnetic grating is arranged along the length direction of the track, and the magnetic grating read head is disposed on the rolling component and maintains a predetermined gap with the magnetic grating.

2. The encoder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper rolling assembly includes a positioning trolley and an upper rolling element disposed on the positioning trolley; the lower rolling assembly is configured with a lower rolling element; the upper rolling element abuts against the upper surface of the track, and the lower rolling element abuts against the lower surface of the track; the magnetic grating read head is disposed on the upper rolling element.

3. The encoder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper rolling element is a bearing, which is rotatably connected to the positioning trolley; the lower rolling element is a ball, and a ball groove for accommodating the ball is provided in the middle of the lower surface of the track along the length direction.

4. The encoder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper rolling element is a bearing, which is rotatably connected to the positioning trolley; the lower rolling element is a bearing, and the lower surface of the track is provided with two external conical surfaces that cooperate with the bearing.

5. The encoder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper rolling element is a ball bearing, and the positioning trolley has two ball grooves symmetrically arranged about the magnetic grating reading head to accommodate the ball bearing; the lower rolling element is a bearing, and the lower surface of the track has two conical surfaces that mate with the bearing.

6. The encoder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper rolling element is a ball bearing, and the positioning trolley has two ball bearing grooves symmetrically arranged about the magnetic grating reading head to accommodate the ball bearing; the lower rolling element is a ball bearing, and the middle part of the lower surface of the track has a ball bearing groove along the length direction to accommodate the ball bearing.

7. The encoder according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The outer cover is provided with a locking hole, which extends from one side of the outer cover, through the bottom of the track, to the opposite side of the outer cover; along the sliding direction of the track, the lower rolling element at least partially overlaps with the locking hole.

8. The encoder according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a gasket disposed between the outer cover and the positioning trolley.

9. The encoder according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a track protection layer that covers the upper surface of the track and the surface of the magnetic grating; The material of the track protection layer is stainless steel.

10. A measuring device, characterized in that, It includes an encoder and a plurality of finger exoskeleton units as described in any one of claims 1-9; one of the finger exoskeleton units is fixed to the outer cover; the remaining finger exoskeleton units are rotatably connected in sequence, and one of the finger exoskeleton units is fixed to one end of the track.

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