JP2009085283A - Linear motion device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a linear motion device capable of increasing a stroke amount of an output rod without enlarging the device. <P>SOLUTION: The linear motion device is provided with a first driven gear 14 and a second driven gear 16 driven by a driving source 12, a first pinion gear 18 and a second pinion gear 20 meshed with the second driven gear 16, and a rack 24 arranged so that a meshing part 22 is meshed with the first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20. The rack 24 is equipped with an output rod 28 output to an outside of a case 26. When the electric current is supplied to the driving source 12, power is transmitted to the rack 24, and the output rod 28 is extruded to the outside of the case 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear motion device, and more particularly, to a linear motion device that transmits power to a rack by a synchronous rotational motion of a plurality of pinion gears.

  In recent years, as the capacity of refrigerators increases, the doors and drawers (hereinafter referred to as opening / closing members) of refrigerator compartments and freezer compartments tend to increase in size. As such a refrigerator, for example, there is a refrigerator in which an opening / closing member is held on the housing body side of the refrigerator by using a magnetic action such as a magnet. The opening / closing member of the refrigerator is attracted to the housing body by the magnetic attraction force of the magnet just before closing, so that it can be reliably closed with a small force, and when closed, the closed state can be closed with a constant closing force. Retained.

  On the other hand, with the increase in the size of the opening / closing member of the refrigerator, the magnetic attractive force of the magnet also increases, and the operating force required to open the door and drawer tends to increase. When the necessary operating force increases, for example, when holding an object in both hands and trying to open the opening / closing member with a slight force, there is a disadvantage that it is not easily opened. In addition, it was a heavy burden for women and elderly people with weak arm strength and grip strength, and the operability was not good.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator including a mechanism that reduces the opening operation force of the opening and closing member. In this refrigerator, the engaging portion of the engagement / disengagement gear provided in the final stage of the tooth wheel train meshes with the tooth portion of the rack having the projecting member, and the tooth wheel train is driven by the motor so that the projecting member is A linear motion device that moves linearly is provided on the housing body side to assist the opening operation of the opening and closing member.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, n idlers are arranged between (n + 1) driven gears, and a drive gear is engaged with either one of the driven gears or idlers. A technique is disclosed in which the rack is meshed with (n + 1) pinions provided on the rotating shaft of the rack and the rack is linearly moved in the tangential direction of the pinion.

JP 2000-320955 A JP 2004-263740 A

  However, in the said patent document 1, the stroke amount of the protrusion member was inevitably limited by the full length of the rack tooth part. In other words, since the protruding member is output outside the case to form the output rod portion, the stroke amount of the protruding member is defined by the total length of the output rod portion and the rack tooth portion. For this reason, even if the rack tooth part length is increased unnecessarily, the stroke amount cannot be increased. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient stroke amount to assist the opening operation of the enlarged opening / closing member, and the stroke amount is further increased. In order to achieve this, there is a problem that the gears and the rack have to be enlarged, and the apparatus becomes large.

  Further, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, since the plurality of driven gears and the plurality of idlers are arranged in a line in the linear movement direction of the rack, the apparatus becomes large in the linear movement direction of the rack. There was a problem.

  Accordingly, in view of the above circumstances, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a linear motion device capable of increasing the stroke amount of the output rod portion without increasing the size of the device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a linear motion device according to the present invention includes a driven gear driven by a drive source, a pinion gear meshed with the driven gear, and a rack meshed with the pinion gear. A plurality of pinion gears are arranged in the linear movement direction of the rack, the racks are meshed with one or more of the plurality of pinion gears and linearly moved, and the pinion gear and the driven gear are arranged in the linear movement direction of the rack. The gist is that they are arranged so as to overlap.

  Here, the rack includes a meshing portion that is accommodated in the case in which the plurality of pinion gears are accommodated and meshes with the pinion gear, and an output rod portion that is output to the outside of the case, and only the output rod portion is included in the rack. It is good to make it output outside the case, and let the movement amount of the output rod part outputted outside the case be the stroke amount of the rack.

  If comprised in this way, the ratio of the meshing part which occupies for the full length of a rack can be made small, and the stroke amount of an output rod part can be enlarged. Therefore, if the overall length of the rack is the same, the output rod portion that outputs to the outside of the case is shorter in the rack with the shorter meshing portion disposed in the case than in the rack with the longer meshing portion. Therefore, the stroke amount of the output rod portion output to the outside of the case can be increased without changing the length of the rack.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the plurality of pinion gears mesh with a single driven gear at the same time. With this configuration, a plurality of pinion gears can be driven by a single driven gear, so that space efficiency can be improved. Further, the output rod portion can be moved smoothly.

  Further, the plurality of pinion gears are idlers, and the single driven gear is disposed on one side with respect to a straight line passing through the rotation center of the plurality of pinion gears, and the rack is disposed on the other side. Preferably it is. With this configuration, space can be used effectively.

  According to the linear motion device of the present invention, a plurality of pinion gears are arranged in the linear motion direction of the rack, and the rack is configured to mesh with one or more pinion gears and move linearly. Therefore, when the rack is linearly moved by a plurality of pinion gears, if the rack stroke is the same, the meshing portion of the rack can be shortened compared to a linear motion device having only one pinion gear. Therefore, the stroke amount of the output rod portion can be increased without changing the overall length of the rack. Further, since the pinion gear and the driven gear are arranged so as to overlap with the linear movement direction of the rack, the apparatus is not enlarged in the linear movement direction of the rack.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a linear motion device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a linear motion device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first driven gear 14 and a second driven gear 16 that are driven by a drive source 12, and a second driven gear 16 that meshes with the first driven gear 14. The first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20, and the rack 24 disposed so that the meshing portion 22 meshes with the first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20. Further, the rack 24 has an output rod portion 28 that is output to the outside of the case 26. Here, the total length of the rack described above refers to the length from the left end portion of the meshing portion 22 to the right end portion of the output rod portion 28 in FIG.

  The drive source 12 is held in a drive source holding unit 30 formed in the case 26. The drive source holding unit 30 is formed so as to surround the drive source 12. The output shaft 32 of the drive source 12 protrudes from the drive source holding unit 30 into the internal space of the case 26. The drive source 12 is connected to the terminal member 36 by a plurality of lead wires 34. The terminal member 36 is connected to the control device 72. Therefore, the drive source 12 is controlled and driven by an external control device 72 via the lead wire 34 and the terminal member 36.

  A worm 38 is attached to a portion of the output shaft 32 of the drive source 12 that protrudes from the drive source holding portion 30 via a connecting plate 40 so as to be integrally rotatable. Therefore, the driving force of the driving source 12 is transmitted to the first driven gear 14 that meshes with the worm 38 through the worm 38 at a reduced speed.

  The first driven gear 14 is rotatably supported by a shaft 42 supported at both ends by the case 26. When the driving force of the driving source 12 is transmitted through the worm 38, the first driven gear 14 rotates.

  The second driven gear 16 is rotatably supported by a shaft 44 supported at both ends by the case 26. When the first driven gear 14 rotates, the second driven gear 16 meshes with the first driven gear 14. Rotates.

  The first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20 are rotatably supported by a shaft 46 and a shaft 48 supported at both ends by the case 26, respectively. Further, when the second driven gear 16 rotates, the first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20 rotate. Furthermore, the first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20 are arranged such that the distance between the centers thereof is substantially equal to the length of the meshing portion 22 of the rack 24.

  The rack 24 is guided by the guide rail 50 formed in the case 26 when the meshing portion 22 meshes with the first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20 and receives the driving force of the driving source 12. The output rod portion 28 is linearly moved rightward in FIG. 1 and pushed out of the case 26.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a linear motion device according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the first pinion gear 18 may have a larger outer diameter than the second pinion gear 20. In this embodiment, it is necessary to open the door against the magnetic attractive force of the magnet at the initial operation of the linear motion member. By increasing the first pinion, the size of the bearing portion can be increased and the bearing strength can be improved. If a large load is applied to the second pinion gear as required, the second pinion gear may be enlarged to make the bearing portion larger.

  Next, the operation mechanism of the linear motion device will be described with reference to FIGS. When the drive source 12 is not energized, the output rod portion 28 is in the most retracted state in the case 26 as shown in FIG. When the drive source 12 is energized, the output shaft 32 and the worm 38 of the drive source 12 rotate integrally. When the worm 38 rotates, the driving force of the drive source 12 is transmitted to the first driven gear 14 meshing with the worm 38, and the first driven gear 14 rotates clockwise in FIG. As the first driven gear 14 rotates, the second driven gear 16 meshing with the first driven gear 14 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Further, as the second driven gear 16 rotates, the first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20 meshed with the second driven gear 16 rotate clockwise in FIG. 1, and the first pinion gear 18 and the meshing portion 22 are rotated. Power is transmitted to the meshed rack 24, and the output rod portion 28 is pushed out in the right direction in FIG. Here, the linear motion direction of the rack mentioned above refers to the direction in which the output rod portion is pushed out.

  The rack 24 moves to the position shown in FIG. 3 by the rotation of the first pinion gear 18, and the meshing portion 22 of the rack 24 meshes with the second pinion gear 20 that rotates in synchronization with the first pinion gear 18. The rack 24 is delivered from the second pinion gear 20 to the second pinion gear 20. Further, when the rack 24 is moved by the rotation of the second pinion gear 20, the output rod portion 28 of the rack 24 is finally pushed out from the case 26 as shown in FIG. As described above, since the rack having a short tooth length is sequentially fed by the synchronous rotational movement of the plurality of pinion gears, the stroke amount of the output rod portion can be increased even if the total length of the meshing portion 22 is short.

  4, the first driven gear 14 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 4 and the second driven gear 16 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Rotate. Further, the first pinion gear 18 and the second pinion gear 20 rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 4 to transmit power to the rack 24, and the output rod portion 28 is pulled back in the left direction in FIG. And the output rod part 28 can be returned to the state of FIG.

  Next, an application example of the linear motion device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the example applied to the mechanism which reduces the open operation force of the opening / closing member of a refrigerator is demonstrated.

  FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the appearance of a refrigerator to which the linear motion device according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 5, the linear motion device 10 is provided at a position facing the opening / closing member 58 of the frame 56 of the refrigerator 54 as a housing, and serves as an apparatus for assisting the opening operation of the opening / closing member 58. Yes. The open / close member 58 is for opening / closing the open end portion of the refrigerator compartment 60 formed in the refrigerator 54, and one end of the open / close member 58 is rotatably supported by a part of the open end of the refrigerator compartment 60. Has been.

  A magnet 62 is provided at the other end of the opening / closing member 58. The magnet 62 is for attracting and holding the opening / closing member 58 by utilizing a magnetic action to a part of the open end of the refrigerator compartment 60 of the refrigerator 54 main body when closed. The chamber 60 can be completely sealed.

  The opening / closing member 58 is provided with a pulling handle 64 for the user to grip and pull forward when opening the opening / closing member 58, and the user holds the pulling handle at a part of the pulling handle 64. There is provided a sensor 66 for detecting this.

  6 is an external perspective view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the front. In the refrigerator compartment 60, a switch 68 that is turned on when the opening / closing member 58 is released from the sealed state, and a switch 68 And an interior lamp 70 that is turned on when the switch is turned on. Therefore, when the opening / closing member 58 is slightly opened by the linear motion device 10, the switch 68 is turned on, and the indoor lamp 70 in the refrigerator compartment 60 is lit. Note that the driving of the driving source 12 of the linear motion device 10 may be stopped in conjunction with the on / off operation of the switch 68.

  The opening / closing member 58 of the refrigerator 54 configured as described above activates the drive source 12 of the linear motion device 10 when the user operates the pull handle 64 and the sensor 66 operates, and the drive source 12 is driven. It is pushed forward by force.

  The sensor 66 is connected to the control device as shown in FIG. A drive source 12 is also connected to the control device. Therefore, when a signal is input from the sensor 66, the control device supplies power to the drive source 12 to drive the drive source 12. As a result, the driving force of the drive source 12 is transmitted to the output rod portion 28, the output rod portion 28 moves forward, and pushes the opening / closing member 58.

  In the present embodiment, the sensor 66 is configured by a touch sensor in order to detect that the user is trying to open the opening / closing member 58. However, instead of the touch sensor, other detection means such as a detection means using a piezoelectric element or infrared rays. May be provided.

  The control device performs control for driving the drive source 12 and moving the output rod portion 28 forward based on the signal from the sensor 66 as described above. On the other hand, by rotating the drive source 12 in the reverse direction, the output rod portion 28 is controlled. Can be restored to the original state before the slide.

  The linear motion device 10 assists the operation of a predetermined range in the entire operation range of the opening / closing member 58 by the sliding operation of the output rod portion 28. That is, the output rod portion 28 pushes the opening / closing member 58 by further sliding while colliding with the inside of the opening / closing member 58. The opening / closing member 58 is attracted to the refrigerator 54 main body side by a magnetic attraction force that is a magnetic action of the magnet 62, but the linear motion device 10 pushes the opening / closing member 58 to a position where it cannot be attracted by the magnetic attraction force.

  In the present embodiment, the opening / closing member 58 is moved to such a range that the opening / closing member 58 does not operate due to the magnetic action as described above. However, the present invention is used particularly for the opening / closing member using the attractive force of the magnet. The present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a device that generates a closing force with a spring or the like, or a device that does not have a closing force such as a magnet or a spring.

  In this way, by moving the output rod portion 28 by the rotational driving force of the drive source 12, the opening / closing member 58 is released from being held by suction to the refrigerator 54 body. The linear motion device 10 is a device that operates the opening / closing member 58 only in front of the refrigerator 54. Therefore, after the opening / closing member 58 is driven forward by the drive source 12, and after the user manually opens and closes the opening / closing member 58 and puts food and the like into and out of the refrigerator compartment 60, the user manually opens and closes the opening / closing member. 58 is closed.

  In this case, in the linear motion device 10 of the present embodiment, since the output rod portion 28 has already been returned to the original state before the slide by the control device 72, the opening / closing member 58 closed by the user and the output The rod part 28 does not collide with the output rod part 28, or the impact sound is not generated.

  In the present embodiment, the output rod portion 28 can be directly contacted with the opening / closing member 58. However, the output rod portion 28 can be contacted with the opening / closing member 58 indirectly through some member. Also good.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, the type of drive source is not particularly limited, and various drive sources such as a stepping motor and an AC motor can be applied in addition to a general DC motor.

  Further, the number of driven gears is not particularly limited, and one or two or more may be used.

  The linear motion device according to the present invention can be suitably used for household appliances or furniture with a swinging door or drawer.

It is sectional drawing which showed typically the structure of the linear motion apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed typically the structure of the linear motion apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the state by which the output rod part was extruded in the linear motion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. In the linear motion device according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the output rod portion is most pushed out. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the external appearance of the refrigerator with which the linear motion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is applied. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the refrigerator shown in FIG. 5 from the front side. It is the block diagram which showed typically the control circuit of the linear motion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Linear motion apparatus 12 ... Drive source 14 ... 1st driven gear 16 ... 2nd driven gear 18 ... 1st pinion gear 20 ... 2nd pinion gear 22 ... Meshing part 24 ... Rack 26 ... Case 28 ... Output rod 30 ... Drive source holder 32 ... Output shaft 34 ... Lead wire 36 ... Terminal member 38 ... Worm 40 ... Connection plates 42, 44, 46, 48 ... shaft 50 ... guide rail 54 ... refrigerator 56 ... frame 58 ... opening / closing member 60 ... refrigerator compartment 62 ... magnet 64 ... Pull handle 66 ... Sensor 68 ... Switch 70 ... Interior light 72 ... Control device

Claims (4)

A driven gear driven by a drive source;
A pinion gear meshed with the driven gear;
In a linear motion device having a rack meshed with the pinion gear,
A plurality of the pinion gears are arranged in the linear movement direction of the rack,
The rack meshes with one or more of the plurality of pinion gears and is linearly moved,
The linear motion device, wherein the pinion gear and the driven gear are disposed so as to overlap in a linear motion direction of the rack.   2. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the rack includes a meshing portion that is housed in a case in which the plurality of pinion gears are housed and meshes with the pinion gear, and an output rod portion that is output to the outside of the case, and only the output rod portion. Is output to the outside of the case, and the amount of movement of the output rod portion output to the outside of the case is used as the stroke amount of the rack.   The linear motion device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pinion gears are simultaneously meshed with a single driven gear.   4. The plurality of pinion gears according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of pinion gears are idlers, and the single driven gear is disposed on one side with respect to a straight line passing through the rotation center of the plurality of pinion gears, and the rack is disposed on the other side. A linear motion device characterized by being provided.

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