JP2012177459A - Multi-shaft driving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multi-shaft driving device capable of reducing the projection area of a motor shaft in an axial direction more than before.SOLUTION: In the configuration for selectively transmitting power of a motor 10 to a plurality of output shafts 50 arranged roughly radially to be orthogonal to a motor shaft 11 around the motor shaft 11, each of input shafts 30 to which rotation of the motor shaft 11 is transmitted is disposed parallel to the motor shaft 11 corresponding to each of the output shafts 50, a clutch shaft 40 is disposed, in each of the input shafts 30, to be moved along each of the input shafts 30 and pressed on the side of a selector 60 by a coil spring 45, and in the clutch shaft 40, an input side bevel gear 41 is disposed to be engaged with an output side bevel gear 51 disposed in the output shaft 50 when the clutch shaft 40 is pressed by the selector 60 against the coil spring 45. Without disposing any clutch on the side of the output shaft 50, the clutch is disconnected/connected by the axial movement of the clutch shaft 40 parallel to the motor shaft 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-axis drive device that drives a plurality of output shafts with a single motor suitable for application to, for example, an electric vehicle seat.

  The vehicle seat can be adjusted to the position and position of the occupant by adjusting the position of multiple locations, such as sliding in the entire longitudinal direction, vertical movement of the seating surface, or reclining of the seat back (backrest). Many of these formats are used. The adjustment of these movable parts was performed manually, but as a more convenient one, an electric seat that is adjusted by motor drive is provided.

  In order to independently drive a plurality of movable parts, a configuration in which motors are connected one by one for each output shaft connected to the movable part is conceivable, but this increases the number of motors. Therefore, it is efficient to drive a plurality of output shafts with a single motor. For this purpose, the power of the motor is transmitted to each output shaft connected to a plurality of movable parts via the clutch, and the clutch is A device that selectively connects and drives each movable part has been proposed (see Patent Document 1, etc.). As such a so-called multi-axis drive device, a driven bevel gear provided on each of a plurality of output shafts so as to be movable in the axial direction is provided in a state of being urged so as to be able to mesh with a drive side bevel gear on a motor shaft. In addition, there is known a mechanism in which a driven bevel gear is separated from and connected to a driving bevel gear by a cam that presses the driven bevel gear to switch a power transmission path (Patent Document 2).

JP-A-6-156123 Japanese Patent Publication No.54-41898

  In the device described in Patent Document 2, a space for moving the driven side bevel gear in the axial direction is required, so that the projected area in the axial direction of the motor shaft orthogonal to the driven side bevel gear is large.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-axis drive device that can reduce the projected area of the motor shaft in the axial direction as compared with the prior art.

  The present invention relates to a multi-axis drive device that selectively drives a plurality of movable mechanisms provided in a vehicle, and a motor having a motor shaft and a motor shaft that is disposed around the motor shaft and perpendicular to the motor shaft. An output shaft connected to the movable mechanism via a transmission member, an input shaft arranged in parallel to the motor shaft corresponding to the output shaft, and transmitting the rotation of the motor shaft, and the input A rotation transmitting member for connecting the shaft and the output shaft to transmit the rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft, clutch means provided movably along the input shaft, and rotatable on one end side of the input shaft A selector that is supported and rotates to move the clutch means along the input shaft, thereby selectively transmitting the rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft via the rotation transmission member. Features.

  In the present invention, the rotation transmission member includes an input side bevel gear provided on the input shaft and an output side bevel gear provided on the output shaft and capable of meshing with the input bevel gear.

  In the present invention, the clutch means includes a form in which the input-side bevel gear is movably supported along the input shaft, and the input-side bevel gear is separated from and connected to the output-side bevel gear.

  Moreover, in this invention, the said clutch means contains the form which connects / disconnects rotation of the said motor shaft with respect to the said input shaft.

  According to the present invention, since the clutch means is provided so as to move along the input shaft parallel to the motor shaft, the multi-axis drive can reduce the projected area in the axial direction of the motor shaft as compared with the conventional case. There exists an effect that an apparatus is provided.

It is a perspective view showing a multi-axis drive device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the apparatus. It is the III-III arrow sectional drawing of the upper part of the same apparatus of FIG. It is the IV-IV arrow directional cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 in the upper part of the same apparatus. It is a VV arrow sectional view of Drawing 3. It is the (a) perspective view and (b) back view of the selector which the apparatus comprises. It is sectional drawing which shows the other form of the driven gear based on one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the other form of the clutch means based on one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the other form of the input shaft and input side bevel gear based on one Embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(1) Configuration of Multi-Axis Drive Device FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively show a perspective view and a plan view of a multi-axis drive device according to an embodiment for driving a vehicle electric seat. 3 and 4 show a cross section taken along arrows III-III and IV-IV of FIG. 2 at the upper part of the apparatus, respectively. Furthermore, FIG. 5 has shown the VV arrow cross section of FIG. In the following description, the vertical direction is a direction on the drawing, but the apparatus is not necessarily installed in the illustrated posture, and is installed in an arbitrary posture on a frame to be installed.

  Reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 denotes a motor. As shown in FIG. 3, the motor 10 has a motor shaft 11 protruding upward, and a pinion 12 made of a spur gear is fixed on the motor shaft 11. The pinion 12 is rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions by the operation of the motor 10. A first case 21 is detachably mounted on the upper surface of the motor 10, and a second case 22 is detachably stacked on the upper surface of the first case 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of input shafts (in this case, three) 30 parallel to the motor shaft 11 are arranged concentrically with the motor shaft 11 around the pinion 12 of the motor 10. . These input shafts 30 have a cylindrical shape that opens upward, and are rotatably supported by the first case 21. On each input shaft 30, driven gears 31 made of spur gears are coaxially and integrally formed, and these driven gears 31 are meshed with the pinion 12. The driven gear 31 is a reduction gear having a diameter larger than that of the pinion 12. When the motor 10 is operated and the pinion 12 rotates, the driven gear 31 rotates integrally with the input shaft 30. That is, when the motor 10 is in operation, the power of the motor 10 is transmitted from the pinion 12 to each driven gear 31, and each input shaft 30 is constantly rotated.

  A cylindrical clutch shaft 40 opening downward is inserted into the input shaft 30 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along the input shaft 30. The clutch shaft 40 is spline-coupled to the input shaft 30 and can rotate integrally with the input shaft 30. An input-side bevel gear 41 whose tooth surface faces downward is integrally formed at the upper end of the clutch shaft 40. A coil spring 45 in a compressed state is accommodated in the clutch shaft 40. The coil spring 45 urges the clutch shaft 40 and the input side bevel gear 41 upward with the bottom of the input shaft 30 as a spring seat.

  A pin 42 protruding upward is formed at the axis of each input-side bevel gear 41. The upper end surface of the pin 42 is formed in a hemispherical shape, and the pin 42 protrudes from the upper end surface of the second case 22 when the clutch shaft 40 is biased upward by the coil spring 45. . The clutch shaft 40 is pressed downward via a pin 42 by a disc-shaped selector 60 disposed on the upper end surface of the second case 22, and the axial direction is positioned together with the coil spring 45.

  The selector 60 is rotatably supported by the second case 22 via a rotation shaft 61 coaxial with the motor shaft 11. As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of cam holes 63 into which any one of the pins 42 is fitted are formed in a portion of the flat lower surface 62 of the selector 60 facing the pin 42 of each clutch shaft 40. In this case, the cam hole 63 is formed in two types (63a and 63b) that are distinguished from each other by the difference in the length in the circumferential direction.

  That is, one type of cam hole 63a has a short circumferential length enough to fit the pin 42, and a small recess 64 into which a part of the upper end surface of the pin 42 enters is formed at the bottom center. Has been. The other type of cam hole 63b is an arcuate groove in which the pin 42 concentrically fitted with the motor shaft 11 can move relatively, and at one end and the other end in the circumferential direction at the bottom thereof, A similar recess 64 is formed. A guide inclined surface 65 extending in the circumferential direction and gently connecting to the lower surface 62 of the selector 60 is formed on one end side or the other end side of each cam hole 63 in the circumferential direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an output shaft 50 whose axial direction is orthogonal to the motor shaft 11 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of each input shaft 30 around the motor shaft 11. These output shafts 50 are sandwiched between cylindrical bearing portions 23 formed by combining the first case 21 and the second case 22 and are rotatably supported. These output shafts 50 are arranged substantially radially, and an output side bevel gear 51 capable of meshing with the input side bevel gear 41 is integrally formed at a tip facing the input shaft 30. Each output shaft 50 is movable, such as a mechanism for adjusting the height of the seat seat surface, a reclining mechanism for adjusting the angle of the seat back (backrest portion), and a mechanism for adjusting the front-rear position of the seat. The mechanism is connected to each other via a torque cable (not shown). One end of the torque cable is inserted into a mounting hole 52 having a rectangular cross section formed on the rear end surface of the output shaft 50, and rotates together with the output shaft 50.

  In the present embodiment, the input side bevel gear 41 and the output side bevel gear 51 constitute the rotation transmission member of the present invention. Further, the clutch shaft 40 on which the input side bevel gear 41 is formed constitutes the clutch means of the present invention.

(2) Operation of Multi-axis Drive Device Next, the operation of the multi-axis drive device will be described.
The clutch shaft 40 urged upward by the coil spring 45 has a clutch connection position where the upper end pin 42 contacts the lower surface 62 of the selector 60 (the state on the right side in FIG. 4) as the selector 60 rotates. The clutch reciprocating position (the state on the left side in FIG. 4) fitted in the cam hole 63 is reciprocated.

  Here, the case where one pin 42 fits into the cam hole 63 of the selector 60 and the clutch shaft 40 is in the clutch disengagement position will be described. The clutch shaft 40 on which the pin 42 is formed is moved upward by a coil spring 45. The input side bevel gear 41 is moved upward away from the corresponding output side bevel gear 51, and the clutch is disengaged. In the clutch disengaged state, even if the motor 10 is operated, power is transmitted only to the input side bevel gear 41 and the output shaft 50 does not rotate.

  When the selector 60 is rotated in a predetermined direction from this state, the pin 42 comes into sliding contact with the guide slope 65 and contacts the lower surface 62 of the selector 60, and the clutch shaft 40 is pushed down to the clutch engagement position by the lower surface 62 of the selector 60. Then, the input side bevel gear 41 is meshed with the corresponding output side bevel gear 51, and the clutch is connected. When the motor 10 is operated in the clutch connected state, the power of the motor 10 is transmitted to the output side bevel gear 51 through the input shaft 30, the clutch shaft 40, and the input side bevel gear 41. As a result, the output shaft 50 rotates and the torque cable rotates to operate.

  Note that at the moment when the input side bevel gear 41 is engaged with the output side bevel gear 51 and the clutch is engaged, the upper end surface of the other pin 42 entering one of the cam holes 63 enters one of the corresponding recesses 64. Thus, the operator who rotates the selector 60 can obtain a click feeling and confirm that the target movable mechanism can be operated.

  Further, when the selector 60 is rotated in a predetermined direction from the clutch connected state, the pin 42 enters the guide inclined surface 65 from the lower surface 62 of the selector 60 and is slidably contacted, and is fitted into the cam hole 63 to be in the clutch disengaged state again. Then, the output shaft 50 stops rotating and the operation of the torque cable is also stopped.

  The above is the operation of the multi-axis drive device. According to this device, the selector 60 is rotated to oppose the pin 42 of the clutch shaft 40 corresponding to the output shaft 50 for which the cam hole 63 is to be operated. The shaft 50 can be actuated, and thereby each of the movable mechanisms of the vehicle electric seat is selectively driven. A switch for turning ON / OFF the motor 10 may be provided separately. However, if the switch is provided in the vicinity of the selector 60 or the selector 60, the motor 10 is operated following the selection of the output shaft 50 to be operated. Since the operation | movement of act | operating can be smoothly performed by a series of operation, it is preferable.

(3) Effects of this embodiment
According to the multi-axis drive device of this embodiment, the clutch shaft 40 that connects or separates the input side bevel gear 41 with respect to the output side bevel gear 51 moves along the input shaft 30 parallel to the motor shaft 11. Therefore, the projected area in the axial direction of the motor shaft 11 can be made smaller than in the prior art, and the apparatus can be made compact.

  Further, since the number of cases is as small as two (the first case 21 and the second case 22), and the case is sequentially stacked on the motor 10 and then the selector 60 is stacked, the number of parts and assembly are reduced. The number of processes can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.

  Further, the input side bevel gear 41 needs to be held at a position where the axial direction position in the clutch engaged state is properly meshed with the output side bevel gear 51. For example, the position of the input side bevel gear 41 is fixed to the second case 22. This is possible by forming a restricting portion that restricts the downward position. Further, in the clutch disengaged state, the pin 42 abuts against the selector 60 so that upward movement can be restricted. Therefore, a member such as a gear holder for regulating the position of the input side bevel gear 41 is not required. On the other hand, the output-side bevel gear 51 integrated with the output shaft 50 is sandwiched between the two cases 21 and 22 and positioned by the bearing portion 23, and a gear holder or the like is not necessary. Also from these things, the number of parts and the number of assembly processes can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.

In the said embodiment, it can change into the following other forms.
The pinion 12 of the motor shaft 11 and the driven gear 31 that meshes with the pinion 12 are spur gears, but if they are helical gears, quietness and high strength are expected due to the high meshing rate. When the helical gears mesh with each other, stress in the axial direction is generated. Therefore, when applied to the above embodiment, the input shaft 30 on which the driven gear 31 is formed may be moved in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the toothed gear is made up of the pinion 12 and the driven gear 31, as shown in FIG. 7, a flange 31 a that engages with the lower end surface of the pinion 12 is formed at the lower end portion of the driven gear 31 and moved upward. It is recommended that the movement of the The downward movement of the driven gear 31 may be achieved, for example, by pressing the upper end surface by the second case 22.

  In the above embodiment, the clutch shaft 40 is moved up and down to bring the input side bevel gear 41 away from and into contact with the output side bevel gear 51. However, the clutch shaft 40 does not move up and down as shown in FIG. 41 always meshes with the output side bevel gear 51. The input shaft 30 is configured to move up and down in place of the clutch shaft 40, and the coil spring 45 is configured to urge the input shaft 30 downward. In this case, the input shaft 30 constitutes the clutch means of the present invention. When the input shaft 30 moves upward, the input shaft 30 meshes with the pinion 12 to be engaged with the clutch, and the rotation of the pinion 12 is transmitted to the input shaft 30 to output the output shaft 50. Rotates. When the input shaft 30 moves downward, the driven gear 31 is separated from the pinion 12 and the clutch is disengaged. In this embodiment, another selector that moves the input shaft 30 up and down is appropriately provided instead of the selector 60.

  In FIG. 9, an input side bevel gear 41, which is separate from the input shaft 30, is mounted on the input shaft 30 so as to be slidable in the axial direction and integrally rotatable. Energized. In this embodiment, the input side bevel gear 41 also serves as the clutch means of the present invention. In this case, the input side bevel gear 41 is formed with an annular convex portion 43 through which the input shaft 30 penetrates so as to perform the same function as the pin 42, and the annular convex portion 43 is similar to the selector 60. Another selector having a function is actuated to move the input side bevel gear 41 up and down and to be separated from and connected to the output side bevel gear 51 to engage or disengage the clutch.

  Further, although not shown, the configuration in which the clutch shaft 40 (or the input shaft 30 in FIG. 8) is moved in the vertical direction by the selector is arbitrary, so long as the selector can guide the vertical movement of the clutch shaft 40. Any form including the necessity of the coil spring 45 may be used.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Motor, 11 ... Motor shaft, 30 ... Input shaft, 40 ... Clutch shaft (clutch means), 41 ... Input side bevel gear (rotation transmission member), 50 ... Output shaft, 51 ... Output side bevel gear (rotation transmission member), 60: Selector.

Claims (4)

A multi-axis drive device that selectively drives a plurality of movable mechanisms provided in a vehicle,
A motor having a motor shaft;
An output shaft disposed around the motor shaft and orthogonal to the motor shaft and connected to the movable mechanism via a transmission member;
Corresponding to these output shafts, the input shaft is arranged in parallel with the motor shaft, and the rotation of the motor shaft is transmitted,
A rotation transmitting member for connecting the input shaft and the output shaft to transmit the rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft;
Clutch means provided movably along the input shaft;
The clutch means is moved along the input shaft by being rotatably supported at one end side of the input shaft, and thereby the rotation of the input shaft is selected as the output shaft via the rotation transmission member. A selector that automatically transmits,
A multi-axis drive device comprising:   2. The rotation transmitting member includes an input side bevel gear provided on the input shaft and an output side bevel gear provided on the output shaft and capable of meshing with the input side bevel gear. The multi-axis drive device described in 1.   3. The multi-axis according to claim 2, wherein the clutch means movably supports the input-side bevel gear along the input shaft and separates the input-side bevel gear from the output-side bevel gear. Drive device.   The multi-axis drive device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the clutch means connects and disconnects rotation of the motor shaft with respect to the input shaft.

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