Patent Description:
In some industrial production lines, the production process of products needs to proceed in a dust-free environment. This requires conveyors in production lines not to produce any tiny particle while conveying materials.

Patent <CIT> discloses a material conveyor for use in a dust-free environment, the conveyor comprising a magnetic gear and a magnetic rack which are not in contact with each other. When the magnetic gear rotates, since there exists a magnetic force between the magnetic gear and the magnetic rack, the magnetic rack will be driven to move in a certain direction, and accordingly a conveying truck with the magnetic gear mounted thereon is driven to move in this direction. Therefore, materials placed on the conveying truck can be conveyed to required positions. Patent application JPH08186974 describes a magnetic rack according to the preamble of claim <NUM>.

Nevertheless, the above prior art fails to disclose a specific structure of the magnetic rack.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a magnetic rack, conveying truck and corresponding conveyor.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a magnetic rack, which comprises: a body on which a groove is disposed; at least one magnetic brick on which a first contact part is disposed, the brick being located in the groove; and a cover which is placed over the groove so as to partially cover the groove, a second contact part and at least one hole being disposed on the cover, the first contact part being contact with the second contact part to fix the magnetic brick in the groove, the at least one hole being used for exposing the at least one magnetic brick, wherein the first contact part is a curved surface taking a convex shape and is located at an end of the magnetic brick or the first contact part is a slope at a certain angle with a plane where the bottom of the groove is located, the slope being located at an end of the magnetic brick.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a conveying truck which comprises a truck body and wheels, the conveying truck further comprising: a magnetic rack according to the present invention, which is located at the bottom of the truck body.

A full embodiment of the present invention provides a conveyor which comprises a magnetic gear that is rotatable around a shaft, the conveyor further comprising: a conveying truck according to the present invention, wherein the magnetic gear drives the magnetic rack through magnetic gearing.

The magnetic rack as provided by the present invention requires low manufacturing costs, is easy to manufacture and assemble, boasts good stability, and furthermore, is easy to fit different specifications of magnetic gears.

The present invention may be better understood by description of embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,.

Throughout the figures, same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements.

Description is presented below to specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted while describing the embodiments, this specification might not thoroughly describe all features of actual embodiments for the sake of brevity. It should be understood during actual implementation of any one embodiment, just as in the course of any one engineering project or design project, in order to achieve specific objectives of developers and satisfy system-related or business-related restrictions, usually a variety of concrete policies will be made, which also leads to changes from one embodiment to another embodiment. In addition, it may be understood though efforts made during such development might be complicated and tedious, to those of ordinary skills in the art related to content disclosed by the present invention, some variations to design, manufacture or production as made on the basis of technical content disclosed in the present disclosure are merely conventional technical means, and content of the present disclosure should not be construed as being insufficient.

Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terminology used in the claims and specification should be general meaning as interpreted by those of ordinary skills in the art. The words "first", "second" and the like are not to be read as any order, amount or importance but only are used to distinguish different components. The word "one" is not to be read as any amount restriction but is to be read as "at least one". The word "comprise" or "include" and the like means an element or article preceding "comprise" or "include" contains an element or article and equivalent elements as enumerated after "comprise" or "include", and does not exclude other element or article. The word "connect" or "link" and the like is neither limited to physical or mechanical connection nor limited to direct or indirect connection.

To make the objective, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described with reference to the specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments to be described are merely part of embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments as made by those of ordinary skills in the art without the exercise of any inventive skill should fall in the protection scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Above all, the embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic rack.

With reference to <FIG> in conjunction with <FIG> and <FIG>, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a magnetic rack <NUM> may comprise a body <NUM>, at least one magnetic brick <NUM> and a cover <NUM>.

A groove <NUM> may be cut in the body <NUM>. A first contact part <NUM> may be disposed on the magnetic brick <NUM> which may be located in the groove <NUM>. The cover <NUM> may be placed over the groove <NUM> so as to partially cover the groove <NUM>, and a second contact part <NUM> and at least one hole <NUM> may be disposed on the cover <NUM>. The second contact part <NUM> may fix the magnetic brick in the groove <NUM> through contact with the first contact part <NUM>. The at least one hole <NUM> may be used for exposing the at least one magnetic brick <NUM>; that is, when the cover <NUM> covers the body <NUM>, the magnetic brick <NUM> may be at least partially exposed through the hole <NUM>. The first contact part <NUM> may fix the magnetic brick <NUM> in the groove through contact with the second contact part <NUM>, which contact may be surface contact, line contact or point contact.

The groove in the body <NUM> may be opened along the direction of motion of the magnetic rack <NUM> during use. When the magnetic rack <NUM> contains a plurality of magnetic bricks <NUM>, accordingly there may also be a plurality of holes <NUM> in the cover <NUM>. In this way, each magnetic brick <NUM> may be at least partially exposed through the hole <NUM>. The hole <NUM> may be processed by means of a CNC machine and a puncher so as to ensure that its geometric dimensions satisfy relevant requirements.

When the cover <NUM> tightly covers the body <NUM>, the second contact part <NUM> disposed on the cover <NUM> may firmly press the first contact part <NUM> disposed on the magnetic brick <NUM>, so as to reliably fix the magnetic brick <NUM> in the groove <NUM>.

According to embodiments of the present invention, as shown in <FIG>, the first contact part <NUM> may take a convex shape and may be located at an end of the magnetic brick <NUM>, for example, may be located at an end of the magnetic brick <NUM> which is in contact with the cover <NUM>. In particular, the first contact part <NUM> may be located at two ends of the magnetic brick <NUM> which are in contact with the cover <NUM>, and the first contact part <NUM> may be regarded as a portion projecting from the body of the magnetic brick <NUM>.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first contact part <NUM> may be located at a position on the magnetic brick <NUM> which is close to the groove <NUM>. In one example useful for understanding the invention, as seen from <FIG>, the first contact part <NUM> may be located at the bottom of the magnetic brick <NUM> which is in contact with the groove <NUM>. This is beneficial as the magnetic brick <NUM> may be designed to be thinner and the body <NUM> as well as the groove <NUM> therein may also be designed to be thinner. As shown in <FIG>, the second contact part <NUM> may also be designed to a convex shape corresponding to the shape of the first contact part <NUM>. The second contact part <NUM> may be located at a position on the cover <NUM> at a higher height than the first contact part in the depth direction of the groove <NUM>, so that when the cover <NUM> tightly covers the body <NUM>, the magnetic brick <NUM> is firmly pressed in the groove <NUM> by mutual extrusion between the first contact part <NUM> and the second contact part <NUM>.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the first contact part <NUM> may also be located at a middle position on the magnetic brick <NUM> in the depth direction of the groove <NUM>. For example, the first contact part <NUM> may be located at a center position on the magnetic brick <NUM> in the depth direction of the groove <NUM>. This is beneficial as only one specification of the magnetic brick <NUM> needs to be produced, regardless of the position distribution of two magnetic poles on the magnetic brick <NUM>. It is because when the magnetic brick <NUM> is installed in the groove <NUM>, the magnetic brick <NUM> may be inverted according to the need of magnetic pole distribution. Accordingly, the second contact part <NUM> may also be designed to a convex shape corresponding to the shape of the first contact part <NUM>. The second contact part <NUM> may be located at a position on the cover <NUM> at a higher height than the first contact part in the depth direction of the groove <NUM>, so that when the cover <NUM> tightly covers the body <NUM>, the magnetic brick <NUM> is firmly pressed in the groove <NUM> by mutual extrusion between the first contact part <NUM> and the second contact part <NUM>.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the first contact part <NUM> may further be a slope at a certain angle with the plane where the groove <NUM> is located, and as shown in <FIG>, the slope may be located at an end of the magnetic brick <NUM> which is in contact with the second contact part <NUM>. Accordingly, the second contact part <NUM> may also be designed to a slope shape corresponding to the shape of the slope, so that when the cover <NUM> tightly covers the body <NUM>, the magnetic brick <NUM> is firmly pressed in the groove <NUM> by mutual extrusion between the two slopes.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the first contact part <NUM> may further be a curved surface, and as shown in <FIG>, the curved surface may be located at an end of the magnetic brick <NUM> which is in contact with the second contact part <NUM>. Accordingly, the second contact part <NUM> may also be designed to a curved surface shape corresponding to the shape of the curved surface, so that when the cover <NUM> tightly covers the body <NUM>, the magnetic brick <NUM> is firmly pressed in the groove <NUM> by mutual extrusion between the two curved surfaces.

It should be stressed the first contact part <NUM> and second contact part <NUM> are not limited to the shapes described above, but may take any convex shape or any shape having a slope at a certain angle with a plane where the bottom of the groove is located, the slope being located at an end of the magnetic brick, so long as the magnetic brick can be firmly pressed in the groove <NUM> when the cover <NUM> tightly covers the body <NUM>.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cover <NUM> may be fixed on the body <NUM> by a screw <NUM>.

According to one embodiment of the present invention further a cushion <NUM> may be disposed between the groove <NUM> and the magnetic brick <NUM>. That is, first the cushion <NUM> is placed in the groove <NUM>, and then the magnetic brick <NUM> is placed in the groove <NUM>. In this way, when the cover <NUM> tightly covers the body <NUM>, if there exist slight differences between heights of the plurality of magnetic bricks <NUM>, then the differences may be compensated through elastic deformation of the cushion <NUM> in the depth direction of the groove <NUM>.

Description has been presented to the magnetic rack according to the embodiments of the present invention. The magnetic rack requires a low cost and can be conveniently produced and assembled. Moreover, when a magnetic gear matching with the magnetic rack for use is changed to another one whose adjacent magnetic poles have different spacing, only by re-making a cover on the magnetic rack and re-assembling the magnetic brick according to positions of holes in the newly made cover, a magnetic rack matching with the new magnetic gear can be fabricated without replacing the entire magnetic rack.

The embodiments of the present invention further provide a conveying truck.

As shown in <FIG>, a conveying truck <NUM> may comprise a truck body <NUM>, wheels <NUM> and the magnetic rack <NUM>. The magnetic rack <NUM> may be located at the bottom of the truck body <NUM>.

In order to make spacing between the magnetic rack <NUM> and a magnetic gear <NUM> matching with the magnetic rack be small and even, an adjuster may be disposed between the truck body <NUM> and the magnetic rack <NUM>, which may be used for adjusting the spacing between the truck body <NUM> and the magnetic rack <NUM>.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to <FIG>, the adjuster may be an adjusting screw <NUM>. For example, the spacing between the truck body <NUM> and the magnetic rack <NUM> may be adjusted by three adjusting screws, each of which has one end connected to the truck body <NUM> and has the other end connected to the magnetic rack <NUM>. When the adjusting screw <NUM> is turned, the spacing between the truck body <NUM> and the magnetic rack <NUM> is changed, and in turn, the spacing between the magnetic rack <NUM> and the magnetic gear <NUM> is changed.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to <FIG>, a fastening screw <NUM> may further be disposed, which has one end fixed on the truck body <NUM> and has the other end connected with the magnetic rack <NUM>. When the spacing between the truck body <NUM> and the magnetic rack <NUM> has been adjusted to an expected value, the fastening screw <NUM> will be used to fix the magnetic rack <NUM> on the truck body <NUM> to ensure that the spacing will not be changed any more.

Description has been presented to the conveying truck according to the embodiments of the present invention. A magnetic rack on the conveying truck requires a low cost, is convenient to produce and assemble and moreover, can match with different specifications of magnetic gears for use.

The embodiments of the present invention further provide a conveyor. As shown in <FIG>, the conveyor comprises a magnetic gear <NUM> that is rotatable around a shaft <NUM>, and the conveying truck <NUM>, wherein the magnetic gear <NUM> may drive, through magnetic gearing, the magnetic rack to move.

Claim 1:
A magnetic rack comprising:
a body (<NUM>) on which a groove (<NUM>) is disposed;
at least one magnetic brick (<NUM>) having a first contact part (<NUM>), the brick being located in the groove (<NUM>); and
a cover (<NUM>) having a second contact part (<NUM>), the cover (<NUM>) being placed over the groove (<NUM>) so as to partially cover the groove, the first contact part (<NUM>) being in contact with the second contact part (<NUM>) to fix the magnetic brick (<NUM>) in the groove,
characterized in that the cover (<NUM>) has at least one hole (<NUM>), the at least one hole (<NUM>) being used for exposing the at least one magnetic brick (<NUM>),
and in that the first contact part (<NUM>) is a curved surface, which takes a convex shape and is located at an end of the magnetic brick (<NUM>), or the first contact part (<NUM>) is a slope at a certain angle with a plane where the bottom of the groove (<NUM>) is located, the slope being located at an end of the magnetic brick (<NUM>).