Polygonal Guide for High Precision Picker Actuator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing picker actuators suffer from low durability and precision due to trembles and vibration issues, particularly in transferring small components like semiconductor chips and LED chips, as they are prone to short straightness and location accuracy problems.
Innovation Solution
A high load and high precision polygonal guide is developed with an integrated ball cage and housing, featuring ball receiving holes for rolling motion, which minimizes vibration and trembles by forming ball receiving holes at constant spacing on the polygonal ball cage, allowing the guide post and housing to perform linear reciprocating motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an air cylinder and LM guide are coupled, then the guide structure can support linear motion, but the straightness and location accuracy deteriorate due to trembles
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure is segmented into multiple ball receiving holes distributed along the guide post, with each hole containing balls that independently absorb vibrations. This segmentation allows the system to maintain straightness while distributing the harmful vibrational effects across multiple localized points rather than a single continuous structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Balls are introduced as intermediary elements between the guide post and housing. These balls serve as mediators that convert harmful vibrational energy into useful rolling motion, thereby reducing trembles and improving location accuracy while maintaining the linear motion function.
2Device complexity
If a slide guide is used, then the structure is simple, but the durability deteriorates to 1/3 of LM guide type
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional slide guide mechanical contact system is replaced with a ball-based rolling contact system. The balls rolling within the polygonal cross-section create a mechanical system that achieves LM guide-level durability while maintaining structural simplicity, effectively substituting the sliding mechanism with a rolling mechanism that reduces wear.
3Manufacturing precision
If ball receiving holes are formed on each side of polygonal ball cage, then rolling motion is enabled and precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple ball receiving holes and their associated balls are merged into a single integrated polygonal ball cage structure. This merging approach maintains the precision benefits of multiple balls while reducing device complexity by consolidating the holding structure into one unified component rather than separate assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The polygonal ball cage utilizes a polygonal cross-section geometry that naturally accommodates spherical balls through rolling motion. This geometric design enables precise linear reciprocating motion while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing, as the polygonal shape provides inherent ball retention without requiring complex mechanical constraints.
4Reliability
If an integrated polygonal ball cage is used, then straightness and durability are enhanced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The polygonal ball cage is designed with a polygonal cross-section that naturally suits rolling ball mechanisms. This geometric form facilitates integrated manufacturing while maintaining high straightness and durability, as the polygonal shape can be produced through standard machining or molding processes without requiring overly complex assembly steps.
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 enhances straightness and durability, maintaining high precision and stability under various directional loads, effectively reducing vibration and trembles, thereby improving the reliability of the picker actuator for transferring small components.
Implementation Method 1
a housing having polygonal through holes for rolling motion such that, after the balls are inserted and fitted into the ball receiving holes formed on each side of the polygonal ball cage, the balls cannot escape from the ball receiving holes; and a guide post inserted and fitted inside the polygonal ball cage into which the balls are inserted and fitted, whereby the guide post or the housing reciprocates in a straight line by the rolling motion of the balls
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a high load and high precision polygonal guide, and to a picker actuator using same, wherein the polygonal guide includes: an integrated ball cage designed and formed in a polygon and having a plurality of ball receiving holes formed on each side of the polygonal ball cage for receiving balls; a housing having a polygonal through hole for rolling motion such that, after the balls are inserted into the ball receiving holes formed on each side of the polygonal ball cage, the balls cannot escape from the ball receiving holes; and a guide post inserted and fitted inside the polygonal ball cage into which the balls are inserted and fitted, whereby the guide post or the housing reciprocates in a straight line by the rolling motion of the balls.