JPH03106708A - Air skate device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the horizontal accuracy and the working efficiency of assembly of a machine tool or the like with the use of an air skate device by attaching a load plate to a body through the intermediary of a base plate with the use of a bolt so that a diaphragm is hermetically attached to a base plate with the use of the load plate. CONSTITUTION:A load plate 24 is attached to a skate body 1 through the intermediary of a base plate 12 with the use of a bolt 37, and accordingly, an engaging projection 25 on the load plate 24 is directly coupled to a base plate 12 through the intermediary of a guide hole in a diaphragm 19. Simultaneously, the edge part 28 of an opening in the diaphragm 19 is hermetically pressed against and engaged with the base plate 12 through the intermediary of an O-ring 39 by the base plate 12. With this arrangement, the load plate, base plate and the body are united without the diaphragm being disposed therebetween, thereby it is possible to maintain a high degree of accuracy and to enhance the working efficiency.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an air skating device, and is used to support precision machines such as machine tools and printing machines in the assembly process and inspection process. Concerning things that move.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as this type of air skating device, for example,
The outer periphery of a circular diaphragm for air bearing is hermetically connected to the mounting board of the skate body, and the load plate, which is in contact with the lower center of this diaphragm, is attached to the center of the mounting board by bolts. There is a structure in which the center portion of the diaphragm is airtightly sandwiched between the load plate and the mounting board.

In use, objects such as precision instruments are placed on the top of the skate body, and when conveying objects, air is forced into the diaphragm, which enlarges the diaphragm and floats the skate body. At the same time, the air exhausted from this diaphragm forms an air bearing for transportation between this diaphragm and the base, and during processes such as assembly and inspection of transported items, the load plate of the skate body is placed on the base. It is lowered and supported by this.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In the above structure, since the center portion of the diaphragm is sandwiched between the load plate and the mounting board, the diaphragm is elastically deformed during each process such as assembly and inspection of the transported object. However, it may not be possible to maintain the high horizontal precision required during each of these steps.

In other words, during each process such as assembly and inspection of the transported object, the transported object has extremely high horizontal accuracy, for example, S = 20/
Horizontal accuracy of 1000 or more may be required.

However, when assembling or inspecting conveyed items through assembly operations, the weight of the conveyed items is relatively light at the beginning of the assembly process, etc., but as the process progresses, the weight gradually increases. As the process progresses, the load on the air skates that support the object also increases gradually, but this load is rarely evenly distributed and applied to the air skates, rather it becomes an uneven load. Since the diaphragm elastically deforms and bends due to changes in this load, the required high horizontal accuracy cannot be obtained. Therefore, the horizontal accuracy must be adjusted for each process in which the conveyed object is conveyed. The problem is that it needed to be done.

Therefore, the present invention was made in view of these problems, and it is possible to always maintain high horizontal accuracy without being affected by changes in load, thereby improving accuracy in the assembly process, inspection process, etc. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air skating device that allows assembly work and inspection work to be performed at a high level of accuracy, and allows desired work to be performed efficiently and accurately without adjusting horizontal accuracy for each process. It is something.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The air skating device of the present invention includes a skate body in which a load receiving portion is formed on the upper surface and a base plate is attached to the lower surface, and the base plate of the skate body is A diaphragm is provided at the bottom of the base plate of the skate body, and the diaphragm is airtightly connected to the outer periphery of the diaphragm, has a guide hole in the center thereof, and has a plurality of air discharge holes in the inside thereof; An engaging protrusion is provided on the upper part of the diaphragm to engage with the base plate by passing through the guide hole of the diaphragm, and the opening edge of the guide hole is hermetically pressed against the base plate at the outer periphery of the engaging protrusion. a load plate having an O-ring;
A bolt for connecting the load plate to the skate body via the base plate is provided.

(Function) In the air skating device of the present invention, by connecting the load plate to the skate body via the base plate with bolts, the engaging protrusion of the load plate directly connects to the base plate through the guide hole of the diaphragm. This load plate allows the O
The opening edge of the diaphragm is hermetically pressed against the base plate through the ring. As a result, the load plate, base plate, and skate body are integrally connected to each other without the intervening diaphragm, which is affected by load fluctuations, and the set high horizontal accuracy is always maintained, and the diaphragm's airtightness and expansion and contraction properties are maintained. is reliably maintained.

(Example) Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a skate body, and this skate body 1 has a cylindrical metal center boss 2, and a load receiving portion 3 is recessed in the upper surface of the center boss 2. The locking step 4 formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the center boss 2 is provided with an annular top plate 5.
are horizontally fitted and locked together through an engagement hole 6 in the center thereof. Further, a circumferential side plate 7 is vertically arranged downward from the circumferential edge of the top plate 5, and a ring-shaped metal mounting board 8 is fixed horizontally and integrally to the lower end of the circumferential side plate 7. A connecting portion 11 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the lower end of the center boss 2 via a stepped portion 10 is integrally fitted and fixed into the insertion hole 9 bored in the center of the mounting board 8. There is. The connecting portion 11 of the center boss 2
The lower surface of the mounting board 8 and the lower surface of the mounting board 8 are formed on the same plane and horizontally.

Furthermore, a base plate 12 made of metal such as aluminum and formed into a disk shape is horizontally superimposed and fixed to the lower surface of the connecting portion 11 of the center boss 2 and the lower surface of the mounting board 8. ! An air introduction hole 13 is opened on one side of the mounting board 8 , and an exhaust port 15 of a conduit 14 airtightly fixed to one side of the mounting board 8 is communicated with the air introduction hole 13 . An inlet 16 is provided protruding from one side of the peripheral side plate 7. Further, a spring pin 18 protruding from the other side of the mounting board 8 is inserted into an insertion hole l7 formed in the other side of the base plate l2.

Also, l9 is a diaphragm, and this diaphragm 19 is
The diaphragm 19 is formed into a circular shape from an elastically deformable member such as rubber, and its outer peripheral edge 20 is integrally and airtightly connected to the lower outer peripheral edge of the base plate 1z with a connecting tool 21. A guide hole 22 having a size approximately corresponding to the size of the lower surface of the center boss 2 is formed, and a plurality of air discharge holes 23 are opened in the inner side of the diaphragm 19.

Furthermore, 24 is a load plate, and this load plate 2
4 is formed of metal in the shape of a disk, and the upper part thereof has an engaging protrusion 25 that is inserted into the guide hole 22 of the diaphragm 19, and the upper surface of the engaging protrusion 25 is attached to the base plate. horizontal engagement surface 27 that engages with the horizontal lower surface portion 26 of No. 12;
is in great shape. Further, an annular horizontal upper surface 29 is formed at the lower circumferential side of the engagement protrusion 25 of the load plate 24, and an annular horizontal upper surface 29 is formed on the lower surface of the opening edge 28 of the diaphragm 19. It is formed with an opening. Further, a horizontal support surface 32 is formed on the lower surface of the load plate 24 and is horizontally supported by the horizontal upper surface of the base 31 . Further, in the center of the load plate 24, there is an insertion hole 35 that communicates with a screw hole 33 drilled in the center of the center boss 2 and a through hole 34 drilled in the center of the base brake +2. A conical recess 36 is formed in communication with the lower part of the insertion hole 35 . A bolt 37 is inserted into and screwed into the screw hole 33 from the push-through hole 35 and the through hole 34, and the conical head 38 of the bolt 37 is inserted into the horizontal support surface. It is adapted to be accommodated within the recess 36 without protruding into the recess 32.

Reference numeral 39 denotes an O-ring, and this O-ring 39 is an elastically deformable member formed in an annular shape with a size that can be inserted into the annular groove 30 of the load plate 24, and the cross-sectional shape of this O-ring 39 is is larger than the depth of the annular groove 30, that is, when inserted into the annular groove 3G, it projects upward from the horizontal upper surface 29, and is formed in a shape smaller than the width of the annular groove 30. has been done.

In this structure, first, the O-ring 39 is set in the annular groove 3o of the load plate 24, and the engagement protrusion 25 of the load plate 24 is set in advance.
is inserted into the guide hole 22 of the diaphragm 19, and the horizontal engagement surface 27 of the engagement protrusion 25 is brought into contact with the horizontal lower surface portion 26 of the base plate 12.

In this state, the recess 3G and the insertion hole 35 of the load plate 24 and the through hole 3 of the base plate 12
4, deeply screw the bolt 37 into the screw hole 33 in the center boss 2 of the skate body 1.

As a result, the head 38 of this bolt 37 is deeply accommodated in the recess 36 of this load plate 24 without protruding into the horizontal support surface 32 of the load plate 24, and the horizontal engagement 27
is engaged with the horizontal lower surface portion 26 of the base plate l2 in direct surface contact without intervening the diaphragm 1g, and therefore the load plate 2 is connected to the lower surface portion of the center boss 2 via the base plate 12 by the bolt 37.
4 are joined together, and the horizontal support surface 32 of the load plate 24 of the bracket is set horizontally.

Furthermore, when the load plate 24 is integrally connected to the base plate 12 by tightening the bolts 37, the bottom 30g of the annular groove 30 of the load plate 24 allows the O-ring 39 set in the annular groove 30 to be connected to the diaphragm. The opening edge 28 of the diaphragm 19 is supported by the base plate l2, and the O-ring 39 is elastically deformed into an elliptical shape within the annular groove 30 due to the pressing force. At the same time, the repulsive force of the O-ring 39 causes the opening edge 28 of the diaphragm l9 to be strongly clamped and clamped to the base plate H2, so that the opening edge 28 of the diaphragm l9 is compressed and locked to the base plate 12 in an airtight manner. An air chamber 40 is formed between the diaphragm 19 and the base plate 12.

As a result, the metal load plate 24, base plate 12, and center boss 2 of the skate body 1 are directly connected to each other without intervening the diaphragm l9, which is affected by load fluctuations, and the set high horizontal The accuracy is
The airtightness and expansion and contraction properties of the diaphragm 19 are always maintained, and the diaphragm 19 is provided with an annular bulge 4l that contacts the base 3l at the lower part of the outer periphery. There is.

Next, when using, transport objects such as precision machines W
Depending on the type, size, etc., air skating devices are arranged at four locations on the base 31 to support the four corners of the transported object W, and the transported object W is placed on each of the air skating devices. In this case, each air skating device is supported horizontally on the base 31 via the horizontal support surface 32 of its load plate 24, and the load receiver of each center boss 2, as shown in FIGS. The lower ends of leveling bolts 42 at the four corners of the transported object W are engaged and supported on the surface of the transported object W.
are set horizontally, and each leveling bolt 42 is locked in the set state by a lock nut 43.

When transporting the object W, air is forced into the conduit l4 by an air supply device (not shown) connected to the inlet 16, and this air is transferred to the exhaust port 15 and the air inlet hole 13.
The air is forced into the air chamber 40 through the diaphragm 19, and the diaphragm 19 expands to levitate the skate body 1 and the conveyed object W, and the air discharge holes 2 of the diaphragm 19
3, air is carried out between the base 3l and the diaphragm 19, and this air causes the base 3l and the diaphragm l to
An air bearing is formed between the bulging portion 4l of 9 and the conveyed object W is smoothly conveyed toward the next process by this air bearing.

In addition, during processes such as assembling and inspecting the transported object W, the base 3
1, the load plate 24 of each skate body 1 is supported downwardly via its horizontal support surface 32. In this case, the metal load plate 24, base plate 12 and center boss 2 of the skate body 1 are directly integrated. Since they are connected and maintain high horizontal accuracy, process operations such as precision assembly and inspection can be performed accurately. Moreover, even if the weight of the transported object W increases and the load changes as the process progresses, each process can be performed accurately with high horizontal precision without being affected by this.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, by directly connecting the load plate to the lower part of the skate body via the base plate, the skate body can always maintain high horizontal accuracy without being affected by changes in the load on the skate body. As a result, it is possible to perform highly accurate assembly work and inspection work in the assembly process, inspection process, etc., and to perform the desired work efficiently and accurately without adjusting the horizontal accuracy for each process. I can do it. In addition, the opening edge of the diaphragm can be reliably and airtightly connected via the O-ring at the same time as the load plate is connected, making it possible to easily configure the air chamber without affecting the horizontal accuracy of the skate body. can do. Therefore, an air skating device with high horizontal accuracy can be provided with a simple configuration.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the air skating device, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the circled portion of the same as above, and Fig. 3 is a side view showing an example of the state of use. be. 1. Skate body, 3. Load receiver, 12. Base plate, 19. Diaphragm, 22. Guide hole, 23
・・Air discharge hole, 24・・Load plate, 25・・Engagement protrusion, 28・・Opening edge, 37・・・Bolt, 39・・
O-ring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A skate body with a load receiving part formed on the upper surface and a base plate attached to the lower surface; A diaphragm having a guide hole formed in the center and a plurality of air discharge holes opened inside the diaphragm, and a diaphragm provided at the lower part of the base plate of the skate main body and connected to the base plate by passing the guide hole of the diaphragm through the upper part of the diaphragm. a load plate having an engaging protrusion to be fitted and an O-ring on the outer periphery of the engaging protrusion for airtightly pressing the opening edge of the guide hole against the base plate; An air skating device comprising: a bolt connected to the skate body.