Fluid curtain protection device

Abstract

The present invention provides a fluid curtain protection device that effectively blocks external foreign matter from entering gaps and prevents wear between internal components. [Solution] The fluid curtain protection device comprises a stator section and a rotor section. The rotor section is rotatably assembled and mounted on the stator section along its axis, and a fluid path is formed between the stator circumferential wall of the stator section and the rotor circumferential wall of the rotor section, which face each other. This fluid path comprises a helical groove and an annular groove, the helical groove connecting the annular groove in a helical manner. This fluid path can introduce fluid, which flows along the helical groove and then enters the annular groove, from which it flows out through the space between the stator circumferential wall and the rotor circumferential wall to generate a fluid curtain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a protection device for a mechanism of a machine tool, and particularly to a fluid curtain protection device.

Background Art

[0002] In the machining process of a machine tool, different members are adopted according to needs. For example, a spindle as a member for performing machining steps such as polishing, cutting, and drilling on a workpiece, or a spindle rotary head and a rotary table as members for gripping and rotating the spindle or the workpiece and executing indexing and positioning to satisfy the expected angles in the machining steps.

[0003] However, whether it is a rotor or a stator adopted by the spindle, the spindle rotary head, or the rotary table, there is a gap between them. In the existing method, a labyrinth ring is attached to the gap between the two to block the intrusion of external foreign matters (such as cutting fluid or dust) into internal components such as the oil seal and bearing behind the gap, thereby avoiding damage to the internal components.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a machining process that performs metal cutting, in addition to the dust particles generated by the workpiece itself, metal dust may also be generated due to tool wear. Although the labyrinth ring can block the intrusion of most external foreign matters into the gap, there is still a situation where some external foreign matters penetrate into the gap.

[0005] Taking the dust generated by wafer polishing as an example, the dust can be made of metal or ceramic material, and its size has evolved to the micrometer, and even further to the nanometer level. The smaller the particles, the easier they are to penetrate into gaps, or they can mix with the cutting fluid and coolant used in the processing process to form sludge, causing wear between internal components of the spindle, spindle rotary head, or indexing table. For example, the presence of highly viscous sludge can cause adhesive wear between internal components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In light of this, the inventor of this application diligently researched the invention and ultimately completed the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a fluid curtain protection device and to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0008] A fluid curtain protection device is provided based on one embodiment of the present invention. The fluid curtain protection device has a defined axis having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, and the fluid curtain protection device comprises a stator section and a rotor section. The rotor section is rotatably assembled and mounted on the stator section along the axis, and a fluid path is formed between the stator circumferential wall of the stator section and the rotor circumferential wall of the rotor section, which are opposite to each other. The fluid path comprises a helical groove and an annular groove connecting the helical groove, and the fluid path introduces fluid, which flows along the helical groove and then enters the annular groove, from which it flows out through the space between the stator circumferential wall and the rotor circumferential wall to form a fluid curtain. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] This invention provides a fluid curtain protection device. When a fluid is passed through, it can flow along a helical groove, then flow into an annular groove, and then flow out to form a fluid curtain. This effectively blocks external foreign matter from entering the gaps and avoids wear between internal components.

[0010] The above description merely explains the problems that the present invention aims to solve, the means for solving those problems, and the effects thereof. The specific details of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a first exploded view showing the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention assembled and installed in a mechanism. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a second exploded view showing the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention assembled and installed in a mechanism. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional diagram showing the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention assembled and installed in a mechanism. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a local cross-sectional view of Figure 4 showing the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention assembled and installed in the mechanism. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a plan view showing the fluid curtain of the present invention assembled and installed in a mechanism. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a local cross-sectional view taken in the direction of 6-6 in Figure 6, showing the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention assembled and installed in the mechanism. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a close-up view of part A in Figure 7, where the fluid curtain protection device of the present invention is assembled and installed in the mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] To further your understanding of the present invention, preferred embodiments are provided below and described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Referring to Figures 1 to 8, the present invention provides a fluid curtain protection device. The fluid curtain protection device 10 has an axis 10A defined, which has a first end 10A1 and a second end 10A2 opposite to the first end 10A1.

[0014] Referring to Figures 2 to 8, the fluid curtain protection device 10 is assembled and provided at the end of the main shaft S of the mechanism M, which further comprises a case S1 and a spindle S2, the spindle S2 being assembled and provided so as to be rotatable relative to the case S1.

[0015] Referring to Figures 1 to 8, the fluid curtain protection device 10 comprises a stator section 20 and a rotor section 40. The rotor section 40 is rotatably assembled and mounted on the stator section 20 along its axis 10A, and a fluid passage 60 (see Figures 1, 7, and 8) through which fluid can flow is formed between the stator peripheral wall 21 of the stator section 20 and the rotor peripheral wall 41 of the rotor section 40, which face each other. In this embodiment, the fluid may be a gas or a liquid. The fluid passage 60 further comprises a helical groove 61 and an annular groove 62, the helical groove 61 helically connecting to the side wall of the annular groove 62. As a result, the helical groove 61 introduces the fluid, which flows through the helical groove 61 and then flows into the annular groove 62. The annular groove 62 can form a protective shield by causing the fluid to flow out under uniform pressure, thereby creating a fluid curtain G and blocking the intrusion of external foreign matter (e.g., cutting fluid or dust). This fluid curtain G can generate a gas curtain or a liquid curtain depending on the fluid (e.g., gas or liquid).

[0016] As long as the principle that the stator section 20 and the rotor section 40 face each other is followed, there are no special restrictions on the position of the fluid passage 60 provided in the stator circumferential wall 21 and the rotor circumferential wall 41. In other words, forming the fluid passage 60 in the stator circumferential wall 21, or forming the fluid passage 60 in the rotor circumferential wall 41, or partially forming the fluid passage 60 in the stator circumferential wall 21 and partially forming it in the rotor circumferential wall 41 are all feasible specific embodiments.

[0017] Referring to Figures 1 to 8, in one embodiment, this fluid path 60 is formed in the stator section 20, which may be annular, or even a circular annular, but is not limited to a circular annular shape.

[0018] On the outer stator wall 21 of the stator portion 20, a helical groove 61 and an annular groove 62 are formed, corresponding to the axis 10A, extending from the first end 10A1 to the second end 10A2.

[0019] In this embodiment, the groove space of this spiral groove 61 gradually decreases from large to small, gradually increases from small to large, or does not gradually decrease or increase in size along this axis 10A from this first end 10A1 to this second end 10A2. This spiral groove 61 that gradually decreases from large to small can accelerate this fluid and instantaneously increase the pressure when passing this fluid, thereby enhancing the ability to exclude external foreign objects. It can not only block the intrusion of large-sized external foreign objects into the gap but also block the intrusion of fine-sized external foreign objects into the gap, and can avoid wear occurring between the internal components of this main shaft S of this mechanism M. It is worth noting that this fluid can carry out the foreign objects that have intruded between this stator peripheral wall 21 and this rotor peripheral wall 41 when flowing along this spiral groove 61. For example, even if the size of this spiral groove 61 is made not to gradually decrease or increase uniformly, or is made to gradually increase from small to large, this fluid still has the ability to carry out foreign objects, and all are specific and feasible embodiments.

[0020] At least any one of the grooves of this spiral groove 61 spirally surrounds this stator peripheral wall 21 along this axis 10A from this first end 10A1 to this second end 10A2. Or, further, spirally surrounding in the clockwise direction is a right helix, or even further, spirally surrounding in the counterclockwise direction is a left helix. This annular groove 62 is orthogonal to this axis 10A and is provided around this axis 10A and formed on the stator peripheral wall 21.

[0021] There is no special restriction on the number of turns of the spiral of this spiral groove 61 from this first end 10A1 to this second end 10A2. However, in this embodiment, it may be provided with at least one complete turn or more around this axis 10A. Also, it is preferably provided with at least two complete turns or more around this axis 10A. When the number of turns of the spiral increases, the effect of blocking external foreign objects becomes more prominent.

[0022] The helical groove 61 and the annular groove 62 are machined using a milling machine, but the tools used for machining are not limited to milling machines.

[0023] There are no special restrictions on the cross-sectional shape of the helical groove 61 and the annular groove 62; in this embodiment, they may be rectangular, trapezoidal, dovetail, semicircular, triangular, or equivalent. For the same groove width and depth, if the cross-sectional shape is rectangular, the helical groove 61 or the annular groove 62 has the maximum cross-sectional area, allowing a large volume of fluid to pass through and effectively removing external foreign matter. On the other hand, for the same cross-sectional area, if the cross-sectional shape is triangular or trapezoidal, the helical groove 61 or the annular groove 62 has a relatively large groove width and effectively prevents the intrusion of external foreign matter.

[0024] On the outer stator wall 21 of the stator portion 20, a stator assembly portion 22 is formed radially, adjacent to the annular groove 62 and corresponding to the axis 10A. Multiple stator assembly holes 221 are provided in an annular shape at intervals in the stator assembly portion 22. Each of these stator assembly holes 221 is formed axially from the first end 10A1 to the second end 10A2, and is assembled and installed in the case S1 on the circumferential side of the spindle S2, corresponding to the first assembly 22A. The first assembly 22A is a screw, which locks the stator assembly portion 22 into the case S1 on the circumferential side of the spindle S2.

[0025] Referring to Figures 1, 7, and 8, the stator section 20 has a separate intake passage 70 through which the fluid can flow, and there are no special restrictions on the shape of this intake passage 70. This intake passage 70 has an intake inlet 71, an intake outlet 72, and an intake passage 73 connecting the intake inlet 71 and the intake outlet 72. There are no special restrictions on the cross-sectional shapes of the intake inlet 71, the intake outlet 72, and the intake passage 73.

[0026] The intake inlet 71 is connected to the side wall of the stator assembly hole 22, and the intake inlet 71 is connected to the intake line by connecting the intake connector 71A to introduce the fluid. The intake outlet 72 is connected to one end of the helical groove 61, and the other end of the helical groove 61 is helically connected to the side wall of the annular groove 62. The intake passage 73 is provided within the stator section 20 and is connected to the intake inlet 71 and the intake outlet 72, respectively.

[0027] Referring to Figures 1, 3-8, the rotor section 40 may be a cover, and may be a cover of one of the following shapes: circular, rectangular, arc-shaped, or any other polygon, or a combination thereof, but the cover is not limited to circular, rectangular, arc-shaped, or any other polygon.

[0028] The rotor peripheral wall 41 of this rotor portion 40 is provided on the edge of the cover, away from the axis 10A. A rotor assembly portion 42 is formed on the inner edge of this rotor portion 40, which is close to the axis 10A. Multiple rotor assembly holes 421 are provided in an annular shape at intervals in this rotor assembly portion 42. Each of these rotor assembly holes 421 is formed axially from the first end 10A1 to the second end 10A2 and corresponds to the second assembly 42A. The second assembly 42A is a screw, which locks the rotor assembly portion 42 to the end of the spindle S2 and allows it to rotate together with it.

[0029] In addition, fluid curtain nozzles 63 (see Figure 8) are formed in this fluid path 60 at locations where both the outer stator circumferential wall 21 of the stator section 20 and the inner rotor circumferential wall 41 of the rotor section 40, which are opposite each other, are adjacent to the annular groove 62. These fluid nozzles 63 guide the fluid flowing through this fluid path 60 and generate this fluid curtain G, thereby blocking the intrusion of foreign matter from the outside.

[0030] The fluid curtain nozzle 63 is further provided with a fluid curtain guide angle 64 (see Figure 8) formed at the opening, and is located on the inner stator wall 21 of the stator section 20 and on the rotor wall 41 at the edge of the rotor section 40, respectively. This fluid curtain guide angle 64 can guide the direction of flow of the fluid led out from the fluid curtain nozzle 63.

[0031] Needless to say, in this fluid path 60, a helical groove 61 and an annular groove 62 connecting the helical groove 61 are formed on the rotor peripheral wall 41 inside the rotor portion 40, corresponding to the axis 10A, extending from the first end 10A1 to the second end 10A2. Moreover, it goes without saying that the intake passage 70 engages with this fluid path 60, forming an intake inlet 71, an intake outlet 72, and an intake passage 73 in the rotor portion 40.

[0032] The fluid curtain protection device 10 provided by the present invention can be attached to or molded to the spindle S, spindle rotary head, indexing table, or any of the relative rotatable mechanisms M during implementation. During use, the fluid is introduced into the fluid path 60, after which it flows along the helical groove 61 into the annular groove 62. If external foreign matter enters through the gap between the stator wall 21 and the rotor wall 41, the fluid flows and, upon contact with the foreign matter, carries it to the annular groove 62, and then flows out of the stator wall 21 and the rotor wall 41, carrying the foreign matter away from the gap between the stator wall 21 and the rotor wall 41. As a result, the spiral groove 61 that spirally surrounds the stator peripheral wall 21 and the rotor peripheral wall 41 can block the intrusion of foreign matter from the outside, whether it be dust generated during the machining process, cutting fluid and coolant used in the machining process, or highly viscous sludge consisting of a mixture of this dust and oil, and thus prevent wear from occurring between the internal parts.

[0033] The fluid curtain protection device 10 provided by the present invention has a spiral groove 61 whose groove space gradually decreases from large to small, thereby accelerating the fluid and instantaneously increasing the pressure on the fluid as it passes through, increasing the fluid velocity, enhancing its ability to remove internal foreign matter, and strengthening the fluid curtain G. This enhances the waterproof and dustproof effect of the fluid curtain G, preventing not only large external foreign matter from entering the gaps but also fine external foreign matter from entering the gaps, and furthermore, it prevents wear between the internal components of the main shaft S of the mechanism M. For example, it can prevent adhesive wear caused by the ingress of highly viscous sludge.

[0034] The annular groove 62 of the fluid curtain protection device 10 provided by the present invention uniformly guides the fluid out. This protects the stator section 20 and the rotor section 40, which face each other, from multiple directions, thereby preventing external foreign matter from entering the gap between them.

[0035] Finally, the embodiments described above do not limit the present invention, and any modifications and alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention are all protected within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention is based on the definition in the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] M mechanism S spindle S1 Case S2 mandrel 10 Fluid Curtain Protection Device 10A shaft center 10A1 1st end 10A2 2nd end 20 Stator section 21 Stator peripheral wall 22 Stator Assembly Section 221 Stator assembly holes 22A First Assembly 40 Rotor section 41 Rotor peripheral wall 41 42 Rotary Union Division 421 Rotor assembly holes 42A Second Assembly 60 Fluid path 61 Spiral groove 62 Annular groove 63 Fluid curtain nozzle 64 Fluid curtain guide angle 70 Intake path 71 Intake Inlet 71A Intake Connector 72 Intake outlet 73 Intake passage G Fluid Curtain

Claims

1. A fluid curtain protection device having a defined axis, the axis having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, The fluid curtain protection device, Stator section, A fluid curtain protection device comprising: a rotor section, which is rotatably assembled and provided on the stator section along the axis, and a fluid passage is formed between the stator peripheral wall of the stator section and the rotor peripheral wall of the rotor section, which are opposite to each other, the fluid passage comprising a helical groove and an annular groove connecting the helical groove, the fluid passage introducing fluid, the fluid flowing along the helical groove before entering the annular groove, and the fluid flowing out from the annular groove through the space between the stator peripheral wall and the rotor peripheral wall to generate a fluid curtain.

2. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 1, wherein the groove space of the helical groove gradually decreases in size from large to small, gradually increases in size from small to large, or remains constant in size without gradually decreasing, or does not gradually increase, from the first end to the second end.

3. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 1, wherein the outer stator peripheral wall of the stator portion has a helical groove formed on it, corresponding to the axis, extending from the first end to the second end, and an annular groove connecting the helical groove, and the helical groove connects the annular groove in a helical manner.

4. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the helical grooves spirally wraps around the axis from the first end to the second end, and the annular groove is perpendicular to the axis and formed around the axis.

5. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the helical grooves spirals along the axis from the first end to the second end in a clockwise direction, which is a right-handed helix, or spirals along the axis in a counterclockwise direction, which is a left-handed helix, and the number of turns of the spiral groove from the first end to the second end is at least one complete turn around the axis.

6. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the helical grooves spirals along the axis from the first end to the second end in a clockwise direction, which is a right-handed helix, or spirals along the axis in a counterclockwise direction, which is a left-handed helix, and the number of turns of the spiral groove from the first end to the second end is at least two complete turns around the axis.

7. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 1, further comprising a fluid curtain protection device assembled and provided at the end of the main shaft of the mechanism, the main shaft further comprising a case and a spindle, the spindle being rotatably assembled and provided with respect to the case, a stator assembly portion being formed radially on the outer stator peripheral wall of the stator portion in proximity to the annular groove and corresponding to the axis, a plurality of stator assembly holes being provided in the stator assembly portion in annular shape at intervals, each of the stator assembly holes being formed axially from the first end to the second end and assembled and provided on the case on the circumferential side of the spindle corresponding to the first assembly, the first assembly being a screw, thereby locking the stator assembly portion to the case on the circumferential side of the spindle.

8. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 7, wherein the stator portion is further formed with an intake passage through which the fluid can flow, the intake passage having an intake inlet, an intake outlet, and an intake passage connecting the intake inlet and the intake outlet, the intake inlet is connected to the side wall of the stator assembly, the intake outlet is connected to one end of the helical groove, the other end of the helical groove is helically connected to the annular groove, and the intake passage is provided within the stator portion and connected to the intake inlet and the intake outlet, respectively.

9. The fluid curtain protection device according to claim 7, wherein the rotor portion is a cover, a rotor assembly portion is formed on the inner edge of the rotor portion close to the axis, a plurality of rotor assembly holes are provided in the rotor assembly portion in an annular shape at intervals, each of the rotor assembly holes is formed in the axial direction from the first end to the second end and corresponds to the second assembly, the second assembly is a screw, thereby locking the rotor assembly portion to the end of the spindle and allowing it to rotate together.

10. The fluid path further has fluid curtain nozzles formed in the stator peripheral wall on the outside of the stator portion and the rotor peripheral wall on the inside of the rotor portion adjacent to the annular groove, the fluid curtain nozzles guide the fluid to generate the fluid curtain, and the fluid curtain nozzles further have fluid curtain guide angles formed at the openings and located in the stator peripheral wall on the inside of the stator portion and in the rotor peripheral wall at the edge of the rotor portion, respectively, the fluid curtain guide angles can guide the direction of flow of the fluid guided out from the fluid curtain nozzles, the fluid curtain protection device according to claim 1.

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