Air-Bearing Actuator Guide Reinforcement for Vacuum Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In gas pressure actuators used in vacuum environments, the guides experience significant deformation due to pressure differences, leading to instability and reduced rigidity, which affects the smooth movement of sliders.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a guide connecting member that connects the edges of the opening portion of the guide, increasing its rigidity and preventing deformation, while being positioned to avoid contact with the slider connecting member during movement, thus maintaining normal operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the guide includes an opening portion to allow slider movement, then the ease of operation is improved, but the rigidity and stability of the guide deteriorate due to pressure differences
Solution Approach 1:
The guide is segmented into multiple parts: the surrounding structure with opening portion, and the guide connecting member that bridges opposite edges of the opening. This segmentation allows the guide to accommodate slider movement through the opening while the connecting member maintains structural rigidity by spanning across the opening to prevent deformation from pressure differences.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide connecting member is strategically positioned to connect opposite edges of the opening portion, providing localized reinforcement exactly where the pressure difference causes maximum deformation. This local quality approach strengthens the guide structure at the critical opening region without adding unnecessary complexity elsewhere.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the guide connecting member is added to increase rigidity, then the stability of the guide is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide connecting member is designed as a separate, extractable component that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This taking out approach allows the connecting member to be a simple structural element rather than an integrated complex mechanism, reducing overall device complexity while still providing the necessary rigidity enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure combines different functional elements: the surrounding structure with opening for movement, and the guide connecting member for structural support. This composite approach integrates components with different functions (movement facilitation and structural reinforcement) into a unified guide system, achieving both ease of operation and structural stability.
3Strength
If the slider connecting member penetrates the opening portion, then the connection between slider and driven body is improved, but the risk of contact with guide connecting member increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slider connecting member and guide connecting member are positioned in different spatial dimensions and planes. The slider connecting member penetrates the opening portion from one direction to connect slider to driven body, while the guide connecting member spans across the opening edges in a different orientation. This dimensional separation ensures their paths do not intersect, eliminating contact risk while maintaining strong connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening portion of the guide acts as an intermediary space that allows the slider connecting member to pass through without contacting the guide connecting member. This intermediary structure enables the slider connecting member to establish strong connections while the guide connecting member maintains its position at the edges, preventing direct contact between the two members during operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively suppresses guide deformation and maintains the stability of the actuator, ensuring precise and smooth movement of the slider within the vacuum environment.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid supply portion that supplies a fluid between the slider and the guide
Implementation Method 2
An air bearing formed by compressed air supplied between an outer periphery of the slider and an inner periphery of the guide through an air pad allows the slider to float from the guide and move smoothly
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator includes: a slider driven within a movable range along a predetermined movement direction; a guide that extends in the movement direction to guide the slider and includes a surrounding structure surrounding an outer periphery of the slider and including an opening portion where at least a part thereof is open in a cross section perpendicular to the movement direction; a fluid supply portion that supplies a fluid between the slider and the guide; a slider connecting member that penetrates the opening portion to connect the slider inside the surrounding structure and a driven body outside the surrounding structure; and a guide connecting member that connects edges of the opening portion to each other and is provided at a position where the slider connecting member does not come into contact with the guide connecting member when the slider moves within the movable range.