JP2006300464A - Electric gun - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem associated with burning of a contact by switching while maintaining the basic constitution of an electric gun. <P>SOLUTION: The electric gun constituted to retreat a movable member 15 by mesh between a rack 25 and a sector gear 27 driven by a motor 30, is provided with a cutoff detecting switch 32 switched during the rotation of the sector gear 27, a trigger detecting switch 35 responding to trigger operation, and a semiconductor control part 40 controlling a current flowing to the motor 30 from a power source. A current is applied to the motor 30 by trigger operation to start the rotation of the sector gear 27, and the cutoff detecting switch 32 is turned on in the middle of retreat of the movable member 15 to cut off the current flowing to the motor 30. The movable member reaches the retreat limit due to the inertial rotation of the motor 30 to carry out compressing operation, and trigger operation is stopped to turn off the trigger detecting switch. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric gun that drives a movable member of an air cylinder device in a backward direction by a motor, accumulates a spring, and controls an operation circuit of a drive unit by a trigger operation.

  In this type of prior art, there is an invention represented by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 3-221793, which has been used for many years in the electric air gun of the applicant company. In this invention, air is sucked into the cylinder by the backward movement of the piston, and at the same time, the compression spring is accumulated, the air is compressed by the forward movement, and the bullet is fired by the jetting air. A drive unit having a rotating wheel that rotates, and an operation unit that controls a switch of a circuit that operates a motor of the drive unit by a trigger operation. Then, the cam is engaged with a cam provided coaxially with the rotating wheel of the drive unit, and the cam and the shear are interlocked using a tappet arm at a timing when the engagement with the trigger is released after the shear switch operation is completed.

In the above configuration, two members of a shear and a tappet arm are required between the cam and the switch, and the trigger is disengaged and disengaged, resulting in a complicated structure. In addition, the on / off of the switch by the shear slide sometimes becomes uncertain, and effective improvement measures have been demanded. Even if they are resolved, the problem of burnt contacts remains. In particular, when a nickel-cadmium battery or the like is used for the purpose of increasing the output, a large current flows at a time, so the inrush current becomes very large, and sparks are repeatedly scattered when the contacts are closed. This tendency becomes more prominent as the performance becomes higher, and the problem of switch burnout becomes more serious. In addition, the conventional switch has a problem in that it requires a large installation space due to an additional mechanical configuration for moving the switch while leaving its own size.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-221793 Japanese Utility Model Publication 3-104688 Japanese Utility Model Publication 3-104689

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to solve the problems associated with contact burnout due to switching while maintaining the basic configuration of the electric gun as it is. Another object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the switch so that the required space can be significantly reduced.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to an electric gun that drives a piston of an air cylinder device in a backward direction by a motor, accumulates a spring, and controls the operation of the motor by a trigger operation in the moving direction of the movable member. A configuration in which a movable member is moved backward by meshing with a rack provided along the rack and a sector gear driven by a motor, a cut-off detection switch that is switched during the rotation of the sector gear, and a trigger detection that responds to a trigger operation And a semiconductor control unit that is connected to the cut-off detection switch and the trigger detection switch and controls the current from the power source to the motor. The motor is energized by a trigger operation, and the rotation of the sector gear starts to move. The cut-off detection switch turns on while the By this means, the power supply to the motor is cut off, and then the movable member reaches the retreat limit due to the inertial rotation of the motor, the compression operation is performed, and the trigger detection switch is turned off by stopping the trigger operation. It was taken.

  In the present invention, compressed air is generated by an air cylinder device. The structure of the air cylinder device is composed of a cylinder and a piston, and the piston is usually moved and compressed. However, there is also a method in which an inner member that hits the piston is fixed, and a member that hits the outer cylinder is moved and compressed. Although the present invention describes that the piston is moved in the embodiment, since the piston and the cylinder can be grasped as a combination of the movable member and the fixed member, there is no difference between the piston and the cylinder.

The thing of this invention has the structure which has the rack provided along the piston moving direction, for example, has a sector gear which retreats a piston by meshing with this rack, and drives a sector gear with a motor. take. The operation of the motor is controlled by a semiconductor control unit having a cut-off detection switch for switching the motor and a trigger detection switch that is switched according to a trigger operation. The feature of the cut-off detection switch is that it is switched during the rotation of the sector gear, and the cut-off detection switch is switched by a rotation of a cam provided coaxially with the sector gear, or with the sector gear. It is controlled by a method of switching by a piston that is moved backward by the meshing or a tappet member that moves integrally therewith. The sector gear is connected to the motor by a reduction gear set. The piston is retracted by one stroke by one rotation of the sector gear, and the piston is stopped by releasing the mesh with the rack. The elastic force allows the piston to perform a compression action.

  On the other hand, the trigger detection switch is characterized by starting the motor by pulling a trigger, that is, driving the piston backward. Therefore, the trigger detection switch must be moved directly or indirectly by a trigger. Directly refers to a part of the trigger that contacts the trigger detection switch and acts on its movable part to switch, and indirectly refers to at least one member between the trigger and the trigger detection switch. It refers to an object that acts on a movable part through intervening switching.

  As described above, the trigger detection switch according to the present invention detects that the trigger has been pulled and allows a signal current to flow to the semiconductor control unit. Similarly, the cut-off detection switch has a constant rotation angle of the sector gear. When the position is reached, a signal current is sent to the semiconductor control unit in order to detect it and cut off the operating current of the motor. That is, if a mechanical switch is directly connected to a current circuit that passes a large current as in the prior art, there is a problem of contact burnout. Therefore, in the present invention, a semiconductor controller is interposed in the circuit that connects the power source and the motor, The detection switch and the cut-off detection switch are configured so that only a current necessary for controlling the semiconductor control unit is allowed to flow, and a large current for driving the motor is switched without contact in the semiconductor control unit. In order to achieve such an object, the current control of the motor is performed by a semiconductor control unit using a semiconductor element. For example, an FET switch device composed of a power MOS-FET can be used. Thus, when the trigger operation is performed, the motor becomes conductive, and when the rotation of the sector gear reaches a certain position, it becomes non-conductive to the motor, but the piston reaches the retreat limit while the motor is rotating due to inertia and is compressed. Move to operation.

  Since the present invention is configured and operates as described above, the basic configuration of the electric gun in which the compressed air generation by the piston cylinder device and the switching of the operation circuit for driving the motor are performed by the trigger operation is maintained. , The start of the motor is detected by the trigger detection switch, and the stop of the motor is detected by the cut-off detection switch, the semiconductor control unit can be switched, and it can be switched without contact, improving durability and safety. In addition, since the mechanical structure is eliminated, the reliability can be improved and the occupied space can be reduced, so that the possibility of conflict with other members is eliminated.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments. 1 to 6 show Example 1 of an embodiment of an electric gun according to the present invention. In Example 1, 11 is an air cylinder device, and a cylinder 12 has a jet port 13 of compressed air at the tip, is disposed coaxially and rearward with the barrel 14 of the gun body 10, and is a piston that is a movable member from the rear opening of the cylinder. 15 is inserted so that it can move forward and backward. The piston 15 has a seal member 16 such as an O-ring provided at the front end portion, and obtains airtight slidability with the inner wall of the cylinder. The compression spring 17 that accumulates pressure by retreating the piston 15 is attached to the piston at the front, while the rear part is attached to the base of the spindle 18 fixed to the gun body 10, and when the accumulated pressure is released, the piston is instantaneously released. It has a strong spring force to push out 15. In addition, in order to open the loading section when the bullet is fed, it has a cylindrical portion 19 which can be inserted and slid at the outer periphery of the jet nozzle 13 at the tip, and engages with the tappet pin 21 of the driving portion 22 at the rear end. A tappet member 20 having a downward locking portion 23 that can be retracted by a distance required for the bullet is provided, and a front rising portion thereof is always urged by a spring 24 so as to hit the cylinder front wall.

In order to drive the piston by the drive unit 22, a rack 25 having a large number of teeth is provided on the lower surface of the piston 15 along the moving direction. The first teeth 26 are larger than the other rack teeth to ensure that the sector gear 27 is engaged. The sector gear 27 has a tooth portion 28 and a toothless portion 29 having a small diameter so as not to mesh with the rack tooth 25 and prevent the movement of the piston 15. That is, the rack teeth 25 are provided over a length necessary to retract the piston 15 by one stroke, and the piston 15 is moved backward by the rotation accompanying the meshing of the teeth 28 of the sector gear 27 from the start to the end. Done. Such a sector gear 27 is connected to the motor 30 via a transmission means 39 having a reduction gear set configuration. Reference numeral 45 denotes a reverse rotation prevention unit.

  The sector gear 27 has a cam 31 provided coaxially, and the cam 31 is configured to engage with a cutoff detection switch 32 and thereby switch the cutoff detection switch 32. That is, the cut-off detection switch 32 has a swing member 33 on which the cam 31 slides and a movable part 34.

  On the other hand, the trigger detection switch 35 is disposed near the trigger 37. The trigger detection switch 35 has a movable portion 36, and the action portion 38 of the trigger 37 directly pushes the switch to perform switching. ing. When the operation is stopped, the trigger is urged in a returning direction by a spring (not shown).

Both the cut-off detection switch 32 and the trigger detection switch 35 are connected to the semiconductor control unit 40, and the signal currents of the respective switches 32 and 35 are sent to the semiconductor control unit 40 to switch the semiconductor control unit 40. It is the structure to perform. Semiconductor control unit 40
Is used as a FET (Field Effect Transistor) switch device to turn on and off the conduction to the motor 30 in a contactless manner, and the illustrated one uses a power MOS-FET device.

  Since the two switches 32 and 35 use micro switches and the FET switch device 40 is also small, there are restrictions on the outer shape like a model gun, and even if the internal usage space is narrow, it should be incorporated with a margin. Can do.

  The operation of the example 1 of the electric gun of the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a state in which no operation is performed, but a bullet B is packed in the magazine, and the operation circuit is ready for launching in which power from the power supply can be supplied. Although any power supply device may be used, a rechargeable battery is optimal from the standpoints of gun operability and ease of handling.

  When the trigger 37 is pulled, the trigger detection switch 35 located at a position where it is engaged is pushed, a signal current is sent to the semiconductor control unit 40, and the control unit 40 is switched to supply power from the power source to the motor 30 (see FIG. 2) The motor 30 rotates and the drive unit 22 starts operating. As a result, the sector gear 27 starts to rotate (FIG. 2), its tooth portion 28 comes in mesh with the first tooth 26 of the rack 25, and the piston 15 starts to retract (FIG. 2).

  Further, the sector gear 27 further rotates, and the piston 15 continues to move backward. When the sector gear 27 reaches a certain position that reaches the retracting limit, the cam 31 that rotates coaxially with the sector gear 27 moves the swing member 33 of the cut-off detection switch 32. And the movable part 34 is pushed, whereby the cut-off detection switch 32 is turned on and a signal current is sent to the semiconductor control unit 40 (FIG. 3).

  Further, in the stage from FIG. 2 to FIG. 3, the tappet pin 21 provided in the sector gear 27 is engaged with the locking portion 23, the tappet member 20 is temporarily retracted, and the loading portion 41 is opened. One bullet B pushed from below is fed into the bullet 41. That is, the bullet B is pushed forward by the tube portion 19 by the advance of the tappet member 20 and is held at a fixed position at the rear of the barrel until firing.

  The semiconductor control unit 40 is switched by detecting the cut-off signal, and the power supply to the motor 30 is interrupted (FIG. 4). When the power supply is cut off, the motor 30 will eventually stop, but the inertial rotation continues until the motor 30 stops, during which the piston 15 continues to retract further, and finally the tooth portion 28 of the sector gear 27 moves to the piston 15. The state of coming out of meshing with the rack 25 is reached (FIG. 5). As a result, the piston 15 moves forward instantaneously by the elastic force of the compressed spring 17, and the compressed air generated thereby is ejected from the ejection port 13 to fire the bullet B held in the bullet loading part 41. (Fig. 5).

  When the motor 30 stops, the drive unit 22 returns to the original position, and the trigger 37 also returns to the original position, so that the cut-off detection switch 32 and the trigger detection switch 35 also return (FIG. 6). In this state, the semiconductor control unit 40 is in the off state as in FIG. 1, the piston 15 is also in the forward position, and all the related parts have returned to the same firing preparation completion state as in FIG. 6).

  7 to 12 show Example 2 of the embodiment of the electric gun according to the present invention. In this example 2, the cut-off detection switch 32 ′ is disposed behind the rack 25 of the piston 15 that is also a movable member, and at an appropriate time during the retreat of the piston 15, The movable part 33 of the cut-off detection switch 32 'is engaged so that the cut-off detection switch 32' is pushed and turned on. Therefore, the cam 31 is unnecessary in the second example.

  In Example 2, the cut-off detection switch 32 'is fixed at a fixed position. That is, the cut-off detection switch 32 ′ is provided so that the movable portion 34 is positioned on the line of the piston 15 in the backward direction of the rack 25 and is pushed by the tooth portion of the rack 25. However, the trigger detection switch 35 may be the same as in Example 1. Other configurations may be the same as those in Example 1, so that reference numerals are used and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The operation of the electric gun example 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a state in which the preparation for launching is completed, as in FIG. 1 of Example 1. When the trigger 37 is pulled, the trigger detection switch 35 in a position to engage with the action portion 38 is pushed, and the signal current is changed to the semiconductor control portion. 40, the control unit 40 is switched, and power is supplied from the power source to the motor 30 (FIG. 8). Further, the motor 30 further rotates, the drive unit 22 starts, the sector gear 27 starts to rotate, the tooth portion 28 comes into meshing engagement with the first teeth 26 of the rack 25, and the piston 15 begins to retract (see FIG. 8).

  When the sector gear 27 rotates, the piston 15 continues to move backward, and the first teeth 26 of the rack 25 at the rear end engage with the cut-off detection switch 32 ', the swing member 33 is pushed (FIG. 9). ). The swing member 33 is pushed, and the movable part 34 provided there is pushed down. 8 to 9, the tappet member 20 that engages and disengages with the tappet pin 21 reciprocates, and the bullet B is loaded into the one-shot bullet unit 41.

  When the cut-off detection switch 32 'is turned on and a signal current is sent to the semiconductor control unit 40, the control unit 40 is switched, and the power supply to the motor 30 is cut off (FIG. 10). Since the inertial rotation continues until the power supply is cut off and the power supply to the motor 30 is stopped until it stops, the piston 15 is further retracted, and the meshing between the tooth portion 28 of the sector gear 27 and the rack 25 is completed. When it reaches the toothless portion 29, it advances momentarily by the elastic force of the compressed spring 17, and one bullet B held by the bullet loading portion 41 is fired by the generated compressed air (FIG. 11). ).

  As the piston 15 advances, the cut-off detection switch 32 ′ engaged with the rear end also loses its engagement force. As a result, no signal current is generated from the cut-off detection switch 32 ′. Is kept cut off (FIG. 11). Even if the trigger 37 is pulled, the drive unit and the related units return to the ready state for firing by stopping the motor 30 (FIG. 12).

  As described above, the electric gun according to the present invention performs switching of the operation circuit for driving the motor 30 by the semiconductor control unit 40, the motor start timing is the trigger detection switch 35, and the motor stop timing is the cut-off detection switch. 32, respectively, and a high current can be turned on and off without contact. Therefore, there is an advantage that no spark discharge occurs, safe switching is possible, and the space can be reduced.

Internal explanatory drawing which shows the firing preparation completion state of Example 1 of the electric gun according to the present invention. The internal explanatory view showing the state where the trigger was pulled and the switch was turned on. Internal explanatory drawing which shows the state which the cam began to rotate. An internal explanatory view showing a state immediately before the switch is turned off. Internal explanatory drawing which shows the state by which the bullet was fired. Explanatory drawing of the state which complete | finishes 1 time of operation | movement and returns to completion of launch preparation. Explanatory drawing which shows completion of firing preparation of Example 2 of the electric gun according to the present invention. The internal explanatory view showing the state where the trigger was pulled and the switch was turned on. Internal explanatory drawing which shows the state which the cam began to rotate. An internal explanatory view showing a state immediately before the switch is turned off. Internal explanatory drawing which shows the state by which the bullet was fired. Explanatory drawing of the state which complete | finishes 1 time of operation | movement and returns to completion of launch preparation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Gun main body 11 Air cylinder apparatus 12 Cylinder 15 Piston as a movable member 17 Compression spring 20 Tappet member 22 Drive part 24 Spring 25 Rack tooth 27 Sector gear 28 Tooth part 29 Toothless part 30 Motor 31 Cam 32, 32 'Cutoff detection Switch 34 Movable part 35 Trigger detection switch 36 Movable part 37 Trigger 38 Action part 40 Semiconductor control part

Claims (3)

An electric gun that drives a movable member of an air cylinder device in a backward direction by a motor and accumulates a spring, and controls the operation of the motor by a trigger operation,
A configuration in which the movable member is retracted by meshing with a rack provided along the moving direction of the movable member and a sector gear driven by a motor, a cut-off detection switch that is switched during the rotation of the sector gear, and a trigger A trigger detection switch that responds to the operation, and a semiconductor control unit that is connected to the cut-off detection switch and the trigger detection switch and controls a current from the power source to the motor,
The motor is energized by trigger operation, the sector gear starts rotating, and the cut-off detection switch is turned on in the middle of moving the movable member, and then the motor is deenergized. An electric gun having a configuration in which the trigger detection switch is turned off when the trigger operation is stopped when the compression operation is performed. The cut-off detection switch is controlled by a method of switching by a rotation of a cam provided so as to rotate coaxially with the sector gear, or by a method of switching by a movable member retracted by meshing with the sector gear or a tappet member moving integrally therewith. The electric gun according to claim 1, wherein the electric gun is taken. The electric gun according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor control unit uses an FET switch device.

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