JP2008082656A - Driving device of swing register - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a swing register capable of easily and properly reducing noise attendant on driving of a blade. <P>SOLUTION: This driving device 10 of the swing register comprises a pinion gear 8 synchronously rotatably connected with an oscillating shaft 4 of a longitudinal blade 5, and a rack gear 13 connected with SMA wires 17a-17d and reciprocating while engaged with the pinion gear 8, and the reciprocation of the rack gear 13 is converted into rotating motion by the pinion gear 8 and transmitted to the oscillating shaft 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a swing register driving device that swings a blade supported so as to be swingable at an outlet portion of a duct serving as an air-conditioning air passage to change a blowing direction from the duct outlet.

  In an air conditioner such as a vehicle, a plurality of vertical blades and horizontal blades are arranged at an air outlet that is an outlet of the ventilation path (duct), and the vertical blades are swung left and right (swinging) by an actuator to change the wind direction. A swing register to be changed is used. Conventionally, as seen in Patent Documents 1 to 4, a motor is generally used as an actuator for driving a blade of such a swing register.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional swing register driving apparatus that employs a DC motor as an actuator for driving a blade. As shown in the figure, an output shaft 50a of a DC motor 50 that generates a rotational axial force is connected to a speed reduction mechanism 51 that is configured by a plurality of gears. The final gear 51a of the speed reduction mechanism 51 is connected to a crank mechanism 52 that converts rotational motion into amplitude motion. A rod wire 54 is connected to the crank mechanism 52 so that the rack gear 53 is integrally oscillated at the tip, and is connected to the first pinion gear 55 a via the rack gear 53. The second pinion gear 55b, which is coaxially rotatable about the rotation axis of the first pinion gear 55a and is rotatably supported, meshes with a gear 56 that is fixed so as to rotate integrally with the swing shaft 57a of the blade 57. Has been. The first and second pinion gears 55a and 55b are disposed in a state where they are pressed against each other by a spring, can transmit a rotational force via a frictional force, and can be manually operated by a vehicle occupant. It is configured to function as a clutch mechanism that allows relative rotation of each other during the forced swinging of 57.
Japanese Patent No. 3187719 Japanese Patent No. 3326409 JP 2002-211122 A No. 7-10188

  By the way, in a swing register that employs a motor as the conventional blade driving actuator, the operation sound of the motor, the speed reduction mechanism, etc. leaks into the vehicle interior, so the motor is covered with a sound insulation material such as rubber or the motor. In addition, sound insulation measures such as housing the speed reduction mechanism in the case have been required. As a result, there is a problem that the number of parts increases, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost and an increase in size of the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and a problem to be solved is to provide a swing register that can more easily and accurately reduce noise associated with driving of a blade.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 drives a swing register that swings a blade provided at an outlet portion of a duct serving as an air-conditioning ventilation path to change a blowing direction from the duct outlet. A shape memory alloy that expands and contracts by energization heating, and a reciprocating member that reciprocates through expansion and contraction of the shape memory alloy, and a swing shaft that swings the blade by rotating; The gist of the invention is that it includes a motion conversion mechanism that converts the reciprocating motion of the reciprocating member into a rotational motion that rotates the swing shaft of the blade.

  According to this configuration, the blades are swung using expansion and contraction caused by energizing and heating the shape memory alloy that does not itself generate any operating noise, making it easier and more accurate to reduce the noise associated with driving the blades. can do. In addition, since the motion of the reciprocating member reciprocated by the shape memory alloy is converted into a rotational motion via the motion conversion mechanism, the blade can swing precisely about the swing shaft.

  Incidentally, as the mechanism for converting the reciprocating motion into the rotational motion in this way, a rack and pinion type as in the second aspect can be adopted. More specifically, in the swing register drive device according to claim 1, the pinion gear connected to the swing shaft of the blade so as to be capable of synchronous rotation and a pair of the shape memory alloys are connected, The gist is provided with a rack gear that meshes with the pinion gear and reciprocates, and the reciprocation of the rack gear is converted into a rotational motion by the pinion gear and transmitted to the swing shaft.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the swing register drive device according to the second aspect, the shape memory alloy is reciprocated by the rack gear at a connecting portion with the rack gear or a member that reciprocates integrally with the rack gear. The gist is that they are arranged parallel to the direction.

  According to this configuration, the expansion and contraction of the shape memory alloy can be efficiently transmitted to the rack gear as compared with the case where the shape memory alloy is disposed obliquely with respect to the reciprocating direction of the rack gear at the connecting portion with the rack gear. it can.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the swing register drive device according to the second or third aspect, the rack gear and the shape memory alloy are accommodated in a case, and the rack gear and the pinion gear can be engaged with each other. Thus, the gist is that a part of the case is open.

  According to this configuration, the rack gear and the shape memory alloy are accommodated in the case, and a part of the case is opened so that the rack gear and the pinion gear can be engaged with each other. It can be easily assembled by meshing with the gear. Further, since the shape memory alloy is disposed in the case and unitized, it can be manufactured separately from the swing register body, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the swing register drive device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the shape memory alloy is wound around a pulley and is wound around the pulley. The gist is that the portion is bent at approximately 90 degrees.

  In order to ensure the maximum amount of shrinkage of the shape memory alloy in a limited arrangement space, it is necessary to bend the shape memory alloy. At this time, when the amount of bending of the shape memory alloy is large, for example, when the bending angle is 90 degrees or more, bending stress is applied to the bent portion when the shape memory alloy expands and contracts, which is not preferable. On the other hand, the bending stress can be reduced by making the bending angle smaller than 90 degrees, but in that case, it becomes difficult to regularly arrange the shape memory alloy. In this regard, if the shape memory alloy is disposed in a manner that can be bent at approximately 90 degrees between the pulleys as in the above-described configuration, both suppression of bending stress concentration and regular arrangement can be achieved.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the swing register drive device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the pulley is formed with a plurality of fitting grooves set at equal positions in the respective axial directions. The gist of the memory alloy is that the memory alloy is wound around each pulley in a manner along the fitting groove at the same axial position.

  According to this configuration, even when a plurality of shape memory alloys are connected to secure a force for pulling the reciprocating member, this shape memory alloy is provided for each fitting groove of the pulley. In this case, it is possible to prevent the shape memory alloy from being tangled and not being properly expanded and contracted.

  In the swing register driving apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to more easily and accurately reduce the noise accompanying the driving of the blade.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a swing register driving apparatus embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The swing register drive device of the present embodiment is installed at the outlet portion of the air passage (duct) of the in-vehicle air conditioner, and the vertical register swings left and right among the vertical and horizontal blades arranged at the outlet portion. That is, it is configured to change the air blowing direction to the passenger compartment to the left and right by swinging.

  In the present embodiment, the swing operation of the vertical blade of the swing register is performed by utilizing the contraction of a shape memory alloy (SMA) associated with energization heating. Here, a fine-line titanium-nickel alloy is used as the shape memory alloy. In the swing register driving apparatus of this embodiment that drives the vertical blade using such a shape memory alloy, the vertical blade is driven by utilizing the contraction of the shape memory alloy that is not accompanied by an operation sound by current heating. For this reason, it is possible to easily and accurately reduce the noise associated with the driving of the vertical blades without taking any special measures against sound insulation. As a result, it is not necessary to install a sound insulation member, so that the weight of the drive device, space saving, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall structure of the swing register of this embodiment. In the following description, in this swing register, the outlet side of the air passage (duct) of the in-vehicle air conditioner is described as the front of the swing register, and the opposite side is described as the rear of the swing register.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the swing register 1 has an air conditioned air outlet 2 formed on the front side thereof, and a plurality of horizontal blades 3 that are pivotally supported so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. In addition, a plurality of vertical blades 5 (see FIG. 2) that are pivotally supported so as to be oscillated left and right (swing operation) about the oscillating shaft 4 are disposed. Further, an operation knob 6 is provided at the air outlet 2, and by operating the operation knob 6, the horizontal blade 3 and the vertical blade 5 can be manually swung in their swing directions. .

  Further, the vertical blades 5 formed in a blade shape are mechanically connected to each other via a link mechanism 7 so as to swing together in a synchronized manner. Of these vertical blades 5, a pinion gear 8 is fixed to the swing shaft 4 of the vertical blade disposed at the center so as to be integrally rotatable. A drive device 10 is provided so that the rack gear 13 as a reciprocating member exposed from the opening 12 formed in the case 11 can mesh with the pinion gear 8.

  Next, a specific configuration of the drive device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). FIG. 2A shows the structure of the driving device 10 together with the vertical blade 5 that is the driving target, and FIG. 2B shows the state of a part of the driving device 10 viewed from the side. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the driving device 10 includes a rack 15 supported in a state of being inserted through a support shaft 14 in a substantially square case 11, and the rack 15 is supported by the support shaft 14. 14 can be moved back and forth. In the recess 15 a formed in the rack 15, a rack gear 13 that is supported while being inserted through the support shaft 14 and supported at both ends by an elastic member 16 is provided. The elastic member 16 is inserted into the support shaft 14 and applies a biasing force to the relative movement of the rack 15 and the rack gear 13. That is, when the rack gear 13 reciprocates, the pinion gear 8 meshing with the rack gear 13 and the swing shaft 4 are rotated to change the directing direction of the vertical blade 5.

  Also, one end of linear SMA wires 17a to 17d made of a shape memory alloy as an actuator is connected to both ends of the rack 15 in the reciprocating direction. Of these SMA wires, SMA wires 17a and 17b are connected to the left end of the rack 15 in the drawing, and SMA wires 17c and 17d are connected to the right end of the rack 15 in the drawing. The SMA wires 17 a to 17 d are wound around a plurality of pulleys 18 standing in the case 11, and are arranged at each pulley 18 by being bent at approximately 90 degrees. Further, in the SMA wires 17 a to 17 d, the portion from the connecting portion with the rack 15 to the pulley 18 at the closest position is arranged to be parallel to the reciprocating direction of the rack 15. The other ends of the SMA wires 17a to 17d arranged in this way are connected to the energizing portions 19a and 19b, respectively. By energizing the SMA wires 17a to 17d by the energization portions 19a and 19b, the SMA wires 17a to 17d contract, and the rack 15 moves in a direction corresponding to the energized SMA wire. It is to be noted that energization of both the energization portions 19a and 19b is not performed at the same time, and energization to these is switched according to the reciprocating direction of the rack 15.

  Further, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2B, the pulley 18 is formed with a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) fitting grooves 18a in the axial direction, and each of the fitting grooves 18a. SMA wires 17a to 17d are wound one by one so as to extend along the line. Further, the fitting grooves 18a formed in each pulley 18 are formed so that the positions in the axial direction are equal to the fitting grooves 18a in the corresponding layers, and the SMA wires 17a to 17d are at the same axial position. It is stretched between the fitting grooves 18a. By providing the SMA wires 17a to 17d as described above, it is possible to prevent the wires from becoming tangled and appropriately expanding and contracting.

  Further, the rack gear 13 is provided with a limit switch 20 as a load detection unit that detects whether or not the load acting on the SMA wires 17a and 17b is equal to or less than a predetermined determination value. The limit switch 20 is provided in contact with the rack gear 13 and is separated from the rack gear 13 when the relative displacement in the reciprocating direction of the rack gear 13 and the rack 15 exceeds a predetermined amount. Here, since both ends of the rack gear 13 in the reciprocating direction are supported by the elastic member 16, the elastic member 16 is elastically deformed in proportion to the magnitude of the force acting between the rack gear 13 and the rack 15. Since the SMA wires 17a to 17d are connected to both ends of the rack 15, the rack gear 13 and the limit switch 20 are separated from the contact state, so that the load acting on the SMA wires 17a to 17d becomes the determination value. It becomes possible to determine that it has become. For example, when the rack 15 is manually moved to the left in FIG. 2 by operating the operation knob 6, the load acts only on the SMA wire connected to the right side of the rack 15. That is, when the rack 15 is manually moved to the left in FIG. 2, the SMA wire connected to the left side of the rack 15 is only relaxed and no load is applied. Incidentally, this judgment value is larger than the value of the load acting when the SMA wires 17a to 17d are energized to drive the swing shaft 4, and the energized contracted SMA wires 17a to 17d undergo plastic deformation. It is set smaller than the value of the load to wake up.

  Next, the control system of the drive device 10 of the swing register 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration of the drive device 10 of the swing register 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, a central processing unit (CPU) 30 that controls energization of the SMA wires 17a to 17d is electrically connected to a swing register switch provided in a vehicle interior, and an in-vehicle air conditioner. A command signal is input from an air-conditioning controller that controls the overall control. The automatic swing operation of the vertical blade 5 by the driving device is permitted in accordance with the closing (on) operation of the swing register switch, and is prohibited in accordance with the opening (off) operation. The air conditioning controller controls the air conditioner by determining the air temperature and the air volume according to the detection result of the outside air and the temperature in the passenger compartment and the operation of the vehicle occupant, and determines the swing operation mode of the vertical blade 5. Commands the CPU 30.

  The CPU 30 is connected to drive circuits 31L and 31R for the SMA wires 17a to 17d. These drive circuits 31L and 31R execute energization to the corresponding SMA wires 17a to 17d based on a command from the CPU 30, respectively. The SMA wires 17a to 17d are electrically connected to the drive circuits 31L and 31R via the energization portions 19a and 19b, respectively.

  As described above, in the swing register driving apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above, the SMA wires 17a to 17d made of titanium-nickel shape memory alloy formed in a thin line shape are contracted by energization heating. The vertical blade 5 is used for swinging operation. The SMA wires 17a to 17d employed here are formed with anisotropy in the tissue structure of the material so that the deformation direction at the time of shape recovery is limited to the length direction, that is, the expansion / contraction direction. . These SMA wires 17a to 17d are soft and relaxed when cooled, and elastically expand in response to pulling by an external force. On the other hand, when heated, the SMA wires 17a to 17d contract and harden by shape recovery. FIG. 4 shows an example of a temperature-strain diagram of such SMA wires 17a to 17d. As shown in the figure, the SMA wires 17a to 17d start to contract from about 75 ° C. when heated, and start to relax and stretch from about 70 ° C. when cooled. The shrinkage start temperature and the relaxation-stretch start temperature of the SMA wires 17a to 17d can be changed to some extent by adjusting the alloy components. The SMA wires 17a to 17d have a relatively large electric resistance and can be easily heated by energization. By the way, SMA wires 17a-17d made of the fine titanium-nickel-based shape memory alloys as described above can stably and repeatedly generate kinematic strains of 5% or more of the total length through shape recovery by energization heating. Have been developed and put to practical use.

  An example of the operation mode of the drive device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 5A and 5B show a state in which the rack 15 is driven together with the rack gear 13 by the SMA wires 17a to 17d.

  For example, when the energizing portion 19b is energized among the energizing portions 19a and 19b (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the SMA wires 17c and 17d are heated and contracted as shown in FIG. The rack 15 is displaced to one side of the reciprocation. The displacement of the rack 15 is also transmitted to the rack gear 13 through the elastic member 16, and the rack gear 13 is also displaced in the same direction. The linear displacement of the rack gear 13 is transmitted to the pinion gear 8 meshing with the rack gear 13, and the pinion gear 8 rotates. Since the pinion gear 8 is configured to rotate integrally with the swing shaft 4, the swing shaft 4 also rotates together, and this rotation is transmitted to each vertical blade 5 via the link mechanism 7. Thus, the directing mode of the vertical blade 5 is changed. On the other hand, when the energization portion 19a is energized, the vertical blade 5 is directed in the opposite direction through a similar process. Then, by alternately energizing the energization portions 19a and 19b in this way, the vertical blade 5 repeats swinging. When the rack 15 is driven by the SMA wires 17a to 17d, the reciprocating direction of the rack 15 and the portion of the SMA wires 17a to 17d from the rack 15 to the pulley 18 that is closest to the coupling portion are determined. Since they are provided in parallel to each other, the following effects are obtained. That is, the expansion and contraction of the SMA wires 17a to 17d is efficiently transmitted to the rack 15 as compared with the case where the SMA wires 17a to 17d are disposed obliquely with respect to the reciprocating direction of the rack gear at the connecting portion with the rack 15. Will be able to. If the SMA wires 17a and 17b and the SMA wires 17c and 17d contract at the same time, the rack 15 is pulled from both directions, and a large load acts on the SMA wires 17a to 17d, so that the energizing portions 19a and 19b are not energized at the same time. It is like that. In this state, the rack gear 13 and the limit switch 20 are in contact with each other.

  By the way, when the operation knob 6 is manually operated as shown in FIG. 5B in the state in which the SMA wires 17a and 17b are contracted and tensioned by the energizing portion 19a, the swing shaft 4 and An external force due to this operation acts on the rack gear 13 via the pinion gear 8. The external force also acts on the rack 15 and the SMA wires 17a to 17d connected thereto via the elastic member 16. When the external force at this time is equal to or greater than the allowable determination value of the SAM wires 17a to 17d, the limit switch 20 is moved away from the rack gear 13 to operate. Here, since the SMA wires 17a and 17b are contracted by being energized, when a strong external force is applied to the SMA wires 17a and 17b in such a tension state, the SMA wires 17a and 17b are actuated. 17b causes plastic deformation, and thereafter, the rack 15, and thus the vertical blade 5 cannot be properly swung. Therefore, in this embodiment, the occurrence of this problem is suppressed by performing control as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a control procedure for suppressing plastic deformation when the SMA wires 17a to 17d are contracted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, it is first determined whether or not the SMA wires 17a to 17d are energized (step S100). That is, it is determined whether or not energization is performed in either one of the energization units 19a and 19b. If the energization is not performed, the SMA wires 17a to 17d are not contracted, and thus this control is terminated. On the other hand, when energized, that is, when any of the SMA wires 17a to 17d is contracting, the process proceeds to step S110 and it is determined whether or not the limit switch 20 is activated (step S110). As described above, the limit switch 20 is configured to operate away from the rack gear 13 when the load acting on the SMA wires 17a to 17d exceeds the determination value. Therefore, when the limit switch 20 is operated, the process proceeds to step S120, the energization to the SMA wires 17a to 17d is stopped, the SMA wires 17a to 17d change from the contracted state to the extended state, and a load is applied. However, it becomes difficult to cause plastic deformation. Since the rack gear 13 is provided so as to be interposed between the SMA wires 17a to 17d and the swing shaft 4, the rack gear 13 is first displaced before the load is transmitted to the SMA wires 17a to 17d. . When the rack gear 13 has a large amount of displacement, the limit switch 20 operates in a separated state. Therefore, when a large load is instantaneously applied to the rack gear 13, the load is transmitted to the SMA wires 17a to 17d. Based on the operation of the limit switch 20, the energization to the wire can be stopped.

The driving device 10 of the swing register 1 of the present embodiment described above can achieve the following effects.
(1) The driving device 10 is connected to a pinion gear 8 that is connected to the swing shaft 4 of the vertical blade 5 so as to be able to rotate synchronously, and SMA wires 17a to 17d, and is reciprocated by meshing with the pinion gear 8. The reciprocating motion of the rack gear 13 is converted into a rotational motion by the pinion gear 8 and transmitted to the swing shaft 4. According to the drive device 10 having such a configuration, the vertical blade 5 is swung using expansion and contraction caused by energization and heating to the SMA wires 17a to 17d that are not accompanied by an operation sound. It is possible to more easily and accurately reduce the noise associated with the driving. Further, since the movement of the rack 15 reciprocated by the SMA wires 17a to 17d is converted into a rotational movement through a rack and pinion mechanism, the vertical blade 5 swings accurately around the swing shaft 4. To come.

  (2) The SMA wires 17 a to 17 d are arranged in parallel to the reciprocating direction of the rack gear 13 at the connecting portion with the rack 15. By arranging the SMA wires 17a to 17d in this way, the SMA wires 17a to 17d are arranged at an angle with respect to the reciprocating direction of the rack gear 13 at the connecting portion with the rack 15, compared with the SMA. The expansion and contraction of the wires 17 a to 17 d can be efficiently transmitted to the rack gear 13.

  (3) The rack gear 13 and the SMA wires 17a to 17d are accommodated in the case 11, and the opening portion 12 is provided in the case 11 so that the rack gear 13 and the pinion gear 8 can be engaged with each other. For this reason, the rack gear 13 accommodated in the case 11 can be easily assembled by meshing with the pinion gear 8. In addition, since the SMA wires 17a to 17d are arranged in the case 11 as a unit, the SMA wires 17a to 17d can be manufactured separately from the main body of the swing register 1, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  (4) The SMA wires 17a to 17d are arranged so as to be wound around the pulley 18, and are bent at approximately 90 degrees at a portion wound around the pulley 18. If the SMA wires 17a to 17d are arranged in such a manner that the SMA wires 17a to 17d are bent at about 90 degrees between the pulleys 18, it is possible to achieve both suppression of bending stress concentration and regular arrangement.

  (5) The pulley 18 is formed with a plurality of fitting grooves 18a set at equal positions in the respective axial directions, and the SMA wires 17a to 17d are arranged in a manner along the fitting grooves 18a at the same axial position. 18 was wound around. According to such a configuration, even when a plurality of SMA wires are connected to secure a force for pulling the rack 15, the SMA wires are provided for each fitting groove 18 a of the pulley 18. In this case, it is possible to prevent the SMA wire from becoming tangled and not being appropriately expanded or contracted.

In addition, this embodiment can also be implemented with the following forms which changed this suitably.
In the above embodiment, the vertical blade 5 is swung in the left direction and the right direction by contraction of the left and right SMA wires 17a to 17d by energization heating, but the vertical blade 5 with respect to any of the left and right It is also possible to configure the blade driving device so that only the swinging of the SMA wire is performed by the contraction force of the SMA wire and the swinging of the other is performed by the elastic repulsion force of the spring.

  In the above embodiment, the pinion gear 8 is integrally fixed to the swing shaft 4 of the vertical blade 5, but the swing shaft 4 of the pinion gear 8 and the vertical blade 5 is used by using a power transmission mechanism such as a gear. And may be driven and connected so as to be capable of synchronous rotation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vertical blade 5 is swung using the SMA wires 17a to 17d, which are shape memory alloys formed in a thin line shape. Instead, the shape is formed in another shape such as a coil shape. The vertical blade 5 can also be made to oscillate by using a shape memory alloy. In short, if a shape memory alloy that shrinks by energization heating is used and the shape memory alloy and the blade are driven and connected so that the blade swings according to the shrinkage of the shape memory alloy, low noise It is possible to implement a swing register blade driving device capable of blade driving at the same time.

  As long as it is a shape memory alloy that can generate a sufficiently large shrinkage amount and shrinkage force by shape recovery by energization heating, a shape memory alloy other than a titanium / nickel-based alloy may be employed as a blade drive source.

  In the above embodiment, the plurality of SMA wires 17a to 17d are arranged so as not to overlap with the fitting grooves 18a formed on the pulley 18, respectively, but there is no possibility that the SMA wires 17a to 17d are entangled. In addition, the arrangement of the SMA wires 17a to 17d can be changed as appropriate. The case where the SMA wire is not likely to be entangled is, for example, a case where a plurality of SMA wires are not required or a case where each SMA wire is provided via a different pulley.

  In the above embodiment, the SMA wires 17a to 17d are bent and arranged at approximately 90 degrees in each pulley 18. However, when a sufficient space for the SMA wires 17a to 17d can be secured, You may arrange | position by bending at an angle of 90 degrees or less.

  In the above embodiment, the SMA wires 17a to 17d and the rack gear 13 are accommodated and disposed in the case 11, but a configuration in which the SMA wires 17a to 17d and the rack gear 13 are disposed in the swing register 1 in an exposed state may be employed. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the SMA wires 17a to 17d are arranged in parallel to the reciprocating direction of the rack gear 13 at the connecting portion with the rack 15, but the rack 15 is displaced by a necessary amount for swinging the vertical blade 5. If possible, the SMA wire can be provided so as to be inclined with respect to the reciprocating direction.

  In the above embodiment, the rack gear 13 is supported by the rack 15 via the elastic member 16, but a structure in which the rack gear 13 and the rack 15 are integrally formed may be employed.

As a motion conversion mechanism that converts the reciprocating motion into a rotational motion, for example, a known slider crank mechanism can be used in addition to the rack and pinion system described above.
The drive device for the swing register according to the present invention can be realized as a device for swinging the horizontal blade in the vertical direction.

The perspective view which shows the whole structure about the swing register in which the drive device concerning this invention is mounted. (A) is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning aspect in the case about the drive device of the embodiment, (b) is the side view which looked at a part of this drive device from the side. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of a swing register driving apparatus according to the embodiment; The graph which shows the temperature-strain characteristic of the shape memory alloy (SMA) wire employ | adopted as the embodiment. (A), (b) is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the drive mode of the braid | blade by the shape memory alloy (SMA) wire employ | adopted as the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the control performed in order to suppress the plastic deformation of the shape memory alloy (SMA) wire employ | adopted as the embodiment. The top view which shows typically the whole structure about the drive device of the conventional swing register | resistor.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Swing register, 4 ... Swing shaft, 8 ... Pinion gear, 10 ... Drive apparatus, 11 ... Case, 12 ... Opening, 13 ... Rack gear, 18 ... Pulley, 18a ... Fitting groove | channel.

Claims (6)

A swing register drive device that changes the air blowing direction from the duct outlet by swinging a blade provided at the outlet portion of the duct serving as an air-conditioning ventilation path,
A shape memory alloy that expands and contracts by energization heating is connected, a reciprocating member that reciprocates through expansion and contraction of the shape memory alloy, a swing shaft that swings the blade by rotating, and a reciprocating member of the reciprocating member. A swing register drive device comprising: a motion conversion mechanism that converts a reciprocating motion into a rotational motion that rotates the swing shaft of the blade. In the swing register drive device according to claim 1,
A pinion gear connected to the swing shaft of the blade so as to be able to rotate synchronously, a pair of the shape memory alloy, and a rack gear that meshes with the pinion gear and reciprocates.
A swing register driving device, wherein the reciprocating motion of the rack gear is converted into a rotational motion by the pinion gear and transmitted to the swing shaft. In the swing register drive device according to claim 2,
The shape memory alloy is arranged in parallel with the reciprocating direction of the rack gear at a connecting portion with the rack gear or a member that reciprocates integrally with the rack gear. In the swing register drive device according to claim 2 or 3,
The rack gear and the shape memory alloy are accommodated in a case, and a part of the case is opened so that the rack gear and the pinion gear can be engaged with each other. In the swing register drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The shape memory alloy is disposed by being wound around a pulley, and is bent at approximately 90 degrees at a portion wound around the pulley. In the swing register drive device according to claim 5,
The pulley is formed with a plurality of fitting grooves set at equal positions in each axial direction, and the shape memory alloy is wound around each pulley in a manner along the fitting groove at the same axial position. A swing register drive device characterized by being made.

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