阅读说明：本技术 用于基站天线的操纵器组件 (Manipulator assembly for base station antenna ) 是由 李满坤 王小燕 刘朝辉 喻军峰 于 2019-01-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于基站天线的操纵器组件,其包括多个并排地安装的操纵器(20)；驱动轴(1)；驱动齿轮(2),所述驱动齿轮构造成相对于所述驱动轴是可轴向移动的；和移动装置(10),所述移动装置构造成用于使驱动齿轮相对于所述驱动轴轴向移动。每个操纵器具有从动齿轮(21)和与从动齿轮传动连接的操纵元件(25)。所述驱动齿轮构造成用于,相对于驱动轴轴向移动,以致与任意一个操纵器的从动齿轮接合或脱离接合；并且构造成用于驱动与驱动齿轮接合的这一个从动齿轮。这种操纵器组件结构简单、高度低、无源互调性能较好并且能够灵活地扩展。(The invention relates to a manipulator assembly for a base station antenna, comprising a plurality of manipulators (20) mounted side by side; a drive shaft (1); a drive gear (2) configured to be axially movable relative to the drive shaft; and a moving device (10) configured for axially moving the drive gear relative to the drive shaft. Each manipulator has a driven gear (21) and a manipulating element (25) in driving connection with the driven gear. The drive gear is configured for axial movement relative to the drive shaft so as to engage or disengage the driven gear of either manipulator; and is configured to drive the one driven gear in engagement with the drive gear. The manipulator assembly has the advantages of simple structure, low height, good passive intermodulation performance and flexible expansion.)

1. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna, comprising a plurality of manipulators (20) and comprising a rotatably mounted drive shaft (1), characterized in that the manipulator assembly further comprises a drive gear (2) configured to be axially movable relative to the drive shaft (1) for engagement with a selected one of the manipulators (20).

2. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1, wherein each manipulator (20) comprises a driven rack (21a) and a manipulating element (25), said driving gear (2) being configured for driving a selected one of the driven racks (21a) engaged with the driving gear (2); or

Each manipulator (20) comprises a driven gear (21) and a manipulating element (25) in transmission connection with the driven gear (21), and the driving gear (2) is configured for driving a selected one of the driven gears (21) engaged with the driving gear (2);

preferably, the driving gear (2) and the driven gear (21) are cylindrical gears;

preferably, the driving gear (2) and the driven gear (21) are spur gears.

3. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to any of claims 1 to 2, further comprising moving means (10) configured for axially moving a driving gear (2) relative to the drive shaft (1); and/or

The drive gear (2) is mounted on the drive shaft (1) so as to be axially displaceable and rotationally fixed; and/or

The drive shaft (1) has a non-circular cross-section and the drive gear (2) has a mounting bore (26), the mounting bore (26) having a complementary non-circular cross-section; and/or

The drive gear (2) and the driven gear (21) have an engagement assist structure; and/or

At least one of the drive gear (2) and the output gear (21) has at least one tooth (27) having one or two axially outwardly tapering end sections (28) as the engagement aid.

4. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving means (10) is configured as a screw drive comprising a rotatably mounted screw (6) and a nut (5) engaged with the screw (6) and movable translationally along the screw (6), the nut (5) being configured for bringing the driving gear (2) to move axially relative to the drive shaft (1); and/or

The axis of the screw rod (6) and the axis of the driving shaft (1) are parallel to each other; and/or

The manipulator assembly further comprises a drive motor (3) configured for driving the drive shaft (1), the drive motor (3) being fixedly mounted.

5. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 4, further comprising a positioning motor (4) configured for driving the lead screw (6), the positioning motor (4) being fixedly mounted; and/or

The moving device comprises a sliding frame (7) fixedly connected with the nut (5); and/or

The carriage has a fork (7b), which fork (7b) is configured for interacting with both end sides of the drive gear (2); and/or

The sliding carriage (7) comprises a sliding element (7a) which can slide in a sliding groove (9).

6. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a position sensor configured for determining directly or indirectly the axial position of the driving gear (2) with respect to the driving shaft (1); and/or

The position sensor comprises two conductive film belts (14), a movable electrode part (7c) contacted with the two conductive film belts (14) and two fixed electrode parts (7e) respectively connected with one conductive film belt (14), wherein the movable electrode part (7c) moves along the axial direction of the driving gear (2) relative to the driving shaft (1); and/or

The manipulator assembly comprises a position sensor comprising two conductive film strips (14) and an electrode part (7c) in contact with the two conductive film strips and two fixed electrode parts (7e) each connected to one of the conductive film strips (14), the carriage (7) having the electrode part (7 c).

7. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein each manipulator (20) is provided with a locking device (30) which is switchable between a locked state in which the manipulator is locked in position and an unlocked state in which the manipulator is movable;

preferably, each actuator (20) is provided with a locking device (30) which can be switched between a locked state in which the actuator is locked in position and an unlocked state in which the actuator is movable;

preferably, the locking means (30) comprises a pawl (11), the pawl (11) being configured for engagement with a toothed portion of a driven gear (21) of the respective manipulator, the pawl (11) being biased towards its engaged position, the pawl (11) being moved from its engaged position to its disengaged position upon engagement of the driving gear (2) with the respective driven gear (21), and the pawl (11) being reset to its engaged position upon disengagement of the driving gear (2) from the respective driven gear (21);

preferably, the manipulator assembly further comprises a moving device (10) configured for axially moving the driving gear (2) with respect to the drive shaft (1);

preferably, the moving device (10) is configured as a screw drive comprising a rotatably mounted screw (6) and a nut (5) engaged with the screw (6) and movable translationally along the screw (6), the nut (5) being configured for bringing the drive gear (2) into axial movement relative to the drive shaft (1);

preferably, the moving means comprise a carriage (7) fixedly connected with the nut (5);

preferably, wherein the carriage (7) has a region (7d) that interacts with the pawl (11), the region (7d) being configured for: -moving the jaws (11) from their engaged position to their disengaged position when the driving gear (2) is engaged with the respective driven gear (21), and away from the jaws (11) when the driving gear (2) is disengaged from the respective driven gear (21), so that the jaws (11) are reset to their engaged position;

preferably, the locking means (30) comprises a return spring (12) biasing the pawl (11) towards its engaged position.

8. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each manipulator (20) is configured as a linear manipulator, wherein the manipulating element (25) of the manipulator (20) is linearly translationally movable;

preferably, each manipulator (20) comprises a screw drive, which comprises a rotatably mounted screw (23) in driving connection with the drive gear (2) and a translationally movable nut (24) engaging with the screw and fixedly connected with the manipulating element (25);

preferably, a screw rod (23) of a screw rod transmission device of the manipulator (20) is in transmission connection with the driving gear (2) through a pair of gears (22);

preferably, the axis of the screw (23) of the screw transmission of the manipulator (20) is orthogonal to the axis of the driving gear (2);

preferably, the spindle (23) of the spindle drive of the manipulator (20) has an actuating point for manually rotating the spindle;

preferably, the maneuvering element (25) of each manipulator (20) is configured for coupling with a swing arm of a phase shifter assembly.

9. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the axes of all driven gears (21) are coincident or offset parallel to each other and the axes of all driven gears (21) are parallel to the axis of the drive shaft (1); and/or

All manipulators (20) are arranged parallel to one another in a plane; or

All the manipulators (20) are arranged parallel to one another in two planes, the manipulators (20) in one of the planes being offset with respect to the manipulators (20) in the other plane.

10. Manipulator assembly for a base station antenna according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the manipulator (20) is configured as a RET manipulator; and/or

The manipulator assembly further comprises a planar base plate (8) on which the drive shafts (1) and the manipulator (20) are mounted.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to a manipulator assembly for a base station antenna.

Background

In a mobile communication network comprising a large number of base stations, each base station may comprise one or more base station antennas for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals. A single base station antenna may include a number of radiator assemblies, which are also referred to as antenna elements or radiating elements. Today, mobile phone operators require base station antennas to operate in two, three or more frequency bands, while at the same time expecting smaller or no increase in the size of the base station antenna. Therefore, meeting both the functional and dimensional requirements of mobile phone operators is an increasing challenge in base station antenna design.

The cost of the radome can be a significant proportion of the total cost of the base station antenna. Therefore, the smaller the size of the radome means the lower the cost of the base station antenna. Many base station antennas may include a plurality of manipulators configured to adjust the base station antenna, for example, the manipulators may be used to adjust one or more phase shifters included in the antenna to electrically tilt one or more antenna beams formed by the base station antenna. The manipulator may be used to adjust various other characteristics of the base station antenna, including the azimuth angle, beamwidth and/or power allocation of the antenna beam, and even the physical orientation of the radiating elements of the base station antenna. A manipulator assembly with a flattened design may be beneficial for reducing the size of a base station antenna and thus the size of a radome.

Metal components in base station antennas can increase uncertainty with respect to antenna performance, particularly in terms of passive intermodulation, return loss, and insulation performance. Shielding measures may be taken to reduce the effects of the metal components. However, the metal parts that move within the antenna may be more complex, more difficult to shield properly.

PCT application WO2016/137567a1 describes a manipulator assembly for a base station antenna comprising a drive motor and a plurality of RET (remote electrically tilt) manipulators and a lead screw transmission capable of moving the drive motor into and out of engagement with the RET manipulators. The drive motor is configured to reciprocate along an axis. The movement of the drive motor along with the cable connected to the drive motor may have an adverse effect on the performance of the base station antenna. In addition, the engagement and disengagement processes of the driving gear mounted on the driving shaft of the driving motor, which requires both linear movement and rotational movement in cooperation with the linear movement, with the driven gear of the RET manipulator require complicated control of the driving motor.

Chinese utility model patent document CN207634638U describes an operator assembly for a base station antenna, which comprises a driving motor, a gear shifting motor, a gear shifter driven by the gear shifting motor and a plurality of operators, each operator is provided with a clutch, the clutch comprises a driving element and a driven element, the driving motor drives the driving elements of all clutches simultaneously, when one of the clutches is engaged by the gear shifter, a corresponding operator is acted upon. Such manipulator assemblies are numerous in parts, complex in construction and high in energy consumption during operation.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a manipulator assembly for a base station antenna with a simple structure, by means of which at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art can be overcome.

To this end, a manipulator assembly for a base station antenna is suggested, comprising a plurality of manipulators, and comprising a rotatably mounted drive shaft, and comprising a drive gear configured to be axially movable relative to the drive shaft for engagement with a selected one of the manipulators.

In such a manipulator assembly, there may be fewer components that change position during operation. This may be advantageous for the performance of the base station antenna.

In some embodiments, each manipulator may include a driven rack and a manipulating element, the drive gear being configured for driving a selected one of the driven racks in engagement with the drive gear.

In some embodiments, each manipulator may include a driven gear and a manipulating element in driving connection with the driven gear, and the drive gear is configured to drive a selected one of the driven gears engaged with the drive gear.

In some embodiments, the drive gear and the driven gear may be spur gears, such as spur gears.

In some embodiments, the manipulator assembly may further comprise a moving device configured for axially moving the drive gear relative to the drive shaft.

In some embodiments, a manipulator assembly for a base station antenna is suggested, comprising:

-a plurality of manipulators mounted side by side;

-a rotatably mounted drive shaft;

-a drive cylindrical gear configured to be axially movable relative to the drive shaft; and

-a moving device configured for axially moving a drive cylindrical gear relative to the drive shaft;

each manipulator is provided with a driven cylindrical gear and a manipulating element in transmission connection with the driven cylindrical gear; or each manipulator has a driven rack with or connected to a manipulating element;

wherein the drive cylindrical gear is configured for axial movement relative to the drive shaft so as to engage or disengage the driven cylindrical gear or rack of either manipulator; and is

The drive cylindrical gear is configured to drive the one driven cylindrical gear or rack engaged with the drive cylindrical gear.

In the manipulator assembly, the engaging process and the disengaging process of the driving cylindrical gear and the driven cylindrical gear are easy.

In the manipulator assembly, the position change member may be fewer in operation. It is possible that the other components than the drive cylinder and the component for axially displacing the drive cylinder and the actuating element of the manipulator may be stationary components. This may be advantageous for the performance of the entire base station antenna.

In addition, the manipulator assembly may form a flat structure having a smaller height, and thus the radome may have a correspondingly smaller size.

In some embodiments, the drive gear is axially movably mounted on the drive shaft.

In some embodiments, the drive gear is mounted on the drive shaft axially movably and without relative rotation.

In some embodiments, the drive shaft has a non-circular cross-section and the drive gear has a mounting bore with a complementary non-circular cross-section. Alternatively, the drive shaft may have a circular cross section and have a slide groove, and the drive gear may have a slide which engages into the slide groove.

In some embodiments, the drive spur gear and the driven spur gear may be spur gears. The engagement and disengagement of the drive cylindrical gear and the driven cylindrical gear can thus be achieved particularly easily. Alternatively, a helical gear may be used.

In some embodiments, the driving gear and the driven gear may have an engagement assistance structure.

In some embodiments, at least one of the drive gear and the driven gear may have at least one tooth having one or two axially outwardly tapered end sections as the engagement aid.

For example, it is possible that the teeth of the drive spur gear and the teeth of the driven spur gear each have two end sections which taper axially outward. It is also possible that each tooth of the drive spur gear may have two end sections tapering axially outwards, while only one or several teeth of the driven spur gear may have extensions tapering axially outwards on both sides.

In some embodiments, the moving means may be configured as a lead screw transmission comprising a rotatably mounted lead screw and a nut engaged with the lead screw and movable translationally along the lead screw, the nut being configured for bringing the drive gear into axial movement relative to the drive shaft. Here, "axial movement" may be defined with reference to the axis of the drive shaft.

As an alternative to the spindle drive, a rack and pinion drive or a traction element drive can also be used.

In some embodiments, an axis of the lead screw transmission and an axis of the drive shaft may be parallel to each other. A compact structure can be achieved.

In some embodiments, the manipulator assembly may further comprise a drive motor configured to drive the drive shaft, the drive motor being fixedly mounted. Since the drive motor is stationary, shielding of the drive motor and of the cables connected thereto can be achieved relatively easily, which is particularly advantageous in terms of passive intermodulation performance in particular.

In some embodiments, the drive motor may be a dc motor or a stepper motor.

In some embodiments, the manipulator assembly may further comprise a positioning motor configured to drive a lead screw of the lead screw transmission, the positioning motor being fixedly mounted. Since the positioning motor is stationary, shielding of the positioning motor and of the cables connected thereto can be achieved relatively easily, which is particularly advantageous in terms of passive intermodulation performance.

In some embodiments, the positioning motor may be a dc motor or a stepper motor.

In some embodiments, the moving means may comprise a carriage fixedly connected with the nut.

In some embodiments, the carriage can have a fork configured for interacting with both end sides of the drive gear.

In some embodiments, the carriage may be provided with a linear guide.

In some embodiments, the linear guide may comprise a slide groove and a slide, which is configured on the carriage and can slide in the slide groove.

In some embodiments, the carriage may include a slide that is slidable in a chute.

In some embodiments, the manipulator assembly may include a position sensor configured to directly or indirectly determine an axial position of the drive gear relative to the drive shaft.

For example, when a stepper motor is used as the positioning motor, the stepper motor may be provided with a code counter, and the number of steps of the stepper motor may reflect the axial position of the drive gear relative to the drive shaft.

In some embodiments, the position sensor may include two conductive film strips, a movable electrode part contacting the two conductive film strips, and two fixed electrode parts connected to one of the conductive film strips, respectively, the movable electrode part following axial movement of the driving gear relative to the driving shaft. The resistance value between the two fixed electrode parts may reflect the axial position of the drive gear relative to the drive shaft.

In some embodiments, the carriage may have the electrode member.

In some embodiments, each actuator may be provided with a locking device which is switchable between a locked state in which the actuator is locked in position and an unlocked state in which the actuator is movable.

In principle, the locking device can act on any movable part of the actuator, but it is particularly preferred that the locking device can interact with a driven gear or a driven rack of the actuator.

In some embodiments, the locking arrangement may comprise a pawl configured for engagement with a tooth of a driven gear of a respective manipulator, the pawl being biased towards its engaged position, the pawl being moved from its engaged position to its disengaged position when the drive gear is engaged with the respective driven gear, and the pawl being reset to its engaged position when the drive gear is disengaged from the respective driven gear.

In some embodiments, the carriage may have a location for co-action with the jaw, the location being configured for: the pawls are caused to move from their engaged position to their disengaged position when the drive gear is engaged with the respective driven gear, and to move away from the pawls when the drive gear is disengaged from the respective driven gear, whereby the pawls are returned to their engaged position.

In some embodiments, the locking device may include a return spring that biases the pawl toward its engaged position. It is also possible that the pawl is constructed integrally with a spring plate, which acts as a return spring.

In some embodiments, each manipulator may be designed as a linear manipulator, wherein the actuating element of the manipulator is linearly movable in translation. It is also possible for the manipulator to be designed as a rotary manipulator, wherein the actuating element of the manipulator is movable in rotation.

In some embodiments, each manipulator may comprise a spindle drive, which comprises a rotatably mounted spindle in driving connection with the driven gear and a translationally movable nut engaging the spindle and fixedly connected to the actuating element. The spindle drive can have a relatively high drive accuracy. Alternatively, the spindle of the spindle drive of the manipulator can have a manipulation point for manually rotating the spindle. For example, the respective screw can be manually rotated by means of a wrench engaging the manipulation site.

In some embodiments, the manipulator may comprise a driven rack which is directly drivable by a drive gear. Generally, the transmission precision of the rack and pinion transmission is lower than that of the screw transmission, but the structure can be simpler and the number of parts can be less.

In some embodiments, the lead screw of the lead screw transmission of the manipulator may be in driving connection with the driven gear via a pair of gears, for example a pair of bevel gears.

In some embodiments, each manipulator may comprise a spindle drive, which comprises a rotatably mounted spindle in driving connection with the drive gear and a translationally movable nut engaging the spindle and fixedly connected to the actuating element.

In some embodiments, the lead screw of the lead screw transmission of the manipulator may be in driving connection with the drive gear through a pair of gears.

In some embodiments, an axis of the lead screw transmission of the manipulator may be orthogonal to an axis of the drive gear.

In some embodiments, an axis of the lead screw transmission of the manipulator may be orthogonal to an axis of the driven gear of the manipulator.

In some embodiments, the manipulation element of each manipulator may be configured for coupling with a swing arm of a phase shifter assembly.

In some embodiments, the axes of all driven gears may be coincident or offset parallel to each other, and the axes of all driven gears may be parallel to the axis of the drive shaft.

In some embodiments, all the manipulators can be arranged parallel to one another in a plane, as a result of which a manipulator assembly which is as flat as possible can be achieved, in particular when the drive motor with the associated drive shaft and the positioning motor with the associated spindle drive are also arranged in this plane.

Alternatively, all the manipulators can also be arranged parallel to one another in two planes, the manipulators in one of the planes being offset with respect to the manipulators in the other plane.

In some embodiments, the manipulator may be configured as a RET manipulator.

In some embodiments, the manipulator assembly may further comprise a planar base plate, the drive shafts and the manipulator being mounted on the base plate.

In some embodiments, the manipulator assembly may further comprise a planar base plate on which the moving means, the drive shafts and the manipulator are mounted.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the components of the manipulator assembly may be made of plastic. For example, the spindle drives, drive shafts, drive gears, driven gears, carriages, bearings, etc., can be made of plastic, for example, glass fiber reinforced plastic. Alternatively, the gear wheel which is subjected to a greater load, for example the drive gear wheel, can also be made partially or completely of metal.

It is further pointed out here that the individual technical features mentioned in the present application, even if they are described in different paragraphs of the description or in different embodiments, can be combined with one another at will, as long as these combinations are technically possible. All of these combinations are technical contents described in the present application.

Drawings

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of embodiments and with reference to the drawings. The schematic drawings are briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a manipulator assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carriage of the manipulator assembly according to FIG. 1 and the associated nut and drive gear;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the manipulator assembly according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial top view of the manipulator assembly according to FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are two perspective views of a drive gear for a manipulator assembly, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a partial schematic view of a manipulator assembly according to another embodiment of the invention; and is

Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of exemplary manipulator arrangements, respectively.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a manipulator assembly according to an embodiment of the invention, and fig. 2 is a perspective view of a carriage of the manipulator assembly according to fig. 1 and associated nut and drive gears.

The manipulator assembly comprises four manipulators 20 mounted side by side in parallel in the same plane. The number of manipulators 20 included in the manipulator assembly may be selected according to the actual needs. The number of manipulators 20 can be easily expanded. For example, six or eight manipulators 20 may be provided, simply by adding additional manipulators 20 and extending the drive shafts 1 of the manipulator assembly and the screw drive 6 (as will be explained below).

Each actuator 20 may comprise a driven gear 21, which may be designed as a spur gear, for example a spur gear, and an actuating element 25, which is in driving connection with the driven gear 21. Each manipulator 20 may comprise a spindle drive, which comprises a rotatably mounted spindle 23, which is in driving connection with the output gear 21, and a nut 24, which engages with the spindle 23 and is movable in translation and is fixedly connected to a manipulating element 25. In some embodiments, the fixed connection of the nut 24 to the actuating element 25 can be realized as follows: the nut 24 is formed integrally with the actuating element 25. In an exemplary embodiment, the lead screw 23 may be drivingly connected to the driven gear 21 via a pair of gears 22, such as a pair of bevel gears, and the longitudinal axis of the lead screw 23 may be at 90 ° to the longitudinal axis of the driven gear 21. However, it is also possible that the longitudinal axis of the respective spindle 23 forms other angles with the longitudinal axis of the respective driven gear 21, and in some embodiments the spindles 23 may not be parallel to one another.

In other embodiments, each manipulator 20 may also include a rack instead of the driven gear 21, the pair of gears 22 and the lead screw 23, and the nut 24. In these embodiments, the actuating element 25 can be fixedly connected to the toothed rack. As will be further explained with reference to fig. 6.

The actuating element 25 of each manipulator 20 may be coupled to a swing arm (not shown) of one phase shifter assembly, for example, by a mechanical linkage (not shown). Characteristics of the antenna beam formed by the radiating elements of the base station antenna, such as the azimuth angle and/or the tilt angle of the antenna beam, may be adjusted by using electromechanical phase shifters in order to adjust the relative phase of the components of the radio frequency signal delivered to the radiating elements. The manipulator 20 may be used to adjust an electromechanical phase shifter in order to change the characteristics of the antenna beam.

As shown in fig. 1, the manipulators 20 are arranged parallel to each other in a common plane. However, it is also possible in other embodiments that the manipulators 20 may be arranged parallel to one another in two planes, the manipulators 20 in one of the planes being staggered with respect to the manipulators 20 in the other plane. The manipulator 20 may be a RET manipulator. Reference may be made to the aforementioned patent application document WO2016/137567A1, for example. The axes of the driven gears 21 of the manipulators 20 in the same plane may be coincident or may be offset in parallel to each other.

In the illustrated embodiment, all of the manipulators 20 function independently of one another. In other embodiments, two manipulators 20 may function synchronously as a pair of manipulators. In this embodiment, one of the two driven gears 21 can be omitted for the two manipulators 20 of the pair, and the two manipulators 20 of the pair can be operated by means of one single driven gear 21.

The manipulator assembly shown in fig. 1 comprises a rotatably mounted drive shaft 1 (i.e. the drive shaft is mounted such that it can rotate about its longitudinal axis) and a drive gear 2, which drive gear 2 is mounted on the drive shaft 1 axially movably and without relative rotation and can be configured as a spur gear, for example a spur gear. Therefore, the drive gear 2 is configured to move linearly along the drive shaft 1 in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft 1, and is configured so as not to rotate independently of the drive shaft 1. The drive shaft 1 has a non-circular cross-section and the drive gear 2 has a mounting hole 26 (see fig. 5B), through which mounting hole 26 the drive gear 2 is fitted over the drive shaft 1, which mounting hole 26 has a non-circular cross-section complementary to the non-circular cross-section of the drive shaft 1. In further embodiments, the drive shaft 1 may have a circular cross section and have a slide groove, and the drive gear 2 may have a slide which is inserted into the slide groove.

In further embodiments, the drive gear 2 is rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 1 and is provided with a brake which, when activated, connects the drive gear 2 to the drive shaft 1 in a rotationally fixed manner. The drive gear 2, as shown for example in fig. 5B, can be divided into an inner part and an outer part, which are supported to each other by a rolling bearing so that they can rotate relative to each other. The inner part of the driving gear may be free from relative rotation with respect to the drive shaft 1. A clutch is provided between the inner and outer portions of the drive gear 2, which, when engaged, becomes non-rotating relative to the inner portion of the drive gear, so that the entire drive gear 2 is non-rotating relative to the drive shaft 1. When the clutch is disengaged, the outer part of the driving gear 2 can rotate freely. Such a structure may facilitate the engaging process and the disengaging process of the driving gear 2 with the driven gear 21.

In other embodiments, the axis of the drive gear 2 may be parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 1, but laterally offset therefrom, the drive shaft 1 being in driving connection with the drive gear 2 via a transmission, for example a reduction transmission. The transmission mechanism, together with the drive gear 2 as a whole, is axially displaceable relative to the drive shaft 1, but is not rotatable relative to the drive shaft 1. For example, the gear mechanism together with the drive gear 2 can be formed as a gear train with a reduction ratio comprising two, three or more gears.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the drive gear 2 can be moved axially on the drive shaft 1 to any position, and can be engaged with or disengaged from any of the driven gears 21. The drive gear 2 and the driven gear 21 may be spur gears, respectively.

The drive gear 2 and the driven gear 21 may have an engagement assist structure, whereby engagement therebetween can be more easily and smoothly achieved, as will be described in more detail below in conjunction with fig. 5A and 5B.

The drive shaft 1 is connected to a drive motor 3, which can be mounted in a stationary manner. Alternatively, the drive shaft 1 can have an interface for connection to the drive motor 3, and the drive motor 3 can be subsequently connected to the drive shaft 1, in which case the drive motor 3 is not an inherent component of the manipulator assembly. The drive motor 3 may be, for example, a direct current motor or a stepping motor, which is capable of rotating in both directions.

The manipulator assembly as shown in fig. 1 comprises a moving device 10 configured for moving the drive gear 2 axially along the drive shaft 1 or axially parallel to the drive shaft 1. The displacement device 10 is designed as a spindle drive, which comprises a rotatably mounted spindle 6 and a nut 5 engaging with the spindle 6 and movable in translation along the spindle 6, the nut 5 being designed to bring about an axial displacement of the drive gear 2 on the drive shaft 1.

The axis of the spindle 6 and the axis of the drive shaft 1 are parallel to one another. The nut 5 is fixedly connected with the sliding frame 7 (i.e. the nut 5 and the sliding frame 7 may be two separate parts and joined to each other, or they may be constructed in one piece).

As is more clearly depicted in fig. 2, the carriage 7 may have a fork 7b, which fork 7b is configured for interacting with the two opposite end sides of the drive gear 2. The rotational movement of the drive gear 2 is not hindered by the fork 7 b.

The sliding carriage 7 may be provided with linear guides so that the sliding carriage 7 together with the nut 5 can perform a more smooth linear translational movement. The linear guide may comprise a slide groove 9 arranged in the base plate 8 and a slide 7a which is formed on the carriage 7 and can slide in the slide groove 9 (see fig. 2).

The spindle 6 is connected to a positioning motor 4, the positioning motor 4 being mounted in a stationary manner. Alternatively, the spindle 6 can have an interface for connection to the positioning motor 4, and the positioning motor 4 can be subsequently connected to the spindle 6, in which case the positioning motor 4 is not an inherent component of the manipulator assembly. The positioning motor 4 may be, for example, a direct current motor or a stepping motor, which is capable of rotating in both directions.

The manipulator assembly may further comprise a position sensor configured for directly or indirectly determining the axial position of the drive gear 2 on the drive shaft 1. By means of the position information determined by the position sensor, the positioning motor 4 can be controlled such that the drive gear 2 is moved precisely to a predetermined position on the drive shaft 1.

Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of the manipulator assembly according to fig. 1, fig. 4 showing an embodiment of the position sensor. The position sensor includes two conductive film strips 14 and a movable electrode part 7c that can be brought into contact with the two conductive film strips 14. The electrode member 7c follows the axial movement of the drive gear 2 on the drive shaft 1. A fixed electrode part 7e can be connected to each of the end regions of the two conductive film strips 14, the resistance value between the two electrode parts 7e being dependent on the axial position of the drive gear 2 on the drive shaft 1 and thus being able to be determined by this resistance value. The conductive film tape 14 and the electrode part 7e may be mounted on the substrate 8, for example. The electrode part 7c can be arranged, for example, on a carriage 7 (see fig. 2).

Each actuator 20 may be provided with a locking device 30, said locking device 30 being switchable between a locked state, in which the position of said actuator 20 is fixed, and an unlocked state, in which the position of said actuator 20 is adjustable. When the manipulator 20 needs to be manipulated, the locking device 30 may be placed in the unlocked state. After the manipulation of the manipulator 20 is completed, the lock device 30 may be placed in a locked state in order to prevent an unintentional action of the manipulator 20.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the manipulator assembly according to fig. 1, fig. 3 depicting an exemplary embodiment of the locking device 30. In this embodiment, the locking means 30 comprise a pawl 11 configured for engagement with a toothed portion of the driven gear 21 of the respective manipulator 20, said pawl 11 being biased towards its engaged position by a spring element 12. Two of the locking devices 30 are depicted in fig. 3. The driving gear 2 in the upper part of fig. 3 is engaged with the corresponding driven gear 21, the locking device 30 being in an unlocked state in which the pawls 11 are pressed from their engaged position to their disengaged position. The locking device 30 in the lower part of fig. 3 is in a locked state, in which the pawl 11 is reset by the spring element 12 into its engaged position. The carriage 7 may have a portion 7d co-operating with each jaw 11, which portion 7d may press against a plate connected to the jaw 11, which plate may have a slope 13 for this purpose, so that the portion 7d slides easily onto and off the plate. The ramp may have a central apex. The curved shape of the ramp is related to the engagement and disengagement process of the pawl 11.

The manipulator assembly may further comprise a planar base plate 8, on which base plate 8 other components of the manipulator assembly, such as the positioning motor 4, the screw 6, the drive motor 3, the drive shaft 1 and the drive gear 2, the manipulator 20, etc., may be mounted. The components of the manipulator assembly may be made of plastic as much as possible, whereby good stable passive intermodulation performance may be achieved. However, the components which are subjected to greater loads can also be made partially or completely of metal, for example aluminum.

Fig. 5A and 5B are two perspective views of a drive gear 2 for a manipulator assembly according to one embodiment. It can be seen here that the individual teeth 28 of the drive gear 2 can each have two end sections 28 which taper axially outwards as an engagement aid. Each tooth of the driven gear 21 may also have such a structure as an engagement assisting structure. In the case of the driven rack 21a (see fig. 6), the teeth of the driven rack may also have a similar structure. When the driving gear 2 is engaged with the driven gear 21 or the driven rack 21a, their end sections tapering outward in the axial direction can guide a smooth engagement process.

The described embodiment comprises a drive gear 2 and a driven gear 21, which are each configured as a cylindrical gear, however, it is also possible that in other embodiments other types of gears may be used.

FIG. 6 is a partial schematic view of a manipulator assembly according to another embodiment of the invention. The embodiment illustrated in fig. 6 differs from the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1 primarily in that the manipulator 20 is designed differently. Other components of the manipulator assembly may be constructed identically or differently from the embodiment described in fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows a detail of one of the manipulators 20, each manipulator 20 comprising a driven rack 21a, the operating elements 25 being fixed on both sides of the driven rack 21 a. Each driven rack 21a is provided with a slide groove 32 provided in the base plate 8. Each driven rack 21a can slide in the corresponding slide groove 32 along the corresponding slide groove 32. In order to reduce the friction between the driven racks 21a and the base plate 8, each driven rack 21a may be provided with a plurality of rolling elements 31. Each of the driven racks 21a can be driven by the drive gear 2 so that each of the driven racks 21a can slide in the corresponding slide groove 32.

Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of exemplary manipulator arrangements, respectively. In fig. 7A, the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 1 is schematically indicated by a dashed line, and the five manipulators 20 are respectively schematically indicated by circles. The manipulators 20 are arranged next to one another in a plane and can be driven by a drive gear which can be moved along the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 1. The drive shaft 1 is also arranged in this plane so that the manipulator assembly is as flat as possible. In fig. 7B, the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 1 is schematically indicated by a dashed line, and nine manipulators 20 are respectively schematically indicated by circles. Four of the manipulators 20 are arranged next to one another in an upper plane and the other five manipulators 20 are arranged next to one another in a lower plane, all manipulators 20 being drivable by a drive gear which is movable along the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 1. The drive shaft 1 is located between an upper plane and a lower plane in the height direction.

Finally, it is pointed out that the above-described embodiments are only intended to be understood as an example of the invention and do not limit the scope of protection of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in the foregoing embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.