CA2818785A1

CA2818785A1 - Adjustment device

Info

Publication number: CA2818785A1
Application number: CA2818785A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Horst Dietz
Original assignee: Kokinetics GmbH
Current assignee: Kokinetics GmbH
Priority date: 2012-06-12
Filing date: 2013-06-12
Publication date: 2013-12-12
Also published as: DE102012105079A1; EP2675046A3; EP2675046A2; CN103488182A; CN103488182B

Abstract

An adjustment device for a component (35, 28) featuring a motor (2), a stator, a rotor (4), and a rotational sliding element (40, 27) should be characterized by a uniaxial construction

Description

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Adjustment Device The present invention pertains to an adjustment device for a component in accordance with the generic part of Claim 1.
State of the Art Devices like this are already present on the market and in use in a variety of forms and embodiments.
The disadvantage of the devices according to the state of the art is particularly the position of a separate lever system for the making of adjustments, which increases manufacturing costs as well as device maintenance costs, and makes the maintenance, and functionality of the device more difficult.
Task of the Invention The task of the present invention is to create an adjustment device of the aforementioned type, which eliminated the disadvantage from the current state of the art, and features a simple and easy-to-use structure, can be manufactured in a cost-effective manner, and arranged in an efficient space-saving way. In particular, a complicated lever system for the adjustment of solar modules, solar trackers etc. should be dispensed with.
Solution of the Task The solution of the task is provided by the features of Claim 1.
The adjustment device features a motor by way of a drive, as well as a stator and a rotor in a fully or only partially encapsulated, and most importantly, a uniaxial construction. The result is that even less space is required for the utilization of the positive advantages of the invention. The uniaxial construction =
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- 2 -of this adjustment device also allows for a hermetically sealed encapsulated and compact construction of the lever system and the rotary actuator, which can be integrated into other construction components when needed.
Generally, a drive for such an adjustment device should be a drive of the type that is needed in order to adjust or rotate a component by means of the lever system. Components in this sense include such components as solar trackers, solar modules, solar mirrors, or solar panels for tracking the position of the sun.
Other components such as door hinges, vehicle, seat adjustment hinges, or hospital beds might also be considered. Essentially, this adjustment device should be considered in any case in which the biaxial positioning of a component is required.
The energy for driving the adjustment device, and therefore, for the adjustment of the solar module or of a respective other component is provided by the drive.
The drive is preferably an electromotor. Other drives that are capable of generating sufficient energy for driving the adjustment device can also be considered.
The adjustment device serves for the transmission of energy from the drive to the rotor, relative to the stator.
In a preferred embodiment, the adjustment device is constructed uniaxially with a rotor and a stator. A uniaxial arrangement in this context means that the adjustment device, the stator, the rotor, and the drive are all positioned in the same plane connected to each other. Consequently, they form a uniaxial construction. Uniaxial here means the orientation of the adjustment device, the stator, the rotor, and the drive in an uninterrupted line, which may be identified as the axis orientation, longitudinal orientation, or along the longitudinal axis. In the present case, the orientation is along the drive axis, or the pivot axis.

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- 3 -The adjustment device may feature a rotational sliding element with at least two rotational sliding threads, which are linked in an operative connection by way of an external thread with an internal thread inside a hull of the stator and of the rotor. The rotation sliding threads are driven and moved by way of a shaft connected to the motor, wherefore as a result of the operative connection, the stator and the rotor rotate as well, leading to the possibility of the pivoting of the rudder blade or of the outboard motor.
In a different embodiment, a rotational sliding element is envisioned, which is in an operative connection with the shaft itself by way of an internal thread.
The rotational sliding element features at least two rotational sliding grooves, in which the rotational sliding guide elements are guided, which in turn are positioned on an inside of the hulls of the stator and of the rotor which faces the rotational sliding element. The inside of the stator and rotor hulls are otherwise smooth on the inside, and do not feature grooves.
The rotational sliding grooves take the form of a longitudinal groove in a surface area of the rotational sliding element facing the inside of the hull. However, they have not been broken all the way to the threading of the rotational sliding element. The operative connection between the internal threading of the rotational sliding element and the external threading of the shaft allows for the axial movement of the rotational sliding element on the shaft along the drive or pivoting axis.
The gradient of the spiral- or screw-shaped rotational sliding grooves may vary.
If the rotational sliding element is moved axially among the drive or pivoting axis or along the shaft, this implies a different rotation of the stator and of the rotor around the drive or pivoting axis. Consequently, the rotor is twisted away from or towards the stator by a difference angle of the rotational sliding grooves.
If the two rotational sliding grooves have the same orientation but proceed at different gradients, it is the difference between the angles. In the event of an opposing orientation of the rotational sliding grooves, it is the sum of the angles.

- 4 -Basically, the rotational sliding grooves may have any possible form; they may even be unevenly curved. The relative angle always results from the difference angle. The position of the rotational sliding element is determined by the shaft or by the motor, which turns the shaft around the drive or pivot axis, and thereby moves the rotational sliding element along this drive or pivot axis.
Pipes or pipe elements may also be featured, which would at least partially envelop and seal the stator and/or the rotor, and within which the movement of the stator and the rotor would take place. In the event that a pipe or a hull is featured, it would preferably be located, in a covering and sealing manner, above the sealing area between the stator and the rotor, so that additional sealing can be dispensed with. However, additional sealing elements may optionally be included as well.
When the motor is powered on, the adjustment device pivots the solar module connected to the rotor by a certain angle, typically of a maximum of plus minus 180 degrees. The adjustment device thereby converts rapid motor rotations around the drive axis into slow rotations around the pivot axis, whereby as a result of the construction, the drive axis and the pivot axis are almost, and in the present case, entirely, coincidental.
Via two connecting pieces, the adjustment device can be connected to a pedestal or to a substructure.
In a different embodiment, it is possible for at least two adjustment devices to be arranged inside a hull. The adjustment device may thereby be arranged in a mirror-inverted manner. It is also conceivable that the adjustment devices may be positioned inside a pedestal of a solar tracker and also in the table of the solar tracker or underneath the solar module of the solar tracker. This does not only make the horizontal pivoting of the solar module conceivable, but also a vertical pivoting thereof. This allows for an extensive bandwidth of adjustment =

- 5 -possibilities for the solar tracker or of the solar module, to allow for the tracking of the position of the sun in any season of the year.
Description of the Figures Additional advantages, features, and specific details of the invention follow from the description hereunder of preferential embodiment examples as well as from the drawing. The drawing shows in Figure 1: a schematic bottom view of an adjustment device according to the invention;
Figure 2: an enlargement of a cross-sectional view of a different embodiment example of an adjustment device according to the invention, featuring a rotational sliding element;
Figure 3: a cross-sectional view of a different embodiment example of the adjustment device according to the invention, featuring two rotational sliding elements;
Figure 4: a section of a side view of the adjustment device shown in Figure 3, in a position of use with a solar tracker;
Figure 5: a section of a side view of the adjustment device shown in Figure 3, in an additional position of use with a solar tracker;
Figure 6: a rear view of the adjustment device of Figure 5;
Figure 7: a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement possibility of adjustment devices; and I I

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- 6 -Figure 8: a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement possibility of adjustment devices.
Exemplary Embodiments According to Figure 1, an adjustment device 1.1 for a solar module 28 is shown.
The adjustment device 1.1 features a motor 2, a stator 3, as well as a rotor 4 in an only partially encapsulated construction. In this case, the rotor 4 is positioned at least partially inside a hull 29. A rotational sliding element 40 with two oppositional rotation sliding threads 8 and 9 which are linked with each other via a fixed connector 7, connects the stator 3 with the rotor 4.
A shaft 10 is housed on one end in a manner not depicted here in the motor 2, and is driven by it. The other end of the shaft 10 is housed in a shaft nut 11.
The shaft 10 is in an operative connection with the two rotation sliding threads 8 and 9, and therefore also with the stator 3, the rotor 4, and therefore with the hull 29. The shaft 10 rotates around a longitudinal or a drive axis 12.
By way of connecting pieces 14, the adjustment device 1.1 can be connected to a frame, not depicted here. The hull 29 is linked with the solar module 28 by way of additional connecting pieces 30, so that when the hull 29 rotates as indicated by the arrow 31, the solar module 28 pivots along.
When the motor 2 is powered on, the adjustment device 1.1 pivots the component, in this case, a solar module 28 that is connected to the rotor 4 by a certain angle, typically of a maximum of plus minus 90 degrees. The adjustment device 1.1 thereby converts rapid motor rotations around the drive axis 12 into slow rotations around the pivot axis 15, whereby as a result of the construction, the drive axis 12 and the pivot axis 15 are almost, and in the present case, entirely, coincidental.

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- 7 -The uniaxial construction of this adjustment device 1.1 allows for a hermetically sealed encapsulated and compact construction of the lever system and the rotary actuator, which can be integrated into other construction components when needed.
The rotation sliding threads 8 and 9 can be shifted with respect to the stator and the rotor 4 along the drive axis 12 or pivot axis 15 when the shaft 10 is rotated. Helical oppositional rotational grooves convert the relative shift of the rotation sliding threads 8 and 9 and of the stator 3 and the rotor 4 into a rotation between the stator 3 and the rotor 4. This generates a slow and powerful rotation of the rotor 4 around the drive axis 12 or the pivot axis 15.
Figure 2 shows an additional exemplary embodiment of an adjustment device 1.2. The exemplary embodiment differs from the exemplary embodiment according to figure 1 in that it shows a fully encapsulated construction mode, in other words, one in which all components are encapsulated either by the hull or by an additional pipe element 22. The hull 29 covers and seals the sealing area between the stator 3 and the rotor 4, so that additional sealing can be dispensed with. Optionally, however, an additional sealing element 17 can be included.
Instead of the two rotation sliding threads 8 and 9, rotational sliding guide elements 23 and 24 are envisioned, whereby the rotational sliding element 23 is positioned on the inside of the hull of the stator 3, and the rotational sliding element 24 on the inside of the hull of the rotor 4. The inside of the stator 3 and rotor 4 hulls are otherwise smooth on the inside, and do not feature grooves.
Furthermore, on the inside of the hulls of the stator 3 or of the rotor 4, a rotational sliding element 27 with rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26 is envisioned. The rotational sliding guide elements 23 and 24 are guided through the rotational sliding grooves 25 or 26, which are located in the form of a longitudinal groove in the surface area of the rotational sliding element 27, but -

- 8 -not all the way up to a threading of the rotational sliding element 27, not shown here. The threading of the rotational sliding element 27 is linked in an operative connection with a threading of the axis 10, whereby the rotational sliding element 27 can be shifted on the shaft 10 along the drive axis 12 or the pivot axis.
The gradient of the spiral- or screw-shaped rotational sliding grooves 25 and may vary.
If the rotational sliding element 27 is moved axially among the longitudinal axis 12 or along the shaft 10, this implies a different rotation of the stator 3 and of the rotor 4 around the drive axis 12 or the pivoting axis 15. Consequently, the rotor 4 is twisted away from or towards the stator 3 by a difference angle of the rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26. If the two rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26 have the same orientation but proceed at different gradients, it is the difference between the angles. In the event of an opposing orientation of the rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26, it is the sum of the angles.
Basically, the rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26 may have any possible form;
they may even be unevenly curved. The relative angle always results from the difference angle. The position of the rotational sliding element 27 is determined by the shaft 10 or by the motor 2, which turns the shaft 10 around the drive axis 12 or the pivot axis 15, and thereby moves the rotational sliding element along this drive axis 12 or pivot axis 15.
Furthermore, this adjustment device 1.2 features the hull 29, the pipe element 22, and the bearing block 32, onto which a clamping element 33 with the rotor 4 is axially fixated relative to the stator 3. The clamping element features a ring clamp 34. This ring clamp 34 fixates the rotor 4 relatively to the stator 3.

- 9 -Figure 3 shows two mirror-inverted adjustment devices 1.3. The adjustment devices 1.3 feature the same components as adjustment device 1.2 in Figure 2, wherefore this figure is referred to.
Figure 4 shows the adjustment device 1.3 in a position of use with a solar tracker 35, which includes the solar module 28 and a pedestal 36, which are connected to each other by way of a pivoting hinge 37. The pedestal 36 is connected to the ground 38 in a manner that is not depicted here. The adjustment device 1.3 is located on the bottom side 39 of the solar tracker 35.
The rotation of the solar module 28 by means of the adjustment device 1.3 is done around the drive axis 12 or pivot axis 15 in the direction of the arrow 41.
Figure 5 shows an adjustment device 1.3, which is positioned on the pedestal 36 in a manner different from what was shown in Figure 4. The result is that the pedestal can be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 42. In the framework of the explanations to Figure 5, Figure 4 is referred to explicitly.
The repetition for Figure 5 of all features listed with respect to Figure 4 is dispensed with. This is particularly the case when the same reference numbers are used for the same features.
Figure 6 shows a different view of Figure 5. According to it, the adjustment device 1.3 is also positioned inside the pivoting hinge 37. This extension has the advantage that the solar module 28 swivels around the horizontal axis, and can therefore be adjusted to the seasonal solar position. In order to overcome the large swiveling area in the pedestal 38, the two-step adjustment device 1.3 was built in. The two-step adjustment device 1.3 was constructed such that both rotating angles add up. The axis 10 moves the two rotational sliding elements 27 through the anchor. Through the anchoring of one of the rotor ends, the stator 3 rotates, and the area above it rotates with it.
In the Figures 7 and 8, positioning options of adjustment devices 1.2 are shown.

Reference List 1 Adjustment Device 34 Ring Clamp 67 2 Motor 35 Solar tracker 68 3 Stator 36 Pedestal 69 4 Rotor 37 Pivoting hinge 70 38 Ground 71 6 39 Bottom side 72 7 40 rotational sliding 73 element 8 rotational sliding thread 41 Arrow 74 9 rotational sliding thread 42 Arrow 75 Shaft 43 76 11 Shaft nut 44 77 12 Drive axis 45 78 14 Connecting piece 47 Pivoting axis 48 17 Sealing element 50 22 Pipe element 55 23 Rotational sliding guide 56 element 24 Rotational sliding guide 57 element Rotational sliding 58 grooves 26 Rotational sliding 59 grooves 27 rotational sliding 60 element 28 Solar module 61 29 Hull 62 Connecting piece 63 31 Arrow 64 32 Bearing block 65 33 Clamping element 66

Claims

1 Adjustment device for a component (35, 28), featuring - a motor (2) - a stator (3) - a rotor (4), and - a rotational sliding element (40, 27);
characterized by a uniaxial construction

2 Adjustment device according to Claim 1, characterized by the fact that the stator (3) and/or the rotor (4) are embodied in an at least partially encapsulated manner.

3 Adjustment device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that a drive axis (12) is simultaneously also a pivoting axis (15), and

4 Adjustment device according to one of the Claims 1 through 3, characterized by the fact that a shaft 10 is envisioned for driving the rotational sliding element (40, 27).

Adjustment device according to at least one of the Claims 1 through 4, characterized by the fact that at least the stator (3) is at least partially encapsulated by a hull (29).

6 Adjustment device according to Claim 5, characterized by the fact that the hull (29) can encapsulate the rotor (3) at least partially.

7 Adjustment device according to at least one of the Claims 1 through 6, characterized by the fact that the rotor (4) is at least partially encapsulated by a pipe element (22).

8 Adjustment device according to at least one of the Claims 1 through 8, characterized by the fact that the rotational sliding element (40) features at least two rotation sliding threads (8, 9).

9 Adjustment device according to at least one of the Claims 1 through 8, characterized by the fact that the rotational sliding element (27) features at least two rotational sliding grooves (25, 26) and at least two rotational sliding guide elements (23, 24) Adjustment device according to at least one of the Claims 1 through 8, characterized by the fact that at least one additional rotation sliding element (27) is envisioned.