Hybrid drive monorail crane toothed rail drive device and control method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a hybrid-drive monorail rack drive device and its control method, relating to the field of monorail crane technology for coal mines. The device includes a drive support, a swing frame, a first drive mechanism, and drive components, with an added locking device comprising a locking seat, a positioning block, a locking pin, and a return spring. When the swing frame swings towards the gear engagement position, the locking pin is compressed and retracts, automatically engaging in the locking groove under the action of the return spring to achieve rigid locking. The control method controls the free rotation of the drive gear at the moment of gear engagement and coordinates with hydraulic buffering to achieve adaptive fine-tuning engagement of the external gear rail. This invention achieves automatic gear engagement and spontaneous synchronization of mechanical locking, eliminating the need for complex external elastic rail mechanisms and ensuring that the drive components will not fall off due to their own weight in the event of a hydraulic system failure, effectively preventing runaway accidents and significantly improving the safety and automation level of heavy-duty transportation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of monorail cranes for coal mines, specifically a hybrid drive monorail crane rack drive device and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] A hybrid-drive monorail system refers to a monorail locomotive equipped with several rubber-tired drive units and several rack-driven drive units. The rubber-tired drive units are used for operation on ordinary I-beam rails in level tunnels, while the rack-driven drive units are used for operation on rack-driven rails in inclined tunnels. During the transition of the locomotive from a level tunnel to an inclined tunnel, the ordinary I-beam rails are introduced into the rack-driven rail area via a rack-driven guide device.

[0003] In monorail systems involving rack and pinion drives, the drive unit typically uses hydraulic cylinders to drive a swing frame equipped with a drive gear to swing up and down, thereby allowing the drive gear to engage or disengage with the rack and pinion of the external track in the vertical plane. To ensure operational safety, when operating on rackless sections of level roadways, the rack and pinion drive unit is usually also in a retracted and mechanically locked state to prevent the drive components from falling due to their own weight or vibration.

[0004] In existing gear engagement and limit operation schemes, the following methods are typically used to address meshing stability and cutting impact issues: After the drive gear and the gear rail have meshed, the operator manually secures the swing frame a second time using fasteners such as mechanical screws or manual pins. Additionally, to avoid the strong impact of the gear tooth tips when the locomotive enters the gear rail area, a complex elastic gear rail guide mechanism is usually arranged at the end of the rail, utilizing displacement compensation on the rail side to absorb the mechanical impact caused by the phase difference.

[0005] The aforementioned existing technologies have the following drawbacks: First, the automation level of gear engagement and locking is extremely low, and the logic is inconsistent. Traditional locking actions often require manual intervention and cannot form a reliable mechanical timing relationship with gear engagement. Furthermore, if rapid and reliable automatic unlocking and relocking cannot be achieved during the transition from a horizontal to an inclined roadway, it will severely limit the locomotive's operating efficiency and intelligence level. Second, phase compensation is highly dependent on expensive external facilities. Using external elastic track mechanisms not only significantly increases laying costs and construction difficulty, but also makes the elastic mechanisms prone to fatigue failure due to long-term exposure to alternating load impacts, resulting in high maintenance costs. Third, there is a lack of adaptive engagement mechanisms. Existing drive devices are usually in a rigid state at the moment of gear engagement. When there is a phase difference between the drive gear and the external toothed track, without an effective hydraulic buffer and adaptive fine-tuning mechanism, "tooth jamming" or "stuck" phenomena are very likely to occur, which can lead to damage to the transmission system in severe cases. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hybrid drive monorail rack drive device and control method, which aims to overcome the technical defects of existing hybrid drive monorail rack drive systems in terms of safety, automation level and track dependence.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a hybrid drive monorail rack drive device, comprising:

[0008] A drive bracket and a swing frame hinged thereon, on which a drive assembly is mounted;

[0009] The first drive mechanism has its two ends connected to the drive bracket and the swing frame, respectively;

[0010] The locking device includes a locking seat fixed to the swing frame and a positioning block fixed to the drive bracket;

[0011] The locking seat is provided with a locking groove; the positioning block is provided with a guide hole; the locking device also includes a locking pin that slides through the guide hole and a return spring.

[0012] The locking pin has a guide portion at its end, and the return spring is configured to apply an elastic preload force toward the locking pin toward the locking groove.

[0013] During the swinging motion of the swing frame toward the engagement position, the guide part slides against the locking seat, forcing the locking pin to retract against the elastic preload force; when the locking groove is aligned with the guide hole, the locking pin automatically embeds into the locking groove under the elastic restoring force of the return spring.

[0014] In some possible embodiments, the first drive mechanism is an opening and closing hydraulic cylinder or an opening and closing pneumatic cylinder.

[0015] In some possible embodiments, the locking device includes a second drive mechanism, which is a locking cylinder configured to actuate upon receiving an unlocking signal to overcome the elastic preload of the return spring and drive the locking pin back, thereby disengaging the locking pin from the locking slot.

[0016] In some possible embodiments, the cylinder body of the locking cylinder is hinged to the drive bracket, and the piston rod extension end of the locking cylinder and the corresponding end of the locking pin are respectively provided with connecting lugs, and the two connecting lugs are hinged by connecting pins; the return spring is sleeved on the outside of the locking cylinder, and the two ends of the return spring respectively abut against the connecting lugs of the cylinder body of the locking cylinder and the piston rod extension end.

[0017] In some possible embodiments, the guide portion is a guide ball head fixed to the end of the locking pin; the locking seat has a guide slope on the side facing the guide ball head.

[0018] In some possible embodiments, the locking groove is an elongated through-hole groove, and the major axis of the elongated hole is perpendicular to the axial direction of the locking pin.

[0019] In some possible embodiments, the drive component includes a power source, which is an explosion-proof permanent magnet variable frequency integrated motor or a hydraulic motor.

[0020] In some possible embodiments, the drive assembly further includes a gearbox, a planetary gear reducer, and a drive gear; the power source is driven to the input end of the gearbox, the output end of the gearbox is driven to the input end of the planetary gear reducer, and the drive gear is fixed to the output outer ring of the planetary gear reducer.

[0021] The present invention also provides a control method for an automatic gear-engaging monorail hoisting gear drive device, comprising: upon receiving a gear engagement control signal, performing the following operations:

[0022] The second drive mechanism is controlled to apply a retraction force to the locking pin that overcomes the elastic preload of the return spring, causing the locking pin to disengage from the locking groove, and the second drive mechanism is controlled to remain in the retracted state.

[0023] Control the drive component to stop power output so that the power output end of the drive component is in a free rotation state;

[0024] Maintaining the pressure of the first drive mechanism constant, and utilizing the hydraulic buffer provided by the first drive mechanism, the power output end of the drive component is adaptively adjusted when it engages the gradient teeth of the external gear track.

[0025] Once the signal indicating completion of tooth engagement is detected, the drive assembly is controlled to resume power output.

[0026] The second drive mechanism is depressurized so that the locking pin automatically engages with the locking groove under the elastic restoring force of the return spring, thereby achieving mechanical locking of the swing frame in the meshing position.

[0027] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0028] By cooperating with the guide and the return spring, the locking action is triggered by the stroke of the swing frame itself, so that the mechanical locking and engagement sequence are automatically synchronized. This not only eliminates the lag and randomness of manual locking, but also meets the requirements of real-time safety self-locking in unmanned and intelligent operating environments.

[0029] By controlling the drive assembly to be in a free-rotating state at the moment of engagement, and cooperating with hydraulic buffering, the drive gear can adaptively fine-tune according to the tooth track phase. This technology eliminates the dependence on external elastic guide devices, simplifies the track laying process, and also effectively solves the problem of tooth breakage during gear engagement.

[0030] The mechanical preload of the return spring ensures that the locking pin remains firmly embedded in the locking groove under extreme conditions such as power failure and pressure relief, thus guaranteeing the positional stability of the drive assembly during heavy-duty transportation. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a hybrid drive monorail rack drive device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the locking device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a locking pin provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a driving component provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a swing frame provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the control method of the present invention.

[0037] The text labels in the figure represent: 1. Drive bracket; 11. Positioning block; 12. Hinge seat; 2. Locking device; 21. First connecting lug; 22. Locking cylinder; 23. Return spring; 24. Second connecting lug; 25. Locking pin; 251. Third connecting lug; 26. Connecting pin; 3. Drive assembly; 31. Drive gear; 32. Swing frame; 321. Connecting sleeve; 322. Locking seat; 323. Fourth connecting lug; 324. Fifth connecting lug; 33. Planetary gear reducer; 34. Power source; 35. Gearbox; 4. Opening and closing cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description in this part is only exemplary and explanatory, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention in any way.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4This embodiment provides a hybrid drive monorail rack drive device, which mainly includes a fixed suspension system and a movable drive system. The fixed suspension system mainly consists of a drive bracket 1, which has two pairs of bearing wheels suspended on the track. The movable drive system mainly includes a swing frame 32 and related transmission components mounted on the swing frame 32. The first end of the swing frame 32 is hinged to the drive bracket 1 by a rotating pin, allowing the entire frame to swing up and down around the pin to achieve gear engagement or disengagement. It should be noted that the first end refers to the part of the swing frame 32 near the rotating pin, and is not limited to the geometric extreme position of the swing frame 32.

[0040] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 To drive and control the position of the swing frame 32, the device includes an opening / closing cylinder 4 as the first driving mechanism. The tail end of the cylinder body of the opening / closing cylinder 4 is hinged to a hinge seat 12 on the drive bracket 1, and the extended end of its piston rod is hinged to a fifth connecting lug 324 on the swing frame 32, located at the second end of the swing frame 32. The opening / closing cylinder 4 connects the drive bracket 1 and the second end of the swing frame 32. When the piston rod of the opening / closing cylinder 4 retracts, it pulls the swing frame 32 upward to a preset working position, i.e., the engagement position; when the piston rod extends, it pushes the swing frame 32 downward to disengage the gears. In other embodiments, the installation method of the opening / closing cylinder 4 can also be reversed according to space requirements, i.e., the cylinder body is connected to the swing frame 32, and the piston rod is connected to the drive bracket 1.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first drive mechanism may also be an opening and closing cylinder, and the connection form of the opening and closing cylinder is the same as that of the hydraulic cylinder.

[0042] Continue to refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 To prevent the swing frame 32 from falling when the gears are engaged, this device includes an independent locking device 2. This locking device 2 includes a locking seat 322, a positioning block 11, and a locking cylinder 22 serving as a second drive mechanism. The locking seat 322 is fixedly welded or bolted to the swing frame 32 and has a locking groove for accommodating the locking pin 25. The positioning block 11 is fixedly welded to the drive bracket 1 and has a through guide hole. The locking seat 322 and positioning block 11 are configured such that when the swing frame 32 swings to the engaged position, the axis of the locking groove and the axis of the guide hole are substantially collinear and aligned.

[0043] In some preferred embodiments, the locking groove is an elongated through-hole groove, and the major axis of the elongated hole is perpendicular to the axial direction of the locking pin 25. This structure, while meeting the anti-fall locking strength requirements, can absorb minor vibration displacements of the swing frame 32 during load-bearing operation, facilitating quick insertion of the locking pin 25 and preventing jamming.

[0044] refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, the tail end of the locking cylinder 22 is provided with a first connecting lug 21, and the locking cylinder 22 is hinged to the drive bracket 1 through the first connecting lug 21. A locking pin 25 is connected to the piston rod of the locking cylinder 22. The locking pin 25 slides through the guide hole on the positioning block 11 and is driven by the piston rod to make linear reciprocating motion in the guide hole.

[0045] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In terms of the specific connection structure, the piston rod end of the locking cylinder 22 and the corresponding end of the locking pin 25 are respectively provided with matching connecting lugs. That is, the piston rod extension end is provided with a second connecting lug 24, and the locking pin 25 is provided with a corresponding third connecting lug 251. The two connecting lugs are hinged by the connecting pin 26.

[0046] refer to Figure 2 Furthermore, a return spring 23 in a compressed and pre-tightened state is sleeved on the outside of the locking cylinder 22. The two ends of the return spring 23 abut against the first connecting lug 21 and the second connecting lug 24 at the two ends of the locking cylinder 22, respectively. Correspondingly, stop steps for limiting and bearing pressure are provided on the first connecting lug 21 and the second connecting lug 24. The return spring 23 is in a normally compressed state, and its elastic force direction is consistent with the extension direction of the locking cylinder 22.

[0047] In some embodiments of the automatic gear engagement action, the end of the locking pin 25 is provided with a guide portion, preferably a guide ball head fixed to the end of the locking pin; the locking seat 322 is provided with a guide slope on the side facing the guide ball head. When the opening and closing cylinder 4 drives the swing frame 32 to swing towards the gear engagement position, the guide ball head slides against the guide slope of the locking seat 322, generating an axial force that forces the locking pin 25 to retract against the elastic preload of the return spring 23. When the swing frame 32 is fully raised until the locking groove is aligned with the guide hole, the locking pin 25 automatically pops out and embeds into the locking groove under the elastic restoring force of the return spring 23. In this way, the mechanical locking action is spontaneously triggered by the stroke of the swing frame, realizing the self-synchronization of the locking action and the engagement sequence.

[0048] Once the locking pin 25 engages in the locking groove, a mechanically rigid position lock is formed between the drive bracket 1 and the swing frame 32. At this point, even if the opening / closing cylinder 4 experiences a pipe rupture or internal leakage leading to a loss of tension, the swing frame 32 will not fall unexpectedly, thus ensuring operational safety. Furthermore, the locking pin 25 can be quickly retracted via the locking cylinder 22, facilitating rapid gear engagement during operation.

[0049] In some embodiments, the locking pin 25 includes a pin portion and a hinge portion, the hinge portion being a third connecting lug 251, the pin portion being fixedly connected to the third connecting lug 251, the guide hole on the positioning block 11 being adapted to the shape of the pin portion, and the pin portion being slidably disposed in the guide hole.

[0050] In some possible implementations, the swing frame 32 includes a connecting sleeve 321, on which a fourth connecting lug 323 and a fifth connecting lug 324 are fixedly provided. The fourth connecting lug 323 is located at the first end and is hinged to the drive bracket 1 by a pin, and the fifth connecting lug 324 is located at the second end and is hinged to the piston rod end hinge seat of the opening and closing cylinder 4.

[0051] In the power transmission section, a drive assembly 3 is mounted on the swing frame 32. Specifically, the connecting sleeve 321 of the swing frame 32 is connected to the housing of the planetary gear reducer 33, and a drive gear 31 is connected to the output outer ring of the planetary gear reducer 33. The output shaft of the power source 34 is connected to the input end of the gearbox 35, and the output end of the gearbox 35 is further connected to the input end of the planetary gear reducer 33. In this embodiment, the power source 34 is preferably an explosion-proof permanent magnet variable frequency integrated motor or a hydraulic motor. When the swing frame 32 is in the meshed position, the drive gear 31 precisely meshes with the toothed track of the external rail.

[0052] refer to Figure 6 This invention provides a control method for an automatic toothed monorail drive device, used for the automatic connection of a hybrid drive monorail during the transition between a horizontal tunnel section and an inclined tunnel toothed rail section.

[0053] When the locomotive is about to enter the inclined gear track section in a level roadway, it receives a gear engagement control signal. Specifically, this involves using proximity sensors mounted on the drive support 1 or swing frame 32 to sense the relative position of the locomotive and the track-side gear guide device. Once the proximity sensor approaches the gear guide device and sends a gear engagement trigger signal back to the locomotive controller, the system officially initiates the automatic gear engagement procedure. The specific execution steps are as follows:

[0054] Step S1: Control the second drive mechanism to apply a retraction force to the locking pin to overcome the elastic preload of the return spring, so that the locking pin is disengaged from the locking groove, and control the second drive mechanism to remain in the retracted state.

[0055] Specifically, the controller actuates the hydraulic directional valve of the locking cylinder 22, applying a retracting force to the piston rod of the locking cylinder 22. The retracting force generated by the locking cylinder 22 overcomes the elastic preload of the return spring 23, and through the connecting pin 26, drives the locking pin 25 to slide backward along the guide hole on the positioning block 11 until the locking pin 25 is completely disengaged from the locking groove of the locking seat 322, releasing the rigid lock on the swing frame 32. During subsequent gear engagement, the system continuously maintains the hydraulic pressure of the locking cylinder 22 to ensure that the second drive mechanism remains at the retracted displacement.

[0056] Step S2: Control the drive component to stop power output so that the power output end of the drive component is in a free rotation state.

[0057] Specifically, the controller issues a stop output command to the power source 34. After the power source stops actively driving, the power output end (drive gear 31) of the drive component is in a state of free rotation without load through the transmission chain of the gearbox 35 and the planetary gear reducer 33, providing a margin for phase fine adjustment when engaging the gear track.

[0058] Step S3: Maintain the pressure of the first drive mechanism unchanged, and use the hydraulic buffer provided by the first drive mechanism to make the power output end of the drive component adaptively adjust when it cuts into the gradient teeth of the external gear track.

[0059] Specifically, during the gear engagement process, the controller maintains the hydraulic pressure of the first drive mechanism (opening and closing cylinder 4) at a preset value, which is set to balance the weight of the drive assembly 3. Utilizing the hydraulic buffering characteristics provided by the opening and closing cylinder 4, when the drive gear 31 engages the tapered teeth of the external gear track, the swing frame 32 can adaptively adjust up and down in the vertical plane according to the contact force. If the drive gear teeth interfere with the external gear track in phase, the drive gear 31, which is in a free-rotating state, will be subjected to force and rotate spontaneously, avoiding tooth tip interference and smoothly entering the tooth gap.

[0060] Step S4: After the tooth engagement signal is detected, control the drive component to resume power output.

[0061] Specifically, the sensor detects the meshing state of the drive gear 31 with the external gear rail. When a signal indicating completion of gear engagement is detected and fed back to the controller, it is confirmed that the drive unit has reached the preset meshing position. The controller immediately issues a start command to the power source 34, controlling the drive assembly to resume power output to provide the traction required for operation on the inclined gear rail section.

[0062] Step S5: Control the second drive mechanism to release pressure so that the locking pin automatically engages with the locking groove under the elastic restoring force of the return spring, thereby achieving mechanical locking of the swing frame in the meshing position.

[0063] After power is restored, the controller resets the reversing valve of the locking cylinder 22, performing a pressure relief operation on the second drive mechanism. With the locking cylinder no longer applying tension, the locking pin 25 automatically ejects towards the locking seat 322 under the elastic restoring force of the return spring 23. Since the swing frame 32 is now in the accurate working position, the locking pin 25 automatically engages in the locking groove, re-forming a rigid lock between the drive bracket 1 and the swing frame 32, preventing disengagement due to impact or hydraulic failure during operation.

[0064] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0065] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that due to the limitations of textual expression, while there are objectively infinite specific structures, those skilled in the art can make several improvements, modifications, or changes without departing from the principles of the present invention, and can also combine the above technical features in an appropriate manner. These improvements, modifications, changes, or combinations, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution to other situations without modification, should all be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hybrid drive monorail rack drive device, characterized in that, include: A drive bracket and a swing frame hinged thereon, on which a drive assembly is mounted; The first drive mechanism has its two ends connected to the drive bracket and the swing frame, respectively; The locking device includes a locking seat fixed to the swing frame and a positioning block fixed to the drive bracket; The locking seat is provided with a locking groove; the positioning block is provided with a guide hole; the locking device also includes a locking pin that slides through the guide hole and a return spring. The locking pin has a guide portion at its end, and the return spring is configured to apply an elastic preload force toward the locking pin toward the locking groove. During the swinging motion of the swing frame toward the engagement position, the guide part slides against the locking seat, forcing the locking pin to retract against the elastic preload force; when the locking groove is aligned with the guide hole, the locking pin automatically embeds into the locking groove under the elastic restoring force of the return spring.

2. The hybrid drive monorail rack drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first driving mechanism is an opening and closing hydraulic cylinder or an opening and closing pneumatic cylinder.

3. The hybrid drive monorail rack drive device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The locking device includes a second driving mechanism, which is a locking cylinder. The locking cylinder is configured to actuate upon receiving an unlocking signal to overcome the elastic preload of the return spring and drive the locking pin to retract, thereby disengaging the locking pin from the locking groove.

4. The hybrid drive monorail rack drive device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cylinder body of the locking cylinder is hinged to the drive bracket. The piston rod extension end of the locking cylinder and the corresponding end of the locking pin are respectively provided with connecting lugs, and the two connecting lugs are hinged by connecting pins. The return spring is sleeved on the outside of the locking cylinder, and the two ends of the return spring abut against the connecting lugs of the cylinder body and the piston rod extension end of the locking cylinder, respectively.

5. The hybrid drive monorail rack drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide portion is a guide ball head fixed to the end of the locking pin; the locking seat has a guide slope on the side facing the guide ball head.

6. The hybrid drive monorail rack drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking groove is an elongated through-hole groove, and the long axis of the elongated hole is perpendicular to the axial direction of the locking pin.

7. The hybrid drive monorail rack drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive component includes a power source, which is an explosion-proof permanent magnet variable frequency integrated motor or a hydraulic motor.

8. The hybrid drive monorail rack drive device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The drive assembly also includes a gearbox, a planetary gear reducer, and a drive gear; the power source is driven to the input end of the gearbox, the output end of the gearbox is driven to the input end of the planetary gear reducer, and the drive gear is fixed on the output outer ring of the planetary gear reducer.

9. A control method for the hybrid drive monorail rack drive device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, include: Upon receiving the engagement signal, perform the following operations: The second drive mechanism is controlled to apply a retraction force to the locking pin that overcomes the elastic preload of the return spring, causing the locking pin to disengage from the locking groove, and the second drive mechanism is controlled to remain in the retracted state. Control the drive component to stop power output so that the power output end of the drive component is in a free rotation state; Maintaining the pressure of the first drive mechanism constant, and utilizing the hydraulic buffer provided by the first drive mechanism, the power output end of the drive component is adaptively adjusted when it engages the gradient teeth of the external gear track. Once the signal indicating completion of tooth engagement is detected, the drive assembly is controlled to resume power output. The second drive mechanism is depressurized so that the locking pin automatically engages with the locking groove under the elastic restoring force of the return spring, thereby achieving mechanical locking of the swing frame in the meshing position.

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