Rolling and clamping type telescopic fork

Abstract

The invention discloses a roll clamping type telescopic fork, which relates to the technical field of logistics equipment, and is characterized in that the roll clamping type telescopic fork comprises a lower fork, a middle fork slidably connected to the lower fork, an upper fork slidably connected to the middle fork, a first driving unit and a second driving unit, the first driving unit is used for driving the middle fork and the upper fork to synchronously stretch out or retract relative to the lower fork, a connecting assembly is arranged on the upper fork, a clamping assembly is arranged on the connecting assembly, the second driving unit is in transmission connection with the clamping assembly and used for driving the clamping assembly to execute clamping or loosening actions, and the first driving unit and the second driving unit are electric driving units. By arranging the first driving unit and the second driving unit which are electrically driven, the device has the advantages of being high in control precision, stable in operation and low in maintenance cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of logistics equipment technology, and more specifically, to a roll-up telescopic fork. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of the logistics industry, modern logistics systems centered on automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) have become key facilities for improving logistics efficiency and reducing logistics costs. As the core equipment of an AS / RS, the performance of the stacker crane directly affects the operational efficiency of the entire system. The actuators on stacker cranes used for picking up and placing goods typically employ a telescopic fork structure.

[0003] Currently, a common telescopic fork solution for handling rolled materials is the pneumatic clamping telescopic fork. Its working process is as follows: First, the compressor supplies air to drive the first-stage cylinder to extend, moving the second-stage telescopic structure to the vicinity of the material; then, the second-stage cylinder extends, pushing the clamping mechanism closer to the rolled material; next, a rotary cylinder drives the clamping mechanism to clamp the material; finally, the two-stage cylinder retracts sequentially, transferring the material to the target location and releasing it.

[0004] However, the aforementioned existing technical solutions have the following shortcomings: First, the equipment relies on a compressor for air supply as a power source, and cannot work in an environment without an air source. Moreover, the air pipe layout is cumbersome, which limits the application scenarios. Second, the dual-cylinder driven extension and retraction method has problems with poor synchronization and low positioning accuracy, making it difficult to achieve precise control. Furthermore, the force of the pneumatic clamping is greatly affected by air pressure fluctuations, making it difficult to adjust precisely. This can easily lead to situations where the clamping is too tight and damages the material, or the clamping is too loose and causes the material to fall off, resulting in poor operational stability. In addition, the cylinder seals are prone to wear, and the air pipes are prone to air leakage, leading to a high equipment failure rate. Frequent replacement of seals and maintenance of pipelines are required, resulting in a large workload and high cost of maintenance.

[0005] Therefore, a new solution is needed to address this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a roll-up telescopic fork to solve the technical problems of existing technologies, such as reliance on air source, poor telescopic synchronization, uncontrollable clamping force, and high maintenance costs.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a retractable fork with a coil clamp, comprising a lower fork, a middle fork slidably connected to the lower fork, and an upper fork slidably connected to the middle fork, and further comprising a first driving unit and a second driving unit. The first driving unit is used to drive the middle fork and the upper fork to extend or retract synchronously relative to the lower fork. The upper fork is provided with a connecting component, and the connecting component is provided with a clamping component. The second driving unit is convexly connected to the clamping component and is used to drive the clamping component to perform clamping or releasing actions. Both the first driving unit and the second driving unit are electrically driven units.

[0008] Preferably, the first drive unit includes an electric cylinder and a synchronization mechanism. The electric cylinder is fixed on the lower fork, and its output end is fixedly connected to the middle fork to drive the middle fork to extend and retract along the lower fork. The synchronization mechanism connects the middle fork and the upper fork to transmit the extension and retraction motion of the middle fork to the upper fork so that the upper fork and the middle fork extend and retract synchronously.

[0009] Preferably, the synchronization mechanism includes a first roller chain, a first rack, and a second rack;

[0010] The fork has a slot along its length, and a first sprocket and a second sprocket are rotatably connected to the two ends of the slot, respectively. The first roller chain drive is connected between the first sprocket and the second sprocket.

[0011] The upper side of the first roller chain is located above the middle fork, and the lower side is located below the middle fork. The first rack is fixed on the lower fork along the length direction of the lower fork and meshes with the upper side of the first roller chain. The second rack is disposed on the upper fork along the length direction of the upper fork and meshes with the lower side of the first roller chain.

[0012] Preferably, the slot is further provided with a chain track extending along its length. The chain track is located between the first sprocket and the second sprocket and is embedded between the upper and lower sides of the first roller chain. The upper side of the first roller chain is slidably engaged with the upper surface of the chain track, and the lower side of the first roller chain is slidably engaged with the lower surface of the chain track.

[0013] Preferably, the clamping assembly includes a left fork arm and a right fork arm, which are symmetrically arranged and slidably connected to the connecting assembly respectively.

[0014] Preferably, the connecting component is provided with a slide rail, and the left fork arm and the right fork arm are slidably connected to the slide rail by sliders.

[0015] Preferably, the second drive unit includes a geared motor fixed on the connecting assembly, a third sprocket fixed on the output end of the geared motor, a fourth sprocket rotatably connected to the connecting assembly, and a second roller chain drively connected to the third sprocket and the fourth sprocket. The left fork arm is fixedly connected to one side of the second roller chain, and the right fork arm is fixedly connected to the other side of the second roller chain.

[0016] Preferably, it also includes a slewing component, one end of which is fixedly connected to the lower fork, and the other end is used to connect to an external device to drive the coil-clamp telescopic fork to rotate horizontally.

[0017] Preferably, the rotary assembly is an electric rotary table.

[0018] Preferably, the inner side of the middle fork is provided with a first sliding groove along the length direction, and the outer side is provided with a second sliding groove along the length direction;

[0019] The lower fork is provided with a plurality of first rollers along its length direction, and the first rollers are embedded in the first groove and roll in cooperation with the first groove;

[0020] The upper fork is provided with a plurality of second rollers along its length direction. The second rollers are embedded in the second groove and roll in cooperation with the second groove.

[0021] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of the coil-clamp telescopic fork disclosed in this invention are as follows: By adopting an electrically driven first and second drive unit, the traditional pneumatic drive scheme is replaced, eliminating the dependence on compressed air sources. This allows the telescopic fork to be flexibly deployed in environments without air sources, effectively expanding application scenarios. At the same time, the electric drive avoids the impact of air pressure fluctuations on telescopic synchronization and clamping force. The first drive unit achieves precise synchronous telescopic extension and retraction of the middle and upper forks, and the second drive unit achieves stable and controllable clamping of the clamping components. This effectively solves the problems of poor telescopic synchronization, low positioning accuracy, uncontrollable clamping force, and easy damage to materials in existing technologies with dual-cylinder systems. In addition, by eliminating pneumatic components, the overall structure of the telescopic fork is simplified, reducing the use of easily damaged parts such as seals and air pipes, thereby reducing equipment failure rate and daily maintenance workload. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the roll-up telescopic fork according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part A in the image.

[0025] The numbers or letters in the attached diagram represent the names of the corresponding components:

[0026] 1. Lower fork; 11. First roller; 2. Electric turntable; 3. Middle fork; 31. First slide rail; 32. Second slide rail; 4. Upper fork; 41. Second roller; 5. First drive unit; 51. Electric cylinder; 52. First rack; 53. Chain track; 54. First roller chain; 55. Second rack; 6. Second drive unit; 61. Gear motor; 62. Third sprocket; 63. Second roller chain; 7. Clamping assembly; 71. Left fork arm; 72. Right fork arm; 73. Slide rail. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described through specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides a retractable fork with a coil clamp, mainly used for picking and placing rolled materials (such as cable rolls, optical fiber rolls, etc.) in automated warehouses. The retractable fork includes a lower fork 1, a middle fork 3 slidably connected to the lower fork 1, and an upper fork 4 slidably connected to the middle fork 3. Specifically, the lower fork 1 is a fixed base, the middle fork 3 is sleeved on the outside of the lower fork 1 and can slide along the length of the lower fork 1, and the upper fork 4 is sleeved on the outside of the middle fork 3 and can slide along the length of the middle fork 3. It also includes a first drive unit 5 and a second drive unit 6. The first drive unit 5 drives the middle fork 3 and the upper fork 4 to extend or retract synchronously relative to the lower fork 1. The upper fork 4 is provided with a connecting component, and the connecting component is provided with a clamping component 7. The second drive unit 6 is tractively connected to the clamping component 7 and is used to drive the clamping component 7 to perform clamping or releasing actions. Both the first drive unit 5 and the second drive unit 6 are electrically driven units. It also includes a PLC controller, which is electrically connected to the first drive unit 5 and the second drive unit 6 respectively, and is used to control the timing of the actions of the first drive unit 5 and the second drive unit 6 to realize the automated extension and clamping operation of the telescopic fork.

[0029] When the aforementioned telescopic fork is in operation, the first drive unit 5 drives the middle fork 3 and the upper fork 4 to extend synchronously relative to the lower fork 1, causing the clamping component 7 on the connecting assembly to move to the position of the rolled material; the second drive unit 6 drives the clamping component 7 to perform a clamping action, holding the material; then the first drive unit 5 drives the middle fork 3 and the upper fork 4 to retract synchronously, transferring the material to the target position; the second drive unit 6 then drives the clamping component 7 to perform a releasing action, completing the material loading and unloading. This method is electrically driven and has the advantages of high control precision, stable operation, and low maintenance cost, effectively solving the problems of traditional pneumatic solutions that rely on air sources, have poor telescopic synchronization, and uncontrollable clamping force.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first drive unit 5 includes an electric cylinder 51 and a synchronization mechanism. The electric cylinder 51 is fixed on the lower fork 1, and its output end is fixedly connected to the middle fork 3 for driving the middle fork 3 to extend and retract along the lower fork 1. The synchronization mechanism connects the middle fork 3 and the upper fork 4 for transmitting the extension and retraction motion of the middle fork 3 to the upper fork 4, so that the upper fork 4 and the middle fork 3 extend and retract synchronously. The synchronization mechanism includes a first roller chain 54, a first rack 52, and a second rack 55. The middle fork 3 has a slot along its length, and the two ends of the slot are rotatably connected to a first sprocket and a second sprocket (not shown). The first roller chain 54 is driven between the first sprocket and the second sprocket, forming a "racetrack"-shaped closed-loop structure. After assembly, the upper side of the first roller chain 54 is located above the middle fork 3, and the lower side is located below the middle fork 3. The first rack 52 is fixed on the lower fork 1 along the length direction of the lower fork 1 and meshes with the upper side of the first roller chain 54. The second rack 55 is set on the upper fork 4 along the length direction of the upper fork 4 and meshes with the lower side of the first roller chain 54.

[0031] During the operation of the first drive unit 5, when the electric cylinder 51 drives the middle fork 3 to extend relative to the lower fork 1, since the first rack 52 is fixed on the lower fork 1 and does not move, and the first roller chain 54 meshes with the first rack 52, the first roller chain 54 is forced to start rotating. The rotation of the first roller chain 54, through meshing with the second rack 55, drives the second rack 55 and the upper fork 4 fixedly connected to it to extend forward relative to the middle fork 3. Due to the transmission characteristics of the sprocket and chain, the extension speed of the upper fork 4 relative to the middle fork 3 is equal to the extension speed of the middle fork 3 relative to the lower fork 1, thereby achieving synchronous extension and retraction. The retraction process is the same.

[0032] To further improve the stability of the first roller chain 54 during operation and prevent it from vibrating or sagging during long-distance transmission, a chain track 53 extending along its length is provided within the slot. The chain track 53 is located between the first and second sprockets and is embedded between the upper and lower sides of the first roller chain 54. The upper side of the first roller chain 54 slides in engagement with the upper surface of the chain track 53, and the lower side of the first roller chain 54 slides in engagement with the lower surface of the chain track 53. In this way, the chain track 53 provides continuous support and guidance for the running first roller chain 54, ensuring that the first roller chain 54 always maintains precise meshing with the first rack 52 and the second rack 55, thus improving transmission accuracy and stability.

[0033] In this embodiment, the clamping assembly 7 includes a left fork arm 71 and a right fork arm 72, which are symmetrically arranged and slidably connected to a connecting assembly, which is specifically a connecting plate. Specifically, a slide rail 73 is provided along the length of the connecting assembly, and sliders are fixed to the left fork arm 71 and the right fork arm 72 respectively. The sliders slide in cooperation with the slide rail 73, thereby achieving smooth sliding of the left fork arm 71 and the right fork arm 72 on the connecting assembly.

[0034] In this embodiment, the second drive unit 6 includes a geared motor 61 fixed to the connecting assembly, a third sprocket 62 fixed to the output end of the geared motor 61, a fourth sprocket rotatably connected to the connecting assembly, and a second roller chain 63 drivingly connected to the third sprocket 62 and the fourth sprocket. The left fork arm 71 is fixedly connected to one side of the second roller chain 63, and the right fork arm 72 is fixedly connected to the other side of the second roller chain 63. When the geared motor 61 starts, the third sprocket 62 rotates, driving the second roller chain 63 to rotate. Since the left fork arm 71 and the right fork arm 72 are respectively connected to different sides of the second roller chain 63, the movement of the second roller chain 63 will drive the left fork arm 71 and the right fork arm 72 to move towards each other (clamping) or move in the opposite direction (releasing) along the slide rail 73. By controlling the direction and number of rotations of the geared motor 61, the opening and closing degree and clamping force of the clamping arms can be precisely adjusted.

[0035] As a preferred embodiment, the retractable telescopic fork of the present invention further includes a rotating assembly. One end of the rotating assembly is fixedly connected to the lower fork 1, and the other end is used to connect to an external device to drive the retractable telescopic fork to rotate horizontally. In this embodiment, the rotating assembly is an electric turntable 2, which integrates a drive motor and a slewing bearing. It can drive the entire retractable telescopic fork to rotate in the horizontal plane, thereby realizing the function of storing and retrieving goods from shelves on both sides of the aisle, further improving the flexibility and operating range of the equipment. It should be noted that the rotating assembly is not mandatory. In other embodiments, the lower fork 1 can also be directly fixed to an external device (such as a stacker crane), which can also realize the basic telescopic loading and unloading function.

[0036] To achieve low-friction, high-precision sliding fit between the middle fork 3 and the lower fork 1, and between the upper fork 4 and the middle fork 3, in this embodiment, a first sliding groove 31 is provided on the inner side of the middle fork 3 along its length direction, and a second sliding groove 32 is provided on the outer side along its length direction. Multiple first rollers 11 are spaced apart along the length direction on the lower fork 1, and the first rollers 11 are embedded in the first sliding grooves 31 and roll in contact with the first sliding grooves 31. Multiple second rollers 41 are spaced apart along the length direction on the upper fork 4, and the second rollers 41 are embedded in the second sliding grooves 32 and roll in contact with the second sliding grooves 32. This configuration results in low sliding resistance and high load-bearing capacity during operation, ensuring the stability and service life of the lower fork 1, middle fork 3, and upper fork 4 under long-term heavy-load operation.

[0037] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A retractable fork with a clip, comprising a lower fork, a middle fork slidably connected to the lower fork, and an upper fork slidably connected to the middle fork, characterized in that: It also includes a first drive unit and a second drive unit. The first drive unit is used to drive the middle fork and the upper fork to extend or retract synchronously relative to the lower fork. The upper fork is provided with a connecting component and a clamping component is provided on the connecting component. The second drive unit is driven to the clamping component and is used to drive the clamping component to perform clamping or releasing actions. Both the first drive unit and the second drive unit are electric drive units.

2. The retractable fork with a clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first drive unit includes an electric cylinder and a synchronization mechanism. The electric cylinder is fixed on the lower fork, and its output end is fixedly connected to the middle fork to drive the middle fork to extend and retract along the lower fork. The synchronization mechanism connects the middle fork and the upper fork to transmit the extension and retraction motion of the middle fork to the upper fork so that the upper fork and the middle fork extend and retract synchronously.

3. The retractable fork according to claim 2, characterized in that: The synchronization mechanism includes a first roller chain, a first rack, and a second rack; The fork has a slot along its length, and a first sprocket and a second sprocket are rotatably connected to the two ends of the slot, respectively. The first roller chain drive is connected between the first sprocket and the second sprocket. The upper side of the first roller chain is located above the middle fork, and the lower side is located below the middle fork. The first rack is fixed on the lower fork along the length direction of the lower fork and meshes with the upper side of the first roller chain. The second rack is disposed on the upper fork along the length direction of the upper fork and meshes with the lower side of the first roller chain.

4. The retractable fork according to claim 3, characterized in that: The slot is also provided with a chain track extending along its length. The chain track is located between the first sprocket and the second sprocket and is embedded between the upper and lower sides of the first roller chain. The upper side of the first roller chain is slidably engaged with the upper surface of the chain track, and the lower side of the first roller chain is slidably engaged with the lower surface of the chain track.

5. The retractable fork with a clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping assembly includes a left fork arm and a right fork arm, which are symmetrically arranged and slidably connected to the connecting assembly.

6. The retractable fork according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connecting component is provided with a slide rail, and the left fork arm and the right fork arm are slidably connected to the slide rail by sliders.

7. The retractable fork according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second drive unit includes a geared motor fixed on the connecting assembly, a third sprocket fixed on the output end of the geared motor, a fourth sprocket rotatably connected to the connecting assembly, and a second roller chain that is drively connected to the third sprocket and the fourth sprocket. The left fork arm is fixedly connected to one side of the second roller chain, and the right fork arm is fixedly connected to the other side of the second roller chain.

8. The retractable fork with a clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a slewing assembly, one end of which is fixedly connected to the lower fork, and the other end is used to connect to an external device to drive the coil-clamp telescopic fork to rotate horizontally.

9. The retractable fork according to claim 8, characterized in that: The rotary assembly is an electric rotary table.

10. The retractable fork according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner side of the fork is provided with a first sliding groove along the length direction, and the outer side is provided with a second sliding groove along the length direction. The lower fork is provided with a plurality of first rollers along its length direction, and the first rollers are embedded in the first groove and roll in cooperation with the first groove; The upper fork is provided with a plurality of second rollers along its length direction. The second rollers are embedded in the second groove and roll in cooperation with the second groove.

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