Login| Sign Up| Help| Contact|

Patent Searching and Data


Title:
MECHANICAL FREQUENCY CONVERTER
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2019/125144
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
Mechanical frequency converter comprising an input organ for receiving an input motion with a first frequency and an output organ for outputting an output motion with a second frequency, wherein the output motion depends on the in-put motion and the second frequency depends on the first frequency, wherein the input organ and the output organ are connected to each other via a link that is rotatably suspended in a supporting frame and which link is provided with two separate rotation points, a first rotation point being on a first side of the input organ and the link, and a second rotation point being on a second side of the input organ and the link, wherein said first side and said second side are on opposite sides of the input organ.

Inventors:
FARHADI MACHEKPOSHTI DAVOOD (NL)
HERDER JUSTUS (NL)
TOLOU NIMA (NL)
Application Number:
PCT/NL2018/050846
Publication Date:
June 27, 2019
Filing Date:
December 17, 2018
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
UNIV DELFT TECH (NL)
International Classes:
B81B3/00; F16H21/44
Domestic Patent References:
WO2001089986A12001-11-29
Foreign References:
US6557436B12003-05-06
US20110283794A12011-11-24
Other References:
None
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Van Breda, Jacques (NL)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. Mechanical frequency converter (1) comprising an input organ (2) for receiving an input motion with a first frequency and an output organ (3) for outputting an output motion with a second frequency, wherein the output motion de pends on the input motion and the second frequency depends on the first frequency, characterized in that the input organ (2) and the output organ (3) are connected to each other via a link (4) that is rotatably suspended in a supporting frame (5) and which link (4) is provided with two separate rotation points (6, 7), a first rotation point (6) being on a first side (4') of the input organ (2), and a second rotation point (7) being on a second side (4ff) of the input organ (2), wherein the first side (4') and the second side (4'') are on opposite sides of the input organ (2) .

2. Mechanical frequency converter according to claim 1, characterized in that at the rotation points (6, 7) the link (4) connects directly or indirectly to separate buckle sensitive flexible beams (8, 9} that provide a connection of the link (4) with the supporting frame (5), and that the flex ible beams (8, 9) are arranged to transfer tensile forces into the supporting frame (5), yet are arranged to buckle when sub jected to longitudinally acting forces on said beams (8, 9).

3. Mechanical frequency converter according to claim

1 or 2, characterized in that the input organ (2) and the out put organ (3) are on the same side (4'') of the link (4), and the first rotation point (6) is on the opposite side (4') of the link (4) and in between the input organ (2) and the output organ (3) .

4. Mechanical frequency converter according to claim 3, characterized in that the second rotation point (7) on the second side (4'') of the link (4) is located on a side of the input organ (2) which is distant from the output organ (3).

5. Mechanical frequency converter according to any one of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that both the input or gan (2) and the output organ (3} individually connect to the link (4) through connecting beams (10, 11) that form a trian gle with the link (4), and which connecting beams (10, 11) are arranged as a hinge on the input organ (2) and output organ (3) respectively.

6. Mechanical frequency converter according to any one of claims 1 - 5, characterized in that both the input or- gan (2) and the output organ (3) are supported by the support ing frame (5) via parallel connecting beams (12).

7. Mechanical frequency converter according to any one of claims 1 - 6, characterized in that the converter (1) is embodied in mems.

8. Mechanical frequency converter according to any one of the previous claims, concatenated with one or more me chanical frequency converters according to any one of the pre vious claims so as to meet a predefined multiplier ratio be tween a frequency at an input receiving end of the first me chanical frequency converter and the frequency at an output receiving end of the last mechanical frequency converter in the concatenated series of mechanical frequency converters.

Description:
Mechanical frequency converter

The invention relates to a mechanical frequency converter comprising an input organ for receiving an input motion with a first frequency and an output organ for outputting an output motion with a second frequency, wherein the output motion depends on the input motion and the second frequency depends on the first frequency.

A geartrain is an example of such a mechanical fre quency converter. Notable disadvantages of the known geartrain are friction between its components, a difficult assembly, backlash and difficult to scale.

The invention is aimed to provide a mechanical frequency converter in which these disadvantages are alleviated or removed.

The mechanical frequency converter of the invention is embodied with the features of one or more of the appended claims .

According to a first aspect of the invention the in put organ and the output organ are connected to each other via a (relatively rigid) link that is rotatably suspended in a supporting frame and which link is provided with two separate rotation points, a first rotation point being on a first side of the input organ, and a second rotation point being on a second side of the input organ, wherein the first side and the second side are on opposite sides of the input organ.

The construction of the converter according to the invention provides that irrespective of the (initial) direc tion of movement of the input organ, the output organ always moves in the same direction. This means that when the input organ moves in a first direction, or when the input organ moves in a second direction which is opposite to the first di rection, the output organ always initially moves in one and the same direction. Accordingly a back-and-forth movement of the input organ arranges for a corresponding back-and-forth movement of the output organ at double the frequency of the movement at the input organ. This will hereinafter be further elucidated . The first and the second rotation points are suitably embodied in the converter of the invention by arranging that at the rotation points the link connects to two separate buck le sensitive flexible beams that provide a connection with the supporting frame, and that are arranged to transfer tensile forces to the supporting frame, yet are arranged to buckle when subjected to longitudinally acting forces on said beams. The active rotation point of the relatively rigid link is than located at the connecting point of this rigid link with the flexible beam that is subjected to tensile forces.

In one embodiment the input organ and the output organ are positioned on the same side of the (relatively rigid) link, and the first rotation point is then on the opposite side of the link and in between the input organ and the output organ .

Preferably then the second rotation point on the second side of the link is located on a side of the input organ which is distant from the output organ.

Both the input organ and the output organ individual ly connect to the (relatively rigid) link to enable relative rotation between the input organ, the output organ, and the rigid link. Although not essential this can be suitably done by applying connecting beams that form a triangle with said rigid link, wherein the connecting beams are arranged to hinge on the input organ and output organ respectively. This enables that the relatively rigid link can assume an oblique orientation in the supporting frame without need for the input organ and output organ to follow this different orientation of the rigid link.

Rectilinear motion of both input organ and output or gan is secured by the feature that both the input organ and the output organ are supported by the supporting frame via parallel connecting beams.

As already mentioned a back-and-forth movement of the input organ arranges for a corresponding back-and-forth movement of the output organ at double the frequency of the move ment at the input organ. If other multiplication factors are required, it is possible to concatenate the mechanical fre quency converter of the invention with one or more other me- chanical frequency converters of the invention, to meet a predefined multiplier ratio between a frequency at an input re ceiving end of the first mechanical frequency converter and the frequency and an output receiving end of the last mechani cal frequency converter in the concatenated series of mechani cal frequency converters.

The mechanical converter of the invention is prefera bly made in mems, which provides full access to the benefits of the invention in a micro-machined device and which makes the application of the invention feasible in a diversity of technical areas, notably energy harvesting, inertial naviga tion, tilt control in space technology, and even earthquake detection which requires high sensitivity and large bandwidth.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of two exemplary embodiments of a mechanical frequency converter according to the invention that is not limiting as to the appended claims.

In the drawing:

-figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a mechanical frequency converter according to the invention; and

-figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a mechanical frequency converter according to the invention.

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to similar parts.

With reference both to figure 1 and figure 2, the me chanical frequency converter 1 of the invention comprises an input organ 2 for receiving an input motion with a first fre quency and an output organ 3 for outputting an output motion with a second frequency. The construction of the mechanical frequency converter 1 of the invention arranges that the output motion of the output organ 3 depends on the input motion of the input organ 2 and that the frequency of motion of the output organ 3 depends on the frequency of motion of the input organ 2.

As both figure 1 and figure 2 show the input organ 2 and the output organ 3 are connected to each other via a (in comparison with connecting beams 8 - 14 to be discussed here inafter) relatively rigid link 4 that is rotatably suspended in a supporting frame 5. The relatively rigid link 4 is pro- vided with two separate rotation points 6, 7, a first rotation point 6 being on a first side 4' of the input organ 2 and the link 4, and a second rotation point 7 being on a second side A’’ of the input organ 2 and the link 4, wherein the first side A' and the second side 4' ' are on opposite sides of the input organ 2.

According to the embodiment shown in figure 1 at the rotation points 6, 7 the link 4 connects directly to separate buckle sensitive flexible beams 8, 9 that provide a connection with the supporting frame 5, and that are arranged to transfer tensile forces from the link 4 acting on the flexible beams 8, 9 into the supporting frame 5, yet are arranged to buckle when subjected to longitudinally acting compressing forces acting on said beams 8, 9. Buckling is shown in the smaller figures la and 2a below figures 1 and 2.

According to the embodiment shown in figure 2 at the rotation points 6, 7 the link 4 connects indirectly to separate buckle sensitive flexible beams 8, 9 that provide a connection with the supporting frame 5, and that are arranged to transfer tensile forces from the link 4 acting on the flexible beams 8, 9 into the supporting frame 5, yet are arranged to buckle when subjected to longitudinally acting compressing forces acting on said beams 8, 9.

It shows further in figure 1 and figure 2 that the input organ 2 and the output organ 3 are on the same side 4'' of the link 4, and that the first rotation point 6 is on the opposite side 4' of the link 4 and in between the input organ 2 and the output organ 3. Further it shows that the second ro tation point 7 on the second side A'' of the link 4 is located on a side of the input organ 2 which is distant from the out put organ 3.

The construction of the invention arranges that as seen in figure 1 and figure 2, when the input organ 2 moves upwards in the plane of the drawing, this will provide tensile forces acting on the connecting beam 9 that connects to the second rotation point 7 of the rigid link 4. On the other hand due to this upward movement of the input organ 2, the connect ing beam 8 that connects the first rotation point 6 to the supporting frame 5 will buckle. The upward movement of the in- put organ 2 therefore causes a rotation of the rigid link 4 around the second rotation point 7, which results in a corre sponding upward movement of the output organ 3.

Likewise the construction of the invention arranges that as seen in figure 1 and figure 2, when the input organ 2 moves downwards in the plane of the drawing, this will provide tensile forces acting on the connecting beam 8 that connects to the first rotation point 6 of the rigid link 4. And due to this downward movement of the input organ 2, the connecting beam 9 that connects the second rotation point 7 to the supporting frame 5 will buckle. The downward movement of the in put organ 2 therefore causes a rotation of the rigid link 4 around the first rotation point 6, which results in yet anoth- er upward movement of the output organ 3.

Since both the upward movement and the downward move ment of the input organ 2 cause an upward movement of the out put organ 3, a back-and-forth movement of the input organ 2 with a first frequency leads to a corresponding back-and-forth movement of the output organ 3 with a second frequency which is twice the first frequency.

Figure 1 and figure 2 further show that both the input organ 2 and the output organ 3 individually connect to the link 4 through connecting beams 10, 11 that form a triangle with the link 4, which arranges that the connecting beams 10, 11 can hinge on the input organ 2 and output organ 3 respec tively.

Further it is shown that both the input organ 2 and the output organ 3 are supported by the supporting frame 5 via parallel connecting beams 12.

Particular to the embodiment in figure 2, is the ap plication of two small parallel beams 13, 14 on the top of the input organ 2 and output organ 3 which allow for lateral dis placement to map the rotational motion of link 4 into transla tional motion of the input organ 2 and output organ 3.

In both embodiments of figure 1 and figure 2 the converter 1 is embodied in mems, thus making the converter of the invention particularly suitable in a diversity of application areas, such as energy harvesting, inertial navigation, tilt control in space technology, and earthquake detection, just to name a few.

Although the invention has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to exemplary embodiments of the me- chanical frequency converter of the invention, the invention is not restricted to these particular embodiments which can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiments shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the embodiments are merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims to these exemplary embodiments. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using these exem plary embodiments.