JP2006052775A - Cam follower - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cam follower capable of storing travel information of a traveling body to be guided. <P>SOLUTION: This cam follower 1 is used to guide the traveling body, and an IC tag 17 capable of performing non-contact communication is attached to it to store travel information of the traveling body, for example, travel distance in this IC tag. The cam follower 1 has a stud 2 and an outer ring 4 provided rotatably at the outer periphery of the stud, and a rotation detected part 18 is provided on the outer ring 4. A sensor for detecting the rotation detected part 18 and the IC tag connected or integrated with the sensor are attached to the stud 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cam follower used for guiding a moving body, and more particularly to a cam follower to which an IC tag is attached.

The life of a moving body guided by this type of cam follower is generally determined by the integrated value of the moving distance. Therefore, in general, the actual situation is that the lifetime of the moving object is estimated from the usage period of the moving object.
IC tags using RFID technology that can be contactlessly communicated are being widely used in logistics. However, recent progress in downsizing, recent traceability requirements, that is, the history of applications that have been considered, and application In view of the increasing demand for pursuing location, it has also been proposed to attach an IC tag to a mechanical part (for example, Patent Document 2). In this method, an IC tag is attached to a mechanical part such as a gear, and an ID code and various types of information associated therewith are stored and managed.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-10604 JP 2002-049900 A

In cam followers, if the life is estimated based on the usage period of the moving object, the accurate life of the moving object cannot be obtained. There was a problem that it was discarded as a product.
In addition, machine parts with conventional IC tags are used exclusively for identification information such as production numbers and recording of production history. It has not been proposed.

  The objective of this invention is providing the cam follower which can memorize | store the movement information of the mobile body of guidance object.

The cam follower of the present invention is a cam follower used for guiding a moving body, and is characterized in that an IC tag capable of non-contact communication is attached and movement information of the moving body is stored in the IC tag.
According to this configuration, the movement information of the moving body stored in the IC tag of the cam follower can be easily read by non-contact communication with the tag reader, and the usage history of the moving body can be known from the read movement information.

  In the present invention, the movement information may be a movement distance. In the case of this configuration, it is possible to know the usage history of the mobile object more accurately.

  In the present invention, there is provided a stud and an outer ring that is rotatably installed on the outer periphery of the stud, a rotation detected portion is provided on the outer ring, and a sensor that detects the rotation detected portion on the stud, and the sensor The IC tag may be attached to or integrated with the IC tag. In this configuration, the moving distance of the moving body can be recorded directly and accurately in parallel with the use.

  In this invention, the rotation detected part may be a magnet, and the sensor may be a coil. In the case of this configuration, the moving distance of the moving body can be measured by the sensor, and power generation is also possible, and the generated power can be used as driving power for the IC tag.

The IC tag with a power generation / rotation detection function according to the present invention is an IC tag with a power generation function that is attached to one of the parts that rotate relative to each other, and passes a magnetic field of a magnet provided in the other part. A means for integrating a coil and a non-contact communication type IC tag, and using a current generated in the coil by the relative rotation as a driving power source of the IC tag, and a route of contact communication with the IC tag It is characterized in that both or any one of means used as separately input signals is provided.
According to this configuration, the rotation of the relatively rotating component can be detected by the coil, and the current generated in the coil by the relative rotation can be used as a driving power source for the IC tag.

The cam follower of the present invention is a cam follower used for guiding a moving body, and an IC tag capable of non-contact communication is attached and movement information of the moving body is stored in the IC tag. It can store body movement information.
The IC tag with a power generation / rotation detection function according to the present invention is an IC tag with a power generation function that is attached to one of the parts that rotate relative to each other, and passes a magnetic field of a magnet provided in the other part. A means for integrating a coil and a non-contact communication type IC tag, and using a current generated in the coil by the relative rotation as a driving power source of the IC tag, and a route of contact communication with the IC tag Since both or one of the means used as separately input signals is provided, the rotation of the component that rotates relative to the coil can be detected, and the current generated in the coil by the relative rotation can be used as a driving power source for the IC tag.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The cam follower 1 is used for guiding a moving body, and is shown in a sectional view and a partially broken perspective view in FIGS. As shown in the figure, the cam follower 1 includes a stud 2, a side plate 3, an outer ring 4, a rolling element 5 and a cage 6. The stud 2 has a flange portion 7 at one end, a body portion adjacent to the flange portion 7 is a bearing surface 8, and a body portion adjacent to the bearing surface 8 is a small diameter shaft portion 10 through a step portion 9. ing. A screw portion 11 is formed at the tip of the small diameter shaft portion 10. A side plate 3 having the same diameter as the flange portion 7 is forcibly fitted to the step portion 9 of the stud 2. In addition, the sliding cam follower (FIG. 1 (B)) without the rolling element 5 may be sufficient. The outer ring 4 is either iron-based or resin-based.

  The outer ring 4 is rotatably fitted around the bearing surface 8 via a rolling element 5, and step portions 12 and 13 are formed at both ends of the inner diameter of the outer ring 4. A required gap 14 may be secured between each of the stepped portions 12 and 13 and the flange portion 7 and the side plate 3, and there is also a series in which a seal 14 a is attached. The rolling elements 5 are held by a cage 6 at a constant interval in the circumferential direction. A center greasing hole 15 is formed in the shaft center of the stud 2, and a branch greasing hole 16 branched from the greasing hole 15 is opened in the bearing surface 8. Grease nipples and plugs (not shown) are attached to both ends of the center greasing hole 15.

  An IC tag 17 with a sensor is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the flange portion 7 in the stud 2, and a magnet 18 that is a rotation detected portion is provided on a portion of the outer ring 4 that faces the flange portion 7 in the radial direction. Yes. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the sensor-attached IC tag 17 has a sensor 19 made of a coil added to an IC tag 20 made of an RFID tag to which an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is applied. Are integrated with a resin mold or the like. Thereby, as the outer ring 4 rotates, the coil 19 as a sensor passes through the magnetic field of the magnet 18, so that an electric current is generated in the coil 19. Note that the sensor 19 and the IC tag 20 may be separated and the IC tag 20 may be connected to the sensor 19. The IC tag 20 has an IC chip 21 and an antenna 22. The IC chip 21 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 23, a memory 24, a transmission / reception circuit 25, and a power supply circuit 26, and the power supply circuit 26 obtains power from the antenna 22. A memory 24 that does not require a power source is used for storing information. Some RFID tags use electrostatic coupling, electromagnetic coupling, electromagnetic induction, microwave, light, or the like as a transmission method. In this case, the IC tag 20 may have any of the above transmission formats, but here, an electromagnetic induction type or a microwave type is used. The transmission / reception circuit 25 and the antenna 22 are configured according to the transmission format.

  The IC tag with sensor 17 is provided with input processing means 27 for inputting a signal to the CPU 23 through an input system different from the non-contact communication path from the antenna 22 in the IC tag 20, and the input processing means 27 has a sensor. 19 is connected. The input processing means 27 is means for processing the voltage waveform of the sensor 19 into a pulse signal. The input processing means 27 may further have an input port function for controlling the input signal in accordance with a command from the CPU 23. The input processing means 27 may have a function as an A / D converter that converts an analog signal serving as a sensor output into digital data depending on the type of the sensor 19. The power supply circuit 26 uses the electromotive force of the sensor 19 formed of a coil as a power supply in addition to the power obtained from the antenna 22.

  The sensor-attached IC tag 17 is provided with sensor input processing means 28 that performs predetermined processing on the data input from the sensor 19 via the input processing means 27 and records the data in the memory 24. The sensor input processing means 28 includes a program for causing the CPU 23 to perform a predetermined operation, and is provided in a ROM (not shown) in which a program for controlling the CPU 23 is described, another ROM, or the like.

The sensor input processing means 28 includes a counting means 28a and a moving distance conversion means 28b.
The counting means 28a is a means for counting the signal of the sensor 19 when the magnet 18 passes and storing it in the memory 24 in the IC tag 20, and records the integrated value of the ON signal.
The movement distance conversion means 28b is a means for converting the signal of the sensor 19 when the magnet 18 passes into the movement distance of the moving body and recording it in the memory 24 of the IC tag 20, for example, the count value of the sensor-on signal, Multiply the circumference of the outer ring 4 to obtain travel distance data.

  According to the cam follower 1 having this configuration, since the movement information (movement distance) of the moving body is stored in the attached IC tag 20, the movement information is easily read from the IC tag 20 by non-contact communication using a tag reader. It is possible to easily know the usage history of the moving object from the movement information. The usage history can be used for periodic inspections, elucidation of deficiencies, calculation of remaining life, and future improvements. Since the movement information in this case is a movement distance, the usage history can be known more accurately. Further, the movement information (movement distance) of the moving body is obtained by using a rotation detection unit (magnet) 18 provided on the outer ring 4 and a sensor (coil) 19 provided on the stud 2 in an integrated or connected state with the IC tag 20. By detecting the movement information (movement distance) of the moving body and storing it in the IC tag 20, the movement information (movement distance) can be directly and accurately recorded in parallel with the use of the movement body.

  In this embodiment, since the sensor 19 is a coil, an electromotive force is generated in the sensor 19 by rotation. This electromotive force can be used for driving the IC tag 20, and the rotation of the outer ring 4 can be detected by the electromotive force generated every time the magnet 18 passes. The signal of the sensor 19 when the magnet 18 passes is counted by the counting means 28 a and recorded in the memory 24. Further, the moving distance conversion means 28b converts the moving value of the moving body by multiplying the count value by the circumference of the outer ring 4. As a result, the moving distance of the moving body can be recorded.

  FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a loading / unloading device for a machining center pallet changer using the cam follower 1. On the base 30, a guide track 32 on which a pallet 31 having a reverse U-shaped cross section having a recess 31 a on the lower surface is movably mounted is installed. The guide track 32 is configured by attaching cam followers 1 and 34 to a pair of left and right support members 33 bolted to the base 30. The support member 33 is made of an angle member, and the cam follower 1 is fastened and fixed to the vertical piece portion 33a by a nut 35 with its axis centered horizontally. Specifically, the stud 2 of the cam follower 1 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 provided in the vertical piece portion 33a, and the nut 35 is screwed into the screw portion 11 of the stud 2 so that the cam follower 1 is engaged with the vertical piece portion 33a. Fixed. Further, a support member 37 having a T-shaped cross section is bolted to the side surface of the vertical piece portion 33a of each support member 33, and another cam follower 34 has its axis center perpendicular to the horizontal piece portion 37a of the support member 37. Then, the nut 38 is fastened and fixed. The tightening structure is the same as in the case of fixing the cam follower 1 to the support member 33. The outer ring 4 of the cam follower 1 having the horizontal axis is in contact with the bottom surface of the pallet recess 31a, and the outer ring of the cam follower 34 having the vertical axis is in contact with the side surface of the pallet recess 31a. Thereby, the pallet 31 is guided by the cam followers 1 and 34 and can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface.

  In this loading / unloading device, the outer ring of the cam followers 1 and 34 rotates with the movement of the pallet 31 as a moving body. In the cam follower 1, the sensor 19 of the sensor-equipped IC tag 17 as shown in FIG. The rotation of the outer ring 4 is detected by detecting the magnet 18 that is a part, and the IC tag 20 calculates and records the movement distance of the pallet 31 from the detection signal of the sensor 19. Since the recorded movement distance can be easily read from the IC tag 20 by non-contact communication using a tag reader, the use status of the carry-in / out apparatus can be easily grasped from the movement information. In this loading / unloading device, the cam follower 1 in the above embodiment may be used as the cam follower 34 with the shaft center in a vertical posture.

  FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of an arm guide device of a robot machine using the cam follower 1. The arm 40 of the robot machine has a circular cross section, and around it, three cam followers 41 are distributed and arranged at evenly spaced positions in the circumferential direction and are brought into rolling contact with the outer peripheral surface of the arm 40. The arm 40 is moved in the axial direction perpendicular to the paper surface. I support it freely. Each cam follower 41 is supported by tightening nuts 44 at both ends of studs 42 on fork-like support members 43. A guide blade 45 extending in the axial direction is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the arm 40. A pair of cam followers 1 are provided so as to sandwich the guide blade 45 from both side surfaces thereof. The pair of cam followers 1 are attached to a support member 46 disposed close to the guide blade 45 by tightening with a nut 47. As a result, the arm 40 is restricted from rotating around the axis, and can advance and retreat in the axial direction.

  Also in this arm guide device, the outer ring 4 of the cam follower 1 that is in rolling contact with the guide blade 45 rotates as the arm 40 that is a moving body moves forward and backward, and the rotation of the arm 40 is detected by the sensor of the cam follower 1 detecting the rotation. The moving distance is stored in the IC tag.

  FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an automobile door guide device using the cam follower 1. Outside the body of the automobile, a rectangular guide rail 50 having a notch opening 50a on one side is provided laterally along the body. The cam follower 1 has a nut with the axis centered horizontally on a vertical piece 51a of a support member 51 protruding from a base body (not shown) of an automobile door that slides along the exterior of the vehicle body to a position facing the notch opening 50a. The outer ring 4 is brought into rolling contact with the inner bottom surface 50 b of the guide rail 50. In addition, another cam follower 54 is fastened and fixed by a nut 55 with the shaft centering perpendicular to a support member 53 that protrudes from the door base and faces the guide rail 50 from the notch opening 50 a, and an outer ring 56 of the guide rail 50. Rolling contact with the inner side surface 50c. The automobile door is slidable along the guide rail 50 by the rolling contact of the two cam followers 1 and 54 to the guide rail 50.

  Also in this automobile door guide device, the outer ring 4 of the cam follower 1 that is in rolling contact with the guide rail 50 rotates with the movement of the automobile door that is the moving body, and the rotation of the cam follower 1 is detected by the sensor of the cam follower 1. The moving distance is stored in the IC tag.

In addition, the cam follower 1 can similarly store movement information when used for a clutch fork guide roller of an automobile, a lathe chuck mechanical coupling, a turret mechanism, a press feeding device, a printing press ink drip roll, and the like.
In each of the above embodiments, the sensor-attached IC tag is provided, but a general IC tag that does not have the sensor 19 (FIG. 3) is attached to the cam follower, and the movement information of the moving object detected by other appropriate means is obtained. You may make it memorize | store in the IC tag attached to the cam follower.

(A), (B) is sectional drawing of the cam follower concerning one Embodiment of this invention, respectively. It is a partially broken perspective view of the cam follower. It is a block diagram of an IC tag with a sensor attached to the cam follower. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the carrying in / out apparatus of the pallet changer for machining centers in which the cam follower is used. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the arm guide device of the robot machine in which the cam follower is used. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the door guide device for vehicles in which the cam follower is used.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cam follower 2 ... Stud 4 ... Outer ring 17 ... IC tag 18 with a sensor ... Magnet (rotation detected part)
22 ... Antenna 27 ... Input processing means

Claims (5)

  A cam follower used for guiding a moving body, wherein an IC tag capable of non-contact communication is attached, and movement information of the moving body is stored in the IC tag.   The cam follower according to claim 1, wherein the movement information is a movement distance.   3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: a stud and an outer ring rotatably installed on an outer periphery of the stud, wherein the outer ring is provided with a rotation detection portion, and the rotation detection portion is detected by the stud. A cam follower to which a sensor and the IC tag connected to or integrated with the sensor are attached.   The cam follower according to claim 3, wherein the rotation detection part is a magnet and the sensor is a coil. An IC tag with a power generation function that is attached to one of the parts that rotate relative to each other, and the coil that passes through the magnetic field of the magnet provided in the other part and the non-contact communication type IC tag are integrated. And / or means for using the current generated in the coil by the relative rotation as a driving power source for the IC tag and / or means for using as a signal input to the IC tag separately from the contacted communication path An IC tag with a power generation / rotation detection function, characterized in that one is provided.

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