JP2010264540A - Brush device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a brush device for extending the service life of the brush with a compact construction. <P>SOLUTION: A brush member (10) is provided at a tip end of a drive shaft (8) rotated by a motor (6), and a brush cover pivotally supporting the drive shaft to slide freely in a rotation shaft direction, and synchronously rotating with the brush member covers the brush member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a brush device that removes impurities such as slag and spatter attached to a workpiece material.

If gas welding or arc welding is performed, slag, spatter, etc. will adhere to the work material, causing deterioration in the quality of welding, painting, etc. in subsequent processes. Removal work such as tapping with, rubbing with a brush, shaving with a grinder.
Here, a brush device or the like made of a metal brush rotated by a motor is used for the removal work using the brush.

  However, if the bristle length of the metal brush in the brush device is long in the direction of the rotation axis, the distal end spreads in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis due to the centrifugal force due to rotation, and it is impossible to apply an appropriate force to the workpiece material. There's a problem. In addition, although there exists a structure which prevents the spread of a brush by binding the middle of the hair | bristle bundle of a metal brush with a wire etc., a wire moves by use etc., and the spread of a brush cannot be suppressed reliably.

On the other hand, if the bristle length of the metal brush is shortened to such an extent that it does not spread due to centrifugal force, the life due to wear is short, so that the replacement frequency increases, and the working efficiency is deteriorated.
Therefore, deburring is carried out by adjusting the brush length with a motor with a reduction gear (a part of the first slide mechanism) provided with a plurality of brushes accommodated in the holding cylinder at the outer peripheral portion of the brush holder rotated by the motor. Brush devices have been developed (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-11-114760

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to add an actuator called a motor with a speed reducer in addition to the motor and the cylinder, and there is a problem that the structure and control are complicated, the apparatus is enlarged, and the like. .
Furthermore, the brush part in patent document 1 is the structure provided with two or more brushes accommodated in the holding | maintenance cylinder in the outer peripheral part of the brush holder rotated by a motor, The number of parts is many, and a brush part is large sized. However, the apparatus becomes complicated and large. Further, if the brush part is enlarged, it becomes difficult to apply the tip of the brush to a narrow part of the work material, and there is a problem that the use range of the metal brush is limited.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a brush device that can achieve a long brush life with a compact configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the brush device according to claim 1, a rotational drive source that rotates a drive shaft, a brush member that is connected to the drive shaft and includes a hair bundle extending in the direction of the rotational shaft, and the brush member Driving means for moving the brush member in the direction of the rotation axis, and a cylindrical shape that covers the outer periphery of the brush member and the tip of the brush member is open so as to protrude, and the drive shaft is slidable in the direction of the rotation axis A brush cover that rotates in synchronization with the brush member while being pivotally supported on the shaft, and a support means that is fixed independently of the movement of the brush member by the driving means and supports the brush cover rotatably. It is characterized by providing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the brush device according to the first aspect, wherein the driving means has a base portion and a movable portion that moves relative to the base portion, and the rotary drive source is connected to the movable portion, and the base portion. On the other hand, the rotational drive source, the drive shaft, and the brush member are integrally moved, and the support means is fixed to the base of the drive means.
The brush device according to a third aspect is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect, the brush device is attached to an arm tip of a robot arm.

  According to the brush device of the first aspect of the present invention using the above means, the brush member that rotates via the drive shaft is provided with a brush cover that covers the brush member, so that even when the bristle length of the brush member is long It is possible to suppress the brush from spreading due to centrifugal force due to rotation. Since the brush cover rotates synchronously with the brush member, it is possible to prevent the brush from spreading without damaging the brush.

  Further, since the brush member can be moved in the axial direction by the driving means and can slide in the brush cover, the brush member can be moved by the driving means even when the bristle length of the brush member is shortened due to wear or the like. The brush tip can be protruded from the brush cover by being moved. Thereby, a brush with a long bristle length can be used for a long period of time, the frequency of replacement of brush members can be reduced, and work efficiency can be improved.

Further, the cover member is fixed independently of the movement of the brush member by the support means, and it is not necessary to add a device such as an actuator in particular, and a compact configuration can be achieved.
According to the brush device of claim 2, the driving means has a base portion and a movable portion, and a rotational drive source is connected to the movable portion, and the rotational drive source, the drive shaft, and the brush member are moved together, while being supported. Since the means is configured to be fixed to the base portion, a simple configuration as a whole can be achieved, and a more compact configuration can be achieved.

  According to the brush device of the third aspect, the slag and spatter removal work using the brush device can be favorably automated by connecting to the robot arm.

It is a schematic block diagram of the brush apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the brush apparatus concerning this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view when the bristle length of a metal brush is shortened in the brush apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a brush device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the brush device 1 mainly includes a pressing mechanism 2 (drive means), an arm portion 4, a motor 6 (rotation). Drive source), drive shaft 8, brush member 10, cover support member 12 (support means), and brush cover 14. In addition, the said brush apparatus 1 is a tool member attached to the front-end | tip of the robot arm which is not illustrated, for example.

  In the pressing mechanism 2, a movable part 24 is connected to one side of the base 20 via an air cylinder 22, and a connection part 26 connected to the tip of the robot arm is formed on the other side of the base 20. And the said press mechanism 2 moves the movable part 24 along the axial direction of the air cylinder 22 by adjusting the air pressure to the air cylinder 22, as shown by the white arrow of FIG.

On one side of the movable part 24 of the pressing mechanism 2, an arm part 4 extending in the axial direction of the air cylinder 22, that is, in the moving direction of the movable part 24 is provided.
A motor 6 is provided at the tip of the arm portion 4 via a bracket 28.
A drive shaft 8 rotated by the motor 6 extends from one side of the motor 6. A part of the outer peripheral surface of the drive shaft 8 is formed with a plate-like key portion 30 that is long in the axial direction of the drive shaft 8 and protrudes perpendicularly to the axial direction.

Further, a brush member 10 that rotates integrally with the drive shaft 8 is provided at the tip of the drive shaft 8.
That is, the motor 6 is a drive source that rotates the brush member 10 via the drive shaft 8 including the key portion 30 with the moving direction of the pressing mechanism 2 as the rotation axis direction.
Hereinafter, the configuration on the tip side of the brush device 1 will be described in detail.

2 and 3, FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the brush device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view along the line AA of FIG. A description will be given based on FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the brush member 10 is configured by binding hair bundles 32 of metal wires extending in the rotation axis direction at a binding portion 34 connected to the tip of the drive shaft 8. The brush member 10 can be removed from the drive shaft 8 and replaced with a new brush member 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cover support member 12 is fixed at the outer peripheral portion of the base portion 20 of the pressing mechanism 2 and allows the arm portion 4, the motor 6, the drive shaft 8, and the brush member 10 to move from the movable portion 24. That is, each of these parts is covered independently of the movement, and has a cylindrical shape that is gradually narrowed toward the brush member 10.
A support tube portion 36 is formed on the inner periphery of the tip portion of the cover support member 12. The brush cover 14 is rotatably supported via a ball bearing 38 on the inner peripheral side of the support cylinder portion 36.

The brush cover 14 extends in the direction of the rotation axis of the brush member 10 and has a cylindrical shape that covers the brush member 10. One end of the brush cover 14 in the axial direction is open so that the tip of the brush member 10 can protrude outward. On the other hand, a shaft hole 40 having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the drive shaft 8 and the key portion 30 is formed in the other side surface of the brush cover 14 in the axial direction.
The brush cover 14 pivotally supports the drive shaft 8 and the key portion 30 in the axial direction through the shaft hole 40, while the rotation of the drive shaft 8 is transmitted through the key portion 30 and the brush cover 14. It is configured to rotate synchronously with the member 10.

The operation and effect of the brush device according to the present invention configured as described above will be described below.
The brush device 1 is carried to a target location where slag and spatter adhere to the workpiece material by the operation of the robot arm, and the tip of the brush member 10 contacts the target location. The brush member 10 is removed from the slag and spatter by being rotated at a high speed by the motor 6 while being pressed against the work material by the operation of the pressing mechanism 2.

  The tip of the hair bundle 32 of the brush member 10 protrudes from the brush cover 14 to the extent that the hair bundle 32 does not expand due to the centrifugal force due to rotation, while the portion of the hair bundle 32 that does not protrude is covered with the brush cover 14. Therefore, the spread of the hair bundle 32 can be suppressed even when the hair length is long. Moreover, since the brush cover 14 rotates synchronously with the brush member 10, even if the hair bundle 32 and the brush cover 14 come into contact with each other, the hair bundle 32 is not damaged.

Further, referring to FIG. 4, an enlarged view of a main part when the bristle length of the metal brush is shortened in the brush device is shown.
As shown in the figure, when the hair bundle 32 tip of the brush member 10 is worn by the removing operation and the bristle length is shortened, by moving the brush member 10 to the workpiece material W side by the pressing mechanism 2, The hair bundle 32 can always be protruded from the brush cover 14. The protruding amount of the hair bundle 32 is controlled by, for example, controlling the amount of movement by the pressing mechanism 2 according to the integration time of the removal work or according to the protruding amount of the hair bundle 32 detected by a sensor or the like. A certain amount can be maintained.

From these things, a metal brush with a long bristle length can be used for a long period of time, and the work efficiency can be improved by reducing the replacement frequency of the brush member 10.
In the brush device 1, the motor 6 is connected to the movable portion 24 of the pressing mechanism 2, and the motor 6, the drive shaft 8, and the brush member 10 are moved together, while the cover support member 12 is fixed to the base portion 20. It is a structure, and it can be set as a simple and compact structure as a whole, without adding apparatuses, such as an actuator especially.

In addition, since the brush cover 14 is configured so that the brush cover 14 covers only the outer periphery of the brush member 10 on the tip side of the brush device 1, the tip portion of the brush device 1 can be thinned, and it is also suitable for a narrow part of the work material. The brush tip can be brought into contact.
From the above, the brush device according to the present invention can achieve a long brush life with a compact configuration.

This is the end of the description of the embodiment of the brush device according to the present invention, but the embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment.
In the above embodiment, the rotational force of the drive shaft 8 is transmitted to the brush cover 14 by forming the plate-like key portion 30 on the drive shaft 8, but the configuration for rotating the brush cover synchronously with the brush member is as follows. It is not limited to this. For example, the outer periphery of the drive shaft and the shaft hole of the brush cover may be spline-fitted. Furthermore, it is not configured to transmit the rotational force between the drive shaft and the brush cover, but a key or spline is formed on the outer periphery of the binding portion of the brush member to rotate between the binding portion of the brush member and the brush cover. It may be configured to transmit force.

  Moreover, although the brush apparatus 1 in the said embodiment is used for the removal operation | work of a slag and a sputter | spatter, the use of the said brush apparatus is not restricted to this, The metal brush which grind | polishes a workpiece | work material like a deburring operation | work etc. It is also applicable to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Brush apparatus 2 Pressing mechanism (drive means)
4 Arm 6 Motor (Rotary drive source)
8 Drive shaft 10 Brush member 12 Cover support member (support means)
14 Brush cover 30 Key part 32 Hair bundle 34 Binding part 36 Support cylinder part 38 Ball bearing 40 Shaft hole

Claims (3)

A rotational drive source for rotating the drive shaft;
A brush member connected to the drive shaft and made of a hair bundle extending in the rotation axis direction;
Driving means for moving the brush member in the direction of the rotation axis;
Covers the outer periphery of the brush member, has a cylindrical shape with the tip of the brush member openably projectable, and supports the drive shaft so as to be slidable in the direction of the rotation axis while rotating synchronously with the brush member A brush cover to
A support means that is fixed independently of the movement of the brush member by the drive means, and that rotatably supports the brush cover;
A brush device comprising: The drive means includes a base and a movable part that moves relative to the base, and the rotational drive source is coupled to the movable part, and the rotational drive source, the drive shaft, and the base are connected to the base The brush member is moved together,
The brush device according to claim 1, wherein the support means is fixed to a base portion of the drive means.   The brush device according to claim 1, wherein the brush device is attached to an arm tip of a robot arm.

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