JP2006153786A - Photoelectric sensor box equipped with easy-to-detach cover - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photoelectric sensor box equipped with a cover which can lid a case with high sealability, and which is closable/openable and easy to attach/detach to/from the case. <P>SOLUTION: The cover 3 which covers the upper surface of the flat case 2 with a small lateral size is fitted thereto so that the cover can be opened/closed through turning and can be detached/attached. On both end faces of a shaft 29, provided at a backward protruded position from the back end face of the cover 3, a shaft side advancing face 29a advancing outwardly and laterally and a shaft side inclined face 29b retreating inwardly and laterally from a connection part to the shaft side advancing face 29a. The case 3 is provided with a pair of receiving parts 30 having shaft holes 31, to which the both ends of the shaft 29 are fitted. A receiving side advancing face 30a advancing inwardly and laterally and a receiving side inclined face 30b retreating outwardly and laterally from the reception side advancing face 30a are provided on the inner face around the shaft holes 31 of the both receiving parts 30. The size D1 between the pair of shaft side advancing faces 29a, 29a is set to be larger than the size K2 between the pair of receiving side advancing faces 30a, 30a and is set to be smaller than the maximum size K1 between the pair of receiving side inclined faces 30b, 30b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  According to the present invention, a cover that covers an operation portion in a state where the operation portion is accommodated in a case having an operation portion on a flat shape with small left and right dimensions can be easily removed and closed in a waterproof state. It is related with the photoelectric sensor box attached to.

  Such a photoelectric sensor is used for, for example, an application for detecting an article transferred in a production line or an application for detecting an intruder in a monitoring area. As a cover mounting structure of the photoelectric sensor, in a reflection type photoelectric sensor having a light emitting element for projecting light and a light receiving element for detecting reflected light from an object, a transparent cover for device protection or improvement of design Is fixedly attached to the case (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, in the photoelectric sensor, light emitted from the light emitting element built in the case is projected to the outside through a light projecting optical fiber, and reflected light or projection light from the object to be detected is incident on the light receiving optical fiber. There is something that leads to a light receiving element built in the case. Since this type of photoelectric sensor is provided with optical fibers for light projection and light reception, a light projecting optical system and a light receiving optical system incorporated in the case in the reflection type photoelectric sensor are unnecessary. Generally, a flat and small case is provided, and a box having an operation portion is provided on the upper surface of the case, and a light emitting element and a light receiving element are incorporated in the box.
JP-A-8-160123

  By the way, there are two conflicting requirements for the cover in the photoelectric sensor including the optical fiber as follows. In other words, when installing in a place where little dust is generated and waterproofing is not required, a cover is not particularly necessary. If there is no cover, the operation unit can be immediately opened without opening the cover. Since it has the advantage that it can be operated, it is required that the cover can be easily removed. On the other hand, when installing in a place where dustproof and waterproofing is required, the cover is attached so that the inside of the case can be closed with a high sealing property, and the operation part on the top surface of the case is operated as necessary. Therefore, it is required that the cover can be opened and closed.

  However, it is extremely difficult to attach the cover in a mounting manner having versatility that can satisfy both of the two conflicting requirements. In other words, the former requirement can be dealt with by a simple mounting structure that can be easily attached and detached by simply fitting the cover to the case. It is possible to obtain a waterproof structure, but the latter requirement is that the cover cannot be attached to the case so as to be freely opened and closed.

  On the other hand, for the latter requirement, in order to obtain dustproof and waterproof properties, for example, a sealing member such as an O-ring is compressed and deformed between the case and the cover when the cover is closed by the cover to ensure sufficient sealing performance. However, it is necessary to attach the cover so that it does not come off the case against the reaction force caused by the compressive deformation of the seal member and can be easily opened and closed with respect to the case. In general, such a requirement can be met by adopting a mounting structure in which the rear end of the cover is pivotably connected to the case via a metal support shaft. Cannot be removed, so the former request cannot be met.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is a photoelectric sensor including a cover that can cover the case while ensuring high sealing performance, can be opened and closed with respect to the case, and can be easily attached to and detached from the case. The purpose is to provide a box.

  In order to achieve the above object, a photoelectric sensor box having an easily removable cover according to the present invention is a box having a flat case with small left and right dimensions, and an operation part of the photoelectric sensor on the upper surface of the case. A cover that covers the operation portion on the case is openable and detachable, and is detachably mounted, and a support shaft is provided at a position protruding rearward from the rear end surface of the cover, The case is provided with a pair of receiving portions having shaft holes into which both end portions of the support shaft are fitted. A shaft-side inclined surface that is located on the side and that is continuous with the shaft-side advance surface and recedes inwardly as it moves away from the connecting portion with the shaft-side advance surface. It corresponds to the front half of the shaft hole on the inner side surface The receiving side advancing surface that has advanced inwardly at the position and the receiving side advancing surface at a position corresponding to the latter half of the shaft hole, and toward the outer side as the distance from the connecting portion with the receiving side advancing surface increases. A receding receiving side inclined surface is formed, a dimension between the pair of shaft side advancing surfaces is larger than a dimension between the pair of receiving side advancing surfaces, and a maximum dimension between the pair of receiving side inclined surfaces. Is set too small.

  According to this configuration, the cover can be opened and closed by rotation by being pivotally attached to the case with both ends of the support shaft fitted in the shaft hole of the case as fulcrums. In addition, if the shaft-side advancing surfaces at both ends of the support shaft of the cover are positioned at relative positions facing the receiving-side inclined surfaces of the pair of receiving portions of the case, the dimension between the pair of shaft-side advancing surfaces is a pair. Since it is smaller than the maximum dimension between the side inclined surfaces, the shaft side inclined surface of the support shaft advances into the receiving side in the pair of receiving portions if the supporting shaft is pushed in a position opposed to the relative position with respect to the pair of receiving portions. The support shaft enters between the pair of receiving portions, and the shaft-side advance surface is fitted into the shaft hole. Accordingly, the cover can be easily attached to the case, and when the cover is unnecessary, the support shaft can be easily detached from the receiving portion by positioning the support shaft and the receiving portion at the relative positions. .

  At the time when the support shaft of the cover is fitted between the pair of receiving portions, a part of the support shaft having the shaft side advance surface is only slightly fitted into the shaft hole. When the support shaft is pivoted to the closed position, the shaft-side advance surface of the cover support shaft moves from the position close to the receiving-side inclined surface of the rear half of the case receiving portion to the receiving side of the front half. Move to a position close to the advancing surface. Since the dimension between the pair of shaft side advancing surfaces of the cover is larger than the dimension between the pair of receiving side advancing surfaces of the case, the portion corresponding to the shaft side advancing surface of the support shaft enters the shaft hole so that the support shaft is Since it is in a fitting state that is not easily detached from the hole, the cover is stably connected to the case, so that the upper surface of the case can be reliably closed by the cover. Therefore, the photoelectric sensation provided with this photoelectric sensor box can also meet the requirement to be installed in a place where dustproof and waterproofing is necessary.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a seal member is interposed between the cover and the case. Thereby, a high sealing performance can be ensured between the cover and the case.

  In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the case is provided with a contact surface that comes into contact with one end surface of the cover when the cover is rotated approximately 180 ° from the closed position. Thus, the support shaft is separated upward from the shaft hole with the contact surface as a fulcrum. According to this configuration, the lever can be easily detached from the case by detaching the support shaft from the pair of receiving portions of the case only by applying a small force to the cover.

  According to the photoelectric sensor box having an easily removable cover according to the present invention, it is easy to open and close the cover while applying a cover so that the cover can be used for both dustproof and waterproof functions. Can meet both demands.

  1A and 1B are a plan view and a perspective view of a photoelectric sensor having a photoelectric sensor box according to an embodiment of the present invention. The photoelectric sensor box 1 includes a flat case 2 having a small dimension in the left-right direction X and a cover 3 that covers the upper surface of the case 2. The cover 3 rotates in the front-rear direction Y with respect to the case 2. It can be opened and closed by movement and is detachably mounted. The case 2 includes a light emitting element (not shown) such as a light emitting diode and a light receiving element (not shown) such as a photodiode, and includes two optical fibers 7 and 8 for projecting and receiving light. The front end face 2a is inserted and introduced into the interior, and the connector cable 4 is inserted through the rear end face 2b and introduced into the interior. The case 2 has a flat and small shape because a light projecting optical system and a light receiving optical system such as a reflective photoelectric sensor are unnecessary. The light beam emitted from the light emitting element is, for example, red visible light.

  In the photoelectric sensor, when the driving power is supplied from the power supply unit to the light projecting element and the light receiving element via the connector cable 4, the light emitted from the light emitting element propagates through the light projecting optical fiber 7 and projects at the tip. After the projected light or the reflected light from the object to be detected is incident from the entrance (not shown) at the tip of the light receiving optical fiber 8 after being radiated from a mouth (not shown) toward a predetermined external direction, A detection signal based on the presence or absence of light reception by the light receiving element is transmitted through the connector cable 4 while propagating through the inside and received by the light receiving element from the discharge port at the rear end.

  2A is a perspective view of the photoelectric sensor with the cover 3 opened, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the cover 3 with the top and bottom surfaces inverted. As shown in FIG. 2A, an operation unit 15 surrounded by a rectangular frame 2c is provided on the upper surface of the case 2. The operation unit 15 includes an output indicator lamp 10, a stable input. A shading indicator lamp 11, a light reception level adjusting operation knob 12, a light reception level display window 13, and the like are provided. Further, the front vicinity portion adjacent to the operation portion 15 on the upper surface of the case 2 is formed at a low position slightly lower than the upper surface of the frame portion 2c through the step d1, and at this low position, A fiber fixing lever 9 for fixing both optical fibers 7 and 8 is provided. Further, the upper end portion of the front surface 2 a of the case 2 is provided with a recess 18 and a locking projection 19 that protrudes into the recess 18.

  On the other hand, the cover 3 shown in FIG. 2 (b) has an elongated rectangular outer shape that can cover the entire upper surface of the case 2, and a lever receiving recess having a space for receiving the fiber fixing lever 9 on the inner surface side. The operation part accommodation recess 21 which has the space which accommodates each part 10-14, 17 of the said operation part 15, and the said operation part 15 is provided. The opening edge of the lever receiving recess 20 protrudes slightly from the opening edge of the operating portion receiving recess 21 with a step d2 that is slightly smaller than the step d1 of the case 2. In addition, an annular seal member 22 made of an elastic material such as rubber is fitted into an opening edge 21a (the seal surface of the cover 3) of the operation portion accommodating recess 21 and a half is fitted into an attachment groove (not shown). It is fixed in the state.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the cover 3 is formed with an engagement piece 23 that enters the recess 18 at the front end 3 a when the case 2 is closed, and the engagement piece 23 is formed on the case 23. A locking hole 24 into which the two locking projections 19 are fitted, and an operation piece 27 protruding integrally from the upper end of the engagement piece 23 are formed. Also, the cover 3 is integrally provided with a connecting base portion 28 shown in FIG. 2B rearward from the rear end portion 3b, and a pair of support shafts (only one is shown) from both end surfaces of the connecting base portion 28. 29 protrudes.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B show the positions where the mounting base 28 and the support shaft 29 are formed in the cover 3. FIG. 3A shows an arrangement state in which the case 2 is opened, and FIG. 3B shows an arrangement state in which the case 2 is closed. ing. The end surfaces of the pair of support shafts 29 projecting from the both end surfaces of the mounting base portion 28 are positioned on the upper side in the arrangement state of (b) and on the lower side, the shaft side advancing surface 29a extending outward. The shaft-side advancing surface 29a is formed, and a shaft-side inclined surface 29b is formed that recedes inward as the distance from the connecting portion 29c to the shaft-side advancing surface 29a decreases. The pair of shaft side advancing surfaces 29a, 29a are parallel to each other. In addition, the connection base portion 28 of the cover 3 is provided with a rotation guide surface 28a in which the lower half portion in the arrangement state (b) has an arc shape.

  On the other hand, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 4A and the plan view of FIG. 4B, a pair of the base 2 of the cover 3 is fitted into the rear end of the case 2 where the cover 2 is connected. The receiving portions 30 are provided so as to protrude rearward from each other so as to be opposed to the left and right, and each receiving portion 30 is formed with a shaft hole 31 into which the pair of support shafts 29 of the cover 3 are rotatably fitted. . The pair of receiving portions 30 has an inner side surface around the shaft hole 31, that is, a receiving side advancing surface that has advanced inward at a position corresponding to the front half of the shaft hole 31 on the opposing surfaces of the both receiving portions 30. 30a and a receiving side inclined surface 30b that is continuous with the receiving side advancing surface 30a at a position corresponding to the rear half of the shaft hole 31, and that recedes outward as the distance from the connecting portion 30c to the receiving side advancing surface 30a increases. Is formed. The pair of receiving side advance surfaces 30a, 30a are parallel to each other. In addition, the case 2 is provided with a hemispherical support protrusion 32 that supports the rotation guide surface 28a of the connection base portion 28 of the cover 3 in contact with and below the intermediate position between the receiving portions 30 and 30. ing.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a mechanism for adjusting the light receiving level of the light receiving element by manual operation of the light receiving level adjusting operation knob 12 (FIG. 2A). The light receiving level adjusting mechanism rotates the light receiving level adjusting knob 12 to change the light receiving level adjusting volume 33 connected to the operation knob 12 to adjust the light receiving level of the light receiving element. be able to. Further, the value of the light receiving level corresponding to the rotation amount of the operation knob 12 is clearly displayed by the display pointer portion 40 a of the display disc 40.

  That is, when the operation knob 12 for adjusting the light receiving level is rotated, a small-diameter main gear 34 attached coaxially with the operation knob 12, an intermediate large gear 37 meshed with the main gear 34, and the intermediate large gear 37 The display disk 40, which is coaxially attached to the slave gear 39, rotates via a reduction mechanism that includes an intermediate small gear 38 that is coaxially mounted and a slave gear 39 that meshes with the intermediate small gear 38. Since the display pointer portion 40a made of a notch formed in 40 also rotates, the light reception level is displayed by visually recognizing the display pointer portion 40a from the outside through the light reception level display window 13 (FIG. 1). In contrast, conventionally, as indicated by a two-dot chain line, a bar-shaped display indicator 41 standing on the upper surface of the slave gear 39 is seen through the light receiving level display window 13, so the display indicator 41 is small. Therefore, although the light reception level is difficult to understand, the light reception level can be clearly recognized at a glance by using the display disc 40 that is much larger than the bar-shaped display pointer 41 and provided with the display pointer portion 40a.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the connecting portion between the case 2 and the cover 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the receiving side advancing surfaces 30a and receiving side inclined surfaces 30b of the pair of receiving portions 30 of the case 2 shown in FIG. 6A and the shaft side advancing surfaces 29a and shaft side inclined surfaces 29b of the pair of support shafts 29 of the cover 3 are illustrated. The dimensional relationship will be described. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the dimension D1 between the pair of shaft side advancing surfaces 29a, 29a on the cover 3 side is larger than the dimension K2 between the pair of receiving side advancing surfaces 30a, 30a on the case 2 side, And the minimum dimension D2 between the pair of shaft side inclined surfaces 29b, 29b on the cover 3 side is smaller than the maximum dimension K1 between the pair of receiving side inclined surfaces 30b, 30b. It is set smaller than the dimension K2 between 30a. That is, the dimensional relationship of D2 <K2 <D1 <K1 is set.

  When attaching the cover 3 to the case 2, as shown in FIG. 6A, the cover 3 is arranged in the vertical direction Z with the rear part facing downward, and the attachment base 28 is paired with the pair of cases 2. It pushes in between the receiving parts 30 and 30 from the back side. At this time, since the pair of receiving portions 30 and the pair of support shafts 29 are in the relative arrangement shown in FIG. 6B, the shaft-side inclined surfaces 29b of the pair of support shafts 29 are a pair of receiving-side inclined surfaces 30b. , 30b, the insertion-side tip portions of the pair of shaft-side advance surfaces 29a29a slightly enter between the pair of receiving-side inclined surfaces 30b30b, and both shaft-side inclined surfaces 29b become the receiving-side advanced surfaces 30a. And the insertion-side tip of the shaft-side advance surface 29a contacts the receiving-side inclined surface 30b.

  From this state, when the mounting base 28 is further pushed in the direction in which it is inserted between the two receiving portions 30, both the shaft-side inclined surfaces 29b abut against the receiving-side advancing surface 30a and elastically deform both the receiving portions 30 outward. As a result, the distance between the receiving portions 30 is increased while the interval between the receiving portions 30 is smoothly expanded. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, when both the support shafts 29 are opposed to the corresponding shaft holes 31 by the entry of the mounting base 28 between the both receiving portions 30, 30, the both receiving portions 30 are elastically restored. Since the original state is restored by the force, both ends of both the support shafts 29 are slightly fitted into the shaft holes 31. In this way, the cover 3 can be easily attached to the case in a rotatable manner with both the support shafts 29 as fulcrums. Further, when the cover 3 is rotated, the arcuate rotation guide surface 28a of the mounting shaft portion 28 in the cover 3 shown in FIG. 3B is in sliding contact with the hemispherical support protrusion 32 of the case 2. The cover 3 can be smoothly rotated.

  When the cover 3 rotatably attached to the case 2 as described above is rotated to the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the shaft side of the two support shafts 29 of the cover 3 is shown in FIG. The advancing surface 29a moves with respect to both receiving portions 30 of the case 2 from a position close to the receiving side inclined surface 30b (a rear position) to a position close to the receiving side advancing surface 30a (a front position). Since the dimension D1 between the shaft-side advancement surfaces 29a is larger than the dimension K2 between the both-side advancement surfaces 30a, the portion of the support shaft 29 corresponding to the shaft-side advancement surface 29a greatly enters the shaft hole 31. Both the support shafts 29 are in a stable fitting state where they are not easily detached from the shaft hole 31.

  When the cover 3 is rotated to a position where the case 2 is completely closed, the engaging piece 23 of the cover 3 shown in FIG. After the locking projection 19 is elastically deformed slightly rearward by the engagement piece 23, the locking projection 19 is fitted into the locking hole 24 of the cover 3, and the cover 3 is held in a state where the case 2 is closed.

  In the process of closing the upper surface of the case 2 with the cover 3, first, the seal member 22 of the cover 3 shown in FIG. 2B is placed on the frame portion 2c on the upper surface of the case 2 shown in FIG. From this state, the cover 3 is further forcibly rotated, so that the opening edge of the lever receiving recess 20 of the cover 3 faces close to the low part of the front end of the case 3, The seal member 22 is compressed between the cover 3 and the frame portion 2 c of the case 2. Thereby, the seal between the case 2 and the cover 3 is made strong.

  Even if the seal member 22 is attached to the frame portion 2c of the case 2, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  When the cover 3 is opened, if the operation piece 27 is pulled up in the state of FIG. 1B, the locking hole 24 of FIG. The cover 3 can be rotated about both support shafts 29 as fulcrums. When removing the cover 3 from the case 2, the cover 3 can be stood up and pulled out rearward as shown in FIG. 6A, but this requires a considerably strong pulling force. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6E, the cover 3 is rotated by approximately 180 ° from the closed position. As a result, the rear end surface of the cover 3 comes into contact with the vertical contact surface 2c provided below the both receiving portions 30 in the rear surface portion 2a of the case 2. If the cover 3 is further rotated from this state, Both support shafts 29 are separated from the shaft holes 31 upward with the contact surface 2c as a fulcrum. At the time of removal, the support shaft 29 is detached from the shaft hole 31 by applying a small force to the cover 3 according to the lever principle, so that the cover 3 can be easily removed from the case 2.

  Therefore, when the cover 3 is unnecessary, the photoelectric sensor box 1 can easily remove the cover 3 by pulling out both the support shafts 29 from the both shaft holes 31, and also remove the cover 3 from the case 2 as necessary. Can be easily attached to. When the cover 3 is rotated to the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the support shaft 29 is in a stable fitting state with respect to the shaft hole 31, and the seal member 22 in FIG. The cover 3 can be elastically deformed into a shape to be crushed between the cover 3 and the case 2, and the cover 3 can close the upper surface of the case 2 in a surely closed state having both dustproof and waterproof functions. Moreover, since the cover 3 is rotatably mounted on the case 2 with both ends of the pair of support shafts 29 fitted in the pair of shaft holes 31 of the case 3 as fulcrums, For example, the upper surface of the case 2 can be opened and closed by rotating the cover 3. Therefore, the photoelectric sensor box 1 has two conflicting requirements: the cover 3 can be easily removed, and the cover 3 can close the inside of the case 2 with high sealing performance, and the cover 3 can be opened and closed. On the other hand, it is possible to cope with a simple and inexpensive configuration.

  The present invention can also be applied to a transmission type photoelectric sensor including a light projecting unit having a light emitting element and a light receiving unit having a light receiving element. In this case, the box of the present invention is provided for each of the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit. Used.

(A), (b) is the top view and perspective view which show the photoelectric sensor provided with the photoelectric sensor box of one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a perspective view in a state where the cover of the photoelectric sensor is opened, (b) is a perspective view in a state where the upper and lower surfaces of the cover are reversed. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the cover in an open position and a closed position. (A), (b) is the perspective view and top view which show the principal part of a case same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the light reception level adjustment mechanism of a photoelectric sensor same as the above. (A), (b) is a partial perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a state where the cover is attached to the case, (c) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the cover is attached to the case, and (d) is a case where the cover is attached to the case. The cross-sectional view which shows the closed state, (e) is a perspective view which shows the state which removes a cover from a case.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoelectric sensor box 2 Case 2d Contact surface 3 Cover 15 Operation part 29 Support shaft 29a Shaft side advance surface 29b Shaft side inclined surface 30 Receiving part 30a Receiving side advance surface 30b Receiving side inclined surface 31 Shaft hole D1 Between axis side advance surfaces Dimensions K1 Maximum dimension between the inclined surfaces on the receiving side K2 Dimensions between the receiving side advancing surfaces

Claims (3)

It has a flat case with small left and right dimensions, and a box having an operation part of a photoelectric sensor on the upper surface of the case,
A cover that covers the operation unit is attached to the case so that it can be opened and closed by rotation and is detachable.
A support shaft is provided at a position protruding rearward from the rear end surface of the cover,
A pair of receiving portions having shaft holes into which both end portions of the support shaft are fitted to the case are provided,
The shaft-side advancing surface located on the upper side and advancing outward on the both end surfaces of the support shaft and the shaft-side advancing surface located on the lower side, and downward from the connecting portion with the shaft-side advancing surface A shaft-side inclined surface that retreats inward as it leaves is formed,
A receiving side advancing surface that has advanced inward at a position corresponding to the front half of the shaft hole on an inner side surface around the shaft hole in each receiving portion, and the receiving side at a position corresponding to the rear half of the shaft hole Continuing from the advancing surface, a receiving side inclined surface that recedes outward as the distance from the connecting portion with the receiving side advancing surface back is formed,
An easily removable cover in which the dimension between the pair of shaft-side advancing surfaces is set larger than the dimension between the pair of the receiving-side advancing surfaces and smaller than the maximum dimension between the pair of the receiving-side inclined surfaces. Equipped with a photoelectric sensor box.   2. The photoelectric sensor box according to claim 1, further comprising an easily removable cover in which a seal member is interposed between the cover and the case. The contact surface according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the case is provided with a contact surface that comes into contact with one end surface of the cover when the cover is rotated by approximately 180 ° from the closed position. A photoelectric sensor box provided with an easily removable cover for detaching the support shaft upward from the shaft hole with the contact surface as a fulcrum.

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