JP2716814B2 - Balancing device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a balancing device capable of translating a relatively heavy object to a desired position with a small force and accurately holding the object.

(Prior Art) One of the devices capable of directly or indirectly attaching an object to a free end of an arm composed of a parallel crank whose one end is rotatably supported by a base plate and moving it to a desired position with a small force. One of them is a balancing device.For example, one end of a compression spring is fixed to each of a pair of links forming a parallel crank to balance the weight of the object at the tip of the arm and can lock the object in that position. That balances the weight applied to the lever connected to a part of the parallel crank with the weight of an object placed on a part of the parallel crank, and further pushes up the middle part of the link of the parallel crank with a hydraulic cylinder Some of them balance the weight of the object applied to the tip of the link.

In such a balancing device, it is necessary to hold the object moved to a predetermined position at the position, and a locking means for locking the movement of the arm is usually provided.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, a balancing device that locks a parallel crank at a predetermined position by using a spring force of a compression spring is limited to a relatively small one due to its configuration, and the weight is reduced. It cannot be applied to a certain object and has a drawback that its movable range is narrow.

On the other hand, in a locking device of a balancing device for handling heavy objects, a locking gear is fixed to a rotating member that supports one end of an arm, and a toothed portion of the gear is attached to a root portion of the gear. There is a structure in which the movement of the rotating member and, consequently, the arm is restricted by inserting a locking pin, but since the locking position is defined by the pitch of the tooth tips, it can be positioned at an arbitrary position. There is a drawback that you can not.

Further, there is a configuration in which the tightening band is pressed against the rotating member to lock the rotating motion. However, a sufficient tightening force cannot be obtained, and the positioning cannot be accurately performed at a desired position. There is.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a balancing device which can be accurately locked at an arbitrary position even with a heavy object and has excellent holding ability. And

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve this object, in the present invention, a rotating member rotatably supported by a supporting member, a base plate fixed to the rotating member, A pair of link members each having one end rotatably supported on the base plate, and a connection member rotatably supporting the other ends of the link members in parallel with each other;
At least a raising means directly or indirectly attached to the link member for raising the link member, and a locking means for locking the rotating member at a desired rotation position, wherein the locking means is a supporting member or a rotating member. A pair of lever members which are opposed to each other via the disk and whose intermediate portions are rotatably supported by a rotation shaft or a support member, and the disk which is fixed to one end of the lever members A pressing pad engageable with an edge of
It is provided between the other end of the lever member, and comprises a fluid pressure means which is expanded by supplying a pressurized fluid and presses the pressing pad against the edge of the disc, and an elastic member which returns the pressing pad to an initial position. It becomes.

(Operation) While lowering the parallel link that constitutes the arm,
By rotating the rotating member, the transport object directly or indirectly attached to the connecting member can be moved to a desired position.

Then, when holding the transported object at the desired position, when pressurized fluid is applied to the fluid pressure means constituting the locking means, one end of the pair of lever members supported at the intermediate portion has elasticity. The lever is expanded against the member, and the other ends of the lever members approach each other, so that the pressing pad disposed there is engaged with the edge of the disk, and the relative movement between the disk and the pressing pad is restricted. Will be done.

Therefore, the rotating member is restrained at the position, and the arm can be accurately held at the desired position, and the holding force varies widely according to the pressure applied to the fluid pressure means. Therefore, the present invention can be applied regardless of the weight of the object to be handled.

(Embodiment) Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a balancing apparatus 10 according to the apparatus of the present invention. The balancing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is attached to the other end of a support member 14 having one end fixed to a moving base 12 having wheels. As clearly shown, the shaft as the rotating member 20 is supported via the joint 18 provided with the bearing 16 so as to be rotatable around its axis. It is sufficient that the shaft 20 can rotate relative to the support member 14, and the bearing 16 can be directly disposed on the support member 14 to support the shaft. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

At the protruding end surface of the shaft 20 protruding from the end surface of the joint 16,
22 is integrally fixed. The base plate 22 has a rectangular flat plate-shaped bottom plate 24 directly connected to the fixed shaft 20, and a bottom plate 24.
Side plates 26, which are integrally fixed to the side walls of each of them and stand up in parallel and spaced apart from each other.

On the outer surface of each side plate 26, two sets of L-shaped support brackets 28, which are separated and parallel to each other, are arranged in the same straight line, and one end of each set of the pair of support brackets is connected. For example, it is fixed using a fastening bolt.

On the other hand, a shaft 30 is attached to the other end of each pair of support brackets 28 so as to penetrate them, and the shaft 30 rotatably supports the projecting pieces 32a of the pair of lever members 32, respectively. A torsion coil spring as an elastic member 34 is wound around the shaft 30, and the ends of each pair of lever members facing the joint 18 are separated from each other.

At the ends of the lever members 32 that are separated from each other by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 34, a pressing pad 36 is attached to each of the joints 18.
Are fixed to face each other via a disk 38 fixed to the end face of the base.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), at the other end of the pair of lever members 32 separated from the pressing pad 36,
Fluid pressure means 40 which extends in the axial direction by the supply of pressurized fluid
Is arranged. The fluid pressure means includes a cylinder element 40a movably supported via a respective connecting rod fixed to each lever member 32, and a piston element 40b closely fitted movably within the cylinder element. In other words, when a pressurized fluid is applied to the inside of the cylinder element through a supply / discharge hole formed in the cylinder element, one end of the connecting rod and, consequently, one end of the lever member is pressed away from each other.

Therefore, when the pressurized fluid is applied to the fluid pressure means 40 constituting the locking means 41, the pressing pad disposed on the lever member 32
36 is pressed against the surface of the disc 38, and the support member 14 is
The movement of the base plate 22 supported to be rotatable relative to the base plate 22 is restricted, so that the base plate 22 can be locked at a desired position.

In addition, the locking means can change the pressing force of the pressing pad against the disk by changing the applied pressure of the pressurized fluid applied to the fluid pressure means. In addition,
Reference numeral 42 denotes a locking pin fixed to the bottom plate 24, which defines a rotation range of the base plate 22 abutting on a not-shown locking piece fixed to the disk 38.

As shown in FIG. 1, the base plate 22 rotatably supports one end of each of a pair of link members 44a and 44b, while the other end of each of the link members is rotatable by a connecting member 46. To form an arm 48 which is a so-called parallel crank. Reference numeral 50 denotes a fluid pressure cylinder as an elevating means for elevating the arm 48, and a bottom plate 24 of the base plate 22.
To be fixed.

This will be described with reference to FIG. Each shaft 52a and 52b extending between the side plates 26, 26 is
Each of the end portions a and 44b is rotatably supported through one end thereof, and by supporting the link member using an appropriate bearing, a smoother rotational movement is ensured.

As shown in FIG. 3 (c), one link member 44b is connected via a bearing 56a to a shaft 56 extending between a pair of lifting plates 54 disposed parallel to the inside of the side plates 26, 26. To support.

The lifting plate 54 is formed with a horizontally long slot 54a that allows the link member 44b to pivot around the shaft 52b, as indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 3 (d), and is clearly shown in FIG. 3 (a). As described above, the lower end is connected to a shaft that extends between the limting plates and that is supported by a mounting bracket that is connected to the output shaft 50a of the hydraulic cylinder 50 as elevating means.

On the other hand, the output shaft of the hydraulic cylinder is
Longitudinal slots 26a are respectively formed along the direction of advance / retreat of 50a, and a pair of shafts 58a and 58b which are separated from each other via a link member 44b and penetrate the lifting plate 54 to reach the slots 26a. The roller 60 is fixed through a bearing to
The rollers 60 are respectively engaged with the corresponding slots 26a.

Therefore, when the pressurized fluid is supplied to and discharged from the fluid pressure means 50 to move the output shaft 50a back and forth, the engagement between the roller 60 fixed to the shafts 58a and 58b and the slot 26a causes the lifting plate 5 to move.
4 can be raised and lowered in parallel along the side plate 26, while the link member 44b connected to the shaft 56 that engages with the slot 54a formed in the lifting plate, and thus the arm 48 can be lowered. In the apparatus of this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in the guide roller via the mounting bracket
60 is attached to the side end surface, and the roller 60 is rolled along the side surface of the side wall 26 to thereby lift the lifting plate.
54 smooth lifting movements are ensured.

By the way, although the arm 48 can be lowered by supplying and discharging the pressurized fluid to and from the fluid pressure cylinder 50, in order to lock the arm at a desired raised position, in the present embodiment, the side wall is penetrated through the rearing plate 54. Axis 58a and 5 up to 26
One end of 8b is projected outward of one of the side plates, and the mounting bracket 62 is fixed to the projected portion. The mounting bracket 62 includes a flat plate portion 62a fixed to the shafts, an upright portion 62b fixed perpendicular to the flat plate portion 62a, and a connecting portion fixed to an end of the protruding portion and extending parallel to the side wall. 62
c. Therefore, the locking plate 64, which is integrally fixed to the connecting portion 62c and is spaced apart in parallel with the side wall 26, is provided with the slots 26a of the shafts 58a and 58b as the output shaft of the hydraulic cylinder advances and retreats.
Up and down in response to the movement along.

On the other hand, while another mounting bracket 65 is integrally fixed to the outer surface of the side wall to which the mounting bracket 62 is fixed,
Another fixing means 66 is provided on the mounting bracket 65.

This other locking means 66 is similar to the locking means already described,
A pair of opposing lever members 70 rotatably disposed on the mounting bracket 64 via a shaft 68, and pressing pads 72 disposed on one end of the lever members opposing each other via a locking plate 64. Fluid pressure means 74 disposed between the other ends of the lever members, and a torsion coil spring 76 for pressing the lever members so as to separate the pressing pads wound around the shaft 68 from each other. A locking plate 64 that moves up and down in relation to the output shaft of the cylinder 50 is locked at a desired lowering position of the arm 48 by being clamped by a pressing pad 72.

Further, in this embodiment, the supply of the pressurized fluid to the fluid pressure means 74 is interrupted, or even when the weight is reduced due to the removal of the transfer object, the lowering position holding device for securely locking the arm 48 to the lowering position. With 78.

The elevating position holding device 78 includes a mounting bracket 80 that projects from the slot 26a formed in the side plate 26, is fixed to the other ends of the shafts 58a and 58b, and can move up and down in parallel with the side plate 26, and the same side as the bracket 80. And a holding block 84 fixed to a mounting bracket and slidably supporting the guide rod.

The holding block 84 has a cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 4, and includes a main body portion 86 which is fixed to the mounting bracket 80 so as to face each other and through which the guide rod 82 passes, and a guide rod 82 formed in the main body portion 86. The working space 88 is penetrated, and a through hole having an inner diameter slightly larger than the guide rod 82 provided in the working space 88 is provided. The working space is sealed by the seals provided on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces. Actuator 90,
A locking member 92 having a through hole with an inner diameter slightly larger than the guide rod, a coil spring 94 provided toward the working space and pressing the locking member 92 in the direction in which the guide rod extends, and a coil spring 94 On the other hand, a projection 96 is provided, which is preferably diametrically spaced with respect to the locking disc and can abut against the actuating body 90.

When the pressurized fluid is applied through the supply / discharge hole 98 communicating with the operating space 88, the operating member 90 and the locking member 90 which are partially pressed against the projection 96 while being pressed by the coil spring 94 and in an inclined state. As a result of one of the members 92 being pushed up, the contact between the operating body and the locking body and the guide rod 82 is released.
Movement of the mounting bracket 80 along the 82 and thus the lifting plate 54 secured to the bracket is permitted.

On the other hand, when the application of the pressurized fluid to the working space 88 is interrupted, the coil spring 94 returns elastically and the locking body 92 and the working body 90 are returned.
Press. In this case, the locking body and the operating body are projected.
Since it abuts on 96, it is not pressed along the guide rod 82, and the operating body 90 engages with the surface of the abutment rod. Therefore, the movement of the mounting bracket 80 to which the holding block is fixed is restricted, and the lifting plate 54
Is constrained, the motion of the arm 48 associated therewith is also constrained, and is held at that position.

By the way, as a balancing device, the transfer object can be directly attached to the connecting member 46 constituting the arm 48, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Another arm 100 is provided so that the object can be transferred over a wider range.

That is, the arm 100 is connected to the connecting member 46 via a flange by a known fastening means, for example, a shaft fixed by a fastening bolt.
A sleeve 106 is rotatably mounted on the sleeve 102 via a bearing 104 and is integrally fixed to the sleeve.
The disk 108 is integrally fixed to the end surface of the sleeve 104 which is spaced apart from the end of the sleeve 104 such that the peripheral edge portion protrudes from the sleeve end.

In addition, a pair of inverted L-shaped mounting brackets 110 are separated from each other to the connecting member 46, and one end of each of the mounting brackets 110 is fixed, and the free end is rotatably supported by a sleeve 104 via a bearing. Locking means 112 for regulating the pivotal movement of the arm 100 is provided.

The locking means 112 has the same structure as the above-described locking means 41 and 66, and is wound around a pair of lever members 116 rotatably supported by a shaft 114 connecting the mounting bracket and a shaft 112. A torsion coil spring 118 that elastically presses the ends of the lever members 114 facing each other through the rotated disk 108 so as to approach each other, a pressing pad 120 disposed at the end of the lever member, and a pressing pad A fluid pressure means 122 disposed at the other end of the separated lever member.
By applying the pressurized fluid to the pressing pad 120, the pressing pad 120 is pressed against the peripheral edge of the disc against the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 118.

Therefore, the relative rotational movement between the shaft 102 and the sleeve 106 is restricted, and the arm 100 is locked at a desired position.

Briefly illustrating the operation of the balancing device shown in this embodiment,
The rotating member 20 shown in FIG. 2 is rotated relative to the supporting member 14 to a desired position, and the locking means 41 is operated to hold the rotating member 20 at the desired position.

Then, pressurized fluid is applied to the hydraulic cylinder 50 to set the arm 48 to a desired height, and the other locking means 66 shown in FIG. 3 is operated to hold the arm 48 at the desired height. In addition,
At this time, it is assumed that another locking means 112 shown in FIG. 5 is in the operating state and restrains the rotation movement of the other arm 100. However, after reaching the desired height, the locking means 11
By releasing the operation of 2, the arm 110 can be freely rotated while maintaining its height.

On the other hand, the return to the initial position is achieved by, for example, discharging the pressurized fluid from the fluid pressure means of the locking means 41 to release the engagement between the associated disc 38 and the pressing pad 36, and thereby recovering the rotation. The arm 48 may be returned to the initial height by returning the moving member 20 to the initial position and then discharging the pressurized fluid from the hydraulic cylinder.

The above-described operation is merely an example of the operation of the device described in the present embodiment, and is not limited to the procedure of the operation.

Further, if necessary, an arm and a locking means for regulating the movement of the arm can be provided, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of a balancing apparatus according to the present invention. FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are views each showing a part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (a) is a side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 (b) is a rear view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 (c) is a view of FIG. 3 (a). FIG. 3 (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC, FIG. 3 (d) is a view showing a part of the surface along the line DD in FIG. 3 (a), and FIG. FIG. 4 is a view of the device shown in FIG. 5A as seen from the direction of the line EE. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a device for holding the elevation position of the device shown in FIG. 1 in a partial cross section. FIG. 2 is a view showing another arm connected to the connecting member shown in FIG. 1 and a related locking means in a partial cross section. 10 balancing device, 12 moving table 16 coupling, 41, 66, 112 locking means 22 base plate, 44a, 44b link member 46 connecting member

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A rotating member rotatably supported by a supporting member, a base plate fixed to the rotating member, and a pair of link members each having one end rotatably supported by the base plate. A linking member for supporting the link members in parallel with each other at the other end so as to be rotatable, a lowering means attached directly or indirectly to the link member for raising and lowering the link member, and moving the rotating member to a desired rotational position. At least locking means for locking, the locking means being opposed to the disk fixed to the support member or the rotating member via the disk, and the respective intermediate portions being rotated by the rotation shaft or the support member. A pair of lever members movably supported,
A pressing pad fixed to one end of the lever member and engageable with an edge of the disk; and a pressing pad arranged between the other end of the lever member and extended by supply of a pressurized fluid to extend the pressing pad to the edge of the disk. And a resilient member for returning the pressing pad to an initial position.