JP2000046139A - Guide structure for thrust rod in actuator and guide device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a guide structure for a thrust rod in an actuator capable of reducing a cost of manufacture and capable of making the thrust rod highly accurate linear operation. SOLUTION: A thrust rod 14 capable of advancing and retreating is provided in an actuator main unit 13, a guide bar 26 is connected to this thrust rod 14. The guide bar 26 is movably supported on a support frame 16, so as to guide linear movement of the thrust rod. The guide bar 26 is formed singly, and the inside thereof is formed hollow.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a guide structure and a guide device for a thrust rod in an actuator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as shown in FIG. 12, an electric cylinder driving section 70 is provided with an actuator body 71, and a thrust rod 72 is provided in the actuator body 71. The driving of the electric cylinder driving unit 70 causes the thrust rod 72 to move out of the actuator body 71.

A support frame 74 is attached to the front end (left side in FIG. 12) of the actuator body 71 via a bracket 73, and a thrust rod 72 is loosely inserted into the center of the support frame 74. Guide bar metals 75 each having a cylindrical shape are respectively fixed through the both ends of the support frame 74, and a plurality of guide bars 76 made of iron are slidably inserted through the respective guide bar metals 75. The guide bar 76 is provided in parallel with the thrust rod 72, and is movable in parallel along the axial direction of the thrust rod 72.
Both guide bars 76 are solid bodies. A coupling plate 77 is fitted into the front end of the guide bar 76 and the front end of the thrust rod 72. Thread portion 7 of guide bar 76 and thrust rod 72
A nut 78 is screwed into 6a, 72a. As a result, the guide bar 76 and the thrust rod 7
2 are integrally fixed. And the thrust rod 72
When the guide bar 76 comes and goes, both guide bars 76
The movement of the thrust rod 72 guides the movement of the thrust rod 72.

[0004]

However, in the rod guide structure of the conventional actuator, since the guide bar 76 is a solid body made of iron and a plurality of guide bars 76 are provided, both guide bars 76 are provided.
Becomes heavy, and a load is applied to the motor of the electric cylinder driving unit 70. For this reason, high motor output is required,
There is a problem that the size and weight of the electric cylinder driving unit 70 are increased and the cost of parts is also increased.

When the weight of the guide bar 76 is increased, not only does the operating performance of the thrust rod 72 be adversely affected, but also the power used by the electric cylinder driving unit 70 increases due to the use of a high-output motor. There is also a problem that becomes higher.

Further, if a plurality of guide bars 76 are provided, it is necessary to ensure a smooth sliding operation on the guide bar metal 75 over the entire stroke of the guide bar 76. Therefore, both guide bar metal 75,
Components such as the two guide bars 76 and the coupling plate 77 are required not only to have high dimensional accuracy but also to have high assembly accuracy with respect to the actuator body 71. However, as the dimensional accuracy and assembling accuracy of the components are increased, the component costs and the assembling costs are increased, and the manufacturing costs of the entire actuator are also increased accordingly.

Therefore, in order to further improve the feeding accuracy of the thrust rod 72, the guide bar metal 75 and the guide bar 76 are used.
It is conceivable to make the gap between them as narrow as possible. However, if this configuration is adopted, unless the dimensional accuracy of each part is increased, the center mismatch between the thrust rods 72 over the entire stroke area and the two guide bars 76 become unsteady, and the guide bars 76 can be smoothly and linearly moved. become unable. Therefore, also in this case, a load is applied to the motor of the electric cylinder driving unit 70, which adversely affects the operation performance of the thrust rod 72 and increases running costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an actuator capable of reducing the manufacturing cost and operating the thrust rod linearly with high precision. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thrust rod guide structure.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a guide member is connected to a thrust rod provided to be retractable from the actuator body, and the guide member is movably supported by the support member. In the thrust rod guide structure of the actuator for guiding the linear movement of the thrust rod, the guide member is made single and the inside of the guide member is made hollow.

According to this configuration, since the guide member is made single and the inside of the guide member is made hollow, the dimensional accuracy between the plurality of guide members and the mechanical interference caused on the dimension accompanying the temperature change are reduced. Disappears. For this reason, the thrust rod can smoothly move linearly, and the weight of the entire guide member is reduced. Thus, the load on the drive source of the thrust rod is reduced, and the output of the drive source can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to the first aspect, the guide member is formed in a cylindrical shape. According to this configuration, since the shape of the guide member is cylindrical,
The dimensional accuracy of the guide member itself can be easily increased at low cost. In order to feed the guide member with high precision, it is necessary to reduce the gap between the guide member and the support member.
The inner diameter of the support metal on the protruding end side of the support member may be circular,
A small gap can be easily formed, and the fitting portion of the slide member on the side opposite to the two-point support and on the non-projecting end side of the guide member may be circular, and can be easily joined without a gap. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the cost increase with high accuracy.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the thrust rod guide structure of the actuator according to the second aspect, the diameter of the guide member is larger than the diameter of the actuator body.

According to this structure, when the thrust rod is protruded and retracted, the guide member is hardly bent and becomes unsteady.
The straight running stability of the guide member is high. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the thrust rod guide structure of the actuator according to any one of the first to third aspects, the actuator main body and the support member are arranged in parallel close proximity or concentrically. In addition, the support member and the actuator body are connected to each other.

According to this configuration, since the actuator body and the supporting member are arranged in parallel or close to each other or concentrically, the entire actuator is made compact and the mechanical rigidity of the whole is improved. Further, when the thrust rod is driven, it is possible to suppress deformation or vibration of the actuator body due to the reaction force of the generated thrust or the influence of vibration generated by the partner machine.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, when the thrust rod moves, the guide member moves its axis. A detent mechanism is provided to prevent rotation about the center.

According to this structure, since the guide member is prevented from rotating about its axis, a rotational moment load is imposed from the mating machine or the actuator body connected via the coupling plate. Can be. Therefore, a load can be applied not only in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the guide member but also in the rotational direction.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the guide structure for a thrust rod in the actuator according to the fifth aspect, the detent mechanism engages with the support member and the inner surface of the support member to engage the support member. And a non-circular slide member that slides in the axial direction.

According to this configuration, when the guide member moves, the non-circular slide member slides while engaging with the non-circular inner surface of the support member. The non-circular slide surface prevents the rotation of the guide member.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to the sixth aspect, a support metal for supporting the movement of the guide member is provided on a support member corresponding to a protruding end of the guide member. The slide member of the detent mechanism is provided at the non-projecting end of the guide member, and the guide member is supported at two points by the support metal and the slide member.

According to this configuration, when the guide member moves, the guide member is always supported by the support metal and the slide member at the longest distance. Therefore, the allowable load in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the guide member can be maximized. Further, the load in the rotation direction with respect to the axis of the guide member can be received by one slide member.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to the sixth or seventh aspect, a pressing means for pressing the slide member against the support member is provided.

According to this configuration, when the guide member moves, the slide member is pressed against the support member. Due to this pressing, a gap is hardly formed between the guide member and the support member, and the guide member can be accurately moved without rattling.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the thrust rod guide structure of the actuator according to the eighth aspect, the pressing means includes a rectangular cylinder having at least two adjacent surfaces of a rectangular slide member. It presses against a support member having a shape.

According to this configuration, since at least two adjacent surfaces of the slide member are pressed against the support member, it is possible to support the guide member without any gap against loads in the radial direction and the rotational direction with respect to the axis of the guide member.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the thrust rod guide structure of the actuator according to the eighth or ninth aspect, the pressing means includes a movable member protruding from a peripheral surface of the slide member, and a movable member. And a spring member for urging the member in the protruding direction.

According to this configuration, the slide member moves while the movable member is pressed against the inner surface of the support member by the urging force of the spring member, and the apparent gap becomes zero. The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claims 1 to 10
In the guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to any one of the above, at least one of the guide member and the thrust rod is loosely inserted into the coupling member that connects the guide member and the thrust rod. .

According to this configuration, since the guide member and the thrust rod are loosely inserted into the coupling member, the guide member or the thrust rod is displaced, and the displacement of the axis of the thrust rod and the guide member is absorbed. You.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the thrust rod guide structure of the actuator according to the eleventh aspect, a screw portion is provided at a protruding end of the thrust rod, and a nut is screwed into the screw portion. Accordingly, the thrust rod is fixed in a contact state with the connecting member, and an urging member for urging the connecting member in the axial direction of the thrust rod is provided on the axis of the thrust rod.

According to this configuration, even if the axes of the thrust rod and the guide member are misaligned, the biasing member slides at the frictional coupling portion, and the abnormalities occur due to the stiffness between the thrust rod and the guide member. Power is absorbed.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the thrust rod guide structure of the actuator according to the twelfth aspect, the biasing member is a disc spring. According to this configuration, since the biasing member is a disc spring, the axial length of the actuator body is reduced.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a guide device for guiding a linear movement of a thrust rod provided in the actuator body so as to be retractable, wherein the guide device includes a guide member connected to the thrust rod, and a guide member for the guide member. A supporting member for movably supporting the member, wherein the guide member is single and hollow inside.

According to this configuration, since the guide member is made single and the inside of the guide member is made hollow, the weight of the entire guide member is reduced. Thus, the load on the drive source of the thrust rod is reduced, and the output of the drive source can be reduced.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the actuator 11 is provided with an electric cylinder driving unit 12 as a driving source.
At one end of the electric cylinder drive unit 12, a cylindrical actuator body 13 is provided. A thrust rod 14 is provided in the actuator body 13, and the rear end (right side in FIG. 1) of the thrust rod 14 is drivingly connected to the electric cylinder driving unit 12 by a mechanism (not shown).

The thrust rod 14 is prevented from rotating about the axial direction by some rotation preventing mechanism.
The rotation of the mechanism is converted into a linear motion of the thrust rod 14. The rotation of the motor of the electric cylinder drive unit 12 causes the thrust rod 14 to protrude and retract from the actuator body 13.

A mating machine (not shown) is connected to the front end of the thrust rod 14. Here, the partner machine refers to, for example, a transfer table with positioning pins, a pusher plate with guides, and the like. The work is conveyed to a predetermined position in a positioning state by a partner machine as the thrust rod 14 advances or retreats, or a pressing force is applied while holding the work at the predetermined position.

When the thrust rod 14 moves in and out, the thrust rod 1 is rotated by the rotation preventing mechanism at the front end of the thrust rod 14.
4 is prevented from rotating about its axial direction.

FIGS. 1, 3 (a), 3 (b) and 6 show examples in which a guide device 15 is provided in parallel with the actuator 11. FIG. The guide device 15 includes a support frame 16 as a support member having a rectangular cylindrical shape.
A pair of mounting brackets 17 as mounting means are provided on the upper surfaces of both ends of the.

The mounting member 17 comprises a base member 18 provided on the support frame 16 and a fastening member 19 provided on the base member 18. Support frame 1 corresponding to both ends of base member 18
The inner corner portion 6 has a protrusion 16a extending in the axial direction. The upper ridge 16a has a connecting groove 2
0 is formed, and a nut 21 is
Is housed. Bolts 22 pass through both ends of the base member 18, and the tips of the bolts 22 are connected to the nuts 2.
1 is screwed. As a result, the base member 18 of the mounting bracket 17 is fastened and fixed to the support frame 16 of the guide device 15.

The base member 18 of the mounting bracket 17
A screw 23 is detachably screwed to both ends of the fastening member 19. The actuator body 13 of the electric cylinder driving unit 12 is inserted between the base member 18 and the fastening member 19. The actuator body 13 is fixed to the mounting bracket 17 by tightening the screws 23. That is, the actuator 11 and the guide device 15 are connected by the mounting bracket 17.

Next, the guide device 15 will be described in detail. 1, 4 (a) and 4 (b), 5 (a) and 5 (b)
As shown in FIG. 5, a lid member 24 for closing the rear opening of the support frame 16 is detachably inserted into the rear end of the support frame 16 in the guide device 15. A support metal 25 is fitted and fixed to the front end of the support frame 16 by a flashing portion. One guide bar 26 as a guide member is accommodated in the support frame 16 via a support metal 25. The radial load of the load applied to the front end of the thrust rod 14 is applied to the support metal 25 and a slide metal 40 described later.

The guide bar 26 is formed in a cylindrical shape by extrusion molding or the like. The guide bar 26 is made of a light alloy such as an aluminum alloy and has a hollow portion inside. The outer shape and inner shape of the guide bar 26 are circular, and the center lines of the outer circle and the inner circle coincide. Guide bar 2
6 has an inner diameter K1 larger than the outer diameter K2 of the actuator body 13. Outer diameter K of actuator body 13
The ratio of the thickness of the guide bar 26 to 2 is, for example, 1/10
It is set to ~ 1/50. This thickness ratio is a preferable value from the viewpoint that the guide bar 26 is lightweight and rigid.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 (a) and 2 (b),
A coupling 27 is fitted and fixed to the mounting portion 28 at the front end (projecting end) of the guide bar 26. A coupling plate 29 as a coupling member is fitted in the attachment portion 28 of the coupling 27. Then, a plurality of connecting bolts 30 are tightened around the mounting portion 28, so that the connecting plate 2
9 is integrated with the guide bar 26 via a coupling 27.

An insertion hole 31 is formed at the upper end of the coupling plate 29, and a small diameter portion 32 protruding from the front end surface of the thrust rod 14 is loosely inserted into the insertion hole 31. That is,
Between the insertion hole 31 of the coupling plate 29 and the thrust rod 14,
A gap S is formed in the radial direction of the thrust rod 14.

A screw portion 33 is formed at the front end of the small-diameter portion 32, and a disc spring 34 is fitted into the screw portion 33. A disc spring 34 as a spring member urges the connecting plate 29 along the axial direction of the thrust rod 14. When the nut 35 is tightened to the screw portion 33, the disc spring 34 is sandwiched between the nut 35 and the coupling plate 29. As a result, an urging force is generated in the disc spring 34, and the coupling plate 29 is urged rearward (to the right in FIG. 1), so that the front end surface of the thrust rod 14 abuts on the inner surface of the coupling plate 29 without any gap. . Disc spring 3
The urging force of No. 4 is set to be equal to or higher than the rated thrust value of the electric cylinder driving unit 12. As long as the biasing force value of the disc spring 34 is not exceeded, in the axial direction of the thrust rod 14, the coupling plate 2
No gap is formed between the thrust rod 9 and the thrust rod 14. At the same time, due to the frictional force generated by the urging force of the disc spring 34, the thrust rod 14 maintains its coupling force with the coupling plate 29 in the rotational direction with respect to the axis, and the thrust rod 14 is prevented from rotating.

When the thrust rod 14 protrudes and retracts from the actuator main body 13, the guide bar 26 is supported while its outer peripheral surface on its protruding side is slid on the inner peripheral surface of the support metal 25, and the opposite side is a slide member described later. The thrust rod 14 is linearly moved in parallel with the axial direction of the thrust rod 14. By moving the guide bar 26,
The linear movement of the thrust rod 14 is guided. Further, when the thrust rod 14 and the guide bar 26 move in parallel, even if the parallel distance between the two cannot be maintained, the small-diameter portion 32 of the thrust rod 14
The position is slightly shifted against the frictional force of the disc spring 34 against the outer surface of the coupling plate 29. As a result, the parallel error between the two 14 and 26 is quickly corrected.

FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b)
As shown in the figure, the rear end (non-projecting end) of the guide bar 26
A slide metal 40 as a slide member is removably fitted in. The outer peripheral surface of the slide metal 40 is formed in a non-circular shape, that is, a substantially square shape, and a through hole 41 is formed in the center.

The support metal 25 and the slide metal 4
With 0, the guide bar 26 is supported at two points. Therefore, when the guide bar 26 moves, the guide bar 2
6 is always supported by the support metal 25 and the slide metal 40 at the longest distance. Therefore, the allowable load in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the guide bar 26 can be maximized. Further, the load in the rotation direction with respect to the axis of the guide bar 26 can be received by one slide metal 40.

A notch 42 is formed at each corner of the slide metal 40. This notch 4
Numeral 2 is slidably engaged with the ridge 16a of the support frame 16. And both 42, 16a
When the thrust rod 14 moves, the guide bar 26 is prevented from rotating in its axial direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the support frame 16 and the slide metal 40 constitute a rotation preventing mechanism for stopping the rotation of the guide bar 26.

Next, the operation of the actuator 11 configured as described above will be described. When the motor of the electric cylinder driving unit 12 rotates, the thrust rod 14 projects or retracts from the inside of the actuator body 13 via a mechanism (not shown). When the thrust rod 14 comes and goes, the guide bar 26 moves in parallel to the axial direction of the thrust rod 14 via the coupling plate 29. At this time, guide bar 2
6 slides on the inner circumferential surface of the support metal 25, and the outer circumferential surface of the slide metal 40 slides on the inner circumferential surface of the support frame 16. Thus, the coupling plate 29 coupled to the guide bar 26 does not swing in either the radial direction or the rotation direction. Further, since the thrust rod 14 is coupled to the coupling plate 29 without any gap in the axial direction, the coupling plate 29 is fed by the moving amount of the thrust rod 14 and is accurately positioned.

When the thrust rod 14 and the guide bar 26 move in parallel, their axes are slightly displaced,
It becomes difficult to keep the parallel distance between the two 14 and 26. In this case, the small-diameter portion 32 of the thrust rod 14 is slightly displaced in the gap S between the insertion hole 31 of the coupling plate 29 and the thrust rod 14 against the frictional force of the disc spring 34. Thereby, the displacement of the axis of the thrust rod 14 and the axis of the guide bar 26 is absorbed, and the parallel error between the two 14 and 26 is quickly corrected. Therefore, since the thrust rod 14 and the guide bar 26 do not become unsteady, the thrust rod 14 moves linearly efficiently without generating unnecessary stress inside.

When the electric cylinder driving unit 12 is driven, the reaction force of the thrust generated when the thrust rod 14 is driven is received by the two mounting brackets 17. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the actuator body 13 is
The actuator body 13 is prevented from moving in the axial direction due to the frictional force of the inner peripheral surface of the fastening member 8 and the fastening member 19.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
And a guide device 15 are provided side by side. Actuator 1
1 is not shown in the drawing with respect to the guide device 15, but may be arranged concentrically in addition to being arranged in parallel. As described above, since the inner diameter K1 of the guide bar 26 is larger than the outer diameter K2 of the actuator main body 13, it is possible to arrange the guide bar 26 in a concentric manner.

At the front end, the mounting portion 28 of the coupling 27 is provided with an insertion hole 31 into which the small-diameter portion 32 of the thrust rod 14 can be loosely inserted. Combined in form,
At the rear end portion, the rear part of the actuator 11 protrudes and extends from the support frame 16, and the rear part of the actuator 11 is fixedly connected to the support frame 16. At this time, the lid member 24 is opened, and the actuator body 13 and the like are inserted therethrough. In this case, the overall length of the actuator 11 in the axial direction is longer than that of the embodiment shown in FIG.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The guide bar 26 is made single and the guide bar 26
Is hollow, the weight of the entire guide bar 26 is reduced. Thereby, the electric cylinder driving unit 12
The load on the motor is reduced. Therefore, since a high motor output is not required, the size and weight of the electric cylinder driving unit 12 can be reduced, and the cost of parts can be reduced. Since there is only one guide bar 26, there is no mechanical interference caused on the dimension due to the temperature change, so that the thrust rod 14 can be moved smoothly. Also, since the guide bar 26 has been reduced in weight,
The operation performance of the thrust rod 14 is not adversely affected. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to use a high-output motor,
The electric power used by the electric cylinder drive unit 12 can be reduced, and as a result, the running cost can be reduced.

(2) Since the guide bar 26 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the dimensional accuracy of the guide bar 26 itself can be increased at low cost. Moreover, in order to feed the guide bar 26 with high precision, the guide bar 26 and the support frame 16 are required.
It is necessary to reduce the gap between the support metal 25 and the support metal 25. The inner diameter of the support metal 25 on the protruding end side of the support frame 16 may be circular, and a small gap can be easily formed.
Further, the fitting portion of the slide metal 40 on the side opposite to the two-point support and on the non-projecting end side of the guide bar 26 may be circular, and can be easily joined without any gap. As a result, high precision can be obtained and cost can be suppressed.

(3) Since the inner diameter K1 of the guide bar 26 is larger than the outer diameter K2 of the actuator main body 13, the guide bar 26 is less likely to bend and tough. Therefore,
The straight running stability of the guide bar 26 can be increased.

(4) The actuator main body 13 and the support frame 16 are arranged in parallel close proximity or concentrically, and the support frame 16 and the actuator main body 13 are connected to each other. Therefore, the entire actuator 11 can be made compact, and the mechanical rigidity of the entire actuator 11 improves. Due to the reaction force of the thrust driving the thrust rod 14 and the influence of the mating machine, the actuator body 13
Can be suppressed from being deformed or vibrated.

(5) A detent mechanism for preventing the guide bar 26 from rotating in the axial direction when the thrust rod 14 moves is provided. Therefore, the mating machine or the like or the actuator body 1 connected via the coupling plate 29
The rotational moment load from the three sides can be taken. Accordingly, a load can be applied not only in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the guide bar 26 but also in the rotational direction.

(6) The detent mechanism of the guide bar 26
Support frame 16 and ridge 1 of support frame 16
6a and a non-circular slide metal 40 that slides in the axial direction of the support frame 16 while engaging with the support frame 6a. Therefore, not only the radial load but also the rotation of the guide bar 26 can be prevented by one component, and the guide bar 26 that supports the load can be accurately and linearly moved.

(7) A support metal 25 for supporting the movement of the guide bar 26 is provided on the support frame 16 corresponding to the protruding end of the guide bar 26, and a slide metal 40 is provided on the non-protruding end of the guide bar 26. Have been. And
The guide bar 26 is supported at two points by the support metal 25 and the slide metal 40. Therefore, when the guide bar 26 moves, the guide bar 26 can always be supported at the longest distance. Therefore, the straight running stability of the guide bar 26 can be enhanced with the simplest structure and the shortest length.

(8) The guide bar 26 and the thrust rod 14 are connected by a connecting plate 29, and the insertion hole 3 of the connecting plate 29
A gap S is formed between the thrust rod 1 and the small diameter portion 32 of the thrust rod 14. For this reason, when the thrust rod 14 and the guide bar 26 move in parallel, the small-diameter portion 32 of the thrust rod 14 can be displaced in the gap S even if the parallel distance between them increases or decreases.
Thereby, the displacement of the axis of the thrust rod 14 and the guide bar 26 can be absorbed, and the parallel spacing error between the two members 14, 26 can be automatically corrected. Therefore, the thrust rod 14 can efficiently and linearly move between the two members 14 and 26 without generating unnecessary stress.

(9) At the front end of the thrust rod 14, a thread 3
The thrust rod 14 is fixed to the coupling plate 29 in a contact state by screwing a nut 35 to the screw portion 33. A disc spring 34 for urging the coupling plate 29 in the axial direction of the thrust rod 14 is provided on the axis of the thrust rod 14. Therefore, the thrust rod 14
If the respective axes are slightly displaced when the guide bar 26 and the guide bar 26 move in parallel, slip occurs at the frictional coupling portion of the disc spring 34. Thus, it is possible to prevent an abnormal force from being generated due to the stiffness between the thrust rod 14 and the guide bar 26.

(10) Since the urging member used between the coupling plate 29 and the nut 35 is the disc spring 34, the axial length of the actuator body 13 can be reduced, and a sufficient urging force can be obtained. The function of preventing the thrust rod 14 from rotating can also be achieved.

(11) Since the guide bar 26 is made of an aluminum alloy, the parts cost of the guide bar 26 can be further reduced, and the weight can be further reduced. (12) The ratio of the thickness of the guide bar 26 to the outer diameter K2 of the actuator body 13 is 1/10 to 1/50. Therefore, since the weight of the guide bar 26 can be reduced, the guide bar 26 can be moved quickly.

(13) Since both ends of the support frame 16 are connected to the actuator body 13 by the mounting bracket 17, the actuator body 13 can be firmly connected to the support frame 16. Therefore, the reaction force of the thrust generated by driving the thrust rod 14 is applied to the support frame 1.
6, and it is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the actuator body 13 having low rigidity.

(14) The support frame 16 and the actuator body 13 are connected by a mounting bracket 17.
Therefore, when maintenance or the like is required, the actuator 11 can be easily removed from the guide device 15.

(15) The front end of the guide bar 26 is provided with a not-shown seal in front of the support metal 25. The rear opening of the support frame 16 is closed by a lid member 24. For this reason, the support frame 1
It is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the interior of the device 6. Therefore, smooth operation of the guide bar 26 can be maintained.

(16) Although there is no illustrated example, when the actuator 11 is arranged concentrically with respect to the guide device 15, the overall length in the axial direction becomes longer. However, since the actuator 11 is built in the guide device 15, there is no protrusion of the actuator 11 in the radial direction with respect to the axis, and the overall width can be reduced. Since the fulcrum of the actuator 11 is merely moved from the outside to the inside of the guide device 15, the operation of the concentric arrangement is basically the same as that of the side-by-side arrangement, and a description thereof will be omitted.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the common points will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, a part of the slide metal 40 is pressed against the inner surface of the support frame 16. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a cutout portion 50 is formed on the outer surface of the slide metal 40 corresponding to the upper inner surface and one inner surface of the support frame 16. Guide rails 51 project from the upper surface and one side surface of the notch 50, respectively. A cover 52 is provided on the rear end surface of the slide metal 40 so as to cover the rear side (the right side in FIG. 8) of the notch 50. The cover 52 is attached by a cover set screw 53 screwed to the guide rail 51. And
An accommodation space 54 is formed by being surrounded by the inner surface of the cover 52 and the inner surface of the notch 50.

A movable metal 55 as a movable member is provided at an upper portion and a side portion in the accommodation space 54, respectively. An engagement hole 56 is formed at the center of the inner end surface of each movable metal 55, and the engagement hole 56 is
Is engaged. The movable metal 55 is moved while the engagement hole 56 is slid with respect to the guide rail 51.
The slide metal 40 can protrude from the outer peripheral surface along the guide rail 51. That is, the movable metal 55 is movable in the radial direction of the guide bar 26.

On both sides of the engaging hole 56, a pair of spring receiving holes 57 are formed in the inner end surface of each movable metal 55, respectively. A coil spring 58 as a spring member is accommodated in each spring accommodation hole 57, and the outer end of the coil spring 58 is in contact with the notch 50. The movable metal 55 is urged in the projecting direction by the urging force of the coil spring 58, and the outer end surface of the movable metal 55 is pressed against the upper inner surface and the inner surface of the support frame 16 without any gap. That is, two adjacent surfaces of the slide metal 40, that is, the upper surface and one side surface in FIG. 7 are pressed against the inner surface of the support frame 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movable metal 55 of the slide metal 40 and the coil spring 58 constitute a pressing means.

Next, the operation of the actuator in this embodiment will be described. When the guide bar 26 moves, the outer end surface of the movable metal 55 is
8 is pressed against the inner surface of the support frame 16. Then, the outer end surface of the slide metal 40 located on the opposite side is pressed against the inner surface of the support frame 16 by this reaction force. By pressing the four surfaces, no gap is formed between the sliding portion of the slide metal 40 and the support frame 16. Accordingly, as long as the external load is not applied and the biasing force of the coil spring 58 is not exceeded, the slide metal 40 moves in a state of contact with the support frame 16 without rattling, and the guide bar 26 may bear the external load. it can. Even if the sliding portion of the slide metal 40 is worn, the coil spring 58 extends, so that there is no gap in the sliding surface and no play occurs.

When the load applied to the front end of the guide bar 26 is large and the urging force of the coil spring 58 is small, the position of the load applied to the inner surface of the support frame 16 is changed accordingly. The position of each movable metal 55 is changed by rotating the slide metal 40 around its axis. That is, the coupling bolt 30
Is removed, and the lid member 24 is further removed from the support frame 16.
Is removed, and the rear opening of the support frame 16 is opened.
Then, the rear end of the guide bar 26 is pulled out from the rear opening of the support frame 16.

In this state, the slide metal 40 is rotated by ± 90 ° or 180 ° around the axis of the support frame 16,
The guide bar 26 is housed through the rear opening of the support frame 16, the coupling bolt 30 is fastened to the coupling 27, and the lid member 24 is inserted into the rear end of the support frame 16 to close the rear opening. Thereby, the position of the movable metal 55 is changed corresponding to the position of the load applied to the inner surface of the support frame 16 via the guide bar 26.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the first
In addition to the effects described in the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (17) The sliding portion of the slide metal 40 is the support frame 1
Pressed against 6. For this reason, even if the dimensional accuracy of the support frame 16 and the slide metal 40 is low, the contact of the slide metal 40 with the support frame 16 can be ensured. Further, even if the support frame 16 is made thinner for weight reduction, high dimensional accuracy is not required, so that the cost of parts of the support frame 16 can be reduced.

(18) When the adjacent upper surface and one side surface of the slide metal 40 are pressed against the support frame 16, a pressing force acts on the four surfaces, and the sliding gap of the slide metal 40 against the support frame 16. Can be kept at zero. Therefore, thrust rod 14
Is moved, the guide bar 26 moves under the load and moves accurately.

(19) The pressing means comprises a movable metal 55 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the slide metal 40, and a coil spring 58 for urging the movable metal 55 in the protruding direction. For this reason, the slide metal 40 can be reliably pressed against the inner surface of the support frame 16 despite the simple configuration.

The embodiment of the present invention may be modified as follows. In the first embodiment, the guide bar 26 has a cylindrical shape with a different thickness in the circumferential direction. That is, the outer shape and inner shape of the guide bar 26 are circular, and the center lines of the outer circle and the inner circle do not match. Alternatively, the outer shape of the guide bar 26 is circular, and the inner diameter is a polygonal shape such as octagon.

In the first embodiment, the thrust rod 1
In the case where the detent mechanism 4 is not provided, the spring pressure of the disc spring 20 is set high and the value of the torque generated by friction with the coupling plate 29 is equal to or greater than the torque value required for detent of the thrust rod 4. And According to this configuration, despite the elimination of the detent mechanism, the thrust rod 14 has a simple configuration.
Can be prevented from rotating.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, the slide table 61
Be provided. According to this configuration, the slide table 6
1, the work can be loaded on the slide table 61 and transported accurately.

In the first embodiment, the guide bar 2
6 is formed in a shape other than a cylindrical shape, for example, a square cylindrical shape. In the first embodiment, the inner diameter K1 of the guide bar 26
Should be about the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter K2 of the actuator body 13.

In the first embodiment, FIG.
As shown in (b), the disc spring 34 is omitted, and a washer 62 is provided instead, and a small gap in the axial direction of the thrust rod 14, that is, the small diameter portion 3 in the thrust rod 14 is provided.
A minute gap may be formed between the second member 2 and the coupling plate 29. If the rotation preventing mechanism for the thrust rod 14 is not provided, the key 63 is attached to the small diameter portion 32 of the thrust rod 14.
Alternatively, a spline (not shown) is provided. The inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 31 corresponding to the key 63 and the spline has an engagement groove 64.
And the keys 63 and splines are engaged with the engagement grooves 64 with play. The engagement of the members 63 and 64 prevents the thrust rod 14 from rotating.

In the first embodiment, a plurality of disc springs 34 are provided or the disc springs 34 are changed to coil springs. In the first embodiment, the mounting portion 28 of the coupling 27 is loosely inserted into the coupling plate 29. In this case, a screw portion is provided at the tip of the mounting portion 28, and the coupling plate 29 is attached to the screw portion.
Is fitted into the coupling 27 side. Then, the coupling plate 29 is pressed against the coupling 27 by tightening a nut on the screw portion.

In the first embodiment, the actuator 11 does not use the electric cylinder driving unit 12,
Change to using an air cylinder. In the second embodiment, the movable metal 55, the coil spring 58, and the like are omitted, and a plurality of elastic pieces 65 are formed on the slide metal 40 as shown in FIG. According to this configuration, two adjacent surfaces of the slide metal 40 are supported by the support frame 16 by the elastic force of the elastic pieces 65.
Pressed against the inner surface of the That is, the plurality of elastic pieces 65
Thus, a pressing means for pressing the slide metal 40 against the support frame 16 without any gap is configured.

In the second embodiment, one or three or more coil springs 58 are provided for one movable metal 55. In particular, when three or more are used,
The outer end surface of the movable metal 55 can be pressed more evenly against the inner surface of the support frame 16.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the left and right end surfaces 60a, 6a of the upper movable metal 55a
0b does not contact the ridge 16a of the support frame 16. Also, the left and right end faces 61a (only the right side is shown) of the upper overhang portion 40a of the slide metal 40 should not be brought into contact with the ridge 16a of the support frame 16. Further, the left and right end surfaces 62a, 62b of the lower overhang portion 40b of the slide metal 40 are prevented from contacting the ridge 16a of the support frame 16. In addition, the right overhang portion 40 of the slide metal 40
The upper and lower end surfaces 63a, 63b of c are not brought into contact with the ridges 16a of the support frame 16.

According to this configuration, the left movable metal 55b
Or, when the tip surface of the right overhang portion 40c is worn,
Right end surfaces 61a, 62b of the upper and lower overhang portions 40a, 40b
Comes into contact with the protrusion 16a of the support frame 16, and the right end face 60b of the support frame 16 of the upper movable metal 55a contacts the protrusion 16a. Therefore, the play of the slide metal 40 can be prevented, and the life of the slide metal 40 can be extended.

Next, in addition to the technical ideas described in the claims, the technical ideas grasped by the above-described embodiments are listed below together with their effects. (1) The guide member is made of a light alloy such as aluminum.
(6) The guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to at least one of (6). The cost of the guide member can be further reduced, and the weight can be further reduced.

(2) The ratio of the thickness of the guide bar to the outer diameter of the actuator body is 1/10 to 1/50, and at least one of (1) to (7). A guide structure for a thrust rod in the actuator according to any one of the first to third aspects.

According to this configuration, since the weight of the guide member can be reduced, the actuator can be moved quickly. (3) The guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to claim 4, wherein at least both ends of the support member are connected to the actuator body.

According to this configuration, the support member can be firmly connected to the actuator body. (4) The guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator according to (4) or (3), wherein the connection between the support member and the actuator is performed via an attachment unit.

According to this configuration, the support member can be removed from the actuator, so that maintenance and the like can be easily performed.

[0095]

The present invention is configured as described above, and has the following effects. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the thrust rod can be linearly operated with high accuracy.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide member is formed in a cylindrical shape, the dimensional accuracy of the guide member can be increased without increasing the cost. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the straight running stability of the guide member can be enhanced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the entire actuator can be made compact,
The rigidity of the entire actuator is also improved. Further, when the thrust rod is driven, the deformation or vibration of the actuator body can be suppressed due to the reaction force of the generated thrust or the influence of the vibration generated by the other machine.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a load can be applied not only in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the guide member but also in the rotational direction. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the thrust rod can be linearly moved more accurately in spite of a small number of parts and a simple configuration.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the guide member can always be supported at the longest distance when the guide member moves. The straight running stability of the guide member can be improved.

According to the present invention, even if the dimensional accuracy of the support member and the slide member is low, the contact of the slide member with the support member can be ensured. Even if the thickness of the support member is reduced in order to reduce the weight, high dimensional accuracy is not required, so that the component cost of the support member can be reduced.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the contact of the slide member with the support member can be sufficiently ensured, when the thrust rod moves, the guide member rattles in both directions of the radial rotation of its axis. Can be more reliably prevented.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the slide member can be reliably pressed against the inner surface of the support member despite the simple structure. According to the eleventh aspect, it is possible to absorb the displacement of the axis of the thrust rod and the guide member, and to automatically correct the parallel spacing error between the thrust rod and the guide member.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, when the thrust rod and the guide member move in parallel with each other, if the respective axes are slightly displaced, slipping occurs at the frictional coupling portion of the urging member. Can be caused. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an abnormal force from being generated due to the stiffness between the thrust rod and the guide member.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, since the biasing member is a disc spring, the axial length of the actuator body can be reduced, and a sufficient biasing force can be obtained.

According to the fourteenth aspect, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the thrust rod can be linearly operated with high accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an actuator according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a front end portion of an actuator,
(B) is a front view of the actuator.

FIG. 3A is a rear side sectional view of an actuator,
(B) is an AA sectional view of (a).

4A is a side sectional view of a supporting metal, and FIG. 4B is a front view of the supporting metal.

5A is a front view of a slide metal, and FIG. 5B is a side sectional view of the slide metal.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of FIG. 3 (b).

FIG. 7 shows a slide metal according to a second embodiment;
The right half is a BB sectional view of FIG. 8, and the left half is a CC sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a slide metal according to another embodiment.

9A and 9B show another embodiment, in which FIG. 9A is an enlarged side sectional view showing a front end portion of a thrust rod, and FIG. 9B is a front view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a slide metal according to another embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a slide metal according to another embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of an actuator according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... actuator, 13 ... actuator body, 1
4 thrust rod, 15 guide device, 16 support frame (support member, detent mechanism), 17 mounting bracket (mounting means), 25 support metal, 26 guide bar (guide member), 29 coupling plate (Coupling member), 33 ... screw part, 3
4 ... Belleville spring (biasing member), 35 ... Nut, 40 ... Slide metal (rotation prevention mechanism), 55 ... Movable metal (movable member, pressing means), 58 ... Coil spring (spring member, pressing means), 65 ... Elastic piece

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shin Ito 3005 Hayasaki, Kita-gai-yama, Komaki-shi, Aichi FK-term F-term (reference) 3H081 DD13 DD18 EE23

Claims (14)

[Claims] A thrust rod in an actuator for guiding a linear movement of a thrust rod by connecting a guide member to a thrust rod provided to be retractable from an actuator body and movably supporting the guide member on a support member. The guide structure of a thrust rod in an actuator, wherein the guide member is made single and the inside of the guide member is hollow. 2. The guide structure for a thrust rod in an actuator according to claim 1, wherein said guide member is formed in a cylindrical shape. 3. The guide structure for a thrust rod in an actuator according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of the guide member is larger than the diameter of the actuator body. 4. The actuator body and the support member are arranged in parallel, close to each other or concentrically, and the support member and the actuator body are connected to each other.
A guide structure for a thrust rod in the actuator according to claim 3. 5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a detent mechanism for preventing the guide member from rotating around its axis when the thrust rod moves. Guide structure of thrust rod in actuator. 6. The rotation preventing mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the rotation preventing mechanism includes a support member and a non-circular slide member that engages with an inner surface of the support member and slides in the axial direction of the support member. Guide structure of thrust rod in the actuator. 7. A support member corresponding to a protruding end of the guide member is provided with a support metal for supporting movement of the guide member.
7. The guide structure of a thrust rod in an actuator according to claim 6, wherein a slide member of the rotation preventing mechanism is provided at a non-projecting end of the guide member, and the guide member is supported at two points by the support metal and the slide member. 8. The guide structure for a thrust rod in an actuator according to claim 6, wherein a pressing means for pressing the slide member against a support member is provided. 9. The pressing means presses at least two adjacent surfaces of a quadrilateral slide member against a quadrangular cylindrical support member.
3. A guide structure for a thrust rod in the actuator described in 1. above. 10. The pressing means according to claim 8, wherein the pressing means comprises a movable member protruding from a peripheral surface of the slide member, and a spring member for urging the movable member in the protruding direction. Guide structure of the thrust rod in the actuator. 11. A connecting member for connecting the guide member and the thrust rod, wherein at least one of the guide member and the thrust rod is loosely inserted.
0. A guide structure for a thrust rod in the actuator according to any one of 0. 12. A threaded portion is provided at a protruding end of the thrust rod, and a nut is screwed into the threaded portion so that the thrust rod is fixed in a contact state with a coupling member, and the thrust rod shaft is fixed. The thrust rod guide structure in the actuator according to claim 11, wherein an urging member for urging the coupling member in the axial direction of the thrust rod is provided on the line. 13. The spring according to claim 12, wherein said biasing member is a disc spring.
3. A guide structure for a thrust rod in the actuator described in 1. above. 14. A guide device for guiding a linear movement of a thrust rod provided to be retractable in an actuator body, wherein the guide device movably supports the guide member connected to the thrust rod and the guide member. And a support member, wherein the guide member is single and hollow inside.