WO2023216010A1 - Annular cylindrical lifting system for magnetic levitation device - Google Patents

Abstract

An annular cylindrical lifting system for a magnetic levitation device. The lifting system comprises: a guide cylinder (40) having a circumferential wall (49), the circumferential wall (49) of the guide cylinder (40) being provided with guide slots (41) with gradually varying heights; an annular frame (30) for carrying a levitation device (20), vertical through holes (31) and radially outwardly protruding horizontal rollers (32) being distributed in a circumferential direction of the annular frame (30), the annular frame (30) being mounted in the guide cylinder (40) and rotatable relative to same, and the rollers (32) of the annular frame (30) being inserted into the guide slots (41) of the guide cylinder (40); and a drive ring assembly (10) comprising an inner ring member (12) and an outer ring member (11), which are rotatable but non-displaceable relative to each other, the inner ring member (12) being circumferentially provided with vertical guide shafts (15) at intervals, the guide shafts (15) passing through the through holes (31) in the annular frame (30), and the outer ring member (11) being fixed to the guide cylinder (40). The lifting system uses an annular cylinder design, which omits the rotating structure arranged in an internal space, increases the space for the levitation device (20) to move up and down, and further reduces the height of the device.

Description

Ring cylinder magnetic levitation device lifting system Technical field

The present invention generally relates to a lifting system or mechanism for a magnetic levitation device.

Background technique

Existing magnetic levitation devices, such as magnetic levitation desk lamps, speakers or globes, generally include a magnetic levitation base (base) and a suspension body. Both the base and the suspended body contain magnets. The magnets in the base can levitate the suspended body at a predetermined distance above it through magnetic effects (such as magnetic repulsion), producing a floating fantasy visual effect, which is very popular among people.

However, in the process of realizing the levitation of the existing magnetic levitation device, it is usually necessary to manually place the suspended body to a suitable floating position relative to the base in order to achieve stable floating of the suspended body. For first-time (less experienced) users, the process of manually finding a suitable floating position will appear difficult and lengthy, and they may lose patience and interest.

The magnetic levitation device disclosed in the applicant's patent documents WO2016/202187A1, CN104901587A, CN204687868U, CN205666775U, CN211352080U, etc. includes a base and a suspension body. The base includes a magnetic levitation mechanism and a lifter. The magnetic levitation mechanism with annular magnets is placed on the lifter and then Lifting to achieve automatic suspension or falling of the suspended body relative to the base. In addition, patent documents CN102315805A, CN207202600U, CN102570927A, etc. also disclose similar automatic lifting mechanisms for magnetic levitation devices. Although this type of lifting mechanism can realize automatic suspension of the suspended body, the height or thickness of the device is too increased, which causes inconvenience.

In addition, the applicant's patent documents CN112087163A and CN112228734A respectively disclose single-stage and compound lifting mechanisms for magnetic levitation devices, but there are still areas that need improvement.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a lifting system or mechanism for a magnetic levitation device, which can at least further reduce the overall device size.

In this application, the term "levitator" or "basic module" refers to a functional module that is provided with a magnetic component capable of interacting with the suspension body to provide a static balanced magnetic field. In addition, it also has a controller and a Other related electromagnetic components can control the suspended body in a balanced suspended position relative to it in real time. In addition, the terms "magnet" and "magnet" have the same meaning, and both refer to magnetic components formed with N and S poles, which can be formed individually or combined to form a "magnetic assembly."

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a lifting mechanism for a magnetic levitation device is provided, wherein the magnetic levitation device has a suspension body and a levitator for suspending the suspension body, and the lifting mechanism includes:

A guide tube with a circumferential wall, wherein a guide groove with a gradually varying height is provided on the circumferential wall of the guide tube;

The annular frame used to carry the suspension is provided with vertical through holes and horizontal rollers protruding radially outward along its circumferential direction. The annular frame is installed in the guide tube and the two are opposite to each other around the vertical rotation axis. The rollers of the rotatable, ring-shaped frame are inserted into the guide grooves of the guide barrel; and

The drive ring assembly includes a relatively rotatable but non-displaceable inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring is provided with vertical guide shafts spaced apart from each other along its circumference, and the guide shafts pass through the through holes of the ring frame. The ring is fixed with the guide tube.

The guide tube, annular frame and drive ring assembly jointly form a hollow annular cylindrical structure.

According to the lifting mechanism of the present invention, a plurality of, for example, three guide grooves with the same shape can be evenly provided on the circumferential wall of the guide tube, and the annular frame is also provided with a plurality of, for example, three corresponding rollers.

According to the lifting mechanism of the present invention, the inner ring member can be provided with a plurality of, for example, three guide shafts evenly distributed along the circumferential direction, and the annular frame is also provided with a plurality of, for example, three corresponding through holes.

According to the lifting mechanism of the present invention, the inner ring member may also be provided with a gear ring segment spaced apart from the guide shaft along the circumferential direction. This circumferential recessed arrangement of the inner ring element facilitates a more compact mounting or mounting of the levitator via the annular frame. In addition, the design method of using partial ring ring segments is more conducive to controlling the rotation range of the inner ring member of the drive ring assembly. In this case, the outer ring of the drive ring assembly can also be provided with a drive gear that matches the toothed ring section of the inner ring. A motor is also installed on the circumferential wall of the guide cylinder, and the rotation output shaft of the motor is connected to the drive gear.

According to the lifting mechanism of the present invention, the suspension device is preferably fixed on the annular frame in an adjustable position. This adjustable mounting method facilitates precise adjustment of the device's magnetic field geometric center during assembly.

The lifting mechanism according to the present invention may also include a critical limit switch provided on the inner ring member for controlling the operation of the suspension.

The lifting mechanism according to the present invention may also include a limit limit switch provided on the inner ring member for controlling the operation of the motor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a magnetic levitation device is also provided, including a levitation body and a base for initially positioning the levitation body, wherein the base includes the above-mentioned lifting mechanism and the levitation device.

According to the magnetic levitation device of the present invention, just before the levitation body is about to leave the base and rise, the critical limit switch sends a signal to control the levitation device to start working. The critical limit switch can accurately control the start-up timing of the levitator, preventing the suspension from failing to take off from the base when the levitator starts working too early or too late.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that features or combinations of features from each other may be introduced into different embodiments of the present invention, unless it is clearly inapplicable.

The lifting mechanism of the present invention completely adopts a ring-cylindrical design, which eliminates the rotating structure provided in the internal space and increases the up and down movement space of the suspension, thereby further reducing the height of the device.

In addition, the present invention further reduces the radial size of the device by performing circumferential spacing design on this ring-cylinder structure.

In addition, in the magnetic levitation device of the present invention, by setting a critical limit switch to control the starting timing of the levitation device, the levitation body can take off very smoothly on the base, significantly reducing the risk of being thrown out of the base at an angle.

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a magnetic levitation device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded schematic perspective view of the lifting mechanism according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the structure shown in Figure 2 assembled together; and

FIG. 4 is a top view of the assembly structure shown in FIG. 3 .

Detailed ways

The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments and drawings. Persons skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments and drawings are only for a better understanding of the present invention and are not used for any limitation.

The specific structure and working principle of the magnetic levitation device of the present invention can be found in the applicant's previous patent document CN1819436B, etc., the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such magnetic levitation devices include a suitable form of a magnetic levitation device, such as a base or base module, and a suitable form of a suspension body, such as a globe or a spherical lamp, wherein the suspension body can be stably levitated relative to the levitator, for example generally above it. The levitator and the suspended body are respectively provided with magnets or magnetic components that can interact to provide a static balanced magnetic field. The levitator is also equipped with electromagnetic coils, controllers, Hall sensors and other components to dynamically control the suspended body to be in balanced suspension relative to it in real time. Location.

Figure 1 shows an overall schematic diagram of a magnetic levitation device according to the present invention, which includes a base 1 and a suspension body 2 suspended above it. The suspension 2 is provided with, for example, cylindrical magnets 2A. The upper surface of the base 1 is also provided with a positioning protrusion 1A for initial positioning of the suspension body 2 , for example, protruding into a corresponding notch 2B provided on the suspension body 2 . The base 1 is provided with a suspension device and a lifting mechanism, as described in detail later.

In order to better show the internal structure of the base 1 , the outer shell of the base 1 is removed from the exploded perspective view of FIG. 2 . Figure 3 is a perspective view of the structures shown in Figure 2 assembled together. FIG. 4 is a top view of the assembly structure shown in FIG. 3 .

As clearly shown in Figure 2, the lifting system or mechanism of the present invention includes a driving ring assembly 10, an annular frame 30 and a guide cylinder 40, all of which can be formed from molded parts.

The ring frame 30 serves to secure the suspension 20 in modular form. In addition to the annular magnet 23, the electromagnetic coil 24, etc., the levitator 20 shown is also provided with three mounting lugs 21 evenly arranged in the circumferential direction, and the lugs 21 are provided with vertical mounting holes 22.

The drive ring assembly 10 includes an outer ring member 11 and an inner ring member 12. The inner ring member 12 and the outer ring member 11 are relatively rotatably assembled together. The inner ring member 12 is provided with a section of a toothed ring 13 and three evenly distributed vertical guide shafts 15 along its circumferential direction. A gap 16 is formed between the guide shafts 15 and the toothed ring 13 . The gear 14 is fixedly mounted on the outer ring member 11 and meshes with the gear ring 13 . The inner ring member 12 is also provided with a limit limit switch 17 and a critical limit switch 18 respectively. The limit limit switch 17 is used to control the rotation angle range of the inner ring 12 relative to the outer ring 11, that is, when the ring frame 30 of the lifting mechanism rises to the upper limit position or drops to the lower limit position, the motor 46 is controlled to stop running. The critical limit switch 18 is used to control the opening or closing of the levitator 20, that is, when the annular frame 30 and therefore the levitator 20 on it rises to a critical height (at this critical height, the levitator 2 is about to take off from the base 1), The suspension device 20 is started to operate to dynamically adjust the suspension balance position of the suspension body 2 relative to it in real time. The limit limit switch 17 and the critical limit switch 18 shown in the figure both adopt physical switches in the form of limit blocks. The limit limit switch 17 and the left and right limit points (not shown) set at different heights and angles on the outer ring member 11 The critical limit switch 18 cooperates with a critical limit point (also not specifically shown) provided on the outer ring member 11 to provide a critical position signal. Those skilled in the art can understand that the limit limit switch 17 and the critical limit switch 18 can also adopt any other suitable form of limit switch or travel switch, such as a photoelectric switch, a magnetic switch, etc., and the position can also be set on the rotation output shaft of the motor, for example. Wait for any suitable location.

The annular frame 30 is evenly provided with three annular segments 38 along its circumferential direction and three mounting seats 39 extending slightly radially outward from the annular segments 38 . The mounting base 39 is provided with vertical through holes 31, radial rollers 32 and vertical mounting holes 33 respectively. The mounting blocks 39 respectively receive corresponding lugs 21 of the float 20 and are secured together by threading bolts or screws (not specifically shown) through the aligned mounting holes 22, 23. The mounting hole 33 is designed to have a slightly larger diameter than the mounting hole 22 (or vice versa), so that the magnetic field geometric center of the levitator 20 can be adjusted vertically to align with the positioning protrusion 1A on the base 1 during assembly. The through hole 31 is used to receive the corresponding guide shaft 15 so that the ring frame 30 cannot rotate relative to the inner ring member 12 but can slide up and down along the guide shaft 15 .

The guide barrel 40 is in the form of a cylindrical barrel, including a circumferential wall 49 and a lower mounting flange 48 . The flange 48 is shaped to fit the outer ring member 11, and the two can be fixed together by suitable means such as bonding. Three guide grooves 41 with gradually varying heights and consistent shapes are evenly provided on the circumferential wall 49 . The rollers 32 of the ring frame 30 extend into corresponding guide grooves 41 respectively. The guide tube 40 is also provided with a mounting base 43 , and the mounting base 43 is provided with a vertical through hole 44 pointing toward the notch 45 formed below the mounting base 43 . The mounting base 43 is used to install the motor 46, and the rotating output shaft 47 of the motor 46 extends through the through hole 44 into the notch 45 for driving the gear 14 here. The motor 46 can be a bidirectional motor.

After the assembly is completed as shown in Figure 3, the motor 46 is started, and its output shaft 47 drives the gear 14 to rotate. The gear 14 then drives the ring gear 13 to rotate, and the inner ring 12 and the annular frame 30 connected to it through the guide shaft 15 also rotate accordingly. , the roller 32 moves up and down along the guide groove 41 at the same time, thereby driving the annular frame 30 to move up and down along the guide shaft 15 until the gear ring 13 rotates within a predetermined angular range determined, for example, by the stopper 17 .

When the gear ring 13 rotates to the critical position or the suspension device 20 on the annular frame 30 reaches the critical height (that is, the distance between the suspension device 20 and the suspension body 2 just reaches the suspension equilibrium position of the two, then if the suspension device 20 continues rises, the suspension 2 on the base 1 will rise and leave the base 1), and the critical limit switch 18 sends a critical position signal to control the suspension 20 to start working. As shown in Figure 1, the suspension body 2 starts to rise (take off) from the base 1, and the protrusion 1A is separated from the notch 2B until it reaches the required suspension height, such as the maximum suspension height, at which time the limit limit switch 17 controls the motor 46 to stop working. . The above process is vice versa.

The inventor found through long-term practice that if the critical limit switch 18 is not set to control the start-up time of the suspension 20, it will be difficult for the suspension 2 to successfully complete the take-off action. This is because if the suspension 20 is left in working condition too early or all the time, since the suspension 2 has not yet left the base 1 at this time, there will be horizontal friction between the two, which will interfere with the friction between the suspension 2 and the suspension 2. The horizontal position adjustment control causes chaos in the control system, ultimately causing the suspension body 2 to be thrown diagonally out of the base 1 during takeoff, resulting in takeoff failure. If the suspension device 20 is started too late, the suspension body 2 will not be controlled in the horizontal direction after taking off from the base 1, which will also cause take-off failure.

Like the lifting mechanism disclosed in CN112087163A (the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference), due to the elimination of the axial or vertical screw lifting mechanism, the present invention can minimize the height or thickness of the device; in addition, since the ring frame 30 and the integral rotational rise of the suspension 20 on it, so that the suspension 2 can automatically be in a horizontal rotation state at the moment it is separated from the base 1; in addition, due to the surrounding guidance of the guide tube 40, the lifting and lowering of the ring frame 30 will also More stable. However, more importantly, the lifting mechanism of the present invention also has the following advantages.

As shown in Figure 2-4, the entire lifting mechanism adopts a ring-cylindrical design, which eliminates the rotating structure provided in the internal space and increases the space for the suspension to move up and down, thereby further reducing the height of the device.

The ring gear 13 and the guide shaft 15 are circumferentially spaced on the inner ring member 12 of the drive ring assembly 10, which both reduces the radial size of the device and provides a radially protruding mounting seat 39 for the ring frame 30. Footprint space is provided, further reducing the radial dimensions of the device.

The setting of the limit switch, especially the critical limit switch 18, makes the take-off of the suspension body 1 very smooth. A large number of tests by the applicant have proven that the automatic take-off failure rate of the lifting mechanism of the present invention is less than one percent.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the above various directional terms including "up", "down", etc. are only used to illustrate the present invention in conjunction with the embodiments shown in the drawings, but not to limit the present invention.

Claims (10)

A lifting mechanism for a magnetic levitation device, wherein the magnetic levitation device has a suspension body and a levitator for suspending the suspension body. The lifting mechanism includes: A guide tube with a circumferential wall, wherein a guide groove with a gradually varying height is provided on the circumferential wall of the guide tube; The annular frame used to carry the suspension is provided with vertical through holes and horizontal rollers protruding radially outward along its circumferential direction. The annular frame is installed in the guide tube and the two are opposite to each other around the vertical rotation axis. The rollers of the rotatable, ring-shaped frame are inserted into the guide grooves of the guide barrel; and The drive ring assembly includes a relatively rotatable but non-displaceable inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring is provided with vertical guide shafts spaced apart from each other along its circumference, and the guide shafts pass through the through holes of the ring frame. The ring is fixed with the guide tube. The guide tube, annular frame and drive ring assembly jointly form a hollow annular cylindrical structure. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential wall of the guide tube is evenly provided with a plurality of guide grooves of the same shape, and the annular frame is also provided with a plurality of corresponding rollers. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the inner ring member is provided with a plurality of guide shafts evenly distributed along the circumferential direction, and the annular frame is also provided with a plurality of corresponding through holes. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the inner ring member is further provided with a gear ring segment spaced apart from the guide shaft along the circumferential direction. The lifting mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the outer ring member is further provided with a driving gear that matches the ring segment of the inner ring member, a motor is installed on the circumferential wall of the guide cylinder, and the rotation output shaft of the motor is connected to the driving gear. . The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the position of the suspension device is adjustable and fixed on the annular frame. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a critical limit switch arranged on the inner ring member for controlling the operation of the suspension device. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a limit limit switch provided on the inner ring member for controlling the operation of the motor. A magnetic levitation device includes a levitation body and a base for initial positioning of the levitation body, wherein the base includes the lifting mechanism and the levitation device according to one of claims 1 to 8. The magnetic levitation device according to claim 9, wherein just before the levitation body is about to leave the base and rise, the critical limit switch sends a signal to control the levitation device to start working.

Images