JP3231818B2 - Actuator and object transfer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is a remote control actuator, in fields such as micro-robot, Accession used in conveying apparatus of a paper feed mechanism and toner for wireless drive
The present invention relates to a tutor and an object transport device .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a paper feed mechanism or a transport mechanism in a toner supply device, a method of controlling by driving a piezoelectric element or a method of controlling the drive by using an electrostatic force are generally performed. All of these driving methods using piezoelectric elements and electrostatic force are controlled by electrical wiring.However, in recent years, a method of transmitting energy by a wireless method, that is, a method of transmitting driving energy to a medium in the form of electromagnetic waves. Development of a method of driving by propagating through the inside is progressing. For example, as one example, "A HI
GH-CURRENT IrOx THIN-FILM NEUROMUSCULAR MICROSTIMU
LATOR ", Tech.digest, 6th Interna
nation Conference on Solid-State Sens-ors and Actu
ators (Transducers'91), June 23-27, 1991, pp.124-
127. Specifically, a coil (antenna for generating electromagnetic waves), a capacitor, a C-MOS,
The present invention relates to a prototype of a 1.5 × 9 mm implantable microneural muscle stimulator having electrodes and the like and describes basic research and development of process technology. Another example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-9272.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-1997, the present invention relates to a pressure sensor that irradiates a resonance vibrator made of a semiconductor element with a laser beam for excitation and causes the resonance vibrator to resonate by thermal stress generated thereby to obtain vibration. There is. Further, as a means of transmitting energy on a larger scale than these, development of launching a giant solar cell satellite in outer space and transmitting energy to the earth by electromagnetic waves from this solar cell satellite is being steadily advanced.

[0003]

As described above, a transport mechanism such as a paper feed mechanism, in particular, a microactuator is generally driven by an electrostatic force or a piezoelectric element. However, these require electrical wiring for power supply and the like, and therefore, driving and movement of the device in a narrow tube or a very narrow area cannot be smoothly performed in practice, and the movement control thereof is difficult. In some cases, it is almost impossible. Therefore, in order to eliminate such inconvenience, there has been described in some of the above-described specific examples that there is a device that performs energy transmission by a wireless method. However, such a method of driving by a wireless method is currently limited to the development of a basic stage using prototypes including process research, and there are few examples that have reached a concrete practical stage such as a transport mechanism. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention , compression waves can be transmitted.
Resonate with a compressional wave of a certain frequency
Actuator having a pendulum and a container for accommodating the resonator
Wherein the resonator is connected to the resonator via a cantilever.
A vibrator located outside the container is attached,
The vibration of the vibrator is transmitted to the vibrator to vibrate .

[0005] The invention according to claim 2 is an invention according to claim 1.
In a actuator, the resonator is a compression wave of different frequency.
Types of resonators that resonate with each other
In each case, a transducer is attached via a cantilever.
You.

[0006] The invention according to claim 3 provides the invention according to claim 1.
Resonates with compression waves of the same frequency in the actuator
A plurality of resonators and a cantilever for each resonator
A vibrator is attached, and the plurality of vibrators are
It was arranged outside of the container so as to be called .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention , the resonator is housed.
A container is formed on the surface, and left outside the container at regular intervals.
Place an object on the transducers arranged symmetrically to the right, and
Is conveyed by the vibration of the vibrator.
Item 3. An object transfer device using the actuator according to Item 3.
You.

[0008] The invention according to claim 5 provides the invention according to claim 2.
In the actuator, the compression waves of different frequencies
It has multiple types of resonators that resonate, one for each resonator.
Actuator with vibrator mounted via beam
And connected to a resonator that resonates at a first frequency.
A vibrator is placed on one side of the container and different from the first frequency.
A resonator connected to a resonator that resonates at a second frequency
To the other side of the container at the same frequency that resonates at the first frequency.
Arranged so that it is symmetrical to the transducer connected to the pendulum
And resonates at a third frequency different from the first and second frequencies.
Even number of resonators are arranged symmetrically in the container
Things.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention , the resonator is housed.
A container is formed on the surface, and left outside the container at regular intervals.
Place an object on the transducers arranged symmetrically to the right, and
Is conveyed by the vibration of the vibrator.
Item 5. An object transfer device using the actuator according to Item 5.
You.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium in which
In addition, since the driving energy can be transmitted to the vibrator via the resonator by the compression wave, it is not necessary to provide an electric wiring or a power supply source for energy transmission in the device itself as in the related art.

[0011] In the second aspect of the present invention, the medium
In this case, multiple kinds of resonators
Since drive energy can be transmitted to the vibrator , two-dimensional drive control can be performed without using electrical wiring.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the same frequency
Attached to multiple resonators that resonate with a number of compression waves
The transducers are arranged outside the container so that they are symmetrical.
There because, it is not necessary to provide the electrical wiring and the power source for the energy transfer to the device itself, thereby straight
It is possible to obtain a small one-dimensional self-moving object that can move on a line .

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the object can be moved in a straight line by placing the object on the vibrator.
Kill it becomes possible to obtain a one-dimensional transport device miniature.

[0014] In the invention according to claim 5 , one of the containers is provided.
On the other side, a resonator connected to a resonator that resonates at the first frequency
Place the moving element and on the other side of the container different from the first frequency
The resonator connected to the resonator that resonates at the second frequency
A resonator connected to the resonator that resonates at the first frequency
Place it so that it is symmetrical with the rotor, and
Resonantly at a third frequency different from the first and second frequencies
Since an even number of resonators are arranged, it is not necessary to provide an electric wiring or a power supply source for energy transmission in the device itself, whereby a two-dimensional self-moving object can be obtained.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, different peripherals are provided.
Oscillator attached to a resonator that resonates with compression wave of wave number
By placing the conveyed objects on, moving the object on a plane
It becomes possible to obtain a two-dimensional transport apparatus tiny.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, before starting a specific description of the wireless moving mechanism, a basic operation principle of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A drive system 2 is connected to the resonator 1. When a compression wave P is incident on the resonator 1 from the outside, a natural vibration is excited in the resonator 1.
As a result, the drive system 2 connected to the resonator 1
, The natural vibration is induced.
Therefore, by making the vibration mode of the drive system 2 a shape that generates a propulsion force, it is possible to take out the drive force obtained from the drive system 2 as the propulsion force. A one-dimensional self-moving mechanism that can be realized can be realized.

Next, a specific example of the one-dimensional self-moving mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. In this mechanism, a resonator 5 as a resonator is provided in a sealed spherical container 4, and a cantilever 6 is attached to one end of the resonator 5. A vibrator 7 as a resonance driving force generating means is connected to a tip of the cantilever 6. In this case, the container 4 and the resonator 5 form a moving body 8, and
The periphery of the vibrator 7 is filled with a medium 9.

In such a configuration, a natural wave is excited in the resonator 5 by causing the compression wave P having a certain frequency from the outside to be incident on the resonator 5 built in the moving body 8. A vibrator 7 connected to the resonator 5 via a cantilever 6 vibrates. In this case, the vibrator 7 scatters the medium 9 surrounding the vibrator 7 in accordance with the form of vibration of the vibrator 7 and at the same time excludes the medium 9 to the rear of the vibrator 7 (direction B). Vibrates. In this way, the vibrator 7 vibrates so as to remove the medium 9 backward, so that the moving body 8 moves with the propulsion force in the A direction. Accordingly, this makes it possible to realize a one-dimensional self-moving mechanism of the moving body 8 in the A direction. In addition, such a moving object is 1 mm by a so-called well-known micromachining technique.
It can be manufactured as follows.

As described above, by transmitting the energy by the compressional wave P from the outside, it is not necessary to provide the moving object itself with the wiring and the source for supplying the energy as in the related art. A one-dimensional self-moving mechanism can be realized. In addition, since such one-dimensional movement is considered to be a predetermined muscle path, it can be used as a micro robot for performing work in a thin tube. For example, a robot for cleaning a thin tube or a drug delivery robot Can be expanded to

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, before starting the specific description of the wireless moving mechanism, first, the basic operation principle of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The mechanism of FIG. 3 is configured by using a large number of the one-dimensional self-moving mechanisms of FIG. 1 described above. That is, each of the resonators 1a to 1
Drive systems 2a to 2n are connected to n, respectively. In this case, by inputting compression waves Pa to Pn having different frequencies from the outside, the resonators 1a to 1c having different natural frequencies are input.
1n vibrate at different frequencies. These vibrations of the resonators 1a to 1n are transmitted to the driving systems 2a to 2n, so that driving forces in different directions can be obtained. A dimensional movement control, that is, a two-dimensional self-moving mechanism can be realized.

Next, a specific example of the two-dimensional self-moving mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. This mechanism is the same as that of FIG.
This is an application of a three-dimensional self-moving mechanism. That is, two resonators 5a and 5b are provided in the container 4, and the resonators 7a and 7b are attached to the respective resonators 5a and 5b outside the cantilever beams 6a and 6b. ing. The surroundings of the vibrators 7 a and 7 b are in a state of being filled with the medium 9. Thus, the cantilever-shaped moving body 8 including the two resonators 5a and 5b and the vibrators 7a and 7b can be configured.

In such a configuration, compression waves Pa and Pb having different frequencies are incident on the two cantilever-shaped resonators 5a and 5b having different natural frequencies from the outside, so that the resonators 5a and 5b have different frequencies. 5b vibrates at different natural frequencies. Each of these resonators 5a, 5
The two vibrators 7a and 7b are independently vibrated with the vibration of b. By removing the surrounding medium 9 to the rear of the vibrators 7a and 7b by the vibrations of the vibrators 7a and 7b, a propulsive force can be generated in the X and Y directions on the opposite side as a result. Two-dimensional movement can be made possible.

As described above, it is possible to create a moving object that enables two-dimensional control without electrical wiring, thereby enabling a robot-like use to perform work in a fluid in a minute area. Becomes

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), a self-propelled device 11 as a moving body is placed on a base 10, and four vibrators 12 are mounted on both left and right side surfaces of the self-propelled device 11, respectively. Have been. These self-propelled devices 11
And the vibrator 12 constitute a self-moving object 13.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the vibrator 12 of the self-moving object 13 has a resonance mode in a direction (an arrow direction) having a certain angle with respect to a direction perpendicular to the base surface. In this case, the vibrator 12 of the self-moving object 13 is, for example, a prism having a length of 400 μm and a cross section of 10 μm × 10 μm.
It can be obtained by forming at intervals of μm.

In such a configuration, the self-moving object 1
For 3, the resonance frequency of the vibrator 12 (about 91 KHz when the material of the vibrator 12 is Si, and about 51 KHz when the material is Al)
When two compression waves P having the same frequency as above are applied from the outside, the vibrator 12 oscillates by hitting the base 10 obliquely downward as shown in FIG. 5B, whereby the self-moving object 13 self-moves in the X direction. Run.

Similarly, a vibrator 12 having a circular or square cross section is produced, and the vibrator 12 is excited at a frequency at which the horizontal and vertical vibrations are coupled to each other. The self-moving object 13 can cause the self-moving object 13 to run by causing an elliptical motion.

As described above, the provision of the self-moving object 13 eliminates the need for the self-moving object 13 itself to have an electric wiring or a power source for supplying energy, and thus a small one-dimensional self-moving mechanism. Can be realized.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, an elongated base 14 is formed on the base 10, and vibrators 12 are formed on both left and right sides of the base 4 at a constant interval. The vibrator 12 and the base 4
The transport object 15 is placed over the entire surface of the upper part. As shown in FIG. 6B, the vibrator 12 has a resonance mode in a direction (an arrow direction) having a certain angle with respect to a direction perpendicular to the base surface. By providing a large number of vibrators 12 on both sides of the base 14, the transport mechanism 16 can be realized.

In this configuration, when two compression waves P having the same frequency as the resonance frequency of the vibrator 12 are applied from the outside, the vibrator 12 vibrates obliquely upward as shown in FIG. 6B. . This makes it possible to transport the transport object 15 placed above the vibrator 12 in the X direction.

Further, the cross section of the vibrator 12 is formed in a circular or square shape so that the vibrator 12 is excited at a coupled frequency in the horizontal (parallel to the base surface) and vertical vibrations. Even so, the vibrator 12 can cause an elliptical motion, whereby the transport object 15 placed on the transport mechanism 16 can be transported.

As described above, the provision of the transport mechanism 16 eliminates the need for the transport mechanism 16 itself to have electrical wiring and a supply source for energy.
A three-dimensional conveying device can be obtained. More specifically, for example, it is possible to produce an ultra-small system with no accumulation of toner by incorporating it into a toner supply system or a collection system of a copying machine or the like.

In such a transport system, the motion of the vibrator 12 needs to be slightly out of phase in the transport direction (X direction).
It is possible to determine the distance between the transducers 12 for the wavelengths a and Pb.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, since the configuration is opposite to the configuration of FIG. 5 described above, the same reference numerals are used for the same portions. That is, first, in FIG. 7A, a vibrator 12 having a longer length is provided on both left and right side surfaces of the self-propelled device 11, and a straight-moving vibrator having a shorter length than the vibrator 12 is provided. 17 are provided. The self-propelled device 11, the vibrator 12, and the rectilinear vibrator 17 constitute a self-moving object 13. In this case, the two vibrators 12 provided on the right and left sides have different resonance frequencies on the left and right sides.

In such a configuration, the self-moving object 1
When a compression wave Pa having the same frequency as the resonance frequency of the left vibrator 12 is sent from the outside to the
As shown in FIG. 7B, vibration occurs as if the base surface is hit obliquely downward, whereby the self-moving object 13 self-propelled while rotating forward in the right direction. On the other hand, when a compression wave Pb having the same frequency as the resonance frequency of the right vibrator 12 is sent from the outside, the right vibrator 12 vibrates so as to hit the base surface obliquely downward, thereby causing the self-moving object 13 to move to the left. Self-propelled while rotating forward in the direction of. By controlling the frequencies of the compressional waves Pa and Pb in this way, the self-running direction can be controlled. Further, in the case of simply moving straight, the straight-moving vibrator 17 having the same resonance frequency on the left and right can be excited by the third compression wave having the same frequency to perform the straight-moving motion.

As described above, there is no need to provide the self-moving object 13 with electric wiring and a power source for supplying energy, and by separately controlling the left and right vibrators 12 having different resonance frequencies, a small-sized A self-moving object capable of two-dimensional movement can be obtained.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, since the configuration is opposite to the configuration of FIG. 6 described above, the same reference numerals are used for the same portions. That is, first, in FIG. 8A, the vibrators 12 having a resonance mode in a direction having a certain angle with respect to a direction perpendicular to the base surface are provided on both left and right sides of the base 14. These vibrators 12
The right and left sides have different frequencies. A linear oscillator 18 is attached between the oscillators 12. Thus, the vibrator 12 and the linear vibrator 1
8 constitutes the transport mechanism 16.

In such a configuration, the left vibrator 1
When a compression wave Pa having the same frequency as the resonance frequency 2 is given from the outside, the left vibrator 12 vibrates to strike the transport object 15 obliquely upward, thereby causing the transport object 15 to rotate forward in the right direction. Transport. On the other hand, when a compression wave Pb having the same frequency as the resonance frequency of the right vibrator 12 is given from outside, the right vibrator 12 vibrates to strike the transport object 15 obliquely upward, thereby moving the transport object 15 on the left side. It is transported while rotating forward in the direction. Further, by exciting the vibrator 12 having the same resonance frequency on the left and right sides with the compressional wave having the third common frequency, the transported object 15 can move straight.

As described above, the provision of the transport mechanism 16 eliminates the need for the mechanism itself to have electrical wiring and a power source for supplying energy, and separately controls the vibrators 12 having different resonance frequencies. Therefore, it is possible to realize the transport mechanism 16 capable of two-dimensional movement that is extremely small.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, compression waves can be transmitted.
Resonate with compression waves of a certain frequency in a medium
Actuator having a resonator and a container accommodating the resonator
A resonator, wherein the resonator is provided via a cantilever beam.
A vibrator located outside the container is attached,
Vibration of the pendulum is transmitted to the vibrator to vibrate
Therefore, in a medium, vibration is generated through a resonator by compression waves.
Since the driving energy can be transmitted to the rotor,
Necessary to provide an electrical wiring and power source for the energy transfer to the device itself as in the prior art that a no.

[0040] According to a second aspect of the invention, A of claim 1
In a actuator, the resonator is a compression wave of different frequency.
Types of resonators that resonate with each other
In each case, a transducer is attached via a cantilever.
Therefore, in a medium, multiple types of resonators
Drive energy to multiple types of transducers via the
It is possible to use a two-dimensional
It can perform a drive control and that Do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first aspect of the present invention.
Resonates with compression waves of the same frequency in the actuator
A plurality of resonators and a cantilever for each resonator
A vibrator is attached, and the plurality of vibrators are
Are arranged on the outside of the container as
Attached to multiple resonators that resonate with compression wave of wave number
Transducers are arranged outside the container so that they are symmetrical.
And for that, it is not necessary to provide the electrical wiring and the power source for the energy transfer to the device itself, thereby
It is possible to obtain a small one-dimensional self-moving object that can move on a straight line .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the resonator is housed.
A container is formed on the surface, and left outside the container at regular intervals.
Place an object on the transducers arranged symmetrically to the right, and
Is conveyed by the vibration of the vibrator.
Item 3 is an object transfer device using the actuator according to Item 3.
Therefore, by placing the object on the vibrator,
It is possible to obtain an ultra-small one-dimensional transport device that can move on a straight line .

The fifth aspect of the present invention provides the second aspect of the present invention.
In the actuator, the compression waves of different frequencies
It has multiple types of resonators that resonate, one for each resonator.
Actuator with vibrator mounted via beam
And connected to a resonator that resonates at a first frequency.
A vibrator is placed on one side of the container and different from the first frequency.
A resonator connected to a resonator that resonates at a second frequency
To the other side of the container at the same frequency that resonates at the first frequency.
Arranged so that it is symmetrical to the transducer connected to the pendulum
And resonates at a third frequency different from the first and second frequencies.
Since an even number of resonators are arranged symmetrically in the container, there is no need to provide electrical wiring or a power supply for energy transmission in the device itself. It is possible to obtain.

According to the present invention , the resonator is housed.
A container is formed on the surface, and left outside the container at regular intervals.
Place an object on the transducers arranged symmetrically to the right, and
Is conveyed by the vibration of the vibrator.
Item 5 is an object transfer device using the actuator according to Item 5.
So it is mounted on a resonator that resonates with compression waves of different frequencies
The object is placed on the vibrator
It is possible to obtain an ultra-small two-dimensional transport device that can move the image on a plane .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an operation explanatory view showing a basic operation principle mechanism of the invention described in claim 1;

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the invention described in claim 1;

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view showing a basic operation principle mechanism of the invention described in claim 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the invention described in claim 2;

FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view showing a configuration showing an embodiment of the invention according to claim 3, and FIG. 5 (b) is a side view thereof.

FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view showing a configuration showing an embodiment of the invention according to claim 4, and FIG. 6 (b) is a side view thereof.

7 (a) is a plan view showing a configuration showing an embodiment of the invention according to claim 5, and FIG. 7 (b) is a side view thereof.

8 (a) is a plan view showing a configuration showing an embodiment of the invention according to claim 6, and FIG. 8 (b) is a side view thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Resonator 2 Resonance drive force generation means 5, 5a, 5b Resonator 7, 7a, 7b Resonance drive force generation means 11 Moving body 12 Vibrator 15 Conveyed object

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Motomi Ozaki 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Junichi Takahashi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Company Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Horiguchi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company Limited (56) References JP-A-5-122961 (JP, A) JP-A-63-167682 ( JP, A) JP-A-4-112305 (JP, A) JP-A-5-58359 (JP, A) JP-A-5-330424 (JP, A) JP-A-3-3356 (JP, Y2) Patent 2980705 (JP, B2) Patent 2810549 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H02N 11/00 B65G 27/00 H04B 10/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] In a medium capable of transmitting compression waves,
A resonator that resonates with a compressional wave with a constant frequency, and this resonator
An actuator having a container for housing,
The resonator is located outside the vessel via a cantilever
A vibrator is attached, and the vibrator vibrates the vibrator.
An actuator characterized by transmitting vibration to the actuator. 2. The resonator resonates with compression waves having different frequencies.
Types of resonators, one for each resonator
The vibrator is attached via a beam.
The actuator according to claim 1. 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of compression waves resonating with compression waves having the same frequency
Vibration via resonator and cantilever for each resonator
Transducer is attached, the plurality of transducers become bilaterally symmetric
Characterized by being arranged outside the container as described above.
Item 7. The actuator according to Item 1. 4. A container for accommodating a resonator is formed on a surface,
Vibrations arranged symmetrically at regular intervals outside the container
An object is placed on the moving element, and this object is
Therefore, it is transported.
An object transfer device using a tutor. 5. Resonating with compression waves having different frequencies from each other.
It has multiple types of resonators, and each resonator has a cantilever
Actuator with a vibrator attached
A resonator connected to a resonator that resonates at a first frequency
Is located on one side of the container and a second frequency different from the first frequency
A resonator connected to a resonator that resonates at a frequency of 2
On the other side of the container, a resonator that resonates at the first frequency
Arranged symmetrically with the connected transducer,
And an even number resonating at a third frequency different from the second frequency
Resonators are arranged symmetrically in the container.
3. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein 6. A container for housing a resonator is formed on a surface,
Vibrations arranged symmetrically at regular intervals outside the container
An object is placed on the moving element, and this object is
Therefore, it is transported.
An object transfer device using a tutor.