JP2008232253A - Carrying mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying mechanism capable of carrying a carrying object while further surely absorbing an inclination in parallelism and flatness between a screw shaft and a slide rail. <P>SOLUTION: A nut installing part 34 and a nut member 22 are superposed by respectively inserting a bolt 26 into a bolt hole 34A. The bolt hole 34A is formed as an elongate hole having a diameter larger than the bolt 26 and long in the direction orthogonal to the carrying direction X, and a play space R is constituted between the bolt 26 and the bolt hole 34A. A coil spring 28 is wound around the outer periphery of a screw body part 26A. The coil spring 28 is arranged between a screw head part 26B and the nut installing part 34, and energizes the nut installing part 34 toward the nut member 22. The nut installing part 34 can be relatively moved with the nut member 22 in a range of the play space R of the bolt hole 34A between the part and the nut member 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport mechanism that transports an object to be transported using a screw shaft and a slide rail that are arranged in parallel to each other.

  Conventionally, a mechanism for conveying an object to be conveyed in a linear direction using a screw shaft such as a ball screw is known. When a screw shaft is used, the screw shaft is rotated by a motor or the like, and a nut screwed with the screw shaft moves along the screw shaft. Usually, a slide rail is arranged along the screw shaft to prevent the nut from rotating, and a movable member for conveyance is bridged between the nut and the slide rail.

When such a configuration is used, if the parallelism between the screw shaft and the slide rail is low or the flatness of the slide rail is low, an unnecessary force acts on the movable member, so smooth movement is performed. There are times when it is not. Therefore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the inclination of the parallelism and flatness between the guide rails can be achieved by allowing the shaft connected to the two parallel guide rails to swing on one side. Absorbs. However, it is difficult to absorb a sufficient inclination by swinging.
JP-A-5-314622

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and can convey the object to be conveyed while more reliably absorbing the inclination of the parallelism and flatness between the screw shaft and the slide rail. An object is to provide a transport mechanism.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a transport mechanism according to a first aspect of the present invention is screwed to the screw shaft disposed along the transport direction of the transported object, and moves along the screw shaft. A nut member, a slide rail disposed along the screw shaft, and a slide rail that is movably engaged with the slide rail in the transport direction, and that plays with the nut member in a direction that intersects the transport direction. And a movable conveying member attached to the nut member while being urged toward the nut member in a direction along the conveying direction.

  In the transport mechanism having the above-described configuration, the movable transport member is attached between the nut member and the nut member in a direction that intersects the transport direction. Therefore, the inclination of the parallelism between the screw shaft and the slide rail and the inclination of the flatness of the slide rail are absorbed by this play, and the movable conveyance member can be moved smoothly.

  Further, since the movable conveying member is urged toward the nut member in the direction along the conveying direction, there is no backlash between the nut member and the movable conveying member, and when an impact is applied in this direction. In addition, a buffering effect can be obtained.

  In the transport mechanism according to claim 2, a bolt hole for inserting a bolt in the direction along the transport direction is configured in the nut member, and a play space is configured between the inserted bolt and the bolt hole. The bolt is fixed to the movable conveyance member.

  By setting it as such a structure, the play of the direction which cross | intersects a conveyance direction can be given between a nut member and a movable conveyance member.

  In the transport mechanism according to claim 3, a bolt hole is formed in the movable transport member so that a bolt is inserted in a direction along the transport direction, and a play space is formed between the inserted bolt and the bolt hole. The bolt is fixed to the nut member.

  Even with this configuration, it is possible to provide play in the direction intersecting the transport direction between the nut member and the movable transport member.

  The transport mechanism according to claim 4 is characterized in that the movable transport member is urged toward the nut member by a coil spring wound around the outer periphery of the bolt.

  Thus, the movable conveying member can be biased using the coil spring.

  The transport mechanism according to claim 5 is attached to the movable transport member, and is disposed opposite to the first sandwich arm and a first sandwich arm that contacts the transport object on one end side in the transport direction, and the first transport arm. A holding position between the first holding member and an object that is in contact with the other end in the conveying direction, and a holding release position that is further away from the first holding arm than the holding position. At least one of the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm in a direction in which the object to be conveyed is clamped between the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm; And a pinching biasing member that biases.

  In the transport mechanism configured as described above, the object to be transported is transported with one end and the other end in the transport direction being sandwiched between the first sandwiching arm and the second sandwiching arm. At the time of transport, at least one of the first sandwiching arm and the second sandwiching arm is biased by the sandwiching biasing member, and a force is applied in the direction of sandwiching the object to be transported. When the transported object is released, the first holding arm and the second holding arm are moved relative to each other, and the holding is released by releasing the distance therebetween.

  In this way, the conveyance of the object to be conveyed, and the nipping and nipping release can be performed with a common drive source.

  The transport mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the second clamping arm is attached to one end of a butting bar which is disposed in the transport direction and is movable relative to the first clamping arm, and the butting bar is connected to the other end. Is protruded in the clamping outside direction from the first clamping arm, and the other end is pushed by being abutted against a contact plate fixed at a predetermined position, so that the second clamping arm is moved from the clamping position. It is characterized by moving to the clamping release position.

  In the transport mechanism having the above-described configuration, the second holding arm is attached to one end of the abutting rod, and the other end of the abutting rod is protruded in the clamping outer direction of the first clamping arm, that is, opposite to the second clamping arm. Yes. When the movable conveying member moves along the screw shaft and the other end of the abutting bar is brought into contact with the abutment plate, the other end is pushed and the second holding arm is moved away from the holding position in relation to the first holding arm. Move to the clamping release position.

  In this way, the second sandwiching arm can be moved to the sandwiching release position, and the transported object can be released. Further, in the above configuration, since the biasing force in the transport direction is used, even if the movable transport member further moves in the transport direction after the abutting bar is applied to the contact plate and the object to be transported is detached, When the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm move relative to each other, a load on the component can be suppressed.

  Since this invention set it as the said structure, a to-be-conveyed object can be conveyed, absorbing the inclination of the parallelism and flatness between a screw shaft and a slide rail more reliably.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention will be described as a transport mechanism provided in the transport device 10.

  The transport device 10 is a device that transports the measurement stick 14 from the measurement stick stock unit 16 to the measurement unit 18.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 10 includes a screw shaft 20, a nut member 22, a slide rail 24, a movable transport member 30, a holding member 40, and a transport rail 50.

  The screw shaft 20 is disposed along the conveyance direction X in which the measurement stick 14 is conveyed. The screw shaft 20 is rotationally driven by a drive motor 19.

  The nut member 22 is screwed to the screw shaft 20, and the ball screw is a steel ball (not shown) that is rolled between the screw shaft 20, the screw shaft 20, and the nut member 22. It is configured. As shown in FIG. 2, the nut member 22 includes a ball receiving portion 22A and a plate portion 22B. The ball receiving portion 22A is formed in a columnar shape, and a circulation path (not shown) is configured to circulate while rolling the steel ball while screwing the screw shaft 20 into the center portion. The plate portion 22B has a square plate shape and is joined to the end face of the ball receiving portion 22A. Two bolts 26 are fixed to the surface of the plate portion 22B opposite to the ball receiving portion 22A so as to protrude in the transport direction X. The two bolts 26 are composed of a screw body portion 26A and a screw head portion 26B. The two bolts 26 are arranged at diagonal positions on one end face of the plate portion 22B.

  The slide rail 24 is disposed in parallel along the screw shaft 20. A movable conveying member 30 is attached to the slide rail 24 and the screw shaft 20, and the movable conveying member 30 is a stick transfer position for holding and releasing the measurement stick 14 along the screw shaft 20 and the slide rail 24. It moves between Q1 and a measurement position Q2 where the measurement stick 14 is arranged in order to perform measurement using the measurement stick 14. The stick transfer position Q1 is set slightly before the transfer end of the transfer device 10 with the ball screw, that is, the mechanical dead. That is, a margin is provided between the mechanical dead and the stick transfer position Q1.

  In FIG. 1, a measurement stick stock unit 16 in which a measurement stick 14 as a transported object is accommodated is disposed on the front side of the screw shaft 20 and the slide rail 24. The measurement sticks 14 have a square bar shape, and a plurality (eight in this embodiment) of the measurement sticks 14 are placed on the stock case 15 with the longitudinal direction along the transport direction X. The measurement stick 14 on the stock case 15 is moved toward the slide rail 24 by the feed mechanism 17 and is pushed up to the height of the transport rail 50 by a push-up mechanism (not shown). The transport rail 50 is laid from the measurement stick stock unit 16 toward the measurement unit 18. The lower side of the measurement stick 14 is engaged with the transport rail 50, and both ends are sandwiched between holding members and transported along the transport direction X.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the movable conveyance member 30 includes a slide portion 32, a nut attachment portion 34, and a connecting portion 36.

  The slide portion 32 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape wider than the slide rail 24, and a groove 32 </ b> A is formed along the slide rail 24 on the lower surface. The groove 32 </ b> A is engaged with the slide rail 24, and the slide portion 32 can slide on the slide rail 24.

  The nut attachment portion 34 has a square plate shape that is substantially the same shape as the plate portion 22 </ b> B of the nut member 22, and bolt holes 34 </ b> A are formed at positions corresponding to the two bolts 26. The nut mounting portion 34 and the nut member 22 are overlapped with each other by inserting bolts 26 into the bolt holes 34A. The bolt hole 34A is a long hole having a larger diameter than the bolt 26 and long in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction X, and an play space R is formed between the bolt 26 and the bolt hole 34A. A coil spring 28 is wound around the outer periphery of the screw body 26A. The coil spring 28 is disposed between the screw head 26 </ b> B and the nut mounting portion 34, and biases the nut mounting portion 34 toward the nut member 22. The nut mounting portion 34 can move relative to the nut member 22 within the range of the play space R of the bolt hole 34 </ b> A between the nut mounting portion 34 and the nut member 22. The coil spring 28 suppresses rattling between the nut mounting portion 34 and the nut member 22 (bolt 26) in the play space R. Further, the coil spring 28 absorbs an impact at the conveyance end or the like, and a buffering effect can be obtained.

  The connecting portion 36 is disposed so as to straddle the screw shaft 20 and the slide rail 24, and connects the nut attaching portion 34 and the slide portion 32. The connecting portion 36 is screwed to the nut attaching portion 34 and the slide portion 32.

  The holding member 40 includes a first holding arm 41, a second holding arm 42, a butting bar 43, a support plate 44, and a bar support member 45. The holding member 40 is disposed on the opposite side of the screw shaft 20 with the slide rail 24 interposed therebetween.

  The support plate 44 has a rectangular plate shape, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is along the transport direction X and the plate surface is upright. The support plate 44 is fixed to the connecting portion 36 and moves together with the movable conveyance member 30.

  A first clamping arm 41 is attached to one end surface of the support plate 44 in the longitudinal direction. The first clamping arm 41 has a crank shape, and one side of the crank is fixed to one end surface of the support plate 44, and the other part (hereinafter referred to as “L-shaped part 41A”) has an L-shaped side 41B on the bottom. It is arranged to face. The L-shaped portion 41 </ b> A protrudes to the near side (the opposite side to the slide rail 24) from the support plate 44.

  A rod support member 45 is attached to the back side (slide rail 24 side) of the support plate 44. Two rod support members 45 are attached to be separated in the transport direction X, and the two rod support members 45 are disposed so as to face each other. A through hole 47 is formed in the rod support member 45. The through holes 47 are holes for inserting the abutting rods 43 in the transport direction X, and are formed in a pair on the upper side (hereinafter referred to as “through holes 47A”) and a pair on the lower side (hereinafter referred to as “through holes 47B”). ing.

  The butting bar 43 has a bar shape and is disposed along the transport direction X. Two butting bars 43 are provided, one is inserted into the through hole 47A, and the other is inserted into the through hole 47B and held. The butting bar 43 is longer than the length of the support plate 44 in the longitudinal direction. A second clamping arm 42 is attached to one end of the butting bar 43 on the side far from the first clamping arm 41.

  The second clamping arm 42 includes an L-shaped portion 42A and a mounting plate portion 42B. Two butting bars 43 are fixed to the mounting plate portion 42B. The L-shaped portion 42A is configured integrally with the mounting plate portion 42B, and is arranged so that one side of the L-shape faces outward and faces the L-shaped portion 41A of the first holding arm 41. Yes. Coil springs 48 </ b> A and 48 </ b> B are disposed between the second clamping arm 42 and the rod support member 45 and between the rod support member 45 and the fixing flange 46 of the lower abutting rod 43. . The coil spring 48 </ b> A biases the second clamping arm 42 and the first clamping arm 41 toward each other.

  The second clamping arm 42 is disposed at a position where the mounting plate portion 42 </ b> B is in contact with the support plate 44 in a normal state. At this position, the first stick 41 is brought into contact with one end of the measurement stick 14 and the measurement stick 14 can be held by being sandwiched in the transport direction X from the other end. The position of the second clamping arm 42 with respect to the first clamping arm 41 at this time is defined as a clamping position P1. At this time, the second clamping arm 42 is urged toward the clamping position P1 by the coil springs 48A and 48B, and the abutting bar 43 passes through the through hole 47B of the bar support member 45 on the first clamping arm 41 side. Protruding from.

  At a position corresponding to the end portion of the measurement stick stock portion 16, a contact plate 51 with which the other end portion of the lower abutting bar 43 abuts is provided. The abutting bar 43 abutted against the contact plate 51 is pushed toward the through hole 45 </ b> B by the contact plate 51 by the movement of the movable conveyance member 30. Accordingly, the second clamping arm 42 moves in a direction away from the first clamping arm 41, and the distance between the first clamping arm 41 and the second clamping arm 42 is wider than the length of the measurement stick 14 in the transport direction X. Become. The position of the second clamping arm 42 with respect to the first clamping arm 41 at this time is defined as a clamping release position P2 (see FIG. 4A). The abutment plate 51 can be moved in a direction in which the abutment plate 51 is separated from the abutment bar 43 by a retraction mechanism 52.

  Next, the conveyance operation of the measurement stick 14 using the conveyance device 10 having the above configuration will be described.

  When transporting the measurement stick 14 to the measurement unit 18, first, the movable transport member 30 is disposed at the stick transfer position Q1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4A, the abutting bar 43 is abutted against the abutment plate 51, and the second clamping arm 42 is disposed at the clamping release position P2. In this state, one measurement stick 14 stocked in the measurement stick stock unit 16 is pushed up to the height of the conveyance rail 50 and is disposed between the first clamping arm 41 and the second clamping arm 42. Then, the retracting mechanism 52 is moved away from the butting bar 43, and the second clamping arm 42 is moved to the clamping position P1 as shown in FIG. 4B. As a result, the measurement stick 14 is held between the first holding arm 41 and the second holding arm 42 and is held by the holding member 40.

  In this state, the drive motor 19 is driven, and the movable conveyance member 30 rotates the screw shaft 20 in the direction toward the measurement position Q2. Thereby, the nut member 22 moves along the screw shaft 20, and the whole movable conveyance member 30 moves in the same direction. The measurement stick 14 is engaged with the conveyance rail 50 while being held between the holding members 40, and is conveyed to the measurement unit 18.

  At this time, if the parallelism between the screw shaft 20 and the slide rail 24 is low or the flatness of the slide rail 24 is low, a force in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction X is applied to the nut member 22 and the slide portion 32, The movable conveyance member 30 may not move smoothly. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a play space R is formed between the bolt 26 and the bolt hole 34A. Accordingly, when the parallelism between the screw shaft 20 and the slide rail 24 is low and the distance between the two changes, the nut mounting portion 34 and the nut member 22 are within the range of the play space R as shown in FIG. Move in the transport direction X while relatively moving. That is, errors in parallelism and flatness are absorbed within the range of the play space R, and the movable conveyance member 30 can be moved smoothly. Therefore, the parallelism between the screw shaft 20 and the slide rail 24 and the flatness of the slide rail 24 can be roughened to some extent, and the cost can be reduced.

  When the measurement by the measurement unit 18 is completed and the measurement stick 14 is returned to the stock case 15, the drive motor 19 is driven, and the movable conveying member 30 rotates the screw shaft 20 in the direction toward the stick transfer position Q1. Let Thereby, the nut member 22 moves along the screw shaft 20, and the whole movable conveyance member 30 moves in the same direction. The measurement stick 14 is engaged with the conveyance rail 50 while being held between the holding members 40, and is conveyed toward the measurement stick stock unit 16.

  When the movable conveying member 30 is moved to the stick transfer position Q1, the abutting bar 43 is abutted against and pressed against the abutment plate 51 as shown in FIG. Abutted on. As a result, the second clamping arm 42 is disposed at the clamping release position P2, and the clamping of the measurement stick 14 is released.

  According to the present embodiment, since the movable conveyance member 30 and the nut member 22 can be relatively moved in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction X, the measurement stick can be smoothly moved along the screw shaft 20 and the slide rail 24. 14 can be transported.

  In the present embodiment, since the clamping direction of the measurement stick 14 is the same as the conveyance direction, the clamping and clamping release operation can be made common with the drive mechanism for conveyance, and the conveyance device can be simplified. It can be configured.

  In the present embodiment, since the clamping / clamping release mechanism is operated at a position slightly ahead of the conveyance end (mechanical dead) of conveyance with the screw shaft 20, the movable conveyance member 30 should be provided with a stick. Even if it moves beyond the position Q1, an excessive force is not applied to the components.

  In this embodiment, in order to allow the movable transport member 30 and the nut member 22 to move relative to each other in the direction intersecting the transport direction X, the bolt 26 is fixed to the nut member 22 side, and the bolt is fixed to the nut mounting portion 34. Although the example in which the hole 34A is configured has been described, the bolt and the bolt hole may be reversed. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the bolt 26 is fixed to the movable conveying member 30 side, and a bolt hole 22 </ b> A that forms a play space R with the bolt 26 is formed in the nut member 22 that is screwed with the screw shaft 20. May be.

It is a perspective view of the conveying apparatus of this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the movable conveyance member vicinity of the conveyance apparatus of this embodiment. It is a top view of the movable conveyance member vicinity of the conveyance apparatus of this embodiment. In the holding member of the present embodiment, (A) shows a state where the measurement stick is not clamped, and (B) is a top view showing a state where the measurement stick is clamped. It is a figure which shows the state which the movable conveyance member and nut member of the conveying apparatus of this embodiment are relatively moving within the range of play space. It is a figure which shows the modification of the connection part of the movable conveyance member and nut member of the conveying apparatus of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Conveying device 14 Measuring stick 15 Stock case 16 Measuring stick stock part 18 Measuring part 20 Screw shaft 22 Nut member 22A Bolt hole 24 Slide rail 26 Bolt 28 Coil spring 30 Movable conveying member 32 Slide part 34 Nut attachment part 34A Bolt hole 36 Connection Portion 40 Holding member 41 First clamping arm 42 Second clamping arm 43 Abutting rod 44 Support plates 48A, 48B Coil spring 51 Contact plate R Play space

Claims (6)

A screw shaft arranged along the conveying direction of the conveyed item;
A nut member that is screwed onto the screw shaft and moves along the screw shaft;
A slide rail disposed along the screw axis;
The slide rail is movably engaged in the transport direction and has a play in a direction intersecting the transport direction with the nut member and is attached to the nut member in a direction along the transport direction. A movable conveying member attached to the nut member while being biased;
Conveying mechanism with The nut member is configured with a bolt hole through which a bolt is inserted in a direction along the transport direction, and a play space is configured between the inserted bolt and the bolt hole.
The transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the bolt is fixed to the movable transport member. The movable conveying member is configured with a bolt hole through which a bolt is inserted in the direction along the conveying direction, and a play space is configured between the inserted bolt and the bolt hole.
The transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the bolt is fixed to the nut member.   4. The transport mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the movable transport member is urged toward the nut member by a coil spring wound around an outer periphery of the bolt. A first clamping arm attached to the movable conveyance member and abutting on one end side in the conveyance direction with the conveyance object;
A sandwiching position that is disposed opposite the first sandwiching arm and is in contact with the first transported object on the other end side in the transport direction and sandwiched between the first sandwiching member and the first sandwiching position than the first sandwiching position; A second clamping arm that is movable relative to the first clamping arm between a clamping release position that is further away from the clamping arm;
A sandwiching biasing member that biases at least one of the first sandwiching arm and the second sandwiching arm in a direction in which the object to be transported is sandwiched between the first sandwiching arm and the second sandwiching arm;
The conveyance mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: The second clamping arm is attached to one end of an abutting rod arranged in the transport direction and movable relative to the first clamping arm,
The other end of the abutting rod protrudes in the clamping outer direction from the first clamping arm, and the other end is pushed by being abutted against an abutting plate fixed at a predetermined position. 2 moving the clamping arm from the clamping position to the clamping release position;
The transport mechanism according to claim 5.

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