JP2006012746A - Multiple optical axis optical sensor and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multiple optical axis optical sensor facilitating fixing operation of an optical unit and a main body case, and to provide its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: An optical unit 5 is stored in a cylindrical main body 10 by sliding a guide piece 56 formed on the optical unit 5 into the guide groove 17 of the cylindrical main body 10. When the optical unit 5 is stored in the cylindrical main body 10, a fixing tool 6 is pressed to the front end surface 53A of the optical unit 5. By this pressing operation, the plate member 61 of the fixing tool 6 is fit into a gap 55 between a lens retainers 54, an elastic lock piece 64 is pressed to a projecting line 14, and its free end 64B is moved to a moving position M and entered into the guide groove 17. When the elastic lock piece 64 is entered into the guide groove 17, the free end 64B is returned from the moving position M to a reference position R, and its top surface is abutted to the side surface of the projecting line 14. Thus, only the guide piece 56 is bent and deformed, and the optical unit 5 is fixed to the cylindrical main body 10 to be unmovable by its returning force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor and a manufacturing method thereof.

A conventionally known multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor has been invented by the present applicant. This is because a rod-shaped optical unit in which photoelectric elements including light projecting elements or light receiving elements are arranged in a line on a substrate and a converging lens (lens portion) is arranged corresponding to each of the photoelectric elements is formed into a rectangular tube shape. It is housed in a machined metal body case, and the optical unit is fixed to the body case in this state.
JP 2000-251595 A

As a specific method of the fixing means, the screws are screwed into the screw holes provided on the front surface of the optical unit and the screw holes provided on the front surface of the main body case, thereby fixing the both together. In such a configuration, it is necessary to perform a drilling process for providing a screw hole in advance in the optical unit and the main body case, and a screw tightening process for screwing the screw into the screw hole. ineffective.
By the way, this type of multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor has been developed to have multiple optical axes, and it is common to use a plurality of optical units. Accordingly, since the number of optical units used increases with the increase in the number of optical axes, there is a problem that the working time for fixing the optical unit becomes longer and the workability is further deteriorated.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor capable of facilitating the fixing operation between the optical unit and the main body case, and a method for manufacturing the same. And

  As means for achieving the above object, a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to the invention of claim 1 includes one or more photoelectric elements arranged on a substrate and a converging lens arranged corresponding to the photoelectric element. An optical unit comprising at least an optical unit and a cylindrical main body case that accommodates the optical unit therein, and the optical unit is fixed to the main body case while being accommodated in the main body case In the photoelectric sensor, a protrusion that is integrated with the optical unit, a protrusion receiving portion that is provided on the main body case and engages with the protrusion in the optical axis direction of the photoelectric element, and is integrated with the optical unit. And the guide piece abutting against the body case while being bent and deformed against the locking force in a locked state where the protruding portion is locked to the protrusion receiving portion. A locking force of the projection contacts the optical unit by the restoring force of the guide piece is characterized in that so as to be locked fixed to the main body case.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to the first aspect, the protrusion is locked to the inner surface side of the main body case, and the guide piece is in contact with the outer surface side of the main body case. The contact surface of the main body case with the guide piece is a tapered surface corresponding to the bent shape of the guide piece in the locked state.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to the first or second aspect, the guide piece is detachably integrated with the optical unit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor including at least an optical unit including at least one photoelectric element disposed on a substrate and a converging lens disposed corresponding thereto, and the optical unit inside the optical unit. The optical unit is integrated with the optical unit in a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor fixed to the main body case in a state of being accommodated in the main body case. A projection receiving portion that is provided on the main body case and engages with the projection, a pair of guide grooves formed along the axial direction on the inner surface of the main body case, and the optical unit. A guide piece which is integrated and extends in a direction orthogonal to the axis on a plane including the axis of the main body case, and which can be bent and deformed in a direction perpendicular to the plane. In the state where the guide piece enters the guide groove and the protrusion is locked to the protrusion receiving part, the guide piece is urged in the orthogonal direction by the protrusion, thereby It is characterized in that it is pressed against the side surface to bend and deform, and the optical unit is locked and fixed to the main body case by the restoring force of the guide piece.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the projection is a plate portion that contacts the front surface of the optical unit, and hangs down from both side edges of the plate portion, and is orthogonal to the axis. And a pair of elastic lock pieces that abut against one side surface of the guide groove.

  The invention of claim 6 is the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protrusion and the guide piece are arranged adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the main body case. However, it has characteristics.

  The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that, in the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the protruding portion is detachably integrated with the optical unit. .

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the guide piece is made of a metal plate-like member.

  A manufacturing method of a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to the invention of claim 9 is a rod-shaped optical unit comprising at least one or more photoelectric elements arranged on a substrate and a converging lens arranged corresponding thereto, A method of manufacturing a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor comprising a cylindrical main body case that accommodates the optical unit therein, the optical unit being fixed to the main body case while being accommodated in the main body case. And a guide piece integrated with the optical unit and deformable and deformable in an optical axis direction of the photoelectric element with respect to the protrusion receiving portion provided in the main body case, and the optical unit is moved to the main body case. And a step of locking the protrusion integrated with the optical unit to the protrusion receiving portion against the return force of the bending change by the guide piece. That.

  A manufacturing method of a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to the invention of claim 10 includes a rod-shaped optical unit including at least one or more photoelectric elements arranged on a substrate and a converging lens arranged corresponding thereto, In the manufacturing method of a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor, comprising: a cylindrical main body case that accommodates the optical unit therein; and the optical unit is fixed to the main body case while being accommodated in the main body case. And a pair of guide grooves formed on the inner surface of the main body case along the axial direction thereof, integrated with the optical unit and extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis on a plane including the axis of the main body case. A step of accommodating the optical unit in the main body case by passing a guide piece that can be bent and deformed in a direction perpendicular to the plane; and the optical unit; The guide piece is urged in the orthogonal direction by engaging the protrusion to be formed with the protrusion receiving portion that is provided on the main body case and engages with the protrusion, and is pressed against the side surface of the guide groove. And a step of locking and fixing the optical unit to the main body case by the return force.

<Invention of Claims 1 and 9>
In this configuration, with respect to the protrusion receiving portion provided in the main body case, along with a guide piece that is integrated with the optical unit and can be bent and deformed in the optical axis direction of the photoelectric element, the optical unit is accommodated in the main body case, The projection unit integrated with the optical unit is locked to the projection receiving unit against the return force of the deflection change by the guide piece. As the locking and fixing work, only one action of locking operation for locking the protrusion to the protrusion receiving portion is sufficient. Thereby, the fixing work can be facilitated and the time spent for the fixing work can be shortened.

<Invention of Claim 2>
In this configuration, the protrusion is locked to the inner surface side of the main body case, the guide piece is configured to contact the outer surface side of the main body case, and the contact surface of the main body case with the guide piece is the guide in the locked state. The taper surface corresponds to the bending shape of the piece. Therefore, compared with the case where this taper surface is not formed, the amount of the tip of the guide piece that is bent and deformed can be reduced or eliminated at all, and the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor can be miniaturized. Can be achieved.

<Invention of Claim 3>
In this configuration, since the guide piece is detachably integrated with the optical unit, the assembly work when inserting the optical unit into the main body case is further improved compared to the configuration in which the guide piece cannot be detached. Can be improved.

<Invention of Claims 4 and 10>
In this configuration, the guide piece is passed through the guide groove, and the protrusion is pushed into the guide groove to bend and deform, and the return unit is used to lock and fix the optical unit to the main body case. As the work, only one action of the locking operation for locking the protrusion to the protrusion receiving portion is sufficient. Thereby, the fixing work can be facilitated and the time spent for the fixing work can be shortened.

<Invention of Claim 5>
In this configuration, since the protrusion is configured by the elastic lock piece, the optimal configuration is achieved in which both the operability of the pressing operation and the fixing strength can be achieved.

<Invention of Claim 6>
In this configuration, the protruding portion and the guide portion are arranged so as to be adjacent in the arrangement direction of the photoelectric elements. In this way, stress is more reliably applied to the guide piece, the fixing strength is further increased, and the shift of the fulcrum of stress exerted on the optical unit between the projection and the guide piece is minimized. The photoelectric element is fixed at a normal position with respect to the main body case. Then, even when the paired main body cases are arranged facing each other to form the optical axis, when the fulcrum shift is large, that is, when the protrusion and the guide piece are arranged apart from each other, There is no bending of the optical axis.

<Invention of Claim 7>
In this configuration, since the protrusion is configured to be detachable from the optical unit, the protrusion does not get in the way when the guide piece is passed through the guide groove, and the workability of assembly is further improved. Can do.

<Invention of Claim 8>
In this configuration, since the guide piece is made of a metal plate-like member, the optical unit can be stabilized with respect to the main body case without reducing the restoring force of the guide piece even in a high temperature environment, for example. Can be locked.

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, the direction of the arrow A (the direction in which the photoelectric element 52 is directed) is defined as the front. 5 to 7, the upward direction in the drawing is the front.
The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor of the present embodiment is configured by accommodating a plurality of rod-shaped optical units 5 in a rectangular tube-shaped main body case 1, and the optical unit 5 is fixed to the main body by a fixture 6 in this accommodated state. The case 1 is locked and fixed (fixed so as not to move).

(1) Main body case The main body case 1 has a cylindrical main body 10 formed by extruding a metal soul (a material is, for example, aluminum) and a lid portion that covers the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical main body 10. 20, a gasket 30 that is interposed between the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical main body 10 and the lid portion 20 to fill a gap between the two, and a plate-shaped light transmitting member 40 provided on the front surface 12 of the cylindrical main body 10. It is composed of
The cylindrical main body 10 is formed in a rectangular tube shape as described above, and the upper and lower end surfaces 11 and the front surface 12 are open. On the left and right side edges of the front surface 12 of the cylindrical main body 10, a pair of ridges 13 projecting inward extend in the vertical direction (the axial direction of the cylindrical main body 10. The alignment direction of the photoelectric elements 52). Further, two ridges 14 and 15 are formed on the rear side, respectively, and the ridges 13, 14, and 15 arranged in three rows as a whole are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the cylindrical main body 10, respectively. It is assumed that it is a form.

The leading ridge 13 and the central ridge 14 are configured as a support groove 16 for supporting the light transmitting member 40, and a guide described later with the central ridge 14 and the rear ridge 15. A guide groove 17 that supports the piece 56 is formed.
Among these, the protrusions 14 and 15 constituting the guide groove 17 are set so that the protruding lengths are different from each other. Specifically, the protrusions 15 of the tail are longer than the protrusion length of the central protrusion 14. The projecting length is made smaller, because a guide piece 56 to be described later enters the guide groove 17 and can be bent and deformed when the optical unit 5 is pushed from the front. . Further, one screw hole 18 is provided at each of the four corners of the upper and lower end surfaces 11.

  The light transmissive member 40 has a plate shape, is inserted between the ridges 13 and 14 constituting the support groove 16 described above, and is supported by the cylindrical main body 10. The light transmitting member 40 has light transmission characteristics at least in the wavelength band of light emitted from or received by the photoelectric element 52 (which will be described later).

  The lid 20 has a square plate shape that is substantially the same as the shape of the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical body 10, and screw holes 21 are provided at the four corners. The lid 10 is directed to the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical main body 10 to align the screw holes 18 and 21, and the screw holes 18 and 21 are aligned so that the screws are tightened. The upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the main body 10 are closed.

  An annular gasket 30 is interposed between the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical main body 10 and the lid portion 20. The gasket 30 has a shape that matches the peripheral shape of the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical main body 10, so that no gap is formed between the lid portion 20 and the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical main body 10. It has a function of sealing the inside of the main body 10.

(2) Optical unit The optical unit 5 is formed in a substantially rod shape, and two optical units 5 are accommodated in the main body case 1 described above. The optical unit 5 is made of resin, and as the resin, for example, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin is used.
The number of optical units 5 accommodated in the main body case 1 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more.

The optical unit 5 is a plurality of photoelectric elements 52 (specifically, light projecting elements or light receiving elements) along a longitudinal direction on a substrate 51 (shown in FIGS. 5 to 7) formed in a long plate shape. .) Are arranged in a row. On the arrangement surface 51A on which the photoelectric elements 52 are arranged, a protective housing 53 having a U-shaped cross section protruding forward is formed to prevent foreign matter interference with the photoelectric elements 52. The front end surface 53A of the housing 53 is provided with holes (not shown), and further, lens holding portions 54 for holding the converging lens L at positions corresponding to the holes, respectively, at a predetermined interval. Thus, it is integrally formed. These lens holding portions 54 have a substantially annular shape, and have an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the width dimension of the front end surface 53A of the housing 53 in the left-right direction. The reason why the lens holding portions 54 are formed at a predetermined interval is that a fixture 6 described later is integrated with the front end surface 53A of the housing 53 so as to be flush with the front end surface 53A. This is because it is fitted in the gap 55 of 54.
The converging lens L is housed in these lens holding portions 54 and integrated with the housing 53. The central axis of the hole and the central axis of the converging lens L are arranged on substantially the same axis, so that the light from the photoelectric element 52 is irradiated to the outside or the light from the outside is applied to the photoelectric element 52. I am trying to receive it.

  The left and right side surfaces 53 </ b> C of the housing 53 are provided with a pair of plate-like guide pieces 56 that are elongated in the vertical direction, and two sets of these guide pieces 56 are provided in each optical unit 5. It is formed one by one. The projecting dimensions of the guide pieces 56 in the left-right direction are set to such dimensions that the tip portions thereof are in contact with the ridges 15 described above, and can be bent and deformed in the front-rear direction.

(3) Fixing tool The fixing tool 6 is for fixing the above-described optical unit 5 to the cylindrical main body 10, and includes a plate member 61 that contacts the front end surface 53 </ b> A of the optical unit 5, and the plate member 61. It is comprised from the lock | rock part 62 drooping from.
The fixture 6 is made of a resin, and for example, a POM (polyoxyethylene) resin that is a polyacetal resin is used.

The plate member 61 is formed in a vertically long plate shape, and two circular hole portions 61A are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, that is, in the shape of an 8-shaped long plate. The longitudinal dimension of the plate member 61 is a dimension corresponding to the total dimension of the dimensions of the two lens holding portions 54 and the three dimensions of the gap 55, and the dimension in the width direction is the housing 53. The front end face 53A has substantially the same width as that of the front end face 53A.
Further, the shape of the hole 61A is the same as the outer shape of the lens holding portion 54, and the dimension between both the holes 61A is the same as the vertical dimension of the gap 55. Accordingly, the plate member 61 is fitted into the front end surface 53 </ b> A of the housing 53 to be in a flush state.

The lock portion 62 includes a U-shaped frame 63 and an elastic lock piece 64 formed integrally with the frame 63. The elastic lock piece 64 has a rod shape, and a free end 64B opposite to the fixed end 64A fixed to the frame 63 moves in the left-right direction. The reference position R of the free end 64B is a position shifted to the left and right outside of the side edge of the plate member 61, and reaches a moving position M where the free end 64B is hidden by the plate member 61 when stress is applied inward from the left and right directions. It can be moved. A convex soul 64C is formed on the upper surface of the free end 64B. The convex soul 64C is in contact with the end surface of the ridge 14, and the upper surface of the free end 64B is on the side surface of the ridge 14. It comes to contact.
Further, when the fixture 6 is integrated with the optical unit 5, the distance between the free end and the guide piece is set to be larger than the distance between the ridges 14 and 15.

(4) Assembly procedure The configuration of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor of the present embodiment is as described above. Next, the assembly procedure will be described.

First, the optical unit 5 is accommodated in the cylindrical main body 10 by sliding the guide piece 56 formed in the optical unit 5 into the guide groove 17 of the cylindrical main body 10. When the two optical units 5 are accommodated in the cylindrical main body 10, the fixture 6 is pressed against the front end surface 53 </ b> A of the optical unit 5. By this pressing operation, the plate member 61 of the fixture 6 fits into the gap 55 between the lens holding portions 54, and the elastic lock piece 64 is pressed against the ridge 14 so that the free end 64B moves to the moving position M. And enters the guide groove 17. When the elastic lock piece 64 enters the guide groove 17, the free end 64 </ b> B returns from the movement position M to the reference position R, and the upper surface thereof comes into contact with the side surface of the ridge 14, and the protruding soul 64 </ b> C Abuts against the end face. As a result, the optical unit 5 is pressed downward by the fixture 6 (see FIG. 5), so that the guide piece 56 bends and deforms, and the restoring force fixes the optical unit 5 so that it cannot move relative to the cylindrical body 10. Is done.
When the fixing of the optical unit 5 is completed, the light transmitting member 40 is inserted into the support groove 16, and the lid 20 and the gasket 30 are applied to the upper and lower end surfaces 11 of the cylindrical main body 10 and screwed (see FIG. 2). .
In the above embodiment, it is obvious that the ridge 14 corresponds to the protrusion receiving portion of the present invention, and the elastic lock piece 64 corresponds to the protrusion.

In the present embodiment, the guide piece 56 is passed through the guide groove 17 and the elastic lock piece 64 is further pushed into the guide groove 17 to bend and deform the guide piece 56, and the optical unit 5 is fixed to the main body case 1 by its restoring force. Since the configuration is adopted, the fixing operation may be performed by a single action of a pushing operation for pushing the elastic lock piece 64 into the guide groove 17. Thereby, the fixing work can be facilitated and the time spent for the fixing work can be shortened.
Further, the elastic lock piece 64 and the guide piece 56 are arranged so as to be adjacent in the arrangement direction of the photoelectric elements 52. In this way, stress is more reliably applied to the guide piece 56, and the fixing strength becomes higher.
Further, since the fixture 6 is configured to be detachable from the optical unit 5, the fixture 6 does not get in the way when the guide piece 56 is passed through the guide groove 17, and the assembly workability is further improved. Can be improved.

<Embodiment 2>
8 to 11 show a second embodiment (corresponding to the inventions of claims 1 and 2). The difference from the above embodiment lies in the structure for locking and fixing the photoelectric unit 5 and the main body case 1, and the other points are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given and the redundant description is omitted, and only different points will be described next. In FIG. 8, the direction of arrow A (the direction in which the photoelectric element 52 is directed) is defined as the front. 10 and 11, the upward direction in the drawing is the front.

(1) Main body case As shown in FIG. 8, the cylindrical main body 70 which comprises the main body case 1 of this embodiment comprises the substantially same shape as the cylindrical main body 10 of the said Embodiment 1 as a whole, and the said protruding item | line 15 There is no difference. That is, in this cylindrical main body 70, it is set as the form by which the protruding strips 13 and 14 extended in two rows over the full length were formed in the left-right side surface, respectively. The protruding length of the ridge 14 is designed to be larger than the protruding length of the ridge 13. Further, the projecting end surfaces of the ridges 14 are tapered surfaces 14A and 14A that are inclined so as to be separated from each other as they move forward.

(2) Optical unit The optical unit 80 according to the present embodiment has substantially the same shape and structure as the optical unit 6 of the first embodiment, and the portions such as guide pieces are different as will be described below. As shown in FIG. 8, left and right side surfaces 53 </ b> C of the housing 53 are provided with a pair of plate-like projecting pieces 81 that are elongated in the up-down direction. Two sets of optical units 80 are formed. The projecting dimensions of the projecting pieces 81 in the left-right direction are set to such dimensions that the tip portions thereof are in contact with (locked to) the rear surface 14B side of the ridges 14 described above, and can be bent and deformed in the front-rear direction. Has been. As shown in FIG. 10, each protrusion piece 81 is positioned so that the front end portion that abuts on the rear surface 14 </ b> B of the ridge 14 is positioned behind the front end surface 53 </ b> A of the housing 53 by the thickness of the ridge 14. Designed to.

  Further, in the optical unit 80, the guide pieces 82 are provided at a position adjacent to each protrusion piece 81 in the vertical direction (between the protrusion pieces 81 in the vertical direction in this embodiment) so as to form a pair on the left and right. ing. The projecting dimensions of the guide pieces 82 in the left-right direction are set to such dimensions that the tip portions of the guide pieces 82 are in contact with (locked to) the tapered surface 14A side of the ridge 14 described above, and can be deformed by bending in the front-rear direction. It is said that.

  Each guide piece 82 has a protruding end formed in a tapered shape. More specifically, each guide piece 82 is designed to be substantially flush with the front end surface 53A of the housing 53 in the natural state on the front surface side, and the rear surface side is inclined substantially corresponding to the inclined surface 14A of the ridge 14. It is a surface. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, when the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor is viewed in a state of being cut along a horizontal plane (a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the main body case), the protruding piece 81 and the guide in the direction along the horizontal plane. The separation distance from the piece 82 is designed to be narrower than the thickness of the tip of the ridge 14. For example, the guide piece 82 (or the guide piece 82 and the protruding piece 81) is bent and changed between the two 81, 82. It is possible to pass the ridges 14.

(3) Fixing tool The fixing tool 90 is for fixing the above-described optical unit 80 to the cylindrical main body 10, and includes a plate member 91 that contacts the front end surface 53 </ b> A of the optical unit 80, and the plate member 91. It is comprised from the lock part 92 drooping from. The fixture 90 is also made of a resin, and uses, for example, a POM (polyoxyethylene) resin which is a polyacetal resin.

  The plate member 91 is formed in a vertically long plate shape, and two rectangular hole portions 91 </ b> A with rounded corners are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction, that is, in the shape of an 8-shaped long plate. . The length dimension of the plate member 91 in the vertical direction is a dimension corresponding to the total dimension of the dimensions of the two lens holding portions 54 and the three dimensions of the gap 55, and the dimension in the width direction is the housing 53. The front end face 53A has substantially the same width as that of the front end face 53A. The shape of the hole portion 91A is the same as the outer shape of the lens holding portion 54, and the dimension between the two hole portions 91A is the same as the vertical dimension of the gap 55. Accordingly, the plate member 91 is fitted into the front end surface 53 </ b> A of the housing 53 to be in a flush state.

  Furthermore, guide pieces 95 that are elongated in the longitudinal direction are provided on both long side surfaces of the plate member 91 so as to form a pair in the lateral direction, and these guide pieces 95 are arranged in the longitudinal direction. One set is formed at each end. The projecting dimension of the guide piece 95 in the short direction (left-right direction in FIG. 8) is set to such a dimension that the tip end portion is in contact with the tapered surface 14A of the ridge 14 described above, and is further bent in the front-rear direction. It can be deformed. Each guide piece 95 is formed in a tapered shape. More specifically, each guide piece 95 is designed to be substantially flush with the front end surface 53A of the housing 53 in a natural state, and the rear surface side is inclined to substantially correspond to the inclined surface 14A of the ridge 14. It has become.

  Subsequently, the lock portion 92 hangs down from the portion between the hole portions 91A of the plate member 91 (projects rearward in FIG. 8), and includes a pair of elastic lock pieces 93 and 93 arranged in parallel in the short direction. Have. Each elastic lock piece 93 can be bent and deformed in a direction in which the distal end sides are close to each other, and a locking projection 93A is provided on a surface opposite to the opposing surface at the distal end portion.

(4) Assembly procedure First, the guide piece 82 formed integrally with the optical unit 80 is bent and deformed rearward, and the optical projection is made while the convex strip 14 of the cylindrical main body 70 is passed between the guide piece 82 and the projection piece 81. The unit 80 is inserted into a predetermined position of the main body case 1. That is, the optical unit 80 is accommodated in the main body case 1 while being held back by hand. Then, when the hand is released from the optical unit 80, the convex strip 14 of the cylindrical main body 70 is sandwiched between the guide piece 82 and the protruding piece 81 by the restoring force of the guide piece 82, as shown in FIG. Thus, the optical unit 80 is locked and fixed to the main body case 1. At this time, the guide piece 82 bends and deforms along the tapered surface 14 </ b> A of the ridge 14 and does not protrude from the front surface of the ridge 14.

  Next, the fixture 90 is attached. Specifically, the pair of elastic lock pieces 93, 93 of the fixture 90 is inserted into the gap 55 of the optical unit 80 and pushed. Here, since the tip side surfaces of the pair of elastic lock pieces 93 and 93 are guide surfaces 93B and 93B inclined inward toward the tip, the elastic lock pieces are brought into contact with the opening end of the gap 55 to be elastically locked. The pieces 93 and 93 are bent and deformed so as to be close to each other.

  Further, by pushing further, the distal end portions of the elastic lock pieces 93, 93 reach the inside of the housing 53, whereby the elastic lock pieces 93, 93 are restored and deformed as shown in FIG. 93A is locked to the inner wall surface of the housing 53. At this time, the guide piece 95 of the fixture 90 is pressed against the tapered surface 14 </ b> A of the ridge 14 to bend and deform. Accordingly, the protrusion 14 is sandwiched between the guide piece 95 of the fixture 90 and the protrusion piece 81 formed integrally with the optical unit 80, and this also fixes the optical unit 80 to the main body case 1. Is done. That is, this embodiment is double-locked and fixed.

  With such a configuration, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained, and it is not necessary to provide the guide groove 17 as in the first embodiment. For example, the front-rear width of the cylindrical main body 70 (FIGS. 10 and 11). Then, it is possible to reduce the size by narrowing the width in the vertical direction of the drawing. Alternatively, the storage space in the cylindrical main body 10 can be widely secured by setting the same dimensions as the cylindrical main body 10 of the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 12 shows a third embodiment (corresponding to the inventions of claims 3 and 8). The difference from the first embodiment is the structure of the guide piece, and the other points are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given and the redundant description is omitted, and only different points will be described next. In FIG. 12, the direction of arrow A (the direction in which the photoelectric element 52 is directed) is defined as the front.

  In the first embodiment, the guide piece 56 is integrated with the optical unit 5 (the left and right side surfaces 53C of the housing 53) by resin molding. On the other hand, the guide piece 100 in the present embodiment has a rectangular flat plate shape as a whole and is formed of a thin plate member made of metal (for example, stainless steel). On the other hand, the optical unit 101 is made of resin (for example, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)).

  In addition, the optical unit 101 has a through hole 102 into which the guide piece 100 is inserted so as to penetrate the left and right side surfaces 53 </ b> C of the housing 53. The guide piece 100 is held with respect to the housing 53 with its left and right end portions protruding from the left and right side surfaces 53C of the housing 53, and as a result, has the same shape as the optical unit 5 shown in FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, the cross-sectional dimension orthogonal to the insertion direction of the guide piece 100 (the direction indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 12) is designed to be slightly larger than the opening cross-section of the through-hole 102. The housing 53 is held and fixed. In addition to such press-fitting and fixing, for example, an adhesive or a configuration in which the guide piece 100 is held and fixed in advance by insert molding when the housing 53 is manufactured may be used.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the guide piece is formed of a metal thin plate member that can be elastically deformed, for example, even when the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor is used in a high temperature environment, the elastic force is reduced. There is almost nothing, and the main body case 1 and the optical unit 101 can be securely fixed.

<Embodiment 4>
13 and 14 show a fourth embodiment (corresponding to the invention of claim 8). The difference from the second embodiment is the structure of the guide piece, and the other points are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given and the redundant description is omitted, and only different points will be described next. 13 and 14, the upward direction in the drawing (the direction in which the photoelectric element 52 is directed) is the front.

(1) Optical Unit The optical unit 110 of the present embodiment is formed in a rectangular tube shape as a whole, and two optical units 110 are accommodated in the main body case 70. The optical unit 110 is made of resin, and for example, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin is used as the resin. The number of optical units 110 accommodated in the main body case 70 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more.
Inside the main unit 110, a plurality of photoelectric elements 52 (shown in FIG. 14, specifically, a light projecting element or a light receiving element) are arranged along the longitudinal direction thereof with the optical axis facing forward. A hole 111 is provided in the front surface 12 located in front of each photoelectric element 52, and the convergent lens L described above is held therein.

  On the front end side of the left and right side surfaces 110 </ b> A of the main body unit 110, plate-like protrusions 112 that are elongated in the vertical direction are provided so as to form a pair on the left and right. Two pairs are formed. The protruding dimension in the left-right direction of these protruding pieces 112 is set to such a size that the tip part thereof abuts (locks) to the rear surface 14B side of the ridge 14 described above, and can be bent and deformed in the front-rear direction. Has been. As shown in FIG. 14, each protruding piece 112 has a tip portion that abuts on the rear surface 14 </ b> B of the ridge 14 positioned behind the front end surface 110 </ b> B of the main unit 110 by the thickness of the ridge 14. Designed to be

Further, in this optical unit 110, auxiliary guide pieces 113 are provided at a position adjacent to each protrusion piece 112 in the front-rear direction so as to form a pair on the left and right. The projecting dimensions of these auxiliary guide pieces 113 in the left-right direction are set such that the tip portions of the auxiliary guide pieces 113 are in contact with (locked to) the tapered surface 14A side of the ridges 14 described above, and further deformed by bending in the front-rear direction. It is possible.
Each auxiliary guide piece 113 has a protruding end formed in a tapered shape. More specifically, each auxiliary guide piece 113 is designed to be substantially flush with the front end surface 110B of the optical unit 110 in the natural state on the front side, and the rear side substantially corresponds to the inclined surface 14A of the ridge 14. It has an inclined surface. Here, as shown in FIG. 14, when the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor is viewed in a state of being cut along a horizontal plane (a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the main body case), the protrusions 112 and the auxiliary pieces in the direction along the horizontal plane are supported. The separation distance from the guide piece 113 is designed to be narrower than the thickness of the tip end of the ridge 14. It is possible to pass the ridge 14 between 113.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary guide piece 113 can be bent and deformed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the auxiliary guide piece 113 may be configured to be hardly bent and deformed. For example, a configuration may be employed in which the separation distance between the protruding piece 112 and the auxiliary guide piece 113 is designed to be equal to or slightly wider than the thickness of the tip of the ridge 14. In short, it is only necessary to be able to guide the cylindrical body 70 so that the optical unit 110 can be easily inserted (so as not to be detached from the ridge 14).

(2) Fixing tool The fixing tool 120 is for fixing the above-described optical unit 110 to the cylindrical main body 70, and is made of a metal thin plate member 121 (this book) that contacts the front end surface 110B of the optical unit 110. Corresponding to the “releasably integrated guide piece” of the invention, and a fixing member (specifically, a screw member, more specifically, a fixing member for fixing the thin plate member 121 to the optical unit 110) It consists of a tap screw 122.

  The thin plate-like member 121 has a rectangular shape as a whole, and the protruding dimension in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIGS. 13 and 14) is such that the tip portion thereof is in contact with the tapered surface 14A of the ridge 14 described above. Is set. In addition, the thin plate member 121 has an insertion hole 121A through which a tap screw 122 can be inserted. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the left and right ends are inclined slightly in the same direction toward the front side in the natural state, and the inclination angle at this time is designed more gently than the tapered surface 14 </ b> A of the ridge 14. Needless to say, the thin plate member 121 may have a flat shape in which the left and right ends are not inclined in the natural state. In short, any shape is acceptable as long as the left and right ends are elastically deformed when the thin plate member 121 is fixed.

(3) Assembly procedure First, the optical unit 110 is inserted into a predetermined position of the main body case 1 while the convex strip 14 of the cylindrical main body 70 is passed between the auxiliary guide piece 113 and the projection piece 112 integrally formed with the optical unit 110. To do.
Next, the optical unit 110 is locked and fixed to the main body case 1 by the fixing tool 120. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, an accommodation portion 114 capable of accommodating the thin plate member 121 is formed between the hole portions 111 on the front end surface 110 </ b> B of the optical unit 110. A screw hole 115 is formed in the upper surface. Then, as shown in the figure, the thin plate member 121 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 114 such that the left and right ends thereof are hung on the tapered surface 14A of the ridge 14, and the tap screw 122 is screwed through the insertion hole 121A. 115. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the thin plate-like member 121 is further elastically deformed so that the left and right ends thereof are along the tapered surface 14 </ b> A of the ridge 14, and the optical unit 110 is moved relative to the main body case 1 by this restoring force. It is more securely locked.

With such a configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and it is not necessary to provide the guide groove 17 as in the first embodiment. Therefore, for example, the front-rear width of the cylindrical main body 70 (in FIG. It is possible to reduce the size by narrowing the width in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the storage space in the cylindrical main body 10 can be widely secured by setting the same dimensions as the cylindrical main body 10 of the first embodiment.
Further, since the guide piece is made of a metal thin plate member 121 that can be elastically deformed, for example, even when the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor is used in a high temperature environment, the elastic force hardly decreases, and the main body case. 1 and the optical unit 110 can be securely locked.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the first and second embodiments, the cylindrical main body 10 is formed in a rectangular tube shape, but may be formed in a cylindrical shape, for example.
(2) In the first embodiment, the fixture 6 is configured by the plate member 61 and the lock portion 62. However, for example, the fixture 6 may be configured by only the lock portion 62. In short, the guide piece 56 may be anything that can urge the cylindrical body 10 in the rearward direction, and the optical unit 5 can be fixed to the cylindrical body 10 so as to be immovable even if it is other than the lock portion 62. If it is good.

(3) In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the fixture 6 is provided separately from the optical unit 5 is shown, but an integrated configuration may be used. In this configuration, first, the guide piece 56 is passed through the guide groove 17, and when the optical unit 5 is accommodated at a predetermined position in the cylindrical body 10, the fixing member 6 is pushed in to guide the elastic lock piece 64. What is necessary is just to make it insert in the groove | channel 17.
(4) Moreover, in the said Embodiment 1, although it was set as the structure which provided the guide piece 56 in the optical unit 5, it is not restricted to this, It is good also as a structure provided in 1 set or 3 or more sets.

(5) In the first and second embodiments, the configuration in which one fixture 6 and 90 is provided for the optical unit 580 is not limited to this, and a configuration in which two or more fixtures are provided may be employed.
(6) In the second embodiment, the configuration in which two sets of the projecting pieces 81 are provided in one optical unit 80 is not limited to this, and a configuration in which one set or three or more sets is provided may be used. In addition, although one set of guide pieces 82 is provided, it is needless to say that a plurality of sets of guide pieces 82 may be provided.

  (7) In the second embodiment, the guide piece 82 integrated with the optical unit 80 and the guide piece 95 of the fixture 90 are bent and deformed as the “guide piece” of the main body invention, and the projection piece 81 is the “projection portion” of the invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the guide pieces 82 and 95 function as the “projections” of the present invention, and the projections are not limited thereto. The piece 81 may be configured to bend and deform as the “guide piece” of the present invention.

  (8) In the second embodiment, the distance between the projection piece 81 provided on the optical unit 80 and the guide piece 82 is designed to be narrower than the tip wall thickness of the ridge 14. A configuration in which the distance from 82 is designed to be substantially the same as or greater than the tip wall thickness of the ridge 14 may be employed. That is, the optical unit 80 may be locked and fixed to the main body case 1 only by sandwiching the protrusion 14 by the protruding piece 81 and the guide piece 95 of the fixture 90. At this time, the guide piece 82 may be configured not to bend and deform.

  (9) The structure which does not provide the auxiliary guide piece 113 with respect to the said Embodiment 4 may be sufficient. However, in this case, in order to guide the optical unit 110 with respect to the main body case 1, the thin plate-like member 121 is temporarily fixed with the tap screw 122 before insertion, and the optical unit 110 is inserted into the main body case 1 in this state. And what is necessary is just to set it as the structure tightened with the tap screw 122 in the said predetermined position.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Perspective view of multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor Perspective view of fixture BB cross section of fixture Sectional drawing of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor which showed the state before the fixture attachment in CC cross section Sectional drawing of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor which showed the state in the middle of fixture attachment in CC cross section Sectional drawing of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor which showed the state after fixing fixture attachment in CC cross section The disassembled perspective view of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. Perspective view of fixture Sectional drawing of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor which showed the state before fixing fixture attachment in the XX cross section of FIG. Sectional drawing of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor which showed the state after the fixture attachment in the YY cross section of FIG. The perspective view which shows the optical unit of Embodiment 3. The perspective view which shows the optical unit and main body case of Embodiment 4. Sectional drawing of the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor which showed the state after fixing fixture attachment in the ZZ cross section of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body case 5,80,101,110 ... Optical unit 6,90 ... Fixing tool 10,70 ... Cylindrical main body 1315 ... Projection strip 14 ... Projection strip (projection receiving part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Support groove 17 ... Guide groove 51 ... Board | substrate 52 ... Photoelectric element 56, 82, 95, 100 ... Guide piece 64 ... Elastic lock piece (projection part)
93 ... Elastic lock piece 81 ... Projection piece (projection part)
121 ... Thin plate member (fixing tool)
122 ... Tap screw (fixing tool)

Claims (10)

An optical unit including at least one photoelectric element disposed on a substrate and a converging lens arranged corresponding to the photoelectric element, and a cylindrical main body case accommodating the optical unit therein. In the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor in which the optical unit is fixed to the main body case in a state accommodated in the main body case,
A protrusion integrated with the optical unit;
A protrusion receiving portion that is provided in the main body case and engages with the protruding portion in the optical axis direction of the photoelectric element;
The guide piece is integrated with the optical unit, and the guide piece is in contact with the main body case while being bent and deformed against the locking force when the protruding portion is locked to the protruding portion. ,
The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor, wherein the optical unit is locked and fixed to the main body case by the locking force of the protrusion and the protrusion receiving portion and the return force of the guide piece. . The protrusion is locked to the inner surface side of the main body case, and the guide piece is configured to contact the outer surface side of the main body case,
2. The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the main body case with the guide piece is a tapered surface corresponding to a bent shape of the guide piece in the locked state. Sensor. The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide piece is integrated with the optical unit so as to be removable. An optical unit including at least one photoelectric element disposed on a substrate and a converging lens arranged corresponding to the photoelectric element, and a cylindrical main body case accommodating the optical unit therein. In the multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor in which the optical unit is fixed to the main body case in a state accommodated in the main body case,
A protrusion integrated with the optical unit;
A protrusion receiving portion provided on the main body case and locking with the protruding portion;
A pair of guide grooves formed along the axial direction on the inner surface of the main body case;
A guide piece that is integrated with the optical unit, extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis on a plane including the axis of the main body case, and is deformable in a direction perpendicular to the plane;
In a state where the guide piece enters the guide groove and the protrusion is locked to the protrusion receiving part, the guide piece is urged in the orthogonal direction by the protrusion to the side surface of the guide groove. A multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor, wherein the optical unit is locked and fixed with respect to the main body case by being pressed and deformed by a restoring force of the guide piece. The protrusion is a plate that contacts the front surface of the optical unit;
It is characterized by comprising a pair of elastic lock pieces that hang down from both side edges of the plate portion, enter into the guide groove from a direction orthogonal to the axis, and abut against one side surface of the guide groove. The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to claim 4. The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion and the guide piece are arranged adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the main body case. The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the protrusion is integrated in a detachable manner with respect to the optical unit. The multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor according to claim 1, wherein the guide piece is made of a metal plate member. A rod-shaped optical unit including at least one photoelectric element disposed on a substrate and a converging lens disposed corresponding to the photoelectric element, and a cylindrical main body case that accommodates the optical unit therein. The optical unit is a method of manufacturing a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor fixed to the main body case in a state of being accommodated in the main body case,
A guide piece that is integrated with the optical unit and that can be bent and deformed in the optical axis direction of the photoelectric element is disposed along the protrusion receiving portion provided in the main body case, and the optical unit is accommodated in the main body case. Process,
And a step of locking the protrusion integrated with the optical unit to the protrusion receiving portion against the return force of the bending change by the guide piece. . A rod-shaped optical unit including at least one photoelectric element disposed on a substrate and a converging lens disposed corresponding to the photoelectric element, and a cylindrical main body case that accommodates the optical unit therein. In the method of manufacturing a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor, wherein the optical unit is fixed to the main body case in a state accommodated in the main body case.
In a pair of guide grooves formed along the axial direction on the inner surface of the main body case, the optical unit is integrated with the optical unit and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis on a plane including the axis of the main body case. A step of accommodating the optical unit in the main body case by passing a guide piece that can be bent and deformed in a direction perpendicular to the plane; and
The guide piece is urged in the orthogonal direction by engaging a protrusion integrated with the optical unit with a protrusion receiving portion that is provided on the main body case and engages with the protrusion. A method of manufacturing a multi-optical axis photoelectric sensor comprising: a step of bending and deforming by pressing against the side surface of the optical unit;

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