JP2023050892A - Thumb-turn device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve manual operability of a thumb-turn with a simple configuration in a thumb-turn device for driving a motor to rotate the thumb-turn.SOLUTION: A thumb-turn 3 and a thumb-turn shaft 11 are integrally connected via a rotating cam 12, and the rotating cam 12 is rotatably inserted through a worm wheel 14 connected to a motor 18. Clutch balls 16, 16 and a clutch spring 15 are accommodated in an accommodation hole 12f provided in the rotating cam 12. The clutch balls 16, 16 are biased toward the worm wheel 14 side by the clutch spring 15 so as to engage with engagement grooves 141a to 141d provided on the worm wheel 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a thumb-turn device that rotates a thumb-turn by a motor.

For example, in recent years, a thumb-turn device that rotates a thumb-turn by a motor has been used for doors of houses, etc., from the viewpoint of security and convenience. For example, in the thumb-turn device described in Patent Literature 1, the thumb-turn is integrally connected to the thumb-turn shaft via a thumb-turn body member. The thumb-turn main body member is rotatably inserted through a thumb-turn connecting body that is connected to a motor, and is engaged with the thumb-turn connecting body via a cam. In the thumb-turn device, when the thumb-turn is rotated by the motor, the thumb-turn main body member and the thumb-turn connecting body engage with each other via the cam, and are integrally rotated by the motor. After that, the motor rotates in the reverse direction to return the thumb-turn connecting body to the position immediately before rotation, and disengage the thumb-turn body member and the thumb-turn connecting body. As a result, when the thumb-turn is manually rotated, the force acting on the thumb-turn connecting body does not act on the thumb-turn body member via the cam, and the thumb-turn can be rotated with a small force.

JP 2019-143405 A

However, in the thumb-turn device described in Patent Document 1, in order to rotate the thumb-turn with a small force, a cam is provided between the thumb-turn body member and the thumb-turn connecting body, and the motor is rotated in a predetermined direction and then reversely rotated. The structure was complicated because it was necessary to release the engagement by the cam.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a technology capable of improving the manual operability of the thumb-turn with a simple structure in a thumb-turn device that rotates the thumb-turn by driving a motor. intended to

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides (1) a thumb-turn, a thumb-turn shaft, an intermediate shaft connecting the thumb-turn and the thumb-turn shaft so as to rotate together, a motor, and the a thumb-turn coupling body having a hollow hole through which an intermediate shaft is rotatably inserted and rotated according to the drive of the motor; a clutch ball disposed between the intermediate shaft and the thumb-turn coupling body; an urging member that urges the clutch ball toward the thumb-turn coupling body; an accommodation recess provided in the intermediate shaft that accommodates the clutch ball and the urging member; and an inner circumference of the hollow hole of the thumb-turn coupling body. and an engaging portion that is provided on the surface and engages with the clutch ball.

In the thumb-turn device configured as described above, when the motor is driven to rotate the thumb-turn, the clutch ball is urged toward the thumb-turn coupling body by the urging member to engage with the engaging portion, and the intermediate shaft and the thumb-turn coupling body are integrally formed. rotate to Further, in the thumb-turn device, when the thumb-turn is manually rotated without driving the motor, the clutch ball moves into the accommodation recess against the biasing member and disengages from the engaging portion. As a result, the force acting on the thumb-turn connecting body does not act on the intermediate shaft, and the thumb-turn can be rotated with a small force. Therefore, the thumb-turn device having the above configuration can improve the manual operability of the thumb-turn with a simple structure that advances and retracts the clutch ball using the biasing force of the biasing member.

(2) In the thumb-turn device described in (1), the biasing force of the biasing member is such that when the motor drives and rotates the thumb-turn coupling body, the clutch ball protrudes from the housing recess to cause the engagement. When the motor is not driven and the thumb-turn coupling body is not rotated while the joint portion is engaged, the clutch ball is retracted into the accommodation recess in accordance with the rotation of the intermediate shaft, and is engaged with the engagement portion. It is preferably set to disengage.

In the thumb-turn device having the above configuration, the clutch balls are retracted into the accommodation recesses by manually rotating the thumb-turns, so the engagement between the intermediate shaft and the thumb-turn coupling body can be easily released without using electric power.

(3) The thumb-turn device according to (1) or (2) preferably has a battery for supplying power to the motor.

The thumb-turn device having the above configuration can rotate the thumb-turn with a small force even if the motor does not reversely rotate the thumb-turn after rotating the thumb-turn by the motor, so that the frequency of energization of the motor can be reduced and battery consumption can be suppressed.

(4) The thumb-turn device according to any one of (1) to (3), having a first on/off switch, a second on/off switch, and a third on/off switch, wherein the thumb-turn coupling body It is preferable that the intermediate shaft has a first operation part that operates the first on/off switch according to the rotation of the intermediate shaft, and that the intermediate shaft has a second operation part that operates the second on/off switch and the second on/off switch. .

In the thumb-turn device having the above configuration, the first on/off switch is turned on and off according to the rotation of the thumb-turn connecting body by means of the first operating portion provided on the thumb-turn connecting body. Further, the second on/off switch and the third on/off switch are turned on and off according to the rotation of the rotating cam by the second operating portion provided on the rotating cam. Therefore, according to the thumb-turn device configured as described above, the positions of the thumb-turn coupling body and the intermediate shaft can be detected with a compact structure.

(5) The thumb-turn device described in (4) has a control unit, and the control unit controls the first on/off switch and the second on/off switch when driving the motor to lock or unlock the lock. and, when at least one of the third on/off switches cannot switch the on/off state, the motor is rotated in a direction opposite to the driving direction, and then retry processing is executed to rotate the motor in the same direction as the driving direction. is preferred.

In the thumb-turn device having the above configuration, when the motor is driven to rotate the thumb-turn, if any one of the first to third on/off switches cannot switch the on/off state, the motor is rotated in the direction opposite to the driving direction. , to rotate the motor in the same direction as when it is driven. As a result, malfunction of the clutch ball can be automatically improved, and the thumb-turn can be normally rotated electrically.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in a thumb-turn device that rotates a thumb-turn by driving a motor, it is possible to realize a technique capable of improving the manual operability of the thumb-turn with a simple structure.

1 is an external perspective view of a thumb-turn device according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the thumb-turn device shown in FIG. 1; 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the thumb-turn device shown in FIG. 2; FIG. It is an exploded perspective view explaining a thumb-turn rotation structure. It is an electric block diagram. It is a figure explaining manual locking operation. It is a figure explaining electric locking operation. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining switching between on and off states of each switch; 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure of electric locking (unlocking) processing; It is a figure explaining electric locking operation at the time of abnormality.

Next, an embodiment of a thumb-turn device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment discloses a thumb-turn device that is attached to an entrance door or an interior door of a general home or office and opens and closes a lock by rotating the thumb-turn manually or by a motor.

(External configuration of thumb-turn device 1)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a thumb-turn device 1. FIG. The thumb-turn device 1 has a box-shaped case 2 and a thumb-turn 3 rotatably provided. A locking/unlocking button 4 for inputting a locking instruction or an unlocking instruction is provided below the thumb-turn 3 .

(Internal configuration of thumb-turn device 1)
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the thumb-turn device 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the thumb-turn device 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a view of the thumb-turn device 1 viewed from the rear side. In FIG. 3, members are appropriately omitted to facilitate understanding of the internal structure. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the thumb-turn rotation structure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the thumb-turn 3 has a shaft portion provided with a polygonal (quadrangular in this embodiment) insertion portion 3a at the tip thereof, and is inserted into the insertion hole 2a formed in the case 2. , is rotatably attached to the case 2 using a stopper ring 8 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the case 2 incorporates a rotation mechanism 6 for automatically rotating the thumb-turn 3 . The rotating mechanism 6 includes a rotating cam 12, a thumb-turn shaft 11, a thumb-turn shaft spring 13, a mounting mount 10, a worm wheel 14, a clutch spring 15, a pair of clutch balls 16, 16, a worm gear 17, and a motor. 18 , a worm wheel detection switch (hereinafter referred to as “WH detection switch”) 19 , an unlock detection switch 20 , a lock detection switch 21 , and a control board 22 .

The rotating mechanism 6 operates using the battery 5 as a power source. The battery 5 may be a dry battery or a rechargeable battery. The thumb-turn device 1 may be powered via a power supply line without the battery 5 built-in.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotary cam 12 is rotatably supported at both ends by an insertion portion 12h and a pressing plate 2c. The rotating cam 12 includes, in order from the thumb-turn 3 side, an insertion portion 12h, a cam portion 12i, a clutch portion 12d, and an insertion portion 12e. The rotating cam 12 connects the thumb-turn 3 and the thumb-turn shaft 11 so as to rotate integrally. The rotating cam 12 is an example of an "intermediate shaft".

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in the rotating cam 12, the insertion portion 3a of the thumb-turn 3 is tightly fitted into the first fitting hole 12a provided on the side of the insertion portion 12h. The thumb-turn shaft 11 has an insertion portion 11a provided in a polygonal shape (quadrangular shape in this embodiment). The rotation cam 12 has a second fitting hole 12b provided on the insertion portion 12e side, and the insertion portion 11a of the thumb-turn shaft 11 is tightly fitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, a mounting mount 10 is attached to the door D using mounting pins (not shown). The thumb-turn device 1 is fixed to the door D with the connection portion 11 b of the thumb-turn shaft 11 inserted into the mounting mount 10 . The connecting portion 11b is connected to a deadbolt (not shown) of the door D. As shown in FIG. The thumb-turn shaft spring 13 is contracted in the second fitting hole 12b and biases the thumb-turn shaft 11 so as to maintain the connected state between the connecting portion 11b and a dead bolt (not shown). Such a thumb-turn device 1 can lock and unlock the door D by operating a deadbolt (not shown) according to the rotation of the thumb-turn 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the worm wheel 14 has a hollow hole 14b through which the rotating cam 12 is rotatably inserted. The worm wheel 14 is rotatably attached to the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 12d while being abutted against a step portion between the cam portion 12i of the rotating cam 12 and the clutch portion 12d.

As shown in FIG. 3, the worm wheel 14 has a gear 14a provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof, which is connected to a motor 18 via a worm gear 17, and rotates as the motor 18 is driven. That is, when the motor 18 rotates in the first direction K, the worm gear 17 rotates in the locking direction (counterclockwise in the figure) L, and when the motor 18 rotates in the second direction -K opposite to the first direction K, the worm gear 17 is released. Rotate in the locking direction (clockwise in the figure) -L. The worm wheel 14 is an example of a "thumb-turn coupling".

A housing hole 12f is formed through the clutch portion 12d of the rotating cam 12 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotating cam 12 . A clutch spring 15 and a pair of clutch balls 16, 16 are accommodated in the accommodation hole 12f. The accommodation hole 12f is an example of the "accommodation recess". The clutch spring 15 is an example of a "biasing member". The housing hole 12f has an inner diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the clutch ball 16, and guides the clutch ball 16 along the radial direction of the rotating cam 12 (clutch portion 12d). The pair of clutch balls 16, 16 are arranged at both end openings of the accommodation hole 12f, and are urged outward (toward the worm wheel 14) by a clutch spring 15 provided inside the accommodation hole 12f.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the worm wheel 14 has engagement grooves 141a, 141b, 141c and 141d that engage with the clutch balls 16 on the inner peripheral surface of the hollow hole 14b. The engaging grooves 141a, 141b, 141c, and 141d are examples of "engaging portions". Engagement grooves 141a, 141b, 141c, and 141d extend in the axial direction of the worm wheel 14 from the open end of the hollow hole 14b so that the rotating cam 12 can be inserted through the worm wheel 14 via the pair of clutch balls 16, 16. formed long along the The engagement grooves 141a, 141b, 141c, 141d are provided at intervals of 90° in the circumferential direction of the hollow hole 14b. The engaging grooves 141a, 141b, 141c, 141d are provided in a hemispherical shape having substantially the same diameter as the clutch ball 16, and are engaged with the clutch ball 16 without gaps.

When the motor 18 is driven to rotate the worm wheel 14, the spring force (biasing force) of the clutch spring 15 causes the clutch balls 16, 16 to protrude from the accommodation holes 12f and enter the engagement grooves 141a, 141b, 141c, 141d. When the motor 18 is not driven and the worm wheel 14 is not rotated, the clutch balls 16, 16 are retracted into the housing holes 12f in response to the rotation of the rotating cam 12, and the engagement grooves 141a, 141b, 141c are engaged. , 141d. Therefore, the rotating cam 12 smoothly rotates according to the rotation of the motor 18 when the thumb-turn 3 is rotated by the motor 18, and smoothly rotates according to the rotation of the thumb-turn 3 when the thumb-turn 3 is manually rotated. can.

As shown in FIG. 3, the WH detection switch 19, the unlock detection switch 20, and the lock detection switch 21 are ON/OFF switches and are arranged outside the worm wheel 14. As shown in FIG. The WH detection switch 19 is an example of a "first on/off switch". The unlock detection switch 20 is an example of a "second on/off switch". The lock detection switch 21 is an example of a "third on/off switch".

As shown in FIG. 3, the WH detection switch 19 has a detection roller 191 . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, engaging recesses 142a, 142b, 142c, and 142d that engage with the detection roller 191 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the worm wheel 14 at intervals of 90° in the circumferential direction. The outer peripheral surface of the worm wheel 14 including the engaging recesses 142a, 142b, 142c, and 142d is an example of the "first operating portion."

As shown in FIG. 3, the WH detection switch 19 is turned off when the detection roller 191 engages with any one of the engaging recesses 142a, 142b, 142c, and 142d as indicated by the solid line in the drawing. On the other hand, the WH detection switch 19 is turned ON when the detection roller 191 does not engage with any of the engaging recesses 142a, 142b, 142c, and 142d, as indicated by the chain double-dashed line in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating cam 12 is provided with a cam piece 12c for operating the unlock detection switch 20 and the lock detection switch 21. As shown in FIG. The cam piece 12c protrudes radially outward from the cam portion 12i. The cam piece 12c is an example of a "second operation part".

As shown in FIG. 3, the unlock detection switch 20 and the lock detection switch 21 are arranged on the moving path of the cam piece 12c, and are turned ON when pressed by the cam piece 12c, and are not pressed by the cam piece 12c. is turned OFF. The unlock detection switch 20 is arranged at a position where the unlocked position of the rotary cam 12 can be detected. The lock detection switch 21 is arranged at a position where the lock position of the rotary cam 12 can be detected.

(Electrical configuration of thumb-turn device)
FIG. 5 is an electrical block diagram. The control board 22 is a known microcomputer having a CPU 221 and a memory 222 . The control board 22 is electrically connected to the battery 5 , the motor 18 , the WH detection switch 19 , the unlock detection switch 20 , the lock detection switch 21 and the lock/unlock button 4 .

The memory 222 stores various programs. The memory 222 stores various data and is also used as a temporary storage area when executing the control program. For example, when receiving a locking instruction or an unlocking instruction via the lock/unlock button 4 , the CPU 221 reads a program from the memory 222 and executes it to control the thumb-turn device 1 . CPU221 is an example of a "control part." Note that the control board 22 may be an example of the "control section".

(Operation description: Manual locking operation)
Next, the operation of the thumb-turn device 1 will be explained. First, the manual locking operation for manually locking by rotating the thumb-turn 3 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the manual locking operation. In FIG. 6, line types and hatching are adjusted so as to clarify the positional relationship between the rotating cam 12 and the worm wheel 14 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the thumb-turn 3 is at the unlocked position, the rotary cam 12 is arranged such that the cam piece 12c pushes the unlock detection switch 20 and does not push the lock detection switch 21. ing. At this time, the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 are biased by the clutch spring 15 and engaged with the engagement grooves 141a, 141c. Also, the detection roller 191 is engaged with the engagement recess 142a of the worm wheel 14, and the WH detection switch 19 is not depressed.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the thumb-turn 3 is manually rotated in the locking direction without driving the motor 18, the worm wheel 14 is engaged with the worm gear 17 and its rotation is restricted. Therefore, when the rotary cam 12 receives rotational torque from the thumb-turn 3, the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 retreat into the housing hole 12f against the clutch spring 15, and engage with the engagement grooves 141a, 141c. release. As a result, the rotating cam 12 rotates in the locking direction L alone within the hollow hole 14b of the worm wheel 14. As shown in FIG.

Due to the rotation of the rotary cam 12, the cam piece 12c stops pressing the unlock detection switch 20, and the unlock detection switch 20 is switched from ON to OFF. On the other hand, since the worm wheel 14 does not rotate, the detection roller 191 continues to engage with the engagement recess 142a, and the WH detection switch 19 remains OFF.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6(c), when the rotary cam 12 rotates to the locked position, the cam piece 12c pushes the lock detection switch 21 and the lock detection switch 21 is switched from OFF to ON. Also at this time, since the worm wheel 14 does not rotate, the detection roller 191 continues to engage with the engaging recess 142a, and the WH detection switch 19 remains OFF.

In order to manually rotate the thumb-turn 3 in the locked position to unlock the door, the above operations may be reversed.

(Electric locking operation)
Next, an electric locking operation for driving the motor 18 to rotate the thumb-turn 3 from the unlocked position to the locked position will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the electric locking operation. In FIG. 7, line types and hatching are adjusted so as to clarify the positional relationship between the rotating cam 12 and the worm wheel 14. FIG.

The electric locking operation operates similarly to the manual locking operation, except that the motor 18 is driven to rotate the worm wheel. Therefore, here, operations different from those during the manual locking operation will be mainly described, and descriptions of operations similar to those during the manual unlocking operation will be omitted as appropriate.

The state before operation shown in FIG. 7A is the same as the state before operation shown in FIG. When a locking instruction is received via the lock/unlock button 4, the motor 18 rotates in the first direction K, and the worm wheel 14 starts rotating in the locking direction L. Since the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 are biased by the clutch spring 15 and engaged with the engagement grooves 141a, 141c, the rotating cam 12 rotates in the locking direction L integrally with the worm wheel .

Due to the rotation of the rotary cam 12, the cam piece 12c stops pressing the unlock detection switch 20, and the unlock detection switch 20 is switched from ON to OFF. Further, due to the rotation of the worm wheel 14 , the detection roller 191 is disengaged from the engaging recess 142 a and pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the worm wheel 14 . Therefore, the WH detection switch 19 is switched from OFF to ON.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7(c), when the worm wheel 14 and the rotary cam 12 rotate to the locked position, the cam piece 12c pushes the lock detection switch 21 and the lock detection switch 21 is switched from OFF to ON. Further, the detection roller 191 is engaged with the engagement recess 142d, and the WH detection switch 19 is switched from ON to OFF.

In order to unlock by driving the motor to rotate the thumb-turn 3 in the locked position, the above operations may be reversed.

(switching the ON/OFF state of each switch)
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining switching between on and off states of each switch. FIG. 8 shows when the thumb-turn 3 (rotating cam 12) is at the unlocked position (unlocked position) and when the thumb-turn 3 (rotating cam 12) is moving from the unlocked position to the locked position (intermediate position). 3 shows the ON/OFF states of the WH detection switch 19, the unlock detection switch 20, and the lock detection switch 21 when the thumb-turn 3 (rotary cam 12) is in the locked position (locked position).

During manual locking (unlocking) operation and electric locking (unlocking) operation, the ON/OFF switching of the WH detection switch 19 differs depending on whether or not the worm wheel 14 is rotating, but the rest is common. Therefore, when the thumb-turn device 1 rotates the thumb-turn 3 using the motor 18, the worm wheel 14 and the rotating cam 12 are operated based on the ON/OFF states of the WH detection switch 19, the unlock detection switch 20, and the lock detection switch 21. The presence or absence of a defect is monitored, and if there is a malfunction, an electric locking (unlocking) process is performed to improve the malfunction by controlling the rotation of the motor 18 .

(Electric locking (unlocking) process)
FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of the control procedure of the electric locking (unlocking) process. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the electric locking operation in the event of an abnormality. When the thumb-turn device 1 receives a locking instruction via the lock/unlock button 4, the CPU 221 of the control board 22 reads the operation program from the memory 222 and executes the electric locking (unlocking) process shown in FIG. Although the processing in FIG. 9 is performed by the CPU 221, it may be described as "performed by the thumb-turn device 1".

As shown in FIG. 9, the thumb-turn device 1 that has received the locking instruction first determines whether or not the rotary cam 12 is at the unlocked position (S1). As shown in FIG. 10(a), when the rotating cam 12 is arranged at a position where the cam piece 12c presses the unlock detection switch 20, the unlock detection switch 20 is ON. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the thumb-turn device 1 determines that the rotating cam 12 is at the unlocked position (S1), and rotates the motor 18 in the first direction K (S2).

Then, as shown in FIG. 10(b), when the motor 18 rotates in the first direction K and the worm wheel 14 begins to rotate in the locking direction L, the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 engage with the engagement grooves 141a, 141a. The rotating cam 12 rotates in the locking direction L integrally with the worm wheel 14 while engaging with 141b. Then, the detection roller 191 disengages from the engaging recess 142a and is pressed by the worm wheel 14, so that the WH detection switch 19 is switched from OFF to ON. Further, the unlock detection switch 20 is no longer pressed by the cam piece 12c and is switched from ON to OFF.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, when the WH detection switch 19 is switched from ON to OFF (S3), the thumb-turn device 1 stops the motor 18 after a certain period of time (S4).

As shown in FIG. 10(c), before the motor 18 stops, the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 retreat into the accommodation hole 12f against the clutch spring 15, causing the worm wheel 14 and the rotating cam 12 to move. become disengaged. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10(d), even if the worm wheel 14 rotates to the locking position in accordance with the rotation of the motor 18, the rotation of the rotating cam 12 is not transmitted from the worm wheel 14 to the locking position. Cannot rotate. Therefore, the lock detection switch 21 cannot be switched from OFF to ON. Further, the WH detection switch 19 is switched from ON to OFF when the detection roller 191 is engaged with the engagement recess 142d.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the lock detection switch 21 is not ON (S5: NO), the thumb-turn device 1 adds 1 to the retry count n (S9), and rotates the motor 18 in the second direction -K ( S10).

As shown in FIG. 10(d), when the motor 18 rotates in the second direction -K, the worm wheel 14 rotates in the unlocking direction -L. Due to the rotation of the worm wheel 14 , the detection roller 191 is disengaged from the engagement recess 142 d and pressed against the worm wheel 14 . As a result, the WH detection switch 19 is switched from OFF to ON.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the WH detection switch 19 is switched from OFF to ON (S11: YES), the thumb-turn device 1 stops the motor 18 after a certain period of time (S12). As a result, the worm wheel 14 is returned to the position before the start of the electric locking operation, as shown in FIG. 10(e). Then, the detection roller 191 is engaged with the engagement recess 142a, and the WH detection switch 19 is switched from ON to OFF.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the WH detection switch 19 is switched from ON to OFF (S13: YES), the thumb-turn device 1 determines whether or not the retry count n is a specified count (for example, 4 times) ( S14). If the number of retries n is not the specified number (S14: NO), the thumb-turn device 1 returns to the process of S1.

As shown in FIG. 10(e), even if the motor 18 is rotated in the second direction -K and the worm wheel 14 returns to the unlocked position, the clutch balls 16 and 161 are not in any of the engagement grooves 141a to 141d. If not engaged, the rotating cam 12 will not return to the unlocked position. In this case, neither the unlock detection switch 20 nor the lock detection switch 21 is pressed by the cam piece 12c and is turned off.

As shown in FIG. 9, the thumb-turn device 1 determines that the rotary cam 12 is neither in the unlocked position nor in the locked position when both the unlock detection switch 20 and the lock detection switch 21 are OFF (S1: NO). , S7: NO), and rotates the motor 18 in the first direction K (S2). The thumb-turn device 1 performs the processing from S2 onward in the same manner as described above, and attempts to rotate the thumb-turn 3 again by the motor 18 . The processing of S10 to S13 and S2 is an example of "retry processing".

As shown in FIG. 10(f), when the motor 18 rotates again in the first direction K and the worm wheel 14 rotates again in the locking direction L, the pair of clutch balls 16 engages the engagement grooves 141a, 141c. , the rotating cam 12 rotates in the locking direction L integrally with the worm wheel 14 . When the worm wheel 14 rotates, the detection roller 191 disengages from the engaging recess 142a, and the WH detection switch 19 is switched from OFF to ON. As shown in FIG. 10(g), when the motor 18 rotates in the first direction K for a certain period of time and the rotating cam 12 and the worm wheel 14 rotate to the unlocked position, the lock detection switch 21 is switched from OFF to ON.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the thumb-turn device 1 rotates the motor 18 again in the first direction K (S2), then the WH detection switch 19 is switched from OFF to ON (S3: YES), and the motor 18 is turned on. After rotating for a period of time (S4), if it is determined that the lock detection switch 21 has been turned ON (S5: YES), the motor 18 has placed the thumb-turn 3 at the locked position. Therefore, the thumb-turn device 1 resets the number of retries n (S6) and terminates the process.

If the WH detection switch 19 does not switch from OFF to ON (S3: NO) even when the motor 18 is rotated in the first direction K (S2), it is highly likely that the worm wheel 14 is not rotating. Therefore, the thumb-turn device 1 stops the motor 18 (S8), and performs the processes after S9.

If the WH detection switch 19 remains OFF even when the motor 18 is reversed (S10) (S11: NO), there is a high possibility that there is an abnormality in the drive system. Even if the motor 18 is reversed (S10) and the worm wheel 14 rotates in the unlocking direction -L (S11: YES), the worm wheel 14 stops before returning to the position before the start of the electric locking operation. (S12, S13: NO), there is a high possibility that there is an abnormality in the drive system. In these cases, the thumb-turn device 1 executes error processing (S15), and terminates the processing after the processing of S6. Error processing includes, for example, notification of an error by voice or display, notification to a management company that manages the thumb-turn device 1, and the like.

(summary)
As described above, in the thumb-turn device 1 of this embodiment, when the motor 18 is driven to rotate the thumb-turn 3, the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 are urged toward the worm wheel 14 by the clutch spring 15 to engage. The grooves 141a and 141c are engaged, and the rotating cam 12 and the worm wheel 14 rotate together. Further, in the thumb-turn device 1, when the thumb-turn 3 is manually rotated without driving the motor 18, the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 move into the accommodation hole 12f against the clutch spring 15 and engage the engagement groove 141a. , 141c. As a result, the force acting on the worm wheel 14 does not act on the rotating cam 12, and the thumb-turn 3 can be rotated with a small force. Therefore, according to the thumb-turn device 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to improve the manual operability of the thumb-turn with a simple structure in which the spring force of the clutch spring 15 is used to advance and retract the pair of clutch balls 16 , 16 .

Further, in the thumb-turn device 1 of this embodiment, the force of manually rotating the thumb-turn 3 causes the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 to retreat into the housing holes 12f. can be easily released.

In addition, the thumb-turn device 1 of this embodiment can rotate the thumb-turn 3 with a small force without having to reversely rotate the motor 18 after the thumb-turn 3 is rotated by the motor 18, so the frequency of energization of the motor 18 can be reduced. , consumption of the battery 5 can be suppressed.

Further, the thumb-turn device 1 of this embodiment turns on and off the WH detection switch 19 according to the rotation of the worm wheel 14 by the outer peripheral surface of the worm wheel 14 provided with the engaging recesses 142a to 142d. In addition, the unlock detection switch 20 and the lock detection switch 21 are turned on and off according to the rotation of the rotary cam 12 by a cam piece 12c provided on the rotary cam 12. As shown in FIG. Therefore, according to the thumb-turn device 1 of this embodiment, the positions of the worm wheel 14 and the rotating cam 12 can be detected with a compact structure.

Further, in the thumb-turn device 1 of the present embodiment, when the motor 18 is driven to rotate the thumb-turn 3, when any one of the WH detection switch 19, the unlock detection switch 20, and the lock detection switch 21 cannot switch the ON/OFF state. , the motor 18 is rotated in the direction opposite to the driving direction, and then the motor 18 is rotated in the same direction as the driving direction. As a result, malfunction of the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 can be automatically improved, and the thumb-turn 3 can be normally rotated electrically.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be applied in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

In the above embodiment, the housing hole 12f is formed through the rotating cam 12, and two clutch balls 16 and one clutch spring 15 are disposed in the housing hole 12f. On the other hand, the accommodation hole 12f may be a hole with a bottom, and one clutch ball 16 and one clutch spring 15 may be arranged. Further, bottomed accommodation recesses may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of the hollow hole 14b with a phase difference of 180°, and one clutch ball 16 and one clutch spring 15 may be arranged in each accommodation recess. However, by arranging the pair of clutch balls 16, 16 and the clutch spring 15 in the penetrating accommodation hole 12f as in the above embodiment, the number of parts can be reduced. Further, since the engaging force for engaging the clutch balls 16, 16 with the engaging grooves 141a to 141d becomes uniform, the rotating cam 12 can be easily rotated within the worm wheel 14 when the thumb-turn 3 is rotated.

In S11 of FIG. 9, the motor 18 is rotated in the direction opposite to the driving direction, but the motor 18 may be rotated in the same direction as the driving direction to engage the detection roller 191 with the engaging recess 142c. However, by rotating the motor 18 in the reverse direction as in the above embodiment, the amount of rotation of the motor 18 at the time of locking and unlocking can be made constant and the control can be simplified.

The WH detection switch 19, the unlock detection switch 20, and the lock detection switch 21 may be optical sensors or the like instead of on/off switches that are turned on and off mechanically.

The worm wheel 14 may be provided with a separate member provided with the engaging recesses 142a to 142d, and the separate member may constitute the first operating portion. Further, the rotating cam 12 may be provided with a member having an operation piece for operating the unlock detection switch 20 and the lock detection switch 21, and the member may constitute the second operation portion.

In the control procedure shown in FIG. 9, the order of processing may be changed, processing may be omitted, or other processing may be added without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, reset processing may not be performed in the processing of FIG.

1 thumb-turn device 11 thumb-turn shaft 12 rotating cam (an example of an intermediate shaft)
14 Worm wheel (an example of a thumb-turn coupling)
15 clutch spring (an example of a biasing member)
16 clutch ball 18 motor 12f housing hole (an example of housing recess)
141a to 141d engagement groove (an example of engagement portion)

Claims (5)

Samturn and
a thumb-turn axis;
an intermediate shaft that connects the thumb-turn and the thumb-turn shaft so as to rotate integrally;
a motor;
a thumb-turn connecting body having a hollow hole through which the intermediate shaft is rotatably inserted, and rotating according to the drive of the motor;
a clutch ball disposed between the intermediate shaft and the thumb-turn coupling;
a biasing member that biases the clutch ball toward the thumb-turn connecting body;
a housing recess provided in the intermediate shaft and capable of housing the clutch ball and the biasing member;
an engaging portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the hollow hole of the thumb-turn coupling body and engaged with the clutch ball;
having
A thumb-turn device characterized by: In the thumb-turn device according to claim 1,
When the motor drives and rotates the thumb-turn coupling body, the biasing force of the biasing member causes the clutch ball to protrude from the accommodation recess and engage with the engaging portion, while the motor drives the clutch ball. first, when the thumb-turn connecting body is not rotated, the clutch ball is set to retreat into the accommodation recess in accordance with the rotation of the intermediate shaft to release the engagement with the engaging portion;
A thumb-turn device characterized by: In the thumb-turn device according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A thumb-turn device comprising a battery for supplying power to said motor. In the thumb-turn device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
having a first on/off switch, a second on/off switch, and a third on/off switch;
The thumb-turn connecting body has a first operating section that operates the first on/off switch according to its rotation,
the intermediate shaft has the second on/off switch and a second operating portion for operating the second on/off switch;
A thumb-turn device characterized by: In the thumb-turn device according to claim 4,
having a control unit,
The control unit
When driving the motor to lock or unlock, if at least one of the first on/off switch, the second on/off switch, and the third on/off switch cannot switch the on/off state, the motor is operated. After rotating the motor in the direction opposite to the driving direction, executing a retry process for rotating the motor in the same direction as the driving direction;
A thumb-turn device characterized by:

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