JP2585918B2 - Traveling body moving mechanism and traveling wheels - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving mechanism for a traveling body that can move freely in front, rear, left and right directions on a substantially flat traveling plate provided with guide means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional driving mechanism for a traveling body, for example, the one shown in FIG. 7 is known. That is, on the traveling plate 1 having the plurality of guide grooves 1a, the traveling plate 1
A traveling body 2 that travels above is placed.

A drive mechanism for driving the traveling body 2 is driven by a motor 3 as a driving means, and is rotated via a reduction gear (not shown) to move the traveling body 2 in a straight traveling direction (a direction in which a guide groove extends). 4 and sprockets 6, 6 and the like, which are rotated by the drive of the motor 5 and engage with the guide grooves 1a of the traveling plate 1 to move the traveling body 2 in the left-right direction.

The driving wheel 4 is divided into two divided wheels 4a, 4b having rubber bands 4c, 4d on the outer periphery, and is slidable left and right with respect to the support shafts 7, 7, respectively. It is supported so that it becomes.

Therefore, when the traveling body 2 moves in the left and right direction by the rotation of the sprockets 6 while the rubber bands 4c or 4d of the divided wheels 4a or 4b are in contact with the traveling plate 1, This split wheel 4a or 4b
It moves on the support shaft 7 rightward or leftward.

For this reason, the traveling body 2 is also advanced in the left and right directions by the sprockets 6 and 6 while being advanced by the driving wheels 4, so that the traveling body 2 can skew on the traveling plate 1.

[0007] Examples of this type include those described in, for example, JP-A-2-92383.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional traveling body moving mechanism, the traveling plate 1 and the rubber band 4 are not provided.
The friction coefficient between the sprockets 6 and 6 and the guide grooves 1a of the traveling plate 1 when the traveling body 2 is laterally moved by the sprockets 6 and 6 is reduced due to deterioration of the rubber bands 4c and 4d. For example, when the frictional force in the straight traveling direction is generated during the driving, the driving wheels 4 may slip and the traveling distance of the traveling body 2 with respect to the rotation speed of the driving wheels 4 may not be constant.
For this reason, there is a problem that the accuracy of the moving distance in the main traveling direction is lacking.

In order to improve the accuracy of the moving distance in the main running direction, the driving wheel 4 is provided with an engaging groove to
It is also conceivable to form an uneven vertical rack or the like that meshes with the engaging groove of the drive wheel 4 on the upper side. In this case, when the vertical rack moves in the main running direction, There was a problem that it could not move because of contact with No. 6.

When the traveling body 2 moves in the left-right direction due to the rotation of the sprockets 6, 6, the divided wheels 4a or 4b of the driving wheels 4 move rightward or leftward while sliding on the support shaft 7. A sliding resistance is generated between the divided wheel 4a or 4b and the support shaft 7. For this reason, when the traveling body 2 moves in the left-right direction, an unnecessary load is applied to the motor 5 due to frictional resistance, which is not preferable.

Therefore, the present invention is to improve the accuracy of the traveling distance with respect to the rotation speed of the driving wheel and the laterally moving sprocket, and to minimize the resistance when the traveling body is moved in the left-right direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a driving mechanism for a traveling body that can be used.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and according to the first aspect of the present invention, a substantially planar traveling plate and a guide provided on the traveling plate are provided. Means, and a traveling body traveling on the traveling plate along the guide means, wherein the guide means forms a plurality of rack teeth at an equal pitch in a longitudinal direction, and a main traveling direction of the traveling body. In the direction perpendicular to the direction, a horizontal rack extending in the form of a ridge and a vertical rack configured by arranging a plurality of the horizontal racks at an equal pitch toward the main traveling direction are provided. A moving mechanism for a traveling body, wherein the traveling body includes a driving unit, and a plurality of engagement grooves that are rotationally driven by the driving unit and mesh with the vertical rack, are formed on a peripheral portion at regular intervals. And, by sliding contact with the running plate surface between the respective engagement grooves, A traveling wheel provided with a friction reducing portion for reducing friction when traveling in a direction, and having a length along a rotation axis that is rotationally driven by the driving means and that is larger than an interval between the vertical racks. In a state where the traveling body is moving in the main traveling direction, the traveling body is provided with a laterally moving sprocket that always meshes with any lateral rack while sliding between the rack teeth in the main traveling direction. The moving mechanism is characterized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the traveling body according to the first aspect, wherein the friction reducing portion has a barrel-shaped bearing disposed so as to be free to roll in the lateral direction. It features a mechanism.

According to the third aspect of the present invention,
In the traveling body, the traveling wheels are arranged in a plurality of columns along the main traveling direction, and in the driving unit, the engaging groove of any traveling wheel is located in one of the vertical racks. When the engagement groove of the one traveling wheel engages with any of the vertical racks, the friction reducing portion of at least one other traveling wheel is in contact with the traveling plate surface. The moving mechanism of the traveling body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the traveling wheels are shifted in phase and driven synchronously.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the friction reducing portion is set slightly higher than the outer peripheral line of the traveling wheel, so that one wheel meshes with one of the vertical racks. At this time, an outer peripheral line which meshes with the rack teeth of the horizontal rack at an avoidable height so as not to hinder the movement in the horizontal direction, and is slidable in the horizontal direction along the horizontal rack extending direction. The moving mechanism of the traveling body according to any one of claims 1 to 3 has a feature.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention,
A traveling plate having a substantially planar shape, guide means provided on the travel plate, and a traveling body traveling on the travel plate along the guide means, wherein the guide means extends a plurality of rack teeth in a longitudinal direction. Formed at equal pitch in the direction, in a direction orthogonal to the main running direction of the running body, a horizontal rack extending in the form of a ridge,
A moving mechanism for a traveling body provided with a plurality of horizontal racks and a vertical rack formed by arranging the lateral racks at an equal pitch, wherein the traveling body includes a driving unit, And a plurality of engaging grooves meshing with the vertical rack are formed on the peripheral portion at regular intervals, and between the respective engaging grooves, sliding contact with the running plate surface allows the vehicle to travel in the lateral direction. Sometimes, a traveling body moving mechanism having a traveling wheel provided with a friction reducing unit for reducing friction is characterized.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of engaging grooves are formed on the peripheral portion at regular intervals, and a sliding contact is made between the engaging grooves with the running plate surface. It is characterized by running wheels provided with a friction reducing portion for reducing friction when running in the lateral direction.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention,
7. The traveling wheel according to claim 6, wherein the friction reducing portion has a barrel-shaped bearing disposed so as to be freely rollable in a direction orthogonal to the wheel rolling direction.

[0019]

According to this means, in the invention described in claim 1, the vertical rack of the guide means has a plurality of rack teeth formed at equal pitches in the longitudinal direction, so that the main traveling direction of the traveling body is And a plurality of horizontal racks extending at a constant pitch in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

The vertical rack is rotationally driven by the driving means while being engaged with the engaging groove of the traveling wheel.
It is possible to improve the accuracy of the traveling distance with respect to the rotation speed of the traveling wheel without slipping.

When the traveling body is moving in the main running direction, the laterally moving sprocket slides between the rack teeth formed on these horizontal racks in the main running direction. Therefore, the sprocket for lateral movement does not come into contact with the vertical rack constituted by the horizontal rack, can move smoothly, and can improve the accuracy of the traveling distance in the main traveling direction with respect to the rotation speed of the traveling wheel. Things.

When moving in a lateral direction orthogonal to the main running direction, the laterally moving sprocket is driven by a driving means, and according to the rotation speed of the laterally moving sprocket,
Move a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction. Since the lateral movement sprocket has a length in the direction along the rotation axis that is larger than the interval between the lateral racks constituting the vertical rack, even when moving in the main traveling direction, any one of the lateral movement sprockets is always used. It is meshed with the rack teeth of the rack. For this reason, the traveling body moves a predetermined distance in the lateral direction according to the rotation speed of the lateral movement sprocket, so that the accuracy of the traveling distance in the lateral direction is good.

When the traveling body is moving in the lateral direction, the friction reducing portion of the traveling wheel slides on a substantially planar traveling surface formed between the plurality of lateral racks,
Support the running body. Since the friction reducing section is configured to reduce friction when traveling in the lateral direction, the frictional resistance accompanying the lateral movement of the traveling body is small, and the traveling body is smoothly moved in the lateral direction. Move.

For this reason, the traveling body can simultaneously perform forward / backward and left / right movements by the traveling wheels and the lateral movement sprockets, and can perform skew by combining these movements. It can move freely in the two-dimensional plane above.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the friction reducing portion has a barrel-shaped bearing disposed so as to be freely rollable in the lateral direction. The resistance when moving to is minimized.

Further, in the invention described in claim 3,
In the traveling body, the traveling wheels are arranged in a plurality of columns along the main traveling direction, and in the driving unit, the engaging groove of any traveling wheel is located in one of the vertical racks. When the engagement groove of the one traveling wheel engages with any of the vertical racks, the friction reducing portion of at least one other traveling wheel is in contact with the traveling plate surface. Then, synchronous driving is performed by shifting the phase of each traveling wheel.

For this reason, since the friction reducing portion of any one of the traveling wheels is always in contact with the traveling plate surface, if the contact portion supports the weight of the traveling body, the traveling portion may not move when moving in the lateral direction. Friction is reduced and smooth movement is possible.

In addition, the running body does not move up and down, and the meshing between the rack teeth formed on the horizontal rack and the sprockets for horizontal movement is always kept constant at a predetermined interval. In this case, it is possible to smoothly move in the main running direction and the lateral direction.

[0029] In the invention described in claim 4,
The outer peripheral line of the friction reducing portion is set slightly higher than the outer peripheral line of the traveling wheel, so that when one wheel meshes with any of the vertical racks, the rack teeth of the horizontal rack are moved in the horizontal direction. In order not to hinder the movement of the horizontal rack, the gears are engaged at a height that can be avoided, and are slidable in the horizontal direction along the horizontal rack extending direction.

Therefore, even when the engaging groove of one wheel is engaged with the vertical rack and is advanced in the main running direction, the engaging groove avoids the rack teeth of the horizontal rack,
For example, it is possible to smoothly move in the lateral direction by rotating and driving the sprocket for lateral movement, and also it is possible to perform a smooth skew movement.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the traveling wheels are provided with a friction reducing portion for reducing friction when traveling in the lateral direction, so that the traveling wheels can travel smoothly in the lateral direction with a small driving force. You can move your body.

[0032] In the sixth aspect,
Since the plurality of engagement grooves are formed at a peripheral portion at regular intervals, a traveling distance according to the number of revolutions can be obtained in the main traveling direction, which is the rolling direction of the traveling wheel.

Further, the friction reducing portion provided between the engaging grooves is brought into sliding contact with the surface of the traveling plate to reduce friction when traveling in the lateral direction, so that it can be smoothly moved in the lateral direction. Can be done.

Further, according to the present invention, when the barrel-shaped bearing moves in the main running direction, the outer peripheral line slides on the running plate surface, so that friction is generated and the running wheel is moved. Can be moved by rotating.

During the lateral movement, the barrel-shaped bearing in contact with the traveling plate rotates around the axis with respect to the traveling wheel. Therefore, the traveling wheels can be moved more smoothly in the lateral direction.

[0036]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the construction will be described. The traveling body moving mechanism of this embodiment mainly comprises a traveling plate 8 and a traveling body 9 traveling on the traveling plate 8.

A guide means 12 having a vertical rack 10 and a horizontal rack 10a is formed on the traveling plate 8 shown in FIG.

The vertical rack 10 is composed of a plurality of horizontal racks 10a arranged at an equal pitch in the main traveling direction of the traveling body 9. The horizontal rack 10a has a long flat plate shape, and is provided with a base that mainly engages with an engagement groove 13a described later. A plurality of upwardly projecting rack teeth 10b are formed at equal pitches in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface of the base, and have a ridge shape. Reference numeral 11a denotes an engagement groove formed between the rack teeth 10b. The height of the bottom surface of the engagement groove 11a, that is, the height of the base upper surface is
It is formed to be slightly higher than the height of the other running plate 8 surfaces.

The rack teeth 10b are formed so as to protrude further upward from the bottom surface of the engagement groove 11a.

The rack teeth 10b of the horizontal rack 10a of this embodiment are formed such that the front and rear side surfaces 10c in the arrangement direction are formed as vertical surfaces, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the side surface 10c may be formed in a curved shape similar to the tooth surface shape on both sides in the arrangement direction of the plurality of horizontal racks 10a. That is, the side surface 10c may have a tooth surface shape using an involute curve.

Next, the traveling body 9 will be described.

The traveling body 9 mainly includes a traveling body main body 9a,
The traveling body 9a is disposed on both sides of the traveling body 9a and is engaged with the vertical rack 10 to move the traveling body 9a to the vertical rack 10.
, A motor 14 and a reduction gear unit 15 as one of driving means for rotating and driving the traveling wheel 13, and the traveling body 9a is meshed with the lateral rack 10a to move the traveling body 9a in the horizontal direction. Sprockets 28 and 29 for moving in the direction in which the rack 10a extends, and a motor 1 as one of driving means for driving the sprockets 28 and 29 to rotate.
7 and a reduction gear section 18.

The traveling body 9a constitutes a rectangular parallelepiped outer frame having upper and lower openings by sandwiching the front and rear walls 9b and 9c and the mounting member 9g between the left and right side walls 9d and 9e.

A front running module M1 is provided on substantially the front half of the running body 9a, and a rear running module M having substantially the same structure as the front running module M1 is provided on substantially the rear half.
2 are provided respectively.

That is, both side walls 9 of the traveling body 9a
d and 9e have two rotating shafts 19 and 19 projecting sideways.
Are attached at intervals in the longitudinal direction.

A traveling wheel 13 and a driven gear 20 fixed to the traveling wheel 13 are rotatably disposed on the rotating shaft 19, and a part of the front traveling module M1 is used for traveling on the left and right sides of the front traveling module M1. The wheels 13 and the driving means form a part of the rear traveling module M2 into two rear right and left traveling wheels 1.
3 and the driving means are mainly constituted.

First, the front running module M1 will be described. In a peripheral portion of each of the left and right traveling wheels 13, 13 of the front traveling module M1, a plurality of horizontal racks 10a which constitute the vertical rack 10 on the traveling plate 8 at 90 ° intervals, and engagement grooves which are sequentially engaged by rotation. .. Are formed at predetermined intervals of four each.

As shown in FIG. 2, the size of the engagement groove 13a is such that the entire engagement of the horizontal rack 10a is repeated from above the rack teeth 10b which are the most protruding portions of the horizontal rack 10a. The rack teeth 1 of the horizontal rack 10a are removed so that the traveling wheels 13 rotate.
It is formed to have an inner edge line that is slightly larger than the outer edge line of the 0b formation portion.

A friction reducing portion is formed between the engagement grooves 13a. In this friction reducing portion, a barrel-shaped bearing 21 is provided rotatably about a pin 21a as a shaft, which is disposed along a tangential direction of an outer peripheral circle of the traveling wheel 13 as a rotation center.

The outer peripheral line of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 is slightly higher than the height of the peripheral surface of the traveling wheel 13 and
They are formed with substantially the same curvature. The direction of rotation of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 is a direction perpendicular to the rolling direction of the traveling wheel 13.

As described above, the outer peripheral line of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 is set slightly higher than the outer peripheral line of the traveling wheel 13, so that the engagement groove 13 a of one traveling wheel 13 is moved to one of the vertical racks. When engaging with the horizontal rack 10
a so as not to hinder the lateral movement of the rack teeth 10b at a height that can be avoided so as to reduce the frictional resistance generated between each rack tooth 10b... and the engaging groove 13a. Thereby, it is configured to be able to slide smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 3, the motor 14 as a driving means is provided on the right side wall 9e with a mounting member 9f.
Is fixed through. A pinion gear 22 is provided on a motor shaft of the motor 14.
Is meshed with a reduction gear 24 that drives the drive shaft 23 to rotate.

Then, at the tip of the drive shaft 23,
A drive gear 25 meshing with the driven gears 20 is provided so that the rotation of the drive shaft 23 is transmitted to the traveling wheels 13. The pair of driven gears 2
As shown in FIG. 2, the meshing positions 0 and 20 are set such that the phases of the running wheels 13 and 13 are shifted by 45 ° and mesh with each other.

For this reason, the pair of front and rear traveling wheels 13 of the front traveling module M 1 are rotated by the rotation of the drive gear 25 when the engagement groove 13 a of one traveling wheel 13 engages with the vertical rack 10. The outer peripheral line of one barrel-shaped bearing 21 of the other traveling wheel 13 is synchronously rotated so as to abut on the traveling plate 8.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a motor 17 as one of the driving means is provided at a substantially central position of the traveling body main body 9a with a motor case fixed to the mounting member 9g. I have. The motor shaft of the motor 17 includes
A pinion gear 26 is provided, and forms a reduction gear section 18 together with the reduction gear group 18a. A rotating shaft 27 rotatably supported between the front and rear side walls 9b and 9c.
The rotation drive of the pinion gear 26 is connected to the rotation shaft 27 via the reduction gear group 18a.

At the front and rear ends of the rotary shaft 27, there are provided substantially columnar lateral movement sprockets 28 and 29 which mesh with the respective rack teeth 10b of the horizontal rack 10a provided on the traveling plate 8. Have been.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting edges of the sprockets 28, 29 are located between any of the rack teeth 10b, 10b while the traveling body 9 is placed on the traveling plate 8 surface. In addition, it is disposed so as to be close to the bottom of the engagement groove 11a without contact.

Each of the sprockets 28, 29 has a length along the rotation axis which is larger than the interval between the horizontal racks 10a, 10a constituting each of the vertical racks 10.

That is, in a state where the traveling body 9 is moving in the main traveling direction, the main traveling is carried out in the engagement groove 11a formed between the rack teeth 10b, 10b with the tooth tip approaching the bottom surface. So that it always overlaps with and engages with any of the horizontal racks 10a while sliding in the direction
The horizontal rack 10 adjacent to the horizontal rack 10a on the traveling plate 8
The length is set to be slightly longer than the gap with a.

The motors 14, 14, and 17
As shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 111 and each driver 11
4, 114, and 117 are connected to a controller including a power supply, and the rotational drive thereof is controlled.

The rotational driving force of the motor 17 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 27 via the reduction gear group 18a, and simultaneously rotates the laterally moving sprockets 28 and 29 in the same direction. The rotating sprockets 28 and 29 are engaged with the rack teeth 10b formed on one of the horizontal racks 10a to move the traveling body 9a in the horizontal direction.

The rear traveling module M2 has substantially the same configuration as the front traveling module M1.
Some symbols in FIGS. 1 to 3 and descriptions thereof are omitted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

Now, when the running wheels 13, 13 are driven to rotate in the main running direction, which is the direction in which the vertical racks 10 of the running plate 8 are arranged, by the driving of the motor 14, the horizontal racks 10 a, 10 a The traveling wheels 13 move the traveling body 9 in the main traveling direction while rolling on the traveling plate 8 exposed on the surface side from the gap between the strips.
The outer peripheral line of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 of the traveling wheels 13 is in contact with the traveling plate 8 surface exposed from the surface between the lateral racks 10a. At this time, a predetermined frictional force is generated between the outer peripheral line of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 and the surface of the traveling plate 8 to move the traveling body 9 in the main traveling direction.

Next, the rolling of the traveling wheels 13 further proceeds,
When the phase advances by about 45 °, the pair of running wheels 1
3 and 13 are engaged with the vertical rack 10.
The traveling body 9 is connected to the vertical racks 10 while alternately meshing with the projecting ridges of the horizontal racks 10a, 10a.
Move in the array direction.

At this time, the running wheels 13, 13 are
As shown in FIG. 3, the phase is shifted by 45 ° and the synchronous rotation is performed, so that any one of the engaging grooves 13a, 13a of the front and rear traveling wheels 13, 13 can be operated at any rotational angle of the traveling wheel 13. The mating groove 13a always meshes with one of the lateral racks 10a protruding from the running plate 8.

Therefore, unlike the conventional driving mechanism for a traveling body, there is no slippage in the movement in the main traveling direction. Therefore, the traveling body 9 can be reliably moved in the main traveling direction by an amount corresponding to the number of rotations of the traveling wheels 13.

That is, when a stepping motor or the like is used as the motor 14, the number of pulses of the traveling wheel 13 is determined in advance by the number of pulses input to the motor 14, and the traveling distance can be controlled. The body 9 can be accurately moved to the target position. For this reason,
Since there is no need to provide a moving distance sensor or the like for measuring the moving distance and perform feedback control, it is possible to suppress the manufacturing cost.

The rack teeth 10b... Formed on the lateral rack 10a are such that the inner peripheral line of the engaging groove 13a of the traveling wheel 13 is larger than the outer peripheral line of the rack teeth 10b.
Since the vertical rack 10 is formed so as to be slightly large, the vertical rack 10 straddles the traveling wheels 13 together with the rack teeth 10b, and the traveling wheels 13
It does not hinder rolling.

When the traveling body 9 is moving in the main running direction, as shown in FIG. 5, the space between the rack teeth 10b and 10b formed on these horizontal racks 10a is moved laterally in the main running direction. The cutting edges of the sprockets 28 and 29 slide.

The traveling body 9 is provided with the barrel-shaped bearing 2.
Since any one of 1... Always contacts the running plate 8 surface,
As shown in FIG. 5, the gap between the rack teeth 10b formed on the horizontal rack 10a and the laterally moving sprockets 28 and 29 does not move up and down and is always kept constant, and is in a point contact state. The sliding contact resistance due to the sliding movement is slight. Also in this point, the traveling body 9 smoothly moves in the main traveling direction.
Can move.

For this reason, the laterally moving sprockets 28, 2
9 can move smoothly without contacting the vertical rack 10 constituted by the horizontal racks 10a, 10a, and can improve the accuracy of the traveling distance in the main traveling direction with respect to the rotation speed of the traveling wheel 13. You can do it.

When the sprockets 28 and 29 are driven to rotate by the motor 17 via the pinion gear 26, the reduction gear 18a, and the rotating shaft 27, the traveling body 9a moves the horizontal rack 10a. It is moved in the horizontal direction, which is the arrangement direction.

At this time, even if the traveling wheels 13, 13 are rolling, the barrel-shaped bearing 21 of at least one traveling wheel 13 of the front traveling module M1 and at least one traveling wheel of the rear traveling module M2. Since the 13 barrel-shaped bearings 21 abut on the traveling plate 8 exposed from between the horizontal racks 10a and 10a and support the traveling body 9, the resistance when the vertical rack 10 moves in the extending direction is reduced. And the rolling resistance about the pin 21a of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 as the center of rotation, and the driving mechanism of the conventional traveling body drives the traveling body 9 with a smaller resistance than the sliding resistance generated between the driving wheel and the support shaft. It can be skewed or moved horizontally.

The laterally moving sprockets 28 and 29 are
Each of the horizontal racks 10a, 10a constituting the vertical rack 10
Since it has a length in the direction along the rotation shaft 27 that is larger than the interval therebetween, it is always engaged with the rack teeth 10b of any of the horizontal racks 10a even during movement in the main running direction.

The traveling body 9 is provided with the barrel-shaped bearing 2.
Since any one of 1... Always contacts the running plate 8 surface,
The meshing between the rack teeth 10b formed on the horizontal rack 10a and the sprockets 28 and 29 for horizontal movement does not move up and down and is always kept constant as shown in FIG. Can move sideways.

Therefore, the traveling body 9 is accurately moved in the lateral direction according to the rotation speed by the rotational driving of the driving motor 17, so that the traveling distance in the lateral direction is highly accurate.

The engaging grooves 13a, 13a formed in the running wheels 13 are provided with the rack teeth 10 of the horizontal rack 10a.
Since it is formed so as to have an inner edge line slightly larger than the outer edge line of the b forming portion, it can slide smoothly in the lateral direction while engaging.

Further, in this embodiment, the outer peripheral line of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 is set slightly higher than the outer peripheral line of the traveling wheel 13, so that one wheel can be mounted on one of the vertical racks 10. When meshing with the protruding lateral rack 10a, the rack teeth 10b of the lateral rack 10a have a height that can be avoided so as not to hinder the movement in the lateral direction.
The horizontal rack 10a is slidable in the horizontal direction along the extending direction of the horizontal rack 10a at a small interval.

For this reason, the engagement groove 13 of one traveling wheel 13
a engages with the horizontal rack 10a protruding from the vertical rack 10 and advances in the main running direction, the engagement groove 13a straddles the projecting portion of the rack teeth 10b of the horizontal rack 10a. , You can move smoothly in the lateral direction,
In addition to the movement in the main traveling direction, a smooth skew movement is possible.

For this reason, the traveling body 9 is
By moving the front and rear and right and left by the lateral movement sprockets 28 and 29 at the same time and combining these movements, it is possible to perform skew, etc., and freely move in a two-dimensional plane on the traveling plate 8. You can do it.

In the traveling moving mechanism of this embodiment, the front and rear traveling modules M1 and M2 are arranged before and after the traveling body 9a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Only one traveling module M1 or M2 is used. It may be arranged on the traveling body 9a. Also in this case, since the barrel-shaped bearing 21 of at least one traveling wheel 13 is in contact with the traveling plate 8, the same resistance as in the case where the two barrel-shaped bearings 21 and 21 are in contact is provided with a small resistance. The traveling body 9 can be moved obliquely or laterally.

Further, in the conventional traveling body moving mechanism, when the drive wheel reaches the end of the supporting shaft and abuts against the side wall of the traveling body supporting the supporting shaft, the driving wheel further moves left and right. Since the drive wheels cannot slide, the movement of the traveling body in the lateral direction is restricted.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the barrel-shaped bearing 21 rolls in the horizontal direction, which is the direction in which the horizontal rack 10a is disposed, the movement of the traveling body 9 in the horizontal direction is not restricted. It is possible to reliably move on the traveling plate 8 only in the direction in which the horizontal rack 10a is disposed.

In the drive mechanism of the traveling body 9 of this embodiment, the traveling body 9 can smoothly move not only in the main traveling direction but also in the lateral direction in which the horizontal rack 10a is disposed. Losses can be minimized. For this reason, it became possible to reduce the size and weight of the driving means.

Further, a model of a horse in a horse racing game is placed on a running surface provided above the running body 9 as a running model,
The model of the horse and the running body 9 are attracted to each other by magnetic force, and the like.
When the model of the horse is made to follow the movement of the traveling body 9, the model of the horse is prevented from moving in the front-back, skew, and left-right directions on the running surface without being restricted by the track. Since it moves smoothly and reaches the target position reliably, it is possible to create a sense of presence closer to the actual behavior of the horse.

Since a plurality of engagement grooves 13a are formed in the peripheral portion of the traveling wheel 13 at regular intervals, the main traveling direction, which is the rolling direction of the traveling wheel 13, The traveling distance according to the number of revolutions is reliably obtained.

Further, when the barrel-shaped bearing 21 provided between the engagement grooves 13a, 13a moves in the main running direction, the outer peripheral line slides on the surface of the running plate 8, so that friction is generated. By rotating the traveling wheel 13, it becomes possible to move.

Further, when moving in the lateral direction, the traveling plate 8
The barrel-shaped bearing 21 that comes into contact with the surface rotates about the pin 21 a with respect to the traveling wheel 13. Therefore, the traveling wheels 13 can be moved more smoothly in the lateral direction.

In the above embodiment, the vertical rack 10 is constituted by a plurality of ridge-shaped horizontal racks 10a, and the sprockets 2 are attached to the rack teeth 10b of the horizontal rack 10a.
Although the traveling body 9 is moved in the lateral direction by engaging the gears 8 and 29, the movement of the vertical rack 10 in the extending direction is not performed by using the horizontal rack 10a and the sprockets 28 and 29. You may make it perform by a moving means.

In this case, the traveling body 9 is connected to the barrel-shaped bearing 13.
, Which are the main running directions, the horizontal racks 10a, 10a and the engaging teeth 13a, 13a of the running wheels 13 are arranged in the arrangement direction of the horizontal racks 10a,. The rack teeth 10b of the horizontal rack 10a can be moved accurately while being engaged.
.. Can be moved smoothly in the lateral direction, which is the direction in which. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to any transporting means that is required to reliably move in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction while accurately moving the relative position.

[0094]

As described above, according to the present invention, the traveling body is moved in the arrangement direction of the vertical racks while the engagement grooves of the traveling wheels are engaged with the vertical racks of the traveling plate. Can be reliably moved by an amount corresponding to the number of rotations of the traveling wheels, and it is possible to prevent an unnecessary load from being applied to the motor for driving the traveling wheels.

Therefore, the traveling body can be accurately moved to the target position by controlling the rotation speed of the traveling wheels by the driving means in advance. Moreover, according to the configuration of the present invention, it is easy to arrange a plurality of traveling bodies on the traveling plate and to move the plurality of traveling bodies independently.

When moving in the direction of disposition of the horizontal rack, the barrel-shaped bearing of at least one of the traveling wheels abuts on the traveling plate to support the traveling body even if the traveling wheels are rolling. As a result, the traveling body can be smoothly moved obliquely or laterally. For this reason, it has become possible to minimize the energy loss of the driving means and reduce the size and weight of the driving means.

Further, when the running model is caused to follow the running body, the running model smoothly moves back and forth, skew, and left and right in a predetermined running distance, so that the running model reliably reaches a target position. It is possible to create a sense of reality closer to actual behavior.

Further, since the traveling body is supported by the barrel-shaped bearing, it can be smoothly moved in the direction in which the rack teeth extend while moving accurately in the direction in which the rack teeth are arranged. Therefore, it is possible to apply the moving mechanism of the traveling body to any transporting means that is required to move with almost no resistance in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction while accurately moving the relative position. It has a practically useful effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a state in which a traveling body according to an embodiment of the present invention is moving on a traveling board.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an essential part showing a relationship between a traveling plate and traveling wheels in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the traveling body according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, showing a driving mechanism of the sprocket of the traveling body according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 3, showing a reduction gear portion of the traveling body according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating electrical connection according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an overall perspective view showing a state in which a conventional traveling body is moving on a traveling board.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 8 running plate 9 running body 10 vertical rack 10a horizontal rack 10b rack teeth 12 guiding means 13 running wheel 13a engaging groove 21 barrel bearing 28, 29 sprocket (sprocket for lateral movement)

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] A traveling plate having a substantially planar shape, guide means provided on the travel plate, and a traveling body traveling on the travel plate along the guide means; Are formed at equal pitches in the longitudinal direction, and a horizontal rack extending in a direction perpendicular to the main running direction of the running body so as to have a ridge shape; A moving mechanism for a traveling body provided with a vertical rack configured by arranging the traveling body at an equal pitch in the direction, wherein the traveling body is driven by a driving unit, and is rotationally driven by the driving unit. A plurality of engagement grooves meshing with the vertical rack are formed at a peripheral portion at regular intervals, and between the respective engagement grooves, by sliding contact with the running plate surface, friction during running in the lateral direction is reduced. A traveling wheel provided with a friction reducing portion for reducing And has a length in the direction along the rotation axis larger than the interval between the vertical racks, and slides between the rack teeth in the main running direction when the running body is moving in the main running direction. A moving mechanism for a traveling body, comprising: a laterally moving sprocket that always meshes with any lateral rack while moving. 2. The traveling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said friction reducing portion includes a barrel-shaped bearing disposed so as to be free to roll in said lateral direction. 3. The traveling body is provided with a plurality of traveling wheels arranged in tandem along a main traveling direction, and in the driving means, an engaging groove of any traveling wheel is provided in the longitudinal direction. When always engaging with any one of the racks, and when the engagement groove of the one traveling wheel engages with any of the vertical racks, at least the friction reducing portion of the other traveling wheel is in contact with the traveling plate surface. 3. The traveling body moving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the traveling wheels are synchronously driven with the phases of the traveling wheels shifted so as to be in contact with each other. 4. The friction reducing section is set slightly higher than the outer peripheral line of the traveling wheel, so that when one wheel meshes with any of the vertical racks, the rack teeth of the horizontal rack are adjusted. Each having an outer peripheral line that engages at a height that can be avoided so as not to hinder the movement in the lateral direction and that can slide in the lateral direction along the lateral rack extending direction. The moving mechanism for a traveling body according to claim 1. 5. A traveling plate having a substantially planar shape, guide means provided on the travel plate, and a traveling body traveling on the travel plate along the guide means. The rack teeth are formed at equal pitches in the longitudinal direction, and a horizontal rack extending in a direction perpendicular to the main running direction of the running body so as to have a ridge shape; A moving mechanism for a traveling body provided with a vertical rack configured by disposing the driving body, wherein the traveling body is driven to rotate by the driving means and meshes with the vertical rack. A plurality of engagement grooves are formed at a peripheral portion at regular intervals, and between the respective engagement grooves, by slidingly contacting the running plate surface, a friction reducing portion that reduces friction when traveling in the lateral direction. And a traveling wheel provided with the traveling body. 6. A plurality of engagement grooves are formed at a peripheral portion at regular intervals, and a friction between the respective engagement grooves is reduced by slidingly contacting a running plate surface during running in a lateral direction. A traveling wheel provided with a friction reducing portion for causing the traveling wheel to rotate. 7. The traveling wheel according to claim 6, wherein said friction reducing portion has a barrel-shaped bearing disposed so as to be freely rollable in a direction orthogonal to the wheel rolling direction.