Silent drag chain

Abstract

This application discloses a silent cable chain, aiming to solve the problems of high operating noise, easy wear, and inconvenient maintenance of existing cable chains. The cable chain includes several sequentially hinged unit links, each unit link being rotatably connected by a perforated shaft connector, and an elastic damping element is provided at the hinge point between the perforated shaft connector and the unit link. A cover plate is detachably connected to the top of the unit link, and a flexible partition component is provided inside. The surface of the perforated shaft connector is coated with a low-friction coating, and a noise-reducing groove is provided on the outer wall of the unit link. This utility model, through the core structure of "perforated shaft connection + elastic damping", combined with the design of flexible partition, low-friction coating and noise-reducing groove, achieves an operating noise of ≤40dB and a wear rate reduction of more than 70%. At the same time, the modular structure shortens the maintenance time by 50%, making it suitable for the protection of pipelines in high-speed reciprocating industrial equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of industrial equipment cable protection devices, specifically to a silent cable chain suitable for reciprocating motion equipment such as CNC machine tools, automated production lines, and robots, used to pull and protect cables, oil pipes, air pipes, and other pipelines of the equipment, while reducing noise and wear during operation. Background Technology

[0002] As a key component in reciprocating motion parts of industrial equipment, cable chains mainly function to neatly store cables, oil pipes, air pipes and other pipelines and allow them to extend, retract and bend synchronously with the movement of the equipment, thus preventing wear, twisting or tangling of the pipelines due to frequent movement and extending their service life.

[0003] Most conventional cable chains on the market are made of ordinary nylon, and their unit links are hinged together by perforated pins to achieve rotation; however, such cable chains have the following significant drawbacks in actual use: 1. High operating noise: The chain link and the pin are in rigid contact, which easily generates collision and friction noise during reciprocating motion. Especially in high-speed operation (movement speed > 0.5m / s) scenarios, the noise level can reach 65-75dB, which seriously affects the workshop working environment. 2. Severe wear: The relative sliding between the perforated pin and the hinge hole of the chain link can easily cause metal or plastic wear. The resulting friction debris will not only aggravate the wear of the parts, but may also enter the pipeline gap and cause pipeline scratches. The average service life of a conventional cable chain is only 1-2 years. 3. Low maintenance efficiency: The cover plates of conventional cable chains are mostly integral or fixed with screws. During maintenance, the entire structure must be disassembled or multiple screws must be unscrewed to remove the pipeline. A single maintenance usually takes more than 30 minutes, which affects the equipment's uptime. 4. Poor pipeline adaptability: The internal partition structure of the chain links is mostly fixed and cannot be adjusted flexibly according to the pipeline diameter. This can easily lead to pipelines of different diameters squeezing and rubbing against each other, further increasing the risk of noise and wear.

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, there is an urgent need to develop a new type of cable chain that is low in noise, low in wear, easy to maintain and highly adaptable to pipelines, so as to meet the higher requirements of modern industry for equipment operation stability and working environment comfort. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of existing cable chains, such as high operating noise, severe wear, inconvenient maintenance, and poor pipeline compatibility, and to provide a silent cable chain. By optimizing the chain link connection structure, adding damping elements and flexible separation components, the cable chain can achieve low-noise operation, low wear and loss, quick maintenance, and flexible adaptation to various pipelines.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: A silent cable chain includes several unit links that are hinged sequentially along a straight line. Adjacent unit links are rotatably connected by a perforated shaft connector. Each unit link is provided with an elastic damping element at the mating point with the perforated shaft connector. The elastic damping element is used to buffer the collision and vibration between the unit link and the perforated shaft connector.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the elastic damping element is embedded in a damping mounting groove on the inner wall of the unit link, and the damping mounting groove is arranged around the outer periphery of the holeless shaft connector; the material of the elastic damping element is any one of nitrile rubber, silicone or thermoplastic elastomer, and its Shore hardness is 50-70HA.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, each unit link is provided with a detachable cover plate at its top. One side of the detachable cover plate is hinged to the unit link via a hinge, and the other side is provided with a snap-fit ​​locking structure adapted to the unit link. The snap-fit ​​locking structure includes an elastic snap protrusion at the end of the cover plate and a snap hole on the side wall of the unit link, wherein the elastic snap protrusion and the snap hole are interference-fitted.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the inner wall of the removable cover is provided with a buffer noise reduction layer, the material of which is polyurethane foam or EVA foam, and the thickness of which is 1-3mm; the side of the buffer noise reduction layer away from the cover is provided with anti-slip texture.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, each unit link has at least one flexible partition component along its length; the flexible partition component includes a flexible partition plate and an adjusting groove, the adjusting groove is fixed to the opposite inner sidewall of the unit link, and the two ends of the flexible partition plate are slidably engaged in the adjusting groove; the flexible partition plate is made of thermoplastic elastomer or modified nylon, and at least two pipeline positioning slots are provided on the flexible partition plate.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the inner wall of the pipeline positioning slot is provided with anti-slip protrusions, the cross-section of the anti-slip protrusions is semi-circular, and the material of the anti-slip protrusions is the same as that of the flexible separator; the distance between two adjacent pipeline positioning slots is 5-10mm, and the distance can be adjusted by sliding the flexible separator in the adjusting groove.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the holeless shaft connector includes a shaft body and a bushing. The bushing is fixed to the hinge end of the unit link, and the shaft body passes through the bushing of the adjacent unit link. The outer surface of the shaft body is coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene coating with a coating thickness of 5-15 μm. The bushing is made of self-lubricating nylon.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, each unit link has at least two noise-reducing grooves along its width on its outer wall. The cross-section of the noise-reducing grooves is arc-shaped, and the depth of the noise-reducing grooves is 2-4 mm, and the width is 3-6 mm. The unit link is made of reinforced nylon, and its inner wall is provided with a wear-resistant coating. The wear-resistant coating is an alumina ceramic coating with a thickness of 8-20 μm.

[0014] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of this application compared with the prior art are as follows: 1. Significantly reduce operating noise: The four noise reduction structures work together to reduce the collision vibration between the chain links and the non-perforated shaft connectors through elastic damping elements, reduce the friction between pipelines and cover plates through buffer noise reduction layers, avoid friction between pipelines through flexible partitions, and reduce air turbulence noise through noise reduction grooves. The resulting noise reduction is ≤40dB, which meets the quiet standards of industrial workshops. 2. Significantly reduced wear and tear: The PTFE coating and self-lubricating bushing design of the holeless shaft connector, combined with the alumina ceramic coating on the inner wall of the unit chain link, greatly reduces the friction coefficient of the cable chain, significantly reduces the wear rate, and extends the average service life to 3-5 years. 3. Improved maintenance convenience: The snap-on design of the detachable cover allows for quick opening without tools, reducing maintenance time to 5-10 minutes per maintenance session and greatly improving maintenance efficiency; 4. Enhanced pipeline adaptability: The adjustable flexible partition components can flexibly adjust the spacing according to the pipeline diameter, adapting to cables, oil pipes or gas pipes with diameters of 2-20mm, avoiding pipeline compression and friction. 5. Strong structural stability: The unit links made of reinforced nylon material have excellent impact resistance and fatigue resistance, and can withstand a working temperature range of -30℃ to 80℃, making them suitable for various industrial environments. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Appendix Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the silent cable chain of this utility model; Appendix Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the unit link of the silent cable chain of this utility model; The components include: 1. Unit link; 2. Holeless shaft connector; 3. Elastic damping element; 4. Removable cover plate; 5. Noise reduction groove. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0018] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate for the embodiments of this application described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0019] In this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "middle," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing the present invention and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated device, element, or component to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0020] Furthermore, in addition to indicating direction or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in some cases to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] Furthermore, the terms "installation," "setup," "equipped with," "connection," "linking," and "socketing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two devices, components, or parts. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0022] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] Example 1 Appendix Figure 1 and 2 The present invention provides a silent cable chain comprising several unit links 1 that are hinged sequentially along a straight line. Adjacent unit links 1 are rotatably connected by a non-perforated shaft connector 2. Each unit link 1 is provided with an elastic damping element 3 at the mating point with the non-perforated shaft connector 2. The elastic damping element 3 is used to buffer the collision and vibration between the unit link 1 and the non-perforated shaft connector 2.

[0024] Furthermore, the elastic damping element 3 is embedded in the damping mounting groove on the inner wall of the unit link 1, and the damping mounting groove is arranged around the outer periphery of the holeless shaft connector 2; the material of the elastic damping element 3 is any one of nitrile rubber, silicone or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and its Shore hardness is 50-70HA - this hardness range can ensure the buffering and shock absorption effect of the damping element, and avoid excessive deformation or wear due to insufficient hardness.

[0025] Furthermore, each of the unit links 1 is provided with a detachable cover plate 4 at its top. One side of the detachable cover plate 4 is hinged to the unit link 1 via a hinge, and the other side is provided with a snap-fit ​​locking structure adapted to the unit link 1. The snap-fit ​​locking structure includes an elastic snap protrusion at the end of the cover plate and a snap hole on the side wall of the unit link 1. The elastic snap protrusion and the snap hole are interference-fitted. Through the snap-fit ​​design, the cover plate can be quickly opened or closed without tools, greatly shortening maintenance time.

[0026] Furthermore, the inner wall of the detachable cover plate 4 is provided with a buffer noise reduction layer. The material of the buffer noise reduction layer is polyurethane foam or EVA foam, and the thickness of the buffer noise reduction layer is 1-3mm. The side of the buffer noise reduction layer away from the cover plate is provided with anti-slip texture. The buffer noise reduction layer can reduce the collision and friction noise between the pipeline and the cover plate, while the anti-slip texture can prevent the pipeline from shifting during the movement of the cable chain.

[0027] Furthermore, each of the unit links 1 has at least one flexible partition component along its length; the flexible partition component includes a flexible partition plate and an adjusting groove, the adjusting groove is fixed to the opposite inner sidewall of the unit link 1, and the two ends of the flexible partition plate are slidably engaged in the adjusting groove; the flexible partition plate is made of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or modified nylon, and at least two pipeline positioning slots are provided on the flexible partition plate—the flexible partition plate can avoid direct contact friction between different pipelines, and the adjusting groove allows the position of the partition plate to be adjusted according to the pipeline diameter, improving pipeline adaptability.

[0028] Furthermore, the inner wall of the pipeline positioning slot is provided with anti-slip protrusions, the cross-section of the anti-slip protrusions is semi-circular, and the material of the anti-slip protrusions is the same as that of the flexible partition; the distance between two adjacent pipeline positioning slots is 5-10mm, and the distance can be adjusted by sliding the flexible partition in the adjustment groove - the anti-slip protrusions can further fix the pipeline, prevent the pipeline from shaking in the slot, and avoid additional noise.

[0029] Furthermore, the non-perforated shaft connector 2 includes a shaft body and a bushing. The bushing is fixed to the hinge end of the unit link 1, and the shaft body passes through the bushing of the adjacent unit link 1. The outer surface of the shaft body is coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating with a coating thickness of 5-15 μm. The bushing is made of self-lubricating nylon (PA66+). — The coefficient of friction of the polytetrafluoroethylene coating is only 0.04-0.1. When used with a self-lubricating bushing, it can significantly reduce the sliding friction between the shaft and the bushing, thereby reducing wear and vibration noise.

[0030] Furthermore, each unit link 1 has at least two noise-reducing grooves 5 along its width direction on its outer wall. The cross-section of the noise-reducing grooves 5 is arc-shaped, and the depth of the noise-reducing grooves 5 is 2-4 mm, and the width is 3-6 mm. The unit link 1 is made of reinforced nylon (PA6 + 30% glass fiber), and its inner wall is provided with a wear-resistant coating. The wear-resistant coating is an alumina ceramic coating with a thickness of 8-20 μm. The arc-shaped noise-reducing grooves 5 can disrupt the air turbulence generated during the movement of the cable chain and reduce aerodynamic noise. The reinforced nylon material ensures the structural strength of the cable chain, while the alumina ceramic coating further improves the wear resistance of the inner wall and extends the overall life of the cable chain.

[0031] Example 2 A silent cable chain includes 20 sequentially hinged unit links 1. The specifications of each unit link 1 are: inner height 20mm, outer height 30mm, pitch 25mm, and inner width 30mm. The material is reinforced nylon (PA6 + 30% glass fiber), and the inner wall is coated with a 15μm thick alumina ceramic wear-resistant coating.

[0032] Adjacent unit links 1 are connected by a non-perforated shaft connector 2. The shaft of the non-perforated shaft connector 2 has a diameter of 8mm and a 10μm thick polytetrafluoroethylene coating on its surface. The bushing is made of self-lubricating nylon (PA66+). The inner diameter of the bushing is clearance-fitted with the diameter of the shaft (0.1mm clearance).

[0033] An annular damping mounting groove is provided at the mating point between unit link 1 and bushing. An elastic damping element 3 of nitrile rubber with a Shore hardness of 60HA is embedded in the groove. The element is 3mm thick and surrounds the outer circumference of the bushing.

[0034] The top of the unit link 1 is equipped with a detachable cover plate 4. One side of the cover plate is hinged to the link via a plastic hinge, and the other side is equipped with two elastic locking protrusions (made of TPE). The side wall of the link is equipped with two locking holes, and the locking protrusions and locking holes are interference fit (interference amount 0.2mm). A 2mm thick polyurethane foam buffer and noise reduction layer is pasted on the inside of the cover plate, and the surface of the buffer layer is equipped with a 0.5mm deep diamond anti-slip texture.

[0035] The unit link 1 has two flexible partition components along its length. The adjustment groove is a U-shaped groove (4mm wide) and is fixed to the inner side wall of the link. The flexible partition is made of TPE (Shore hardness 55HA) with a thickness of 2mm. It has sliders at both ends that are adapted to the U-shaped groove. The partition has three pipeline positioning slots (5mm, 8mm and 12mm wide respectively). The inner wall of the slot has a semi-circular anti-slip protrusion with a height of 0.3mm. The spacing between adjacent slots is 8mm.

[0036] The outer wall of unit link 1 has 3 arc-shaped noise reduction grooves 5 along the width direction. The grooves are 3mm deep, 5mm wide, and 6mm apart.

[0037] Performance testing: Noise test: Under the conditions of a cable chain speed of 1m / s and a load of 5kg (including 3 cables + 1 air hose), the noise level was measured at a distance of 1m from the cable chain using a sound level meter. The noise level was 38.5dB, which is significantly lower than the 68dB of a conventional cable chain.

[0038] Wear test: After 1000 hours of continuous operation, the wear of the shaft of the holeless shaft connector 2 was 0.01mm, and the wear of the inner wall of the unit link 1 was 0.008mm, which is much lower than the 0.12mm of the conventional cable chain.

[0039] Maintenance efficiency test: It takes 7 minutes to replace a single pipeline, while a conventional cable chain takes 35 minutes.

[0040] Environmental adaptability test: The cable chain can still bend and stretch normally (bending radius R=100mm) in environments with low temperature of -30℃ and high temperature of 80℃, without cracking or deformation.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Although the present utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A silent drag chain, characterized in that It includes several unit links that are hinged sequentially along a straight line, and adjacent unit links are rotatably connected by a holeless shaft connector; each unit link is provided with an elastic damping element at the mating point with the holeless shaft connector, and the elastic damping element is used to buffer the collision and vibration between the unit link and the holeless shaft connector.

2. The silent drag chain according to claim 1, characterized in that The elastic damping element is embedded in the damping mounting groove on the inner wall of the unit link, and the damping mounting groove is arranged around the outer periphery of the holeless shaft connector; the material of the elastic damping element is any one of nitrile rubber, silicone or thermoplastic elastomer, and its Shore hardness is 50-70HA.

3. The silent drag chain of claim 1, wherein, Each unit link is provided with a detachable cover plate on its top. One side of the detachable cover plate is hinged to the unit link via a hinge, and the other side is provided with a snap-fit ​​locking structure adapted to the unit link. The snap-fit ​​locking structure includes an elastic snap protrusion at the end of the cover plate and a snap hole on the side wall of the unit link. The elastic snap protrusion and the snap hole are interference-fitted.

4. The silent drag chain of claim 3, wherein, The inner wall of the removable cover is provided with a buffer noise reduction layer, which is made of polyurethane foam or EVA foam and has a thickness of 1-3mm; the side of the buffer noise reduction layer away from the cover is provided with anti-slip texture.

5. The silent drag chain of claim 1, wherein, Each of the unit links has at least one flexible partition component along its length; the flexible partition component includes a flexible partition plate and an adjusting groove, the adjusting groove is fixed to the opposite inner sidewall of the unit link, and the two ends of the flexible partition plate are slidably engaged in the adjusting groove; the flexible partition plate is made of thermoplastic elastomer or modified nylon, and at least two pipeline positioning slots are provided on the flexible partition plate.

6. The silent cable chain according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inner wall of the pipeline positioning slot is provided with anti-slip protrusions. The cross-section of the anti-slip protrusions is semi-circular, and the material of the anti-slip protrusions is the same as that of the flexible partition. The distance between two adjacent pipeline positioning slots is 5-10mm, and the distance can be adjusted by sliding the flexible partition in the adjustment groove.

7. The silent drag chain of claim 1, wherein, The non-perforated shaft connector includes a shaft body and a bushing. The bushing is fixed to the hinge end of the unit link, and the shaft body passes through the bushing of the adjacent unit link. The outer surface of the shaft body is coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene coating with a coating thickness of 5-15 μm. The bushing is made of self-lubricating nylon.

8. The silent drag chain of claim 1, wherein, Each unit link has at least two noise-reducing grooves along its width on its outer wall. The cross-section of the noise-reducing groove is arc-shaped, and the depth of the noise-reducing groove is 2-4 mm and the width is 3-6 mm. The unit link is made of reinforced nylon, and its inner wall is provided with a wear-resistant coating. The wear-resistant coating is an alumina ceramic coating with a thickness of 8-20 μm.

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