JP2020029823A - Actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an actuator improved in assemblability of a product by assembling and integrating a pressurization spring capable of easily adjusting spring force, to a stator or a mover as a main component of the actuator, and assembling the unitized assembly (actuator) in a housing, and capable of preventing variation in performance of every product, and coping with a failure only by replacing the actuator.SOLUTION: In an actuator including a stator, a mover disposed at an upper portion of the stator in a manner of being freely proximate to and separated from the stator, and a wire held between the mover and the stator, composed of shape memory alloy, and expandable and contractible to make the mover movable, a pressurization spring is mounted on the mover or the stator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an actuator that generates vibration by utilizing the contractility of a shape memory alloy due to heat, and more particularly, to an actuator in which a pressurizing spring is integrally incorporated in advance and a pressurizing spring is unitized.

  For example, a portable terminal such as a smart phone, a so-called VR (virtual reality) game device, or the like includes an actuator (vibration device) that transmits vibration to a user. This type of actuator as a user interface utilizing the tactile sensation of the skin is small and lightweight, and a large acceleration can give a strong tactile sensation to the user.

  As this type of actuator, there is an actuator that uses a shape memory alloy and generates vibration by moving a moving member away from a fixed side and approaching the moving member.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 exist as the above actuator.

  Patent Literatures 1 and 2 have a conductive wire-shaped shape memory alloy, and cause a moving member to move away from a fixed-side member by the expansion and contraction of the wire-shaped shape memory alloy due to heat generation when energized and cooling when de-energized. It is configured to return to the original position and give a click feeling by vibration when operating the touch panel.

Patent No. 5878869 Patent No. 5836276

  In Patent Document 1, a spring member for urging the moving member is provided. Also in Patent Document 2, a spring member for urging a panel as a moving member is provided, and the panel is returned to its original position when the wire-shaped shape memory alloy is de-energized and cooled.

  In these conventional examples, the spring member has a separate structure from a fixed member or a movable member that is a main component of the actuator, and is configured to provide a pressurized spring on a housing side such as a touch pad that is vibrated by the actuator. ing.

  Therefore, when designing a product on which the actuator is mounted, an urging means (pressurizing spring) for obtaining an optimum acceleration must be considered on the housing design side, and the design man-hour is increased.

  In assembling a product, it is necessary to procure each part individually on the site side, which is complicated. At the time of assembling, it is necessary to assemble while adjusting the spring force of the spring material, which is a very small part, and it is difficult to control the acceleration when combined, and there is a possibility that the product will vary after assembly.

  Further, when the actuator breaks down, the pressurizing spring is provided between the housing and the actuator, and one end of the pressurizing spring is connected to the actuator. Therefore, there is a problem that repair is difficult unless the pressurizing spring is disassembled.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above. An object of the present invention is to incorporate a pressurizing spring capable of easily adjusting a spring force into a stator or a moving element which is a main component of an actuator. The unitized assembly (actuator) has been incorporated into the housing, which improves the assemblability and prevents variations in the performance of each product. In addition, when a failure occurs, it can be handled simply by replacing the actuator. It was done.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a stator, a movable member provided on an upper portion of the stator so as to be able to approach and separate from the stator, the movable member and the stator. And a wire made of a shape memory alloy sandwiched between the movable member and the movable member, the pressurizable spring being attached to the movable member or the stator. It is characterized by.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the actuator according to the first aspect, a pressurized spring insertion hole is formed to penetrate in a length direction from one side surface of the mover to the other side surface, and the preload spring insertion hole is formed. The pressurizing spring is penetrated.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the actuator according to the first aspect, a pressurizing spring insertion hole extending in a length direction is formed on a bottom side of the stator, and the preload spring is inserted through the preload spring insertion hole. It is characterized by the following.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the actuator according to the first aspect, the mover and the stator are provided on both sides, and are connected by a connecting member that connects the mover and the stator. The connecting member also serves as a pressure adjusting member for the preload spring.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the actuator according to the fourth aspect, the connection member and the pressurizing adjustment member include a bolt and a nut.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the actuator according to the fifth aspect, a ring-shaped engaging portion is formed at both ends of the pressurizing spring provided on the mover, and both ends of the stator are provided at both ends. A support plate having an arm shape extending outward and having a bolt insertion hole at an outer end portion is provided, and a tip end portion of the bolt inserted into the engagement portion is inserted into the bolt insertion hole, and a projecting portion is provided. A nut is screwed on, and the spring force of the pressurizing spring acting on the mover can be adjusted by tightening the nut.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the actuator according to the fifth aspect, the pressurizing spring extending outwardly is provided on the bottom of the stator, and extends outward in an arm shape on both side surfaces of the mover. A support plate having a bolt insertion hole at an end is provided, and both ends of the pressurizing spring are engaged with engagement portions formed on the bolt, and a tip end of the bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole of the support plate. The nut is screwed onto the protruding portion, and the spring force of the pressurizing spring acting on the stator can be adjusted by tightening the nut.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the actuator is configured by providing the pressurizing spring capable of adjusting the pressurizing spring in advance on the stator or the moving member, which is a main component of the actuator, so that the pressing Since it is not necessary to adjust the biasing force, it is possible to improve the assemblability of the product, to prevent the variation of each product, and to cope with a failure by merely replacing the actuator, which is economical.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an operation principle of the present invention, in which a wire made of a shape memory alloy is cooled. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the wire shrinks by the heat | fever and pushes up a moving element, which is the operating principle of the same invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement principle of the same invention. It is an explanatory view showing the state of operation of the present invention, in which the wire is cooled by the stator and the mover returns to its original position. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in a touch pad. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention. The front view of the 2nd example of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a right side view of the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view showing the state where the actuator of the 2nd example of the present invention was built into the touch panel.

  First, prior to the embodiment of the present invention, the operation principle of the actuator used in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a stator which is one of main members constituting the actuator, and reference numeral 20 denotes a moving element. Reference numeral 30 denotes a wire made of a shape memory alloy, which is disposed between the stator 10 and the moving element 20. Reference numeral 40 denotes an electric wire connected to the wire 30 made of a shape memory alloy, 50 denotes a power source, 60 denotes a power switch for turning on and off, and when turned on, the wire 30 made of a shape memory alloy is energized. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the switch 60 is off, the current is off, and the mover 20 is positioned on the stator 10 side.

  FIG. 2 shows a state where the switch 60 is turned on and the wire 30 is energized. When a current flows through the wire 30 and the wire 30 generates heat, the wire 30 shrinks, and a thrust is generated in a direction to move the movable member 20 away from the stator 10 as indicated by an arrow.

  When the switch 60 is turned off, no current flows through the wire 30 and the wire 30 is cooled by the stator 10. FIG. 3 shows this state. When cooled, the wire 30 extends as shown in FIG. 4, and the movable element 20 is again positioned on the stator 10 side as shown by the arrow, and returns to the original state. Vibration is generated by a series of these operations.

  5 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a front view, FIG. 7 is a bottom view, FIG. 8 is a right side view, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view. FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view.

  First, the actuator A of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 showing a front view and FIG. 10 being an exploded perspective view. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a stator made of an insulating heat conductor, which is made of a metal or resin such as aluminum having heat dissipation. Reference numeral 2 denotes a movable element which is disposed above and opposed to the movable element in the state shown in the figure, and a wire 3 made of a shape memory alloy is provided between the movable elements. This corresponds to the stator 10, the mover 20, and the wire 30 shown in FIGS.

  A pressurizing spring insertion hole 21a is provided in the length direction of the center of the movable element 2 to penetrate, and a round bar-shaped pressurizing spring 4 made of a bar spring is inserted. As the pressurizing spring 4, other leaf springs or clip springs may be used. In this case, the shape of the pressurized spring insertion hole a is a shape corresponding to them.

  In the state shown in the figure, the stator 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the horizontal direction, and a plurality of wavy stator-side projections 1a are provided at intervals in the length direction of the upper surface thereof. . The top of the stator-side projection 1a is rounded and formed in an arc shape. Further, the central portion in the thickness direction of the stator side projection 1a is concave, and a groove 1b extending in the length direction is formed. The top of the groove 1b is also formed in an arc shape. A stator-side recess 1c is formed between the stator-side protrusions 1a, and the bottom surface thereof is concaved downward and formed in an arc shape.

  The moving element 2 is also made of an insulating heat conductor. In the state shown in the drawing, the movable element 2 also has a horizontally elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of movable element-side projections 2a which are bottom portions and have a wavy shape in the length direction are provided at intervals. Have been. A mover-side recess 2c is formed between the mover-side protrusions 2a.

  The top of the mover-side projection 2a is rounded and formed in an arc shape. The central portion is concave, and a groove 2b is formed. The top of the groove 2b is also formed in an arc shape.

  The stator-side protrusions 1a and the mover-side protrusions 2a of the stator 1 and the mover 2 are respectively protruded at alternate positions, and the protrusions 1a and 2a are arranged in the respective recesses 1c and 2c. It has become.

  The wire 3 is made of an alloy having a shape memory alloy effect such as a nickel-titanium alloy, and is formed in a wavy shape corresponding to the shapes of the stator-side projection 1a and the stator-side recess 1c of the stator 1. The corrugated wire 3 is formed by a groove 1b at the center of the upper surface of the stator 1 and a groove (not shown) of the recess 2c of the moving element 2 which are also formed in a wave shape corresponding to the wave shape in FIG. Is located. That is, a mountain shape (not shown) is formed at the center in the thickness direction of the recess 2 c of the movable element 2, and the mountain shape of the movable element 2 fits into the groove 1 b of the stator 1. .

  Next, the mover 2 and the pressurized spring 4 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 6, 9 and 10. FIG.

  In the state shown in the drawing, a pressurizing spring insertion hole 21a is formed through which a pressurizing spring 4 for pressurizing is linearly penetrated from one side to the other side of the moving element 2, and is formed in the preload spring inserting hole 21a. The pressurizing spring 4 is inserted and attached.

  The wire 3 is sandwiched between the stator 1 and the movable element 2 in which the pressurized spring 4 is incorporated.

  One end of the wire 3 is attached via a terminal 5 to a terminal block 1 d provided on one end of the stator 1. Similarly, the other end of the wire 3 is attached via a terminal 5 to a terminal block 1d provided on the other end of the stator 1. This will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9, an arm-shaped support plate 1e extending outward is provided at the bottom of each side of the stator 1.

  Reference numerals 6 and 7 denote bolts and nuts functioning as preload adjusting members. The bolt 6 is provided so as to connect the pressurizing spring 4 and the support plate 1e. That is, ring-shaped engaging portions 4a are provided at both ends of the pressurizing spring 4, and the bolts 6 are inserted into these engaging portions 4a.

  The outer diameter of the head 6a of the bolt 6 is larger than the inner diameter of the engaging portion 4a, so that the pressurized spring 4 is prevented from coming off and the pressurized spring 4 is pressed.

  In the state shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the tip of the bolt 6 is threaded, and the tip is inserted into a hole 1 f that functions as a bolt insertion hole formed in the outer end of the support plate 1 e. , The tip of the bolt 6 projects downward from the back surface of the support plate 1e, and the nut 7 is screwed to the projected tip so as to be able to advance and retreat, and these bolts 6 and the nut 7 function as biasing force adjusting means for pressurizing. .

  That is, when adjusting the spring force of the pressurizing spring 4 provided substantially at the center of the movable member 2, the urging force of the movable member 2 toward the stator 1 can be increased by tightening the nut 7. Conversely, loosening it can weaken it. In addition, the bolt 6 and the nut 7 also function as a connecting member that integrates the stator 1 and the movable element 2 having the pressurized spring 4.

  Referring again to FIG. 10, reference numerals 5 a to 5 c denote wire attachment portions provided inside the terminal portion 5. The wire attachment portions 5a to 5c have, for example, first to third divided structures, and each of the attachment portions 5a to 5c is formed with a groove b through which the wire 3 is inserted and fixed.

  Of these, the first and third mounting portions 5a and 5c are formed at the same position, and the position of the central second mounting portion 5b is shifted. This allows the wire 3 to be easily fixed by attaching it in a crank shape and caulking, and to prevent the wire 3 from being loosened when it expands and contracts.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a moving element pressing plate provided on the upper surface of the terminal portion 5. The movable member holding plate 8 is bent substantially in an L shape, and is attached to the upper surface side of the terminal portion 5 in which the screw insertion hole d is formed. The moving element pressing plate 8 is formed of a moving element pressing plate outer end 8a mounted on the main body of the terminal portion 5 and a moving element pressing plate inner end 8b located on the upper surface side of the wire mounting portions 5a to 5c. ing.

  A hole c through which the screw 9 is inserted is also formed at the outer end 8a of the moving element holding plate. A hole e for screw insertion is also formed in the terminal block 1d of the stator 1. The screw 9 is inserted into the hole c of the holding plate 8, the hole d of the terminal portion 5, and the hole e of the terminal block 1d, and is screwed into the screw hole f of the screw fixing portion 1g located on the back surface of the terminal block 1d. You.

  In addition, 1f 'is a wire guide formed at the upper part inside the terminal block 1d of the stator 1. The wire guide portion 1f 'is composed of a pair of protrusions, and the straight portion of the wire 3 is inserted and guided between the protrusions, and is drawn out to the wire attachment portions 5a to 5c.

  Reference numeral 5d denotes a hole for connection through an electric wire (not shown) formed at the outer end of the terminal portion 5.

  As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and the like, a notch-shaped step portion 2B is formed on the rear side above the one surface 2A of the moving member 2. The step 2B is a touch pad (not shown) mounting portion, on which the touch pad is mounted. Reference numeral 200 denotes a screw hole for mounting a touch pad formed on the upper part of the moving element 2.

  In assembling, the terminal portion 5 is provided on the terminal block 1d of the stator 1.

  Both ends of the wire 3 on the straight portion side are inserted and crimped into the respective grooves b of the wire guide portion 1f 'and the wire attachment portions 5a to 5c as described above. Then, after attaching the inner end portion 8b of the movable member holding plate to the concave portion 2c on the movable member side formed in the movable member holding plate support portion 2d provided on the side surface of the movable member 2, the movable member holding plate 8 is connected to the terminal portion 5. The screw 9 is inserted into each of the holes c, d, and e, the tip of the screw 9 is screwed into the screw hole f of the screw fixing portion 1g, and each member is integrally formed. Be transformed into

  A pressurizing spring 4 is attached to the movable member 2 above the stator 1, and the pressurizing spring 4 is attached by bolts 6, nuts 7, and the like. This will be described later.

  Note that the inner end 8b of the moving element pressing plate 8 is inserted into the groove 2e of the moving element pressing plate supporting portion 2d provided on the side of the moving element 2, and the inner end 8b of the moving element pressing plate 8 is fixed. You. The movable member holding plate support 2d is located below the pressurized spring insertion hole a.

  Thereafter, the bolt 6 functioning as an adjusting member for the urging force of the pressurizing spring 4 is inserted into the ring-shaped engaging portion 4a of the pressurizing spring 4, and the lower end of the bolt 6 is connected to the support plate 1e on the stator 1 side. The nut 7 is screwed into the lower end of the screw protruding from the back surface of the support plate 1e through the hole 1f to adjust the tightening of the nut 7 to apply the desired urging force required for the product to the mover 2. Just do it. Further, the stator 1 and the mover 2 are integrated with each other by the bolts 6 and the nuts 7 to form an actuator A.

As described above, the slider presser plate 8 allows the pressurizing spring 4 to pass through the pressurizing spring insertion hole a of the slider 2 and apply pressure to the stator and the slider by the bolts 6 and the nuts 7. Since the mover 2 and the stator 1 are brought into close contact with each other so that the mover 2 and the stator 1 do not come off, if the mover 2 and the stator 1 do not come off during assembly, a second embodiment described later will be used. As described above, the moving element pressing plate 8 may not be provided.

In operation, when the wire 3 is energized and generates heat, the wire 3 shrinks, and the thrust causes the mover 2 to move away from the stator 1 against the spring force of the pressurizing spring 4. When the wire 3 is de-energized, the wire 3 is cooled via the stator 1, the mover 2 and the like, and the spring force of the pressurizing spring 4 is applied, so that the mover 2 instantaneously returns to the position on the stator 1 side.

  The present invention is characterized in that the actuator A is an assembly in which the pressing spring 4 is previously incorporated.

  In other words, it is possible to constitute the actuator A in which the pressurizing spring 4 is previously incorporated and unitized, and the urging force corresponding to the product is preliminarily adjusted via the urging force adjusting member. Can be managed.

  Therefore, it is possible to adjust the urging force when incorporating the actuator A into the product, but if it is adjusted in advance, it is not necessary to adjust the urging force. Even if it is adjusted, fine adjustment is required, and it is completed in a short time.

  In the case of a malfunction, the malfunction can be easily solved by replacing the actuator A with a proper one.

  FIG. 11 shows a state where the touch pad T is attached to the actuator A. In the state shown in the figure, a mounting portion (not shown) is provided on the right end side of the touch pad T. The mounting portion is located at the step 2B of the mover and is mounted using screws N. Then, by driving the actuator A, the touch pad T moves as shown by a white arrow in FIG.

  Although not shown, the stator 1 is fixed to the housing by appropriate means.

  12 to 16 show a second embodiment of the present invention.

  This embodiment is characterized in that the pressurizing spring 4 is provided on the stator 1 side.

  That is, the pressurized spring mounting portion 10A is provided on the back surface on the bottom side of the stator 1. The preload spring mounting portion 10A is provided on the back surface of the stator 1 along the length direction of the stator 1, and a pressurizing spring insertion hole 10B penetrating from one end to the other end is formed substantially at the center thereof. The rod-shaped pressurizing spring 4 is inserted therethrough.

  Arm-shaped support plates 2A 'extending toward the outer end are provided on both side surfaces of the mover 2, respectively, and bolt insertion holes are provided at the outer ends of these support plates 2A'.

  In this embodiment as well, a bolt 6 'and a nut 7 functioning as a preload adjusting member are provided between the pressurizing spring 4 and the support plate 2A'. Is formed, and the pressurizing spring 4 is inserted into the engaging portion 6A. An end of the bolt 6 'is inserted into a bolt insertion hole of the support plate 2A', and a nut 7 is screwed to the protruding portion.

  By adjusting the degree of tightening of the nut 7, the spring force of the pressurizing spring 4 can be easily adjusted.

  Although the pressurized spring mounting portion 10A is provided on the back surface of the stator 1, the preload spring mounting portion 10A may be formed by expanding a part of the bottom of the stator 1 downward. Alternatively, a separate pressurized spring mounting portion 10 </ b> A may be integrated with the bottom of the stator 1.

  The other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Stator 20 Mover 30 Wire 40 Electric wire 50 Power supply 60 Power switch A Actuator T Touch pad N Screw 1 Stator 1a Stator side protrusion 1b Groove 1c Stator side depression 1d Terminal block 1e Support plate 1f Hole (bolt insertion) Hole)
1f ′ Wire guide portion 1g Screw fixing portion 10A Pressurized spring mounting portion 10B Pressurized spring insertion hole 2 Mover 2A One surface 2B of mover Step (touch pad mounting portion)
2C screw hole (for touch pad mounting)
2A 'support plate a pressurized spring insertion hole 2a mover side protrusion 2b groove 2c mover side recess 2d mover presser plate support 2e groove 21a pressurized spring insertion hole 2B step 200 screw hole 3 for touch pad attachment Wire 4 Pressurizing spring 4a Engagement part 5 Terminal part 5a-5c First to third wire attachment part b Groove 6 Bolt 6 'Bolt 6a Head 6A Engagement part 7 Nut 8 Moving element pressing plate 8a Moving element pressing plate Outer end 8b Inner end 9 of slider holder plate Screw c Screw insertion hole d Screw insertion hole e Screw insertion hole f Screw hole

Claims (7)

  A stator, a movable member provided on the upper part of the stator so as to be able to approach and separate from the stator, and a shape memory alloy sandwiched between the movable member and the stator; And a wire that enables the movable element to move, wherein a pressurizing spring is attached to the movable element or the stator.   2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein a pressurized spring insertion hole penetrating in a length direction from one side surface to the other side surface of the mover is formed, and the pressurized spring is inserted through the preload spring insertion hole. An actuator characterized in that:   2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein a pressurizing spring insertion hole extending in a length direction is formed on a bottom side of the stator, and the preload spring is inserted through the preload spring insertion hole.   2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the movable element and the stator are provided on both sides, and are coupled by a coupling member that couples the movable element and the stator. An actuator, which also functions as a pressure adjusting member.   5. The actuator according to claim 4, wherein the connecting member and the preload adjusting member include a bolt and a nut.   6. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein a ring-shaped engaging portion is formed at both ends of the pressurizing spring provided on the moving element, and an arm extending outward on both sides of the stator. A support plate having a bolt insertion hole is provided at an outer end portion, and a tip end of the bolt inserted into the engagement portion is inserted into the bolt insertion hole, and a nut is screwed into a protruding portion thereof. An actuator, wherein the spring force of the pressurizing spring acting on the movable element can be adjusted by tightening. 6. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the pressurizing spring extending outwardly is provided on the bottom of the stator, and has an arm-like outwardly extending side surface on both sides of the movable member and a bolt insertion hole at an outer end portion. A support plate is provided, and both ends of the pressurized spring are engaged with engagement portions formed on the bolt, the tip of the bolt is inserted into a bolt insertion hole of the support plate, and the nut is inserted into the protrusion. An actuator, wherein a spring force of the pressurizing spring acting on the stator by screwing and tightening a nut is adjustable.

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