WO2022028260A1 - Air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform - Google Patents

Abstract

An air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform, comprising: an air-floating guide rail (1), a rigid-flexible coupling platform (2), a driving component (3), a detection component (4) and a contact switching device (5), wherein the rigid-flexible coupling platform (2) comprises a frame (21), a working platform (22) and a flexible hinge component (23); and the working platform (22) is connected to the frame (21) by means of the flexible hinge assembly (23). When working, a long-stroke motion is realized by means of the air-floating guide rail (1), and nano-level positioning is realized by means of the elastic deformation of a flexible hinge of the rigid-flexible coupling platform (2). When the motion stroke is greater than the maximum deformation of the flexible hinge, the contact switching device (5) controls the frame (21) and the air-floating guide rail (1) such that same are switched to a non-contact state, and the rigid-flexible coupling platform (2) moves freely; and when the error of displacement of the motion platform is less than the maximum deformation of the flexible hinge, the frame (21) and the air-floating guide rail (1) are switched to a contact state, so that the fluctuation, on the air-floating guide rail (1), of the frame (21) of the rigid-flexible coupling platform (2) is eliminated, such that the precision of a nano platform can be achieved.

Description

An air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of motor drive, in particular to an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform.

Background technique

Laser direct writing, lithography, precision optical inspection and other equipment and instruments require the support of a long-stroke nano-positioning motion platform. Due to its high acceleration performance, mechanical guide motion platforms are widely used in equipment that requires speed and accuracy. However, there is friction in the mechanical guide rail, and the precision is limited by friction. The current highest precision in commercial use is 500nm, which is far from meeting the needs of high-end equipment such as lithography machines. Achieving higher accuracy requires reducing or eliminating friction, such as with cross-roller guides or air-bearing guides. Among them, the friction coefficient of the cross-roller guide is small, and the repeated positioning accuracy of the motion platform is 75-100nm, but the stroke is usually less than 300mm; the air-floating platform guide can eliminate friction, and the accuracy is about 10-100nm.

At present, the Dutch company ASML has developed an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine at the 10nm node. From the point of view of node manufacturing cost, the launch of the next generation of 7nm lithography is also an inevitable event. After breaking through 5nm, 3.5nm is the limit of lithography. If it goes further down, quantum benefits will be generated, and the manufacturing cost will increase sharply. The future Moore's Law can only be achieved by chips and three-dimensional packaging. It can be seen that in the field of lithography, the development of the next-generation long-stroke nanopositioning motion platform is a great challenge.

Air flotation platforms are usually used with air flotation guide rails, and air flotation guide rails are generally ground and processed to obtain high straightness. Although the current commercial air flotation platform can achieve the maximum accuracy of 10nm, the air flotation guide rail has no friction and small damping, and the balance position is difficult to control, and the repeat positioning accuracy is usually only 50-100nm. In this regard, some applications use a flexible hinge platform, relying on elastic deformation, it is very easy to achieve nano-level positioning, the highest repeat positioning accuracy can reach 2nm, but its disadvantage is that the stroke is only a few hundred microns, which is not suitable for long stroke applications. need.

To achieve long-travel nano-level positioning, macro-micro composites are an effective means, and 2nm precision can be achieved through the deformation of the flexure hinge of the micro-movement platform. However, the existing macro-micro composite platform is a micro-movement platform mounted on the macro platform, and the final accuracy is the result of the superposition of the macro and micro platforms, and the switching control efficiency of the macro and micro platforms is low. It can be seen that the macro-micro composite method has certain limitations in the long-stroke nano-level positioning.

Patent CN201610508540.X proposes a single-drive rigid-flexible coupling precision motion platform and its realization method and application scheme, which innovatively integrates long-stroke linear platform and high-precision flexible hinge nano-platform, and uses flexible hinge elastic deformation to compensate friction dead zone , and realizes macro-micro adaptive switching control. However, the straightness and flatness of the rigid-flexible coupling platform are limited by the manufacturing and installation accuracy of mechanical guide rails, and cannot meet the needs of high-end equipment such as lithography machines.

Patent CN201210055122.1 discloses a coaxial macro-micro composite linear motion platform device. The macro-moving platform of the device is guided by an air-floating guide rail, driven by a linear motor, and the position accuracy of the grating ruler is detected; the macro-moving platform drives the micro-moving platform; The platform is cut and processed from an integral metal plate to form a surrounding frame, an internal micro-moving platform and a flexible hinge for connecting and guiding. The frame is fixed on the macro-moving platform; the friction resistance between the micro-moving platform and the macro-moving platform is eliminated by air flotation; The movement directions of the moving platform and the macro-moving platform are coaxial; the micro-moving platform is connected to the frame entity through flexible hinges; the flexible hinges are symmetrically distributed, and the micro-elastic bending deformation of the material ensures the guidance and movement of the micro-moving platform. The coil motor provides the power to move the micro-movement platform, and the micro-motion sensor senses the displacement of the micro-movement platform, so as to realize the high-precision displacement and positioning of the micro-movement platform. However, this patent is still a traditional macro-micro composite solution, in which the micro-movement platform is superimposed on the macro platform, which requires macro-micro switching control, and the efficiency is low. In addition, the macro platform adopts air-floating guide rails, which will be disturbed at the equilibrium position due to frictionless, small damping and difficult control.

All in all, the technologies of air-floating platform, flexible hinge platform, macro-micro composite platform and rigid-flexible coupling platform are mainly used in the application of the existing long-stroke nano-positioning platform, and there are at least the following technical defects:

1) The air flotation platform has good straightness and flatness, but the rigidity is small, the air flotation guide rail has no friction and small damping, and the balance is not easy to control;

2) The flexible hinge platform has high precision, but small stroke and narrow application range;

3) The macro-micro composite platform can realize long-stroke precision positioning, but it requires macro-micro switching control, which has low efficiency, and two sets of drives and high cost;

4) The rigid-flexible coupling platform is improved from the macro-micro composite platform, which can realize the macro-micro adaptive switching control, but the straightness is limited by the guide rail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above technical defects, the present invention provides an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform, comprising: an air-floating guide rail, a rigid-flexible coupling platform, a drive assembly, a detection assembly and a contact switching device;

The rigid-flexible coupling platform includes: a frame, a working platform and a flexible hinge assembly; the working platform and the frame are connected through the flexible hinge assembly;

The rigid-flexible coupling platform is installed on the air-floating guide rail; the drive assembly is installed at the bottom of the working platform, and is used to drive the rigid-flexible coupling platform to move on the air-floating guide rail;

The detection component is installed on the rigid-flexible coupling platform for detecting the displacement and speed of the motion platform;

The contact switching device is fixedly installed on the frame, and is arranged between the frame and the air-floating guide rail, and is used to control the frame and the air-floating guide rail to be based on the displacement and speed of the motion platform. Contact state or non-contact state.

Optionally, the flexible hinge assembly is connected and arranged between the frame and the working platform, and the flexible hinge assembly is in the form of: an integral processing type and/or an assembled type; wherein,

The integrally processed flexible hinge assembly is integrally processed with the frame and the working platform;

The assembled flexible hinge assembly is arranged at both ends of the movement direction of the working platform, and at least two sets of flexible hinges are arranged at either end of the two ends to be assembled and connected with the frame and the working platform. The middle or both ends are provided with adjustment blocks for adjusting the effective working length.

Optionally, the drive assembly adopts a linear or voice coil motor, and the drive mode of the drive assembly is a non-contact drive mode.

Optionally, the detection assembly includes: a first detection unit arranged between the working platform and the air-floating guide rail, a second detection unit arranged between the working platform and the frame, and/ or a third detection unit arranged between the frame and the air-floating guide rail;

The first detection unit includes a first detection component and a first detection reference member respectively arranged on the working platform and the air-floating guide rail;

The second detection unit comprises a second detection part and a second detection reference part respectively arranged on the working platform and the frame;

The third detection unit includes a third detection part and a third detection reference part respectively arranged on the air-floating guide rail and the frame;

The displacement and velocity detected by the first detection unit are the first feedback, the displacement and velocity detected by the second detection unit are the second feedback, and the displacement and velocity detected by the third detection unit are the first feedback. Velocity is the third feedback.

Optionally, the measurement method of the detection component includes: single feedback or double feedback; wherein,

The single feedback measurement method includes the first feedback;

The dual feedback measurement manner includes the first feedback and the second feedback, or includes the first feedback and the third feedback.

Optionally, the contact switching device adopts air cylinder, piezoelectric, magnetostrictive material, voice coil motor, linear motor or electromagnetic switch state switching device.

Optionally, when the detection component detects that the movement stroke of the moving platform is greater than the maximum deformation amount of the flexible hinge assembly, and the speed of the moving platform is greater than a preset value, the contact switching device controls the The frame is in a non-contact state with the air-floating guide rail;

When the detection component detects that the speed of the moving platform is less than or equal to a preset value and the frame stops moving, the contact switching device controls the frame to be in a contact state with the air-floating guide rail.

Optionally, it also includes: a damping adjustment assembly disposed between the frame and the working platform, for making the working platform move with damping when it is driven or braked.

Optionally, it also includes: an auxiliary drive assembly disposed between the frame and the working platform, used to drive the working platform to perform micro-distance movement when the frame is locked, so that the flexible hinge assembly generates Deformation to achieve nano-level positioning accuracy.

Optionally, it also includes: a buffer assembly installed on the air-floating guide rail, used to slow down the movement speed of the rigid-flexible coupling platform to a safe range when in contact with the rigid-flexible coupling platform.

All in all, the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided by the present invention includes an air-floating guide rail, a rigid-flexible coupling platform, a drive assembly, a detection assembly and a contact switching device; wherein, the rigid-flexible coupling platform includes a frame, a working platform and a flexible A hinge assembly; the working platform and the frame are connected through the flexible hinge assembly. When working, each component cooperates with each other, the air-floating guide rail realizes long-stroke movement, and the nano-level positioning is realized through the elastic deformation of the flexible hinge of the rigid-flexible coupling platform. When the movement stroke of the motion platform is greater than the maximum deformation of the flexible hinge, the contact switching device controls the frame and the air-floating guide rail to switch to a non-contact state, and the rigid-flexible coupling platform can move freely. When the displacement error of the motion platform is less than the maximum deformation of the flexible hinge, the frame and the air-floating guide are switched to a contact state to eliminate the fluctuation of the rigid-flexible coupling platform frame on the air-floating guide. At this time, the displacement of the working platform is completely deformed by the flexible hinge. produced, enabling the precision of nanoplatforms. It effectively overcomes the defects of the existing platforms (air-floating platform, flexible hinge platform, macro-micro composite platform, rigid-flex coupling platform) in the application of long-stroke nano-positioning platform.

Description of drawings

In order to explain the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art more clearly, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only It is an embodiment of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained according to the provided drawings without creative efforts.

1 is a structural diagram of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a dual feedback measurement solution based on the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform shown in FIG. 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

3 is a schematic structural diagram of another dual feedback measurement solution based on the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform shown in FIG. 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

4 is a schematic structural diagram of a contact switching device of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

5 is a schematic structural diagram of the damping adjustment assembly of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a structural diagram of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

7 is a partial cross-sectional view of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

8A is a first partial cross-sectional view of the rigid-flexible coupling platform of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

8B is a second partial cross-sectional view of the rigid-flexible coupling platform of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

8C is a partial cross-sectional view of the flexible hinge assembly of the rigid-flexible coupling platform shown in FIG. 8B according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

9A is a schematic diagram of the installation of the first detection unit of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

9B is a partial cross-sectional view of the first detection unit shown in FIG. 9A according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

Fig. 10A is the installation schematic diagram of the second detection unit of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided in the second embodiment of the present invention;

10B is a partial cross-sectional view of the second detection unit shown in FIG. 10A according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

11A is a partial cross-sectional view of the contact switching assembly of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

11B is a partial cross-sectional view of the damping adjustment assembly of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

12A is a side view of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

12B is a top view of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

14A is a partial enlarged view of the flexible hinge assembly of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

14B is a partial enlarged view of a contact switching device of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

15 is a first partial cross-sectional view of the rigid-flexible coupling platform of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

16A is a second partial cross-sectional view of the rigid-flexible coupling platform of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 16B is a partial enlarged view of the flexible hinge assembly in the partial cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 16A according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

17A is a schematic structural diagram of a dual feedback measurement solution of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 17B is a schematic structural diagram of another dual feedback measurement solution of the air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative efforts, and obtain other implementations.

In order to keep the drawings concise, the drawings only schematically show the parts related to the present invention, and they do not represent its actual structure as a product. In addition, in order to make the drawings concise and easy to understand, in some drawings, only one of the components having the same structure or function is schematically shown, or only one of them is marked. As used herein, "one" not only means "only one", but also "more than one".

The technical solutions of the present invention are described in detail below with specific embodiments.

Example 1

Referring to FIG. 1 , the present invention provides an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform, including: an air-floating guide rail 1 , a rigid-flexible coupling platform 2 , a driving assembly 3 , a detection assembly 4 and a contact switching device 5 . Among them, the air-floating guide rail 1 has better straightness and flatness after being ground, and better than the linear guide rail, it can meet the occasions that have high requirements on straightness and precision, such as lithography. The rigid-flexible coupling platform 2 includes: a frame 21 , a working platform 22 , a flexible hinge assembly 23 and an air channel 24 ; the working platform 22 and the frame 21 are connected by the flexible hinge assembly 23 ; By connecting compressed air to the air passage 24 , the rigid-flexible coupling platform 2 floats on the air flotation guide rail 1 .

The drive assembly 3 is installed at the bottom of the working platform 22 for driving the entire rigid-flexible coupling platform 2 to move on the air-floating guide rail 1 . Specifically, the drive assembly 3 adopts a linear or voice coil motor, and the drive mode of the drive assembly 3 is a non-contact drive mode.

In the specific implementation process, the detection component 4 is installed on the rigid-flexible coupling platform 2 (specifically installed under the working platform 22 ), for detecting the displacement and speed of the moving platform. Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3 , in order to accurately detect the deformation and displacement of the flexible hinge assembly 23 , the detection assembly 4 includes: a first detection unit 41 arranged between the working platform 22 and the air-floating guide rail 1 , and arranged on the working platform The second detection unit 42 between the frame 22 and the frame 21, and/or the third detection unit 43 arranged between the frame 21 and the air-floating guide rail 1; The first detection part and the first detection reference part; the second detection unit 42 includes the second detection part and the second detection reference part respectively arranged on the working platform 22 and the frame 21; the third detection unit 43 includes The third detection part and the third detection reference part on the floating guide rail 1 and the frame 21 . Wherein, the displacement and velocity of the working platform 22 are detected by the first detection unit 41 as the first feedback; the deformation amount and deformation rate of the flexible hinge assembly 23 are detected and obtained by the second detection unit 42 as the second feedback; The third detection unit 43 detects and obtains the displacement and velocity of the frame 21 as the third feedback.

In a specific implementation process, the measurement mode of the detection component 4 includes: single feedback or dual feedback; wherein, the single feedback measurement mode includes the first feedback; the dual feedback measurement mode includes the first feedback and the second feedback, Or include the first feedback and the third feedback. The deformation and displacement of the flexible hinge assembly 23 can be obtained by subtracting the two sets of feedback values obtained by the double feedback measurement method, so as to obtain the contact switching condition of the contact switching device 5 .

1, the contact switching device 5 is fixedly installed on the frame 21, and is arranged between the frame 21 and the air-floating guide rail 1, for controlling the frame 21 and the air-bearing guide rail based on the displacement and speed of the motion platform 1 is a contact state or a non-contact state. When the detection component 4 detects that the movement stroke of the moving platform is greater than the maximum deformation amount of the flexible hinge component 23 and the speed of the moving platform is greater than the preset value, the contact switching device 5 controls the frame 21 and the air-floating guide rail 1 to be disconnected. Contact state; when the detection component 4 detects that the speed of the motion platform is less than or equal to the preset value, and the frame 21 stops moving, the contact switching device 5 controls the frame 21 and the air-floating guide rail 1 to be in a contact state, and the flexible hinge assembly 23 The amount of deformation multiplied by the stiffness of the flexible hinge assembly 23 is used as feedforward compensation. Wherein, the preset value is determined according to the comprehensive characteristics of different platforms.

In the specific implementation process, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , the contact switching device 5 includes a stator 51 fixedly mounted on the frame 21 and a retractable mover 52 arranged on the stator 51 . Controlling the retraction of the mover 52 can realize the frame 21 Switch the contact with the air flotation rail 1. In the specific implementation process, the actuator of the contact switching device 5 can take various forms, such as air cylinder, piezoelectric, magnetostrictive material, voice coil motor, linear motor, electromagnetic switch and other state switching devices.

Further, please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the motion platform further includes: a damping adjustment assembly 6 and an auxiliary drive assembly 7 disposed between the frame 21 and the working platform 22 . Further, referring to FIG. 5 , the damping adjustment assembly 6 includes: a movable end 61 and an adjustment end 62 , which are respectively mounted on the working platform 22 and the frame 21 , and are used to make the working platform 22 move with damping when it is driven or braked, and the damping is adjusted. The assembly 6 can realize adjustable damping in the working direction to improve the vibration response of the rigid-flexible coupling platform 2 during the movement. The auxiliary drive assembly 7 can use piezoelectric ceramics or a voice coil motor. When the frame 21 is locked, the piezoelectric ceramics or the voice coil motor drives the working platform 22 to perform micro-distance movement, so as to deform the flexible hinge assembly 23 and achieve nano-level positioning accuracy.

Above, the same design idea can be extended to the multi-axis platform composed of air-floating turntable and linear and rotary.

Embodiment 2

This embodiment provides another embodiment of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform, please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the motion platform includes an air-floating guide rail A1, a rigid-flexible coupling platform A2, a drive assembly A3, Detection assembly A4, contact switching device A5, damping adjustment assembly A6 and auxiliary drive assembly A7.

In the specific implementation process, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the air-floating guide rail A1 includes a guide rail A11 and a baffle A12, wherein the guide rail A11 is ground and has better straightness and flatness, which is more suitable for light Engraving and other occasions that have high requirements on straightness and accuracy; baffle A12 is installed at both ends of guide rail A11 to protect the moving platform. The rigid-flexible coupling platform A2 includes: a frame A21, a working platform A22 and a flexible hinge assembly A23, the airway A24 is arranged on the frame A21, and the flexible hinge assembly A23 is used to connect the frame A21 and the working platform A22; The frame A21 is assembled on the air bearing guide A1. By connecting compressed air to the air channel A24, the rigid-flexible coupling platform A2 is floated on the air-floating guide rail A1.

In the specific implementation process, please refer to FIG. 8A, the flexible hinge assembly A23 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform A2 is connected and arranged between the frame A21 and the working platform A22, and the form of the flexible hinge assembly A23 includes: integrated processing type and/or assembly type; Among them, the integrally processed flexible hinge assembly A23_1 is integrally processed with the frame A21 and the working platform A22 to ensure that there is no assembly error between the frame A21 and the working platform A22; the assembled flexible hinge assembly A23_2 is arranged at both ends of the moving direction of the working platform A22, Either end of the two ends is provided with at least two sets of flexible hinges A23_2 assembled and connected with the frame A21 and the working platform A22, and an adjustment block for adjusting the effective working length is provided in the middle or at both ends of any set of flexible hinges A23_2. It can be understood that the assembled flexible hinge assembly A23_2 has the function of adjustable stiffness.

Further, please refer to FIGS. 8B and 8C, the assembled flexible hinge assembly A23_2 includes: an adjusting block A23_21, a fixing block A23_22, a pressure bar A23_23 and a spring sheet A23_24, which are assembled between the frame A21 and the working platform A22, and can pass through the adjusting block The up and down movement of A23_21 adjusts the effective working length of the spring sheet A23_24 to achieve the purpose of adjusting stiffness, and the two flexible hinge forms described above constitute a composite flexible hinge form.

Please refer to FIG. 9A and FIG. 10A , the detection component A4 includes a first detection unit A41 and a second detection unit A42 , and dual feedback is realized by the two detection units. As shown in FIG. 9B , the first detection unit A41 includes a first detection head A411 and a first scale element A412; the first detection head A411 is fixed on the bottom of the working platform A22, and the first scale element A412 is attached to the inside of the guide rail A11 Side; the first detection unit A41 is used to detect the displacement and speed of the working platform A22 relative to the guide rail A11. Please refer to FIG. 10B , the second detection unit A42 includes a second detection head A421 and a second scale element A422, and is installed between the work platform A22 and the frame A21; wherein the second detection head A421 is fixed on the side of the work platform A22, and the second scale The element A422 is attached to the inner side of the frame A21, and the second detection unit A42 is used to detect the displacement and speed of the working platform A22 relative to the frame A21, that is, to detect the deformation amount and speed of the flexible hinge assembly A23. The detection component A4 adopts a double feedback measurement method, and detects the obtained speed and displacement as the contact switching conditions of the contact switching device 5 .

Further, please refer to FIG. 11A , which is a partial enlarged view of the dashed frame A of the rigid-flexible coupling platform A2 shown in FIG. 7 , the contact switching device A5 is fixed at the bottom of the frame A21 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform A2, and the actuator used is a cylinder , including a cylinder stator A51 fixedly installed at the bottom of the frame A21 and a retractable cylinder mover A52 arranged on the cylinder stator A51. Controlling the expansion and contraction of the cylinder mover A52 can realize the contact switching between the frame 21 and the air-floating guide rail 1 . When the movement stroke of the motion platform is greater than the maximum deformation of the flexible hinge assembly A23, the frame A21 and the air-bearing guide rail A1 are switched to a non-contact state, that is, the cylinder mover A52 of the contact switching device A5 is not in contact with the air-bearing guide rail A1, and the rigidity is flexible. The coupling platform A2 can move freely; when the displacement error is less than the maximum deformation of the flexible hinge assembly A23, the frame A21 and the air-bearing guide rail A1 are switched to a contact state, and the cylinder mover A52 extends and touches the side of the air-bearing guide rail A1. , that is, the cylinder mover A52 of the contact switching device A5 is in contact with the air-floating guide rail A1, which is equivalent to locking the frame A21, and the frame A21 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform A2 stops moving relative to the air-bearing guide rail A1. At this time, the displacement of the working platform A22 is completely determined by The flexible hinge assembly A23 is deformed, and the precision of the nanoplatform can be achieved.

Please refer to FIG. 11B , which is a partial enlarged view of the dashed frame B of the rigid-flexible coupling platform A2 shown in FIG. 7 . The damping adjustment component A6 adopts an adjustable buffer, including a movable end A61 and an adjustment end A62 . The adjusting end A62 is fixed on one end face of the frame A21, and the damping size can be adjusted; the movable end A61 is fixed on one end face of the working platform A22. The damping adjustment assembly A6 is equivalent to being assembled between the frame A21 and the working platform A22 to improve the vibration response of the rigid-flexible coupling platform A2 (especially the flexible hinge assembly A23 ) during the movement.

6, 7 and 8A, the auxiliary drive assembly A7 is made of piezoelectric ceramics, installed on the other end face of the frame A21, and in contact with the other end face of the working platform A22. When the frame A21 is locked, the piezoelectric ceramic-driven work platform A22 deforms on the frictionless flexible hinge assembly A23 to achieve nanoscale precision.

Embodiment 3

This embodiment provides a third embodiment of an air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform, please refer to FIG. 12A , FIG. 12B and FIG. 13 , the motion platform includes an air-floating guide rail B1, a rigid-flexible coupling platform B2, a drive Assembly B3, detection assembly B4, contact switching device B5, damping adjustment assembly B6 and buffer assembly B7.

As shown in Figure 12A, Figure 12B and Figure 13, the air-floating guide rail B1 includes: a guide rail B11, a slide B12 and a baffle B13, and an air channel B14 is provided on the slide B12 for charging compressed air; the slide B12 is compressed by The air floats on the guide rail B11; the guide rail B11 has been ground and has better straightness and flatness, which can better meet the requirements of lithography and other occasions that have high requirements on straightness and accuracy; the baffle B13 is fixed on the air float. Both ends of the guide rail B1 are used to protect the motion platform.

Please refer to FIG. 13 , the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 includes: a frame B21 , a working platform B22 , and a flexible hinge assembly B23 . The frame B21 and the working platform B22 are connected by a flexible hinge assembly B23; the frame B21 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 is assembled on the air-floating guide rail B1.

Further, please refer to FIG. 14A , which is a partial enlarged view of the dashed frame A of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 shown in FIG. 13 . The flexible hinge assembly B23 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 adopts a combined flexible hinge, including: an adjustment block B231, The spring plate pressure bar B232, the frame pressure bar B233 and the spring plate B234. 15, 16A and 16B, the frame B21 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 is connected to the slide B12 of the air-floating guide rail B1; the frame B21 is designed in a "concave" shape, similar to a "pen holder", at this time the air-floating The sliding plate B12 of the guide rail B1 is also equivalent to a part of the frame B21 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2, which can be directly described as "frame B21" in the following description. The frame bead B233 is fixed above the frame B21, and the adjusting block B231 is used to change the rigidity of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2, and the rigidity is adjusted by changing the effective working length of the spring sheet B234. The sheet B234 is assembled in the gap of the adjusting block B231; the upper and lower adjusting blocks B231 are respectively connected with the frame bead B233 and the frame B21; therefore, the spring sheet B234 and the frame B21 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 are indirectly connected as a whole through the adjusting block B231; The two end surfaces of the working platform B22 are designed as "convex" shapes, which are embedded in the "concave" grooves of the frame B21. The working platform B22 is connected to the frame B21 through the spring sheet B234 and cooperates with the spring sheet pressure bar B232, that is, the working platform B22 and the frame B21 pass through. The spring sheet B234 is indirectly connected; the spring sheet pressing strip B232 is fixed with the "convex" top of the working platform B22, thus forming a rigid-flexible coupling platform B2, and the spring sheet B234 is the flexible hinge; the flexible hinge is located on the two sides of the "frame B21". At least two groups are arranged on one side of each opposite outer side, so that the relative position of the working platform B22 and the frame B21 is kept unchanged when the flexible hinge is replaced, and the original installation accuracy is guaranteed.

The combined flexible hinge form used in this embodiment is assembled into a flexible hinge through highly elastic spring sheets, and a flexible hinge structure with adjustable stiffness is designed, so that a platform can be used to adapt to different working conditions. There are two ways to adjust stiffness:

The first method is to change the effective working length of the spring sheet B234 by moving the upper and lower stiffness adjustment blocks B231, thereby changing the stiffness of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 to adapt to different working conditions.

Method 2: When the rigidity of the flexible hinge needs to be adjusted, it is only necessary to replace the spring sheet B234 located outside the frame B21 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 with different thicknesses, and set the flexible hinge assembly B23 to at least two groups on each side and It is arranged on the outside of the frame B21, without disassembling the entire platform, and the replacement is simple, convenient, fast and flexible, and cleverly solves the problem that the rigidity of the existing platform cannot be adjusted or the adjustment is cumbersome.

The design structure of the flexible hinge assembly of this embodiment has at least the following advantages:

(1) When adjusting the rigidity of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2, since there are at least two groups on one side to form a quadrilateral structure, the spring sheets B234 are replaced one group at a time, which can ensure the original assembly relationship remains unchanged; if there is only one group, the replacement At that time, the original assembly relationship was destroyed.

(2) The three groups can use spring sheets of different thicknesses respectively, and the arrangement and combination of spring sheets of different thicknesses can adapt to a variety of work situations. If there is only one set, it needs to be equipped with a large number of spring sheets of different thicknesses, which not only increases the cost, but also is difficult to adapt to various working conditions.

(3) When the three sets of flexible hinges use spring sheets of different thicknesses, the distribution of the spring force can be changed as required to achieve the best working assembly. If there is only one set, it cannot be achieved.

Therefore, this embodiment has the advantages of a wide range of stiffness adjustment, and can realize the adjustment of the thickness of the flexible hinge and the effective working length (in the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane).

Referring to FIG. 14B , the driving component B3 adopts a linear motor, including a motor stator B31 and a motor mover B32. The motor mover B32 is installed at the bottom of the working platform B22 of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2, and the motor stator B31 is installed on the air-bearing guide rail B1, so that the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 can move in the length direction of the air-bearing guide rail B1.

The detection component B4 includes two groups of detection components installed on the "frame" and detection components installed on the "platform". Each detection unit of the detection component B4 includes a detection head and a scale element.

Further, please refer to Figure 17A and Figure 17B, there are two installation solutions for the dual feedback measurement method of the detection component B4:

Option 1, referring to FIG. 17A , the detection assembly B4 includes: a first detection unit B41 installed on the "platform B22" and a second detection unit B42 installed on the "frame B21". The first detection unit B41 includes a first detection head B411 (fixed on the bottom of the working platform B22, which is equivalent to being fixed on the "platform B22" of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2) and a first scale B412 (affixed to the air-floating guide rail B1). The inner side of the guide rail B11 on one side), the first detection unit B41 is used to detect the displacement and speed of the working platform B22 relative to the guide rail B11 under the action of the driving force. The second detection unit B42 includes a second detection head B421 (fixed on the side of the slide B12 of the air-floating guide rail B1, equivalent to being fixed on the "frame B21" of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2) and a second scale B422 (affixed to the On the working platform B22), the second detection unit B42 is used to detect the displacement or speed of the working platform B22 relative to the “frame B21”, that is, the deformation displacement of the flexible hinge assembly B23.

Scheme 2, referring to FIG. 17B , the detection assembly B4 includes: a first detection unit B41 and a third detection unit B43; the first detection unit B41 includes a first detection head B411 (fixed on the bottom of the working platform B22, which is equivalent to being fixed on the rigid-flexible coupling on "Platform B22" of Platform B2) and the first scale B412. The third detection unit B43 includes a third detection head B431 (fixed at the inner groove of the slide B12 of the air floating platform B2, equivalent to being fixed on the "frame B21" of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2) and a third scale B432 . Specifically, the first scale B412 and the third scale B432 may be the same scale, which is attached to the inner side of the guide rail B11 on one side of the air-floating guide rail B1. The first detection unit B41 is used to detect the displacement and speed of the working platform B22 relative to the guide rail B11 under the action of the driving force; the third detection unit B43 is used to detect the displacement and speed of the “frame B21” relative to the guide rail B11; two sets of detection components The deformation displacement of the flexible hinge can be obtained by subtracting the measured value of .

In this embodiment, dual feedbacks are installed on "frame B21" and "platform B22", the feedback of "frame B21" is used as a speed loop, and the speed is more stable; the feedback of "platform B22" is used as a position loop, and the "platform B22" and "frame B21" The elastic deformation amount obtained by the displacement deviation is used to compensate the elastic force of the flexible hinge, so that when the speed and position deviation are both zero, the driving force can also output a stable elastic force to maintain the deformation of the flexible hinge. Finally, the motion planning of the resonant frequency is avoided, the vibration of the flexible hinge in high-speed motion is reduced, and the positioning efficiency is higher.

In the specific implementation process, please refer to FIG. 14B , which is a partial enlarged view of the dotted frame B of the motion platform shown in FIG. 13 . The contact switching device B5 includes an actuator B51 , a contact unit B52 and a wear-resistant block B53 . The actuator B51 is in the form of an electromagnetic switch. The actuator B51 includes a stator B511 and a mover B512, wherein the stator B511 of the actuator B51 is fixed on the "frame 21" (indirectly fixed on the slide B12 of the air-floating guide rail B1), and the mover B512 of the actuator B51 outputs the output The contact unit B52 is installed at the end of the shaft, and the wear-resistant block B53 is installed on the guide rail B11. By controlling the expansion and contraction of the mover B512 of the actuator B51, and forming or disconnecting the contact pair with the wear-resistant block B53 on the guide rail B11, it can be realized Contact switching; since the sliding plate B12 of the air-floating guide rail B1 cannot accurately stop at the designated position due to inertia when it stops, and it is prone to the phenomenon of “jitter” when it stops, thus affecting the positioning accuracy of the platform, so the contact switching device B5 is set. When the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 receives the stop instruction, the contact unit B52 of the contact switching device B5 will fall down under the push of the mover B512 and rest on the wear-resistant block B53 on the guide rail B11, so that the rigid-flexible coupling of the movement is achieved. The platform B2 stops accurately, avoiding the stop shaking.

In the specific implementation process, please refer to FIG. 12B and FIG. 14A , the damping adjustment component B6 adopts adjustable buffers, and two groups are arranged, which are respectively located on the two end faces of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2. The damping adjustment component B6 includes the movable end B61, The adjusting end B62 and the damping adjusting device press the screw B63. The adjusting end B62 is fixed on one end face of the frame B21, and the damping size can be adjusted; the movable end B61 is fixed on one end face of the working platform B22 by pressing the screw B63 of the damping adjusting device. The damping adjustment component B6 is equivalent to being assembled between the frame B21 and the working platform B22. Therefore, when the working platform B22 receives the driving force, it can realize the movement with damping, and can also stop slowly with damping when braking, which prevents the working platform B22 The "jitter" phenomenon occurs during the start-stop and movement process, which affects the positioning accuracy of the platform, so as to improve the vibration response of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 during the movement process.

In the specific implementation process, please refer to FIG. 12B, there are two groups of buffer components B7, which are installed on both sides of the guide rail B11 respectively, and are used to slow down the movement speed of the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2 to a safe range when in contact with the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2, thereby preventing the rigid-flexible coupling platform B2. When the coupling platform B2 moves abnormally, the acceleration is too fast and hits the baffles B13 on both sides, which affects the accuracy or damages.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional changes and modifications to these embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once the basic inventive concepts are known. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be construed to include the preferred embodiment and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, provided that these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims (10)

1. An air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform is characterized by comprising: an air-floating guide rail, a rigid-flexible coupling platform, a driving component, a detection component and a contact switching device;

   The rigid-flexible coupling platform includes: a frame, a working platform and a flexible hinge assembly; the working platform and the frame are connected through the flexible hinge assembly;

   The rigid-flexible coupling platform is installed on the air-floating guide rail; the drive assembly is installed at the bottom of the working platform, and is used to drive the rigid-flexible coupling platform to move on the air-floating guide rail;

   The detection component is installed on the rigid-flexible coupling platform for detecting the displacement and speed of the motion platform;

   The contact switching device is fixedly installed on the frame, and is arranged between the frame and the air-floating guide rail, and is used to control the frame and the air-floating guide rail to be based on the displacement and speed of the motion platform. Contact state or non-contact state.
2. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, wherein the flexible hinge assembly is connected and arranged between the frame and the working platform, and the flexible hinge assembly is in the form of: : integrally processed and/or assembled; wherein,

   The integrally processed flexible hinge assembly is integrally processed with the frame and the working platform;

   The assembled flexible hinge assembly is arranged at both ends of the movement direction of the working platform, and at least two sets of flexible hinges are arranged at either end of the two ends to be assembled and connected with the frame and the working platform. The middle or both ends are provided with adjustment blocks for adjusting the effective working length.
3. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, wherein the drive assembly adopts a linear or voice coil motor, and the drive mode of the drive assembly is a non-contact drive mode.
4. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, wherein the detection assembly comprises: a first detection unit disposed between the working platform and the air-floating guide rail, wherein a second detection unit between the working platform and the frame, and/or a third detection unit arranged between the frame and the air-floating guide rail;

   The first detection unit includes a first detection component and a first detection reference member respectively arranged on the working platform and the air-floating guide rail;

   The second detection unit comprises a second detection part and a second detection reference part respectively arranged on the working platform and the frame;

   Described the 3rd detection unit comprises the 3rd detection part and the 3rd detection reference part that are respectively arranged on the described air-floating guide rail and the described frame;

   The displacement and velocity detected by the first detection unit are the first feedback, the displacement and velocity detected by the second detection unit are the second feedback, and the displacement and velocity detected by the third detection unit are the first feedback. Velocity is the third feedback.
5. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 4, wherein the measurement method of the detection component comprises: single feedback or double feedback; wherein,

   The single feedback measurement method includes the first feedback;

   The dual feedback measurement manner includes the first feedback and the second feedback, or includes the first feedback and the third feedback.
6. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, wherein the contact switching device adopts air cylinder, piezoelectric, magnetostrictive material, voice coil motor, linear motor or electromagnetic switch state switching device.
7. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, wherein when the detection component detects that the motion stroke of the motion platform is greater than the maximum deformation of the flexible hinge component, and the When the speed of the moving platform is greater than a preset value, the contact switching device controls the frame and the air-floating guide rail to be in a non-contact state;

   When the detection component detects that the speed of the moving platform is less than or equal to a preset value and the frame stops moving, the contact switching device controls the frame to be in a contact state with the air-floating guide rail.
8. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, further comprising: a damping adjustment assembly arranged between the frame and the working platform, for making the working platform Damped movement when driven or braked.
9. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, further comprising: an auxiliary drive assembly disposed between the frame and the working platform, for when the frame is locked At the time, the working platform is driven to perform micro-distance movement, so that the flexible hinge assembly is deformed, and nano-level positioning accuracy is realized.
10. The air-floating guide rail type switchable rigid-flexible coupling motion platform according to claim 1, further comprising: a buffer assembly mounted on the air-floating guide rail, used for contacting the rigid-flexible coupling platform when in contact with the air-floating guide rail. Slow down its movement speed to a safe range.

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