Rotary support device

Description

[0001] This utility model relates to precision instrumentation, specifically to systems for the orientation (positioning) of payloads in azimuth and elevation. The claimed device can be used to rotate a payload mounted on it in two planes, including for ensuring precise positioning of surveying instruments, video cameras, thermal imaging cameras, and other external optical surveillance equipment.

[0002] Known rotary bearings typically comprise a fixed base (support housing) and a rotating element mounted on it, typically a housing, platform, or stand, on which the payload is secured. These bearings typically include azimuth and elevation rotation mechanisms, including support bearing assemblies and rotary drives, such as electric motors with gearboxes. When mounting sensitive optical equipment on such bearings or operating them under intense external mechanical stress, additional protection against intense vibration and shock loads is required. Therefore, the development of rotary bearings equipped with a damping mechanism to protect the optical equipment from these impacts is essential.

[0003] Russian Federation Patent for Utility Model No. 239620 discloses a rotary support device comprising a fixed housing in which the main load-bearing element, a shaft with a through cavity providing azimuthal rotation, is secured via bearings. The shaft houses the rotor parts of an azimuthal drive, implemented as a torque brushless electric motor, and rotating contact devices, the stator parts of which are connected to the housing. A rotary platform for mounting the payload is connected to the shaft, and the housing houses a control module that supplies power to the drive and processes signals from the azimuthal position sensor.

[0004] A disadvantage of this utility model is its insufficient protection against vibration and shock during operation. All components (shaft, bearings, encoder, brushless motor, rotating contact devices) are rigidly mounted relative to the housing, which results in the transmission of vibration and shock to precision components (encoder, bearings, electronics). This leads to increased loads on these components, can accelerate their wear, reduce positioning accuracy, and reduce the overall reliability of the device when operating in vibrating conditions, such as on moving objects or during transportation.

[0005] From the Russian Federation patent for invention No. 2806130, a leveling device is known, containing a tripod consisting of a base with a rotating platform and three three-section two-level telescopic legs with precision leveling elements in the form of a screw pair, opening and folding simultaneously by means of mid-level stretchers, pivotally connected to the brackets of the legs and the crosspiece of the central hinge with a tangential lock, moving reciprocatingly along the central column of the tripod and fixing the position of the legs at any angle of their opening, as well as an azimuth drive mounted on a rotating platform, wherein on the upper surface of the fixed part of the azimuth drive housing there are two mutually perpendicular and diametrically located levels with cylindrical ampoules for leveling control.

[0006] A disadvantage of this device is the lack of special protection against vibration and shock loads. All structural elements (telescopic legs with precision screw mechanisms, braces, central column, azimuth drive, levels with cylindrical ampoules) are rigidly fixed relative to each other and contain no elastic or shock-absorbing elements. This kinematic design results in the transmission of vibrations and shock pulses from the base to precision components (screw pairs, levels, bearings) and the installed payload. This increases the likelihood of accelerated wear of precision mechanisms, loss of calibration, play, and damage to shock-sensitive components, especially when operating under rough road conditions, subject to vibrations from operating machinery, or during transportation.

[0007] Russian Patent for Invention No. 2359372 discloses a rotary support device comprising a base on which a fixed cylindrical support is mounted, and a rotary housing mounted on said support with the ability to rotate about an azimuth axis. An azimuth rotation drive motor is located within the cylindrical support, connected to a planetary gearbox mounted in the lower portion of the rotary housing, with the gearbox's output crown wheel formed on the inner surface of the rotary housing. An elevation rotation axis is mounted on the outer surface of the rotary housing, on which a rotary platform is mounted for accommodating a payload, such as an antenna system. The elevation rotation mechanism is implemented using a planetary gearbox and a crank mechanism kinematically connected to the rotary platform.

[0008] The disadvantage of this invention is that its design does not provide for special means to increase the protection of the installed equipment from vibration and shock effects, especially when operating under conditions of intense mechanical loads.

[0009] This technical solution is closest to the declared one, therefore it was chosen as a prototype.

[0010] The objective of the proposed utility model is to increase the reliability of protection of installed equipment from mechanical impacts and vibrations due to the presence of an optical unit with sleds mounted on linear guides through linear bearings with spring elements between the sleds and the body, placed on a payload platform installed through bearing assemblies on a carriage located in the internal space of a spatial frame.

[0011] The technical result consists in increasing the reliability of protection of installed equipment from mechanical impacts and vibrations.

[0012] This technical result is achieved due to the fact that the supporting and rotating device contains a fixed base and a movable housing on which the mechanisms for azimuthal and elevation rotation of the payload platform are placed, wherein the fixed base is made in the form of a spatial frame, in the internal space of which a movable housing is installed, made in the form of a carriage connected to the azimuthal rotation mechanism, wherein the payload platform is installed through bearing assemblies in the carriage and connected to the elevation rotation mechanism, wherein an optical unit is rigidly fixed on the payload platform, comprising a housing in which sleds are installed, connected to at least two linear bearings moving along linear guides fixed in the housing, wherein spring elements are located between the sleds and the housing of the optical unit.

[0013] It is advisable that the carriage be mounted in tapered bearing assemblies located in the upper and lower platforms of the space frame of the fixed base.

[0014] It is preferable that the carriage be connected to the azimuth rotation mechanism by means of gear engagement of the drive gear of the azimuth rotation mechanism mounted on the carriage with the horizontal gear sector fixed on the space frame.

[0015] It is desirable that the servo drive of the azimuth rotation mechanism be spring-loaded relative to the horizontal toothed sector with the ability to adjust the clamping force.

[0016] It is advisable that the payload platform be connected to the elevation rotation mechanism by means of a gear engagement of the drive gear of the elevation rotation mechanism servo mounted on the payload platform with a vertical gear sector fixed on the carriage.

[0017] It is preferable that the servo drive of the elevation rotation mechanism be spring-loaded relative to the vertical toothed sector with the ability to adjust the clamping force.

[0018] It is desirable that the elevation rotation servo drive and the azimuth rotation servo drive be made interchangeable and contain a gearbox and an encoder.

[0019] It is advisable that the payload platform include a bracket with mounting holes.

[0020] It is desirable that the servo drive of the elevation rotation mechanism be installed through a lever installed at an angle to the payload platform.

[0021] For a more detailed disclosure of the utility model, a description of a specific possible embodiment of its implementation with corresponding drawings is provided below.

[0022] Fig. 1 - front view of the slewing ring.

[0023] Fig. 2 - side view of the slewing ring.

[0024] Fig. 3 - right view of the carriage.

[0025] Fig. 4 - Top view of the payload platform.

[0026] Fig. 5 - left view without vertical servo of payload platform.

[0027] Fig. 6 - side view of the optical unit.

[0028] Fig. 7 - bottom view of the optical block.

[0029] Fig. 8 - side view of the servo drive in section.

[0030] The rotary support device contains a fixed base in the form of a spatial frame 1, in the internal space of which a movable body is installed, made in the form of a carriage 2. The carriage 2 is connected to an azimuthal rotation mechanism 3. A payload platform 5 is secured to the carriage 2 through bearing assemblies 4, which is connected to an elevation rotation mechanism 6 (Fig. 1-2).

[0031] An optical unit 7 is rigidly fixed to the payload platform 5, which contains a housing 8 in which a sled 9 is installed, connected to at least two linear bearings 10 moving along linear guides 11 fixed in the housing, while between the sled 9 and the side walls of the housing 8 there are spring elements 12 that perform the function of shock absorbers, due to which, due to the elastic suspension of the sled and friction in the linear bearings, a reduction in the transmission of vibration and impact effects to the sensitive equipment placed in the sled is achieved (Fig. 6-7).

[0032] The rigid connection of the payload platform 5 and the optical unit 7 is achieved through the housing 8. In this example, the rigid connection is provided by a bolted connection through holes in the payload platform 5 and the housing 8, but other types of assembly operations, such as welding or gluing, can be used.

[0033] Carriage 2 is installed in conical bearing units 13, located in the upper platform 14 and lower platform 15 of the spatial frame 1.

[0034] The azimuth rotation mechanism 3 includes a servo drive 16, wherein the drive gear of the servo drive is kinematically connected to the horizontal toothed sector 17, fixed on the spatial frame 1, and the servo drive 16 itself is mounted on the carriage 2 and is spring-loaded relative to the said horizontal toothed sector 17 with the possibility of adjusting the clamping force.

[0035] The elevation rotation mechanism 6 includes a servo drive 18 mounted on the payload platform 5, wherein the drive gear of the servo drive 18 is kinematically connected to the vertical toothed sector 19 secured on the carriage 2 and is spring-loaded relative to the said vertical toothed sector 19 with the possibility of adjusting the clamping force to ensure backlash-free engagement and increase the positioning accuracy.

[0036] In this case, the azimuth rotation servo drive 16 and the elevation rotation servo drive 18 contain gearboxes 20, for example wave gearboxes, and encoders 21 mounted on shafts 22 interacting with gears 23.

[0037] The payload platform 5 includes a bracket with mounting holes 24 for installing additional equipment adapters (Fig. 5).

[0038] The elevation rotation servo drive 18 is mounted via a lever 25 mounted at an angle to the payload platform 5 (Fig. 5).

[0039] Autonomous operation of the electronic equipment and drives of the rotation mechanisms is ensured by the power supply unit 26 installed in the carriage 2 (Fig. 1).

[0040] The control board 27 is attached to the bottom of the sled (Fig. 6).

[0041] The slewing ring operates as follows.

[0042] The equipment is installed on the sled 9 of the optical block 7 and is rigidly attached to them, after which the sled 9, by means of linear bearings 10, is placed on the linear guides 11 inside the housing 8 with the possibility of limited longitudinal movement, while between the sled 9 and the side walls of the housing 8, spring elements 12 are installed, forming an elastic suspension and forming a damping link between the housing 8 and the optical equipment.When vibration and shock loads are applied to the rotary support device in a direction close to the longitudinal axis of the sled 9, the sled 9, together with the optical equipment secured to them, perform relative movements along the linear guides 11, and the resulting energy of shocks and vibrations is absorbed due to the deformation of the spring elements 12 and friction in the linear bearings 10, which reduces the peak mechanical loads transmitted to the equipment installed in the optical block, prevents its damage and thereby increases the reliability of the equipment protection from mechanical impacts and vibrations.

[0043] The payload platform 5, rigidly connected to the housing 8 of the optical unit 7, is mounted on the carriage 2 through the bearing assemblies 4 and rotates relative to the carriage 2 in the vertical plane by means of the elevation rotation mechanism 6 with the servo drive 18 mounted on the payload platform 5 and kinematically connected through the lever 25 with the vertical toothed sector 19 secured on the carriage 2. The spring loading of the drive gear of the servo drive 18 relative to the toothed sector 19 with the possibility of adjusting the clamping force ensures backlash-free engagement and the absence of impact loads in the gear transmission, which reduces the vibration effects transmitted from the drive to the payload platform 5 and the equipment installed on it.

[0044] Carriage 2 is mounted in spatial frame 1 via tapered bearing units 13 located in upper platform 14 and lower platform 15, and rotates relative to the fixed base around the azimuthal axis by means of azimuthal rotation mechanism 3, including servo drive 16, the drive gear of which is kinematically connected with horizontal toothed sector 17 fixed on spatial frame 1. Spring loading of servo drive 16 relative to toothed sector 17 with the possibility of adjusting the pressing force also ensures clearance-free engagement and reduces shock and vibration loads arising in the engagement zone, which reduces the transmission of mechanical effects from the drive to carriage 2, payload platform 5 and optical unit 7.

[0045] The rotary support device is controlled by an external control panel, from which control commands are sent to the control system located on the control board 28 or as part of the optical unit 7. The signals generated by the control system are fed to the azimuth rotation servo drive 16 and the elevation rotation servo drive 18, which contain gearboxes 20 and encoders 21 mounted on shafts 22 interacting with gears 23. When the servo drives are operating, the rotation of the shafts 22 is transmitted through gears 23 to the vertical gear sector 19 and the horizontal gear sector 17, respectively, ensuring the rotation of the payload platform 5 in elevation and the rotation of the carriage 2 in azimuth.

[0046] Encoders 21, which are part of servo drives 16 and 18, provide accurate reading of their angular position, and the corresponding signals are sent to the control system and used to generate corrective actions, which allows for high-precision positioning of equipment without the need for multiple corrective movements.

[0047] Autonomous operation of the electronic equipment and drives of the azimuth and elevation rotation mechanisms is ensured by power supply unit 26 installed in carriage 2.

[0048] The combination of these design features ensures comprehensive reduction of vibration and shock loads on the installed equipment. For example, the elastic suspension of the sled within the optical unit housing, using spring elements and linear bearings, reduces the transmission of longitudinal shock pulses directly to the equipment and electronics mounted on the sled. Spring-loaded gear engagements of the azimuth and elevation rotation mechanisms with gearboxes ensure backlash-free rotation without shock loads in the engagement zone, thereby reducing drive-induced vibrations transmitted to the carriage and payload platform.The carriage's placement in the tapered bearing assemblies of the fixed base's spatial frame ensures stable support and precise positioning during azimuth rotation without backlash, which further reduces mechanical overload and helps increase the reliability of protection of the installed equipment from mechanical impacts and vibrations.

[0049] As is obvious to those skilled in the art, this utility model can be implemented in other specific forms without going beyond the scope of this utility model.

[0050] In this case, the present embodiment should be considered merely illustrative and not limiting, and the scope of the utility model is represented by its formula, and it is assumed that all possible changes and the area of ​​equivalence to the claims of the formula of this utility model are included in it.

Claims

1. A rotary support device comprising a fixed base and a movable housing on which mechanisms for azimuthal and elevation rotation of a payload platform are placed, characterized in that the fixed base is made in the form of a spatial frame, in the interior space of which a movable housing is installed, made in the form of a carriage connected to an azimuthal rotation mechanism, wherein the payload platform is mounted on the carriage via bearing assemblies and connected to an elevation rotation mechanism, wherein an optical unit is rigidly fixed to the payload platform, comprising a housing in which sleds are installed, connected to at least two linear bearings moving along linear guides, also fixed in the housing, wherein spring elements are located between the sleds and the housing of the optical unit.

2. The rotary support device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the carriage is installed in conical bearing units located in the upper and lower platforms of the spatial frame of the fixed base.

3. The rotary support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the carriage is connected to the azimuthal rotation mechanism by means of a toothed engagement of the drive gear of the azimuthal rotation mechanism servo drive, mounted on the carriage, with a horizontal toothed sector secured to the spatial frame.

4. The rotary support device according to paragraph 3, characterized in that the servo drive of the azimuthal rotation mechanism is spring-loaded relative to the horizontal toothed sector with the possibility of adjusting the clamping force.

5. The rotary support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the payload platform is connected to the elevation rotation mechanism by means of a toothed engagement of the drive gear of the elevation rotation mechanism servo drive, installed on the payload platform, with a vertical toothed sector secured to the carriage.

6. A rotary support device according to paragraph 5, characterized in that the servo drive of the elevation rotation mechanism is spring-loaded relative to the vertical toothed sector with the possibility of adjusting the clamping force.

7. A rotary support device according to any one of paragraphs 1-6, characterized in that the elevation rotation servo drive and the azimuth rotation servo drive are interchangeable and also contain a gearbox and an encoder.

8. The rotary support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the payload platform contains a bracket with mounting holes.

9. The rotary support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the servo drive of the elevation rotation mechanism is installed via a lever installed at an angle to the payload platform.

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