JP2017044334A - Reciprocating motion mechanism and wiper device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reciprocating motion mechanism using an endless rotor and a wiper device capable of performing a smooth wiping action against a door mirror of an automobile or a rear-view mirror of a large-sized vehicle through utilization of this reciprocating motion mechanism and further capable of wiping an area approximate to 100% of an entire surface of a mirror surface part.SOLUTION: One end of each of multi-joint chains 7, 7 is connected directly or indirectly to each of fixtures 20a, 20b that can be reciprocated and moved by a chain 11 and the fixtures are moved as the reciprocating motion of the chain 11 is carried out. The multi-joint chain 7 connects a plurality of ball-joints 61,61 and the chain is internally stored in a sheath 69. The multi-joint chain 7 is formed to be bendable and when the multi-joint chain 7 is extended, its entire unit becomes a flexible state and in turn when the multi-joint chain 7 is pushed and shrunk, the side ends of the ball-joints 61, 61 are contacted to each other to prevent its flexing and do not produce any power loss.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a reciprocating mechanism and a wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism. More specifically, the present invention relates to a reciprocating mechanism capable of transmitting power from a reciprocating moving body without loss, and using the reciprocating mechanism to remove the vehicle. The present invention relates to a wiper device suitable for wiping off a door mirror of an automobile and a rearview mirror of a large vehicle.

  While driving a car or large vehicle, the back mirror and the rear-view mirror attached outside the vehicle are used to check the back and back several times. However, when raining or snowing, the surface of the door mirror or rear-view mirror is attached with rainwater and snow. Obstructing the view. If attention is paid to the confirmation of the rear in such a situation, the attention of the front is insufficient and the risk of a rear-end collision increases. In addition, when driving at night during rain, the light of the headlight of the following vehicle may be in a flash phenomenon state due to rainwater adhering to the door mirror or the rearview mirror, and the function of the door mirror or the rearview mirror may be lost.

  One or a plurality of wiper devices are attached to the windshield of an automobile, but few wiper devices are provided on door mirrors and rearview mirrors. As a wiper device for a door mirror, for example, there is a wiper device for a door mirror disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  On the other hand, the inventor of the present application has developed a method and an apparatus for changing a rotary motion to a reciprocating motion with a simple mechanism, and applied for a patent (Patent Document 2). In addition, a method and apparatus for changing rotational motion to curved reciprocating motion were developed and a patent application was filed (Patent Document 3).

  By utilizing these methods and apparatuses, for example, it has been possible to apply to various apparatuses including a window glass cleaning apparatus for high-rise buildings and a car washing apparatus for automobiles.

JP-A-8-48215 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-65947 JP-A-7-19312

  The wiper device for the door mirror shown in Patent Document 1 is a fan-like wiper as in the case of the wiper device provided on the windshield. When the fan-like wipe is performed, the area to be wiped is the surface to be wiped. It is about 68% to 78% of the area of the mirror surface portion of the door mirror, and there is as much as 22% to 32% of wiping residue, resulting in large wiping residue.

  Moreover, in the reciprocating mechanism of Patent Documents 2 and 3, when wires are attached to the left and right sides of the drive body, and wiper devices for wiping automobile door mirrors are attached to the distal ends of the wires, the left and right wiper devices are Wiping is always performed by reciprocating in the same direction.

  On the other hand, the inventor reciprocates the driving body in the device that converts the rotational movement disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 into reciprocating movement by a half circumference, attaches a wire to the driving body, and attaches a wiper to the other end of the wire. We investigated the operation of the wiper according to the reciprocating movement of the drive body. However, when all of them are connected by a wire, bending occurs in the middle part of the long wire during pressing, and the power generated by the reciprocating movement of the driving body may not be reliably transmitted to the wiper.

  Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a reciprocating mechanism capable of reliably transmitting power from a reciprocating driving source such as the above-described driving body without loss, and to provide this new reciprocating mechanism. Provided is a wiper device capable of wiping an area close to 100% of the entire surface of a mirror surface portion such as an automobile door mirror or a large vehicle rearview mirror using a moving mechanism. Further, the wiper device attached to the right and left rearview mirrors can be wiped by reciprocally moving the reciprocating directions of the wiper devices in opposite directions, and the wiper member reliably transmits the reciprocating movement of the moving body to the wiper member. It is an object to provide a wiper device that can smoothly move the device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention described in claim 1 includes a moving body arranged to be reciprocally movable by a driving means, and a plurality of lengths that are directly or indirectly attached to the moving body. The articulated chain includes a connecting member having a ball portion provided at a tip of a shaft attached to one end side of the chain body, and attached to another chain body on the other end side of the chain body. One of the chain units provided with hollow portions for loose insertion so as not to drop off is formed so as to be bent, and when the multi-joint chain is extended, the whole is in a flexible state. The reciprocating movement is characterized in that when the multi-joint chain is compressed, the chain main bodies are close to each other so as not to bend. To provide a structure.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the reciprocating mechanism according to the first aspect, the multi-joint chain is accommodated and disposed in a hollow sheath having flexibility. It is characterized by.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present invention according to claim 3 is the reciprocating mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a part of the sheath is formed in a nesting manner so that the articulated chain can be expanded and contracted. Accordingly, the sheath is also formed to expand and contract.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention described in claim 4 is the reciprocating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a curve bending holding member that holds the bent portion of the sheath. It is characterized by being.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention according to claim 5 is a wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rearview mirror attached to the outside of the vehicle is used. By attaching a wiper member to the tip of the articulated chain guided to a predetermined position, the wiper member is along one of the upper end, the lower end, or the side end of the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror as the movable body reciprocates. And reciprocatingly moving the entire surface of the mirror surface of the rearview mirror.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention according to claim 6 is the wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the wiper member is a wiper attached to the tip of the articulated chain. A support member, a guide member that guides the wiper support member so as to reciprocate along one of an upper end, a lower end, or a side end of the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror; and a wiping member attached to the wiper support member. It is characterized by having.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention described in claim 7 provides a wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to claim 5 or 6 and assists the reciprocating movement of the wiper support member at the tip of the wiper member. A guide assisting member is attached for the purpose.

  According to the reciprocating mechanism according to the present invention, there is an effect that the force due to the reciprocating movement of the moving body can be reliably transmitted without loss.

  Further, according to the wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to the present invention, the reciprocating moving body is used as a power source of the wiper, and the power generated by the reciprocating movement of the moving body serving as the power source is transmitted without loss. The wiper can be operated reliably, and the wiper area close to 100% of the entire mirror surface of the rearview mirror such as a door mirror attached to the outside of a car or a door mirror or side mirror attached to the outside of a large vehicle is realized. There is an effect that can be done.

  Furthermore, according to the wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to the present invention, there is an effect that the wiping operation can be performed by reciprocating the left and right wiper members in opposite directions.

It is a top view which shows 1st embodiment of the reciprocating mechanism based on this invention. It is a top view which shows the internal structure in the initial state of the reciprocation mechanism shown in FIG. It is a partial cross section front view which shows the detail of the chain unit in FIG.1 and FIG.2. (A) is a top view of a roller separation wall, (b) is the side view. It is a perspective view which shows the main pillar. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of a chain unit, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the articulated chain was extended, (c) is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the articulated chain was contracted is there. It is front sectional drawing which shows the detail of the main-body part after the movement of the articulated chain shown in FIG. (A) is explanatory drawing of the wiper apparatus wiped in the left-right direction, (b) is explanatory drawing of the wiper apparatus wiped up and down. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detailed structure of the rearview mirror using the reciprocation mechanism which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the detailed structure of a wiper member. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of a wiper member. It is a top view which shows 2nd embodiment of the reciprocating mechanism based on this invention. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of the reciprocating mechanism shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the detail of a slide guide. (A) is explanatory drawing of the wiper apparatus of the wiper apparatus which wipes in the left-right direction, (b) is explanatory drawing of the wiper apparatus which wipes up and down. It is a top view which shows the modification of the reciprocation mechanism of 1st embodiment. It is a top view which shows the modification of the reciprocation mechanism of 2nd embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a reciprocating mechanism and a wiper device using the same according to the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a reciprocating mechanism according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an internal structure of the reciprocating mechanism shown in FIG. 1 in an initial state, and FIG. It is a partial cross section front view which shows the detail of the chain unit in.

[First embodiment]
[Configuration of reciprocating mechanism]
The illustrated reciprocating mechanism 1 is roughly disposed in a main body case 3 that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped having a predetermined length and an internal space, a lid 4 that covers the case 3, and the case 3. A chain 11 as an endless rotating body, a pair of sprockets 12a and 12b disposed in a state where the chain is wound in the case 3 with a predetermined interval, and the sprockets 12a and 12b are rotatably held. Rotating shafts 13a, 13b, a roller separation wall 14 that is internally provided along the longitudinal direction inside the chain 11, and screw holes 14b, 14b (see FIG. 4) for attaching the roller separation wall 14 to the main body case 3. The main pillar 16 attached at a predetermined position of the chain 11, the folding pin 16a inserted so as not to come out at the tip end portion of the protruding main pillar 16, and the output shaft is sprocket. An electric motor 5 as a drive source that is directly connected to the rotating shaft 13b of the motor 12b or attached via a reduction gear (not shown), limit switches 17a and 17b that are switches for stopping the electric motor 5, and the tip of the main column 16 The substantially cylindrical fixtures 20a and 20b as moving bodies attached to the inner side of the folding pin 16a, the wires 30 and 30 attached to the fixtures 20a and 20b, respectively, and the wire 30 via the crimp terminal 67 A chain unit 6 including an articulated chain 7 to be connected is provided.

  The main body case 3 is an elongated, substantially rectangular parallelepiped container having an internal space as shown in FIG. 2, and a pair of sprockets 12a and 12b are disposed inside the case 3 and wound around the pair of sprockets 12a and 12b. Inside the chain 11, a roller separating wall 14 is provided along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the roller separation wall 14 has a sprocket 12 a attached to the right side of the separation wall main body, and the opposite sprocket 12 b is not attached to the roller separation wall 14 but attached to the main body case 3. ing. The screw holes 14b, 14b for attaching the roller separation wall 14 to the main body case 3 are elongated holes, and the interval between the sprocket 12a attached to the separation wall main body and the sprocket 12b attached to the main body case 3 is set. It can be adjusted. Thereby, the tension of the chain 11 spanned between the pair of sprockets 12a and 12b can be adjusted. The endless rotating body is not limited to the chain 11 and is not particularly limited as long as it is an endless rotating body. For example, it may be a belt.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 4 is arranged and fixed so as to overlap the main body case 3, and the main pillars 16 and 16 to which the fixtures 20 a and 20 b are attached are reciprocated on the lid 4. Elongated opening grooves 4a and 4b are formed along the longitudinal direction so as to be movable. Thereby, the fixtures 20a and 20b can reciprocate along the opening grooves 4a and 4b on the lid 4 in a state of protruding from the lid 4.

  Further, limit switches 17a and 17b are respectively arranged on predetermined positions on the left and right sides of the lid body 4, that is, on the opening grooves 4a and 4b slightly outside the range in which the preset fixtures 20a and 20b reciprocate. Yes. The limit switches 17a and 17b are stop switches for the electric motor 5, and when the limit switches 17a and 17b are pressed, the switch is turned off to stop the electric motor 5. With such a configuration, even if the sprocket 12b is excessively rotated and the moving direction of the fixtures 20a and 20b is not switched at a predetermined position set in advance, the fixtures 20a and 20b are connected to the limit switch 17a. , 17b, and the operation of the electric motor 5 is stopped. Accordingly, the fixtures 20a and 20b are prevented from moving beyond a preset range, and safety is ensured by preventing heating and the like due to overload of the electric motor 5. Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which limit switches 17a and 17b are provided for both of the fixtures 20a and 20b, only one of the two fixtures 20a and 20b is provided. In the configuration in which the two fixtures 20a and 20b are arranged, the limit switches 17a and 17b operated by either one of the fixtures 20a and 20b can be secured. Only one of these may be arranged.

  For example, when the sprocket 12b rotates 10 times in the clockwise direction, the fixtures 20a and 20b are fixed so that the electric motor 5 rotates the rotation shaft 13b and the sprocket 12b a predetermined number of times in the predetermined direction. Is controlled to move about 20 cm in the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The chain 11 is configured by alternately combining a pair of upper and lower outer plates 11a and 11a and inner plates 11b and 11b, and the pair of upper and lower outer plates 11a and 11a are formed in a substantially triangular shape, and the top portion thereof is outside. A pair of outer triangular plates 15a, 15a having a bulging portion projecting into the shape are formed. And the columnar main pillar 16 is attached so that the bulging part of a pair of outer side triangular plate 15a, 15a may be penetrated, and the fixing tools 20a and 20b are attached to the front end side of this main pillar 16. FIG. In addition, the support | pillar 16 is arrange | positioned in the middle of the chain 11 via the outer triangular plates 15a and 15a, as shown in FIG.

  The fixtures 20a and 20b are substantially cylindrical members, which are attached to the main pillar 16 attached to the bulging portions of the pair of outer triangular plates 15a and 15a, and a folding pin 16a is provided at the tip of the projecting main pillar 16. It is inserted and fixed to the main pillar 16. In this way, by adopting a structure in which the main pillar 16 is attached to the bulging portions of the pair of outer triangular plates 15a, 15a, the thick and sturdy main pillar 16 can be attached without being limited by the width size of the chain 11. It becomes. A pair of inner plates can be formed like outer triangular plates 15a and 15a. The wire 30 is fixed to the fixtures 20a and 20b by winding the other end of the wire 30 to which a crimp terminal 67 of the multi-joint chain 7 described later is attached on one end. As shown in FIG. 16, the articulated chain 7 may be directly attached to the fixtures 20 a and 20 b without using the wire 30.

  The mounting positions of the fixtures 20a and 20b are linear portions corresponding to about a half circumference of the chain 11 spanned between the pair of sprockets 12a and 12b by forward and reverse rotation of the electric motor 5, and the pair of sprockets 12a and 20b. It is attached to a position where it can reciprocate in the opposite direction between 12b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the fixture 20 a reciprocates along the lower linear portion of the chain 11 spanned between the pair of sprockets 12 a and 12 b, and the fixture 20 b The upper straight portion is attached so as to be able to reciprocate. And the wire 30 of the length of about half between the sprockets 12a and 12b is attached to the fixture 20a. A crimp terminal 67 for connecting a multi-joint chain 7 described later is attached to the opposite end of the wire 30. In addition, the fixture 20b side is also comprised similarly. In addition, it can replace with the connection by the crimp terminal 67, for example, connection means, such as caulking and screwing, can also be used.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the multi-joint chain 7 is formed by connecting a plurality of ball joints 61 having a generally oval shape as a whole. The chain unit 6 is formed by slidably storing the multi-joint chain 7 in a flexible sheath 69 like a hollow pipe. As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the ball joint 61 has a shape in which the main body 62 is substantially oval or hemispherical at both ends of the cylindrical body, A shaft portion 63 is formed, and a spherical ball portion 64 is formed at the tip of the shaft portion 63. Further, a spherical hollow portion 65 for rotatably accommodating the ball portion 64 is provided on the other end side (left side in FIG. 6B) of the main body portion 62. In addition, the ball joint 61 should just be a shape which can move freely the sheath 69 bent at least at right angle, and is not limited to shapes, such as an egg shape mentioned above. Moreover, although the main-body part 62, the axial part 63, and the ball | bowl part 64 of the ball joint 61 are formed with a metal material, an optimal synthetic resin can also be used in order to achieve weight reduction and slidability. In the multi-joint chain 7, it is preferable that the shaft portion 63 is short in order to reduce the variation in length when pressed and pulled as much as possible.

  The hollow portion 65 is provided with an opening 66 through which the shaft portion 63 passes. The ball part 64 can be accommodated in the hollow part 65 by, for example, pressing the ball part 64 into the hollow part 65 from the connecting direction. In order to facilitate the insertion (and further pulling out) of the ball portion 64, a slit or the like (not shown) can be provided in the opening 66 as necessary. In this case, when it is desired to take out the ball portion 64 from the hollow portion 65, the ball portion 64 may be pulled out from the hollow portion 65 with a predetermined force.

  The material of the sheath 69 is not particularly limited, but is preferably formed of a flexible material such as a synthetic resin. Moreover, in order to make it easy to match the shape of the arrangement place, it can be formed using a material such as aluminum which is easily deformed. The sheath 69 has a structure capable of adjusting the length. That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, a sheath 69 at one end or both ends is a combination of a long sheath 69a and a nested sheath 69b that is partly fitted on the end of the sheath 69a. The sheath 69b is slidable. The reason why the sheath 69b can be slid in this way is that the length of the articulated chain 7 varies depending on whether it is pressed or pulled. As a result, the sheath 69 can follow the variation of the length of the articulated chain 7 as a whole, and the ball joints 61 and 61 can be prevented from being clogged or caught in the sheath 69. Furthermore, the curve 69 is attached to the bent portion of the sheath 69 so that the bent state of the sheath 69 can be maintained without being deformed when the articulated chain 7 is pressed or pulled. Yes. The curve bending holding member 68 is fixed with screws at an appropriate place such as a car body of an automobile, for example.

[Operation of the reciprocating mechanism 1 according to the first embodiment]
Next, the operation of the reciprocating mechanism 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view showing details of the main body after the articulated chain shown in FIG. 2 has moved. First, when electric power is supplied to the electric motor 5 that is a drive source, the electric motor 5 rotates, and thereby the sprocket 12b attached to the rotating shaft also rotates, whereby the chain 11 starts to rotate in a predetermined direction. . For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in the initial state where the fixture 20a is located at the left end and the fixture 20b is located at the right end, the sprocket 12b is rotated in accordance with the left (counterclockwise) rotation of the electric motor 5, that is, the sprocket 12b. Is rotated to the left (counterclockwise) so that the fixture 20a moves to the right in the figure and the fixture 20b moves to the left in the figure. As a result, the fixture 20a reaches the right end and the fixture 20b reaches the left end. Further, when the electric motor 5 rotates counterclockwise a predetermined number of times (clockwise), the sprocket 12b rotates counterclockwise (clockwise), the fixture 20a moves from the right end to the left, and the fixture 20b moves from the left end to the right. Move to. This operation is repeated many times, and the fixtures 20a and 20b reciprocate in the left-right direction in the figure.

  The articulated chains 7 and 7 attached to the fixtures 20a and 20b via the wires 30 and 30 are repeatedly pressed and retracted by using the movement of the fixtures 20a and 20b as the moving bodies to the left and right. become. Then, by using this power as a power source for a rearview mirror disposed outside the vehicle such as a side mirror or a door mirror of an automobile, the reciprocating mechanism 1 can be used as a power source for a rearview wiper or the like.

[Effect of the reciprocating mechanism according to the first embodiment]
According to the reciprocating mechanism according to the first embodiment, the power of the chain 11 that reciprocates by the driving force of the electric motor 5 that is a driving source is transmitted by the articulated chain 7 that constitutes the chain unit 6. There is an effect that the power can be reliably transmitted to the tip side of the multi-joint chain 7 without incurring power loss.

[Configuration of wiper device using reciprocating mechanism 1]
Next, a preferred embodiment of the wiper device 100 using the above-described reciprocating mechanism 1 will be described. FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram of a wiper device that wipes in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram of the wiper device that wipes in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the wiper device 100 generally includes wires 30 and 30 attached to the reciprocating mechanism 1 described above and a pair of fixtures 20 a and 20 b of the reciprocating mechanism 1 on one end side. And the wiper members 40, 40 attached to the other end sides of the multi-joint chains 7, 7, respectively. The reciprocating mechanism 1 is arranged inside the vehicle body, and the articulated chains 7 and 7 are laid from there to the left and right rearview mirrors 200 and 200, respectively.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a detailed configuration of the wiper device 100. Although the illustrated wiper device 100 has a configuration in which the wiper is wiped in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 8B, it is of course possible to have a configuration in which the wiper device 100 is wiped in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. The illustrated wiper apparatus 100 is generally operated by the reciprocating mechanism 1 having the above-described configuration and the multi-joint chains 7 and 7 that reciprocate as the fixtures 20a and 20b reciprocate, and is attached to an automobile or the like. Wiper members 40, 40 for cleaning the surfaces of the left and right rearview mirrors 200, 200. The rearview mirror 200 is movable within a predetermined range and is attached to the vehicle door 50 via a hinge 51.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the wiper member 40 includes a wiper support member 41 attached via a crimp terminal 67 attached to the distal end side of the multi-joint chain 7, and the wiper support member 41 on the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror 200. A guide member 42 for reciprocally guiding along either the upper end, the lower end, or the left and right side ends, and a base 43 fixed to the guide member 42 at one end are detachable as shown in FIG. A wiping member 44 is detachably attached to the support arm 46 by a formed fastener 47.

  The articulated chain 7 is extended from the inside of the automobile to the outside of the car, and the end of the sheath 69 is held by a holding tool 45 arranged at a predetermined position near the rearview mirror 200, and the articulated chain 7 drawn out from the sheath 69 is used. The distal end portion of the wire is extended toward the wiper support member 41, and a crimp terminal 67 provided at the end portion is attached to the wiper support member 41. A wiper member 44 made of a rubber material or the like that wipes rainwater, snow or dirt while sliding on the surface of the rearview mirror 200 is attached to the wiper support member 41 in a replaceable manner. Further, a rail-shaped guide member 42 for guiding the movement of the wiper support member 41 is disposed at the upper end, the lower end or the left and right side ends of the rearview mirror 200, and the wiper support member is associated with the reciprocating movement of the articulated chain 7. 41 is movable along the upper end, the lower end, or the left and right side ends of the rearview mirror 200 while being guided by the guide member 42.

  Further, the wiper device 100 is provided with a washer nozzle that discharges the window washer liquid toward the rearview mirror 200 at an appropriate location, and the window washer liquid held in a not-shown washer tank is sent to the washer nozzle through a pipe. It is also possible to remove the dirt adhering to the glass surface.

[Operation of Wiper Device 100]
Next, the operation of the wiper device 100 will be described. In the initial state, the fixtures 20a and 20b of the reciprocating mechanism 1 are located closer to the ends (the left and right ends shown in FIG. 7) of the main body case 3, as shown in FIG. When a wiper switch (not shown) in the vehicle is turned on, the electric motor 5 of the reciprocating mechanism 1 is energized, the sprocket 12b repeats forward and reverse rotations at a predetermined rotational speed, and the fixtures 20a and 20b reciprocate. Start. As the fixtures 20a and 20b are reciprocated, the articulated chains 7 and 7 in the sheaths 69 and 69 of the chain units 6 and 6 are also reciprocated to be connected to the other ends of the articulated chains 7 and 7, respectively. The wiper support members 41 and 41 reciprocate left and right along the guide members 42 and 42, respectively (the movement area is rectangular or rectangular). In this process, the wiping members 44 and 44 that are in contact with the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror 200 and 200 repeatedly move from the inside to the outside, from the outside to the inside, or from the upper side to the lower side, and from the lower side to the upper side. The mirror surface is cleaned by rubbing off water droplets and dirt adhering to the surface.

  In the state where the multi-joint chain 7 is pressed, the side ends of the ball joints 61 and 61 are firmly in contact with each other, so that bending does not occur. Further, since no bending occurs, the sheath 69 is not clogged or caught. In addition, since the ball portion 64 is appropriately rotated in the hollow portion 65, the connection angle of the ball joints 61 and 61 can be in an appropriate posture, so that power can be transmitted accurately even when bent. As a result, for example, it is possible to improve a movement obstacle such as a loss of driving power due to bending which is likely to occur when the transmission medium is a wire. Conversely, when the articulated chain 7 is pulled, a gap is generated between the ball joints 61 and 61, so that the entire articulated chain 7 can be made flexible.

[Effect of wiper device according to first embodiment]
According to the wiper device 100 according to the first embodiment, since the articulated chain 7 is used in the entire transmission medium, even if there is a bent portion of, for example, about 90 ° in the path of the articulated chain 7, the wire There is an effect that the wiper member 40 can be operated without causing a power loss due to the bending. In addition, there is an effect that a wiping area close to 100% of the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror 200 can be achieved.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a reciprocating mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a reciprocating mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an internal structure of the reciprocating mechanism shown in FIG. Note that the description of the configuration similar to that of the first embodiment described above, such as the configuration of the chain unit 6, is omitted.

[Configuration of Reciprocating Mechanism 101]
The reciprocating mechanism 101 shown in FIG. 12 is roughly arranged at a main body 110 and a predetermined position of the main body 110, in the present embodiment, at a substantially central portion of the main body 110, and is controlled to be able to rotate forward and backward. A pinion gear 112 attached to a rotating shaft (not shown) and a multi-joint chain 7 and 7 constituting the chain unit 6 by reciprocating in opposite directions to opposite positions across the pinion gear 112, respectively. Two moving bodies 120a and 120b to be moved are provided. Since the mobile bodies 120a and 120b have the same shape, the mobile body 120a will be described, and the redundant description of the mobile body 120b will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the main body 110 is a flat base member having an elongated rectangular shape, and is formed of an appropriate material having strength such as metal or plastic. A pinion gear 112 is attached to a rotation shaft of an electric motor (not shown) arranged so as to penetrate the main body 110 at a substantially central portion of the main body 110. When the electric motor rotates a predetermined number of times in a predetermined direction, for example, by a relay circuit or by electronic control, it is controlled to rotate the same number of times in the opposite direction. For example, when the pinion gear 112 rotates 10 times to the right, the moving bodies 120a and 120b are formed to move about 20 cm. The moving distance of the moving bodies 120a and 120b is the length of the moving bodies 120a and 120b and the driving means. It is possible to set appropriately depending on the number of rotations of the electric motor. The pinion gear 112 can be directly attached to the rotating shaft of an electric motor as a driving means, but the pinion gear 112 may be attached via a gear box (not shown) to adjust the reciprocating movement speed.

  The movable body 120a is an elongated member, and a rack gear 123 that meshes with the pinion gear 112 is provided at a predetermined length on the side surface thereof, and the direction in which the rack gear 123 is formed on the upper surface and the lower surface ( Concave grooves 124 are formed along the longitudinal direction. The main body 110 is provided with a slide guide 118 interposed so as to align with the concave grooves 124 and 124. As shown in FIG. 14, the slide guide 118 includes tongue pieces 118a and 118a inserted into the concave grooves 124 and 124, respectively, and is fixed to the main body 110 by screws 118b and 118b. As a result, the moving body 120a is guided by the slide guide 118 during the reciprocating movement, thereby realizing a stable reciprocating movement. Contrary to this embodiment, instead of the concave grooves 124, 124, protrusions are provided in the longitudinal direction on the surface of the moving body 120 a, and a slide guide having a concave portion that aligns with the protrusions as a slide guide 118 A configuration attached to 110 is also possible.

  Further, limit switches 115a and 115a are respectively arranged at predetermined positions of the main body 110, that is, at two positions slightly outside the range in which the moving body 120a reciprocates in advance, specifically, near both sides of the pinion gear 112. Limit switches 115b and 115b are disposed in the vicinity of the holders 136 and 136 that hold the end of the chain unit 6, respectively. And the switch protrusion 125 which contacts the limit switches 115a and 115b as necessary is formed on the end of the movable body 120a where the multi-joint chain 7 is attached. The limit switches 115a and 115b are stop switches for an electric motor (not shown) which is a driving means, and the electric motor is stopped when the limit switches 115a and 115b are pressed. With this configuration, if the pinion gear 112 is excessively rotated and the moving direction of the moving body 120a is not switched at a predetermined position set in advance, the switch protrusion 125 provided on the moving body 120a. Comes into contact with either of the limit switches 115a and 115b, and the operation of the electric motor (not shown) which is the driving means is stopped. This prevents the moving body 120a from moving beyond a preset range, prevents heating due to overload of an electric motor (not shown), and ensures safety. 12 and 13, the moving body 120b has the same configuration, but this is to show that the moving body 120b has the same configuration, and both the moving bodies 120a and 120b are provided. In the case of arrangement, limit switches 115a and 115b that are operated by at least one of the moving bodies 120a and 120b may be arranged.

  One end of the moving body 120a is an attachment portion 137, and one end of the wire 130 is attached to the attachment portion 137. The other end of the wire 130 is connected to the crimping terminal 67 in FIG. One end of the multi-joint chain 7 shown is attached. The multi-joint chain 7 is inserted into a hollow and freely bent sheath 69 fixed to the main body 110 by a holder 136, and the other end is guided by the sheath 69 so as to serve as a power source such as a wiper. Arranged. As shown in FIG. 17, a structure in which the articulated chain 7 is directly attached to the attachment portion 137 without using the wire 130 may be used.

  The main body 110 is provided with guide rollers 119 and 119 for guiding the moving body 120a to reciprocate stably. The guide rollers 119 and 119 are bearing members whose outer periphery freely rotates. In FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, two guide rollers 119 and 119 are provided for the moving body 120a. Alternatively, three or more can be provided. Further, the attachment position is not limited to that shown in FIG. 13 and may be any position that can guide the movement of the moving body 120a.

  In the present embodiment, the two moving bodies 120a and 120b are arranged at opposite positions so as to face each other across the pinion gear 12, and the pair of moving bodies 120a and 120b reciprocate in opposite directions by the rotation of the pinion gear 112. It is arranged to move. In this embodiment, two moving bodies 120a and 120b are arranged, but only one of the moving bodies 120a and 120b can be arranged.

[Operation of Reciprocating Mechanism 101]
Next, the operation of the above-described reciprocating mechanism 101 will be described. In the state shown in FIG. 12, the pinion gear 112 is engaged with the rack gear 123 near the left end of the moving body 120a, and the moving body 120b is engaged with the rack gear 123 near the right end. When the electric motor is driven by power supplied from a power source (not shown) to rotate the pinion gear 112a attached to the rotating shaft to the right (clockwise), the moving body 120a meshing with the pinion gear 112a moves to the left. The moving body 120b moves to the right. When the pinion gear 112 rotates rightward (clockwise) by a predetermined number of rotations, the pinion gear 112 rotates counterclockwise by a predetermined number of times (counterclockwise) by electronic control. Thereby, the moving body 120a moves to the right, and the moving body 120b moves to the left. Then, when the pinion gear 112 rotates to the left a predetermined number of times, the pinion gear 112 rotates again to the right (clockwise), the moving body 120a moves to the left, and the moving body 120b moves to the right. This operation is repeated many times, so that the moving bodies 120a and 120b reciprocate in the left-right direction.

[Effect of the reciprocating mechanism according to the second embodiment]
According to the reciprocating mechanism according to the second embodiment, the multi-joint chain 7 is reciprocated using the combination of the pinion gear 112 and the rack gear 123 as a transmission medium, so that the driven device exists at a remote location. For example, there is an effect that the driving force can be reliably transmitted without causing a power loss even when the driving force is transmitted to a rearview mirror or the like via a portion bent at a right angle, for example.

[Configuration of wiper device using reciprocating mechanism 101]
Next, a wiper device configured using the above-described reciprocating mechanism 101 will be described. FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram of the wiper device of the wiper device according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 15B is an explanatory diagram of the wiper device that wipes up and down. As shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b), the wiper device 300 generally includes an articulated chain to which the above-described reciprocating mechanism 101 and a pair of moving bodies 120a and 120b of the reciprocating mechanism 101 are attached. 7 and 7 and wiper members 140 and 140 that are operated by the multi-joint chains 7 and 7 that reciprocate as the moving bodies 120a and 120b reciprocate. The articulated chains 7 and 7 are arranged to connect the reciprocating mechanism 101 and a pair of left and right rearview mirrors 200 and 200 of the automobile. The wiper member 40 is operated by the reciprocating movement of the multi-joint chain 7 attached to the moving body 120a. Since the structure of this wiper member 40 is as shown in FIG. 10, description is abbreviate | omitted here.

  As in the first embodiment, the multi-joint chain 7 is extended from the inside of the automobile to the outside of the automobile, and the other end side is fixed by a holder 45 disposed at a predetermined location near the rearview mirror 200. In the rearview mirror 200, the other end of the articulated chain 7 is attached to a wiper support member 41. Further, the wiper support member 41 abuts on the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror 200 and slides on the surface thereof. On the other hand, a wiping member 44 for wiping rainwater, snow or dirt is attached. As the chain unit 6 reciprocates, the wiper support member 41 is movable along the upper end, the lower end, or the side end of the rearview mirror 200 while being guided by the guide member 42.

[Operation of Wiper Device 300]
Next, the operation of the wiper device 300 according to the second embodiment described above will be described. A wiper support member 41 (not shown in FIG. 15) of the wiper member 40 attached to the left rear mirror 200 shown in FIG. 15 is connected to the articulated chain 7 of the left chain unit 6 in FIG. The wiper member 40 of the right rearview mirror 200 is connected to the articulated chain 7 of the right chain unit 6 in FIG. 12, and the moving bodies 120a and 120b are in the state shown in FIG. 12 in the initial state. In the case of wiping in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 15B, the wiper member 40 is disposed in a state where it is laid down by 90 °.

  When the electric motor of the reciprocating mechanism 101 is energized by turning on the wiper switch in the automobile, the pinion gear 112 repeats forward and reverse rotations at a predetermined number of rotations to move the rack gears 123 and 123 and move. The bodies 120a and 120b start to move in the left and right directions in FIGS. As the movable bodies 120a and 120b reciprocate (left and right), the multi-joint chains 7 and 7 also reciprocate, whereby the wiper support members 41 and 41 shown in FIG. 10 become rail-shaped guide members 42 and 42, respectively. Reciprocally move in the A direction along each of them (the moving area becomes a square or a rectangle). In this process, the wiping members 44 and 44 (see FIG. 10) in contact with the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirrors 200 and 200 wipe off the water droplets and dirt adhering to the mirror surface portion, so that the mirror surface portion is wiped cleanly. The wiping members 44 and 44 of the left and right rearview mirrors 200 and 200 operate so as to repeat movement from the inside to the outside and from the outside to the inside, respectively.

[Effect of wiper device according to second embodiment]
According to the wiper device according to the second embodiment, since the multi-joint chain 7 is used as a power transmission medium, even if there is a bending portion of, for example, about 90 ° in the path of the multi-joint chain 7, it bends like a wire. Thus, the wiper member 40 can be operated without causing power loss. In addition, there is an effect that a wiping area close to 100% of the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror 200 can be achieved. Further, the movable multi-joint chain 7 output from the reciprocating mechanism 101 is inserted into the sheath 69 and guided to the rearview mirror 200, and the wiper member 40 in the rearview mirror 200 is driven in the vertical direction (or left-right direction). Therefore, there is an effect that wiping can be performed in a quadrilateral such as a rectangle instead of a conventional fan shape. Therefore, the wiper device according to the present embodiment has an effect of realizing a wiping area close to 100% of the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror and driving the wiper member 40 without causing power loss.

  As described above, the reciprocating mechanism by the endless rotating body type according to the present invention and the preferred embodiment of the wiper device using the same have been described. However, the reciprocating mechanism according to the present invention is not limited to the wiper device but as an appropriate drive source. Can be used. In addition, the wiper device using the endless rotating body type reciprocating mechanism according to the present invention can be used by a person such as a window glass, a ground building, an aquarium, etc. It can be used for all objects to be wiped.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Reciprocating mechanism 3 Main body case 4 Cover body 4a, 4b Opening groove 5 Electric motor 6 Chain unit 7 Articulated chain 11 Chain 11a Outer plate 11b Inner plate 12 Pinion gear 12a, 12b Sprocket 13a, 13b Rotating shaft 14 Roller separation Walls 15a, 15a Outer triangular plate 16 Main pillar 16a Folding pins 17a, 17b Limit switch 20a, 20b Fixing tool 40 Wiper member 41 Wiper support member 42 Guide member 43 Base 44 Wiping member member 45 Holding tool 46 Support arm 47 Fastening tool 61 Ball Joint 62 Body portion 63 Shaft portion 64 Ball portion 65 Hollow portion 66 Opening portion 67 Crimping terminal 68 Holding member 69, 69a, 69b Sheath 100, 300 Wiper device 110 Main body 112 Pinion gear 115a, 15b limit switch 118 slide guide 119 guide rollers 120a, 120b mobile 123 rack gear 124 groove 125 switching projection 136 holder 137 mounting portion 140 wiper member 200 Rearview

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention described in claim 1 includes a moving body arranged to be reciprocally movable by a driving means, and a plurality of lengths that are directly or indirectly attached to the moving body. The articulated chain is formed by connecting a plurality of ball joints , and the ball joint is attached to a top portion on one end side of the main body portion with a shaft portion having a ball portion provided at the tip. In addition , a hollow portion is provided on the other end side of the main body portion, and an articulated chain that can be bent by loosely inserting a ball portion of another ball joint into the hollow portion so as not to drop off. When the joint chain is extended, the whole is in a flexible state, but when the multi-joint chain is compressed , the side ends of each ball joint are brought into contact with each other so that bending is not caused. Feature To provide a reciprocating mechanism to be.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention according to claim 2 is the reciprocating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the articulated chain is a chain unit housed in a hollow hollow sheath having flexibility. It is arranged.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention according to claim 5 is a wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rearview mirror attached to the outside of the vehicle is used. wiper member attached to the distal end of the articulated chain which is guided to a predetermined position, the wiper member the upper end of the mirror surface portion of the front Symbol rearview mirror in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the moving body, to either the bottom or side edge along wherein the back and forth movement performing Wipe over the entire surface of the mirror surface portion of the back mirror.

[Configuration of wiper device using reciprocating mechanism 1]
Next, a preferred embodiment of the wiper device 100 using the above-described reciprocating mechanism 1 will be described. FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram of a wiper device that wipes in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram of the wiper device that wipes in the vertical direction . Wiper device 100, as schematically, a reciprocating mechanism 1 described above, articulated chain 7,7 one end attached to each via a pair of fasteners 20a, wires 30, 30 to 20b of the reciprocating mechanism 1 And wiper members 40, 40 attached to the other end side of the multi-joint chains 7, 7. The reciprocating mechanism 1 is arranged inside the vehicle body, and the articulated chains 7 and 7 are laid from there to the left and right rearview mirrors 200 and 200, respectively.

As in the first embodiment, the multi-joint chain 7 is extended from the inside of the automobile to the outside of the automobile, and the other end side is fixed by a holder 45 disposed at a predetermined location near the rearview mirror 200. In the rearview mirror 200, the other end of the articulated chain 7 is attached to a wiper support member 41. Further, the wiper support member 41 abuts on the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror 200 and slides on the surface thereof. On the other hand, a wiping member 44 for wiping rainwater, snow or dirt is attached. As the multi-joint chain 7 reciprocates, the wiper support member 41 is movable along the upper end, lower end, or side end of the rearview mirror 200 while being guided by the guide member 42.

Claims (7)

A moving body arranged to be reciprocally movable by a driving means;
An articulated chain having a predetermined length directly or indirectly attached to the moving body;
With
The articulated chain is
A connecting member provided with a ball portion at the tip of the shaft is attached to one end side of the chain main body, and a hollow is inserted into the other end side of the chain main body so as not to drop the connecting member attached to another chain main body. It is formed so that it can be bent by connecting a large number of chain units provided with a portion, and when the multi-joint chain is extended, the whole is in a flexible state, while when the multi-joint chain is compressed A reciprocating mechanism characterized in that bending is not caused by the chain bodies coming close to each other. In the reciprocating mechanism according to claim 1,
The reciprocating mechanism is characterized in that the articulated chain is accommodated and disposed in a hollow sheath having flexibility. The reciprocating mechanism according to claim 1 or 2,
A reciprocating mechanism characterized in that a part of the sheath is formed so as to be nested, and the sheath is also expanded and contracted according to expansion and contraction of the multi-joint chain. In the reciprocating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A reciprocating mechanism comprising a curve bending holding member for holding a bent portion of the sheath. A wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
By attaching a wiper member to the tip of the multi-joint chain guided to a predetermined position of a rearview mirror attached outside the vehicle, the wiper member moves to the upper and lower ends of the mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror as the movable body reciprocates. Or a wiper device using a reciprocating mechanism, wherein the wiper device is formed so as to reciprocate along either one of the side edges so as to be wiped over the entire mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror. In the wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to claim 5,
The wiper member is
A wiper support member attached to the tip of the articulated chain;
A guide member that guides the wiper support member so as to reciprocate along any one of an upper end, a lower end, and a side end of a mirror surface portion of the rearview mirror;
A wiping member attached to the wiper support member;
A wiper device using a reciprocating mechanism characterized by comprising: In the wiper device using the reciprocating mechanism according to claim 5 or 6,
A wiper device using a reciprocating mechanism, wherein a guide assisting member for assisting the reciprocating movement of the wiper support member is attached to the tip of the wiper member.

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