JP3939573B2 - Motor actuator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a motor actuator that can be used as a drive source for a drain valve opening / closing mechanism of a washing machine, for example.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, as an example of a motor actuator that can be used as a drive source for a drain valve opening / closing mechanism of a washing machine, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-325295 according to the applicant's application is known. The invention described in this publication allows the rotational force of the motor to be transmitted as a rotational force in only one direction determined in advance by the one-way clutch mechanism, and transmits only the rotational force in one direction to the drain valve opening / closing operation unit. Like to do. When the drain valve is changed from the closed state to the open state, the one-way clutch mechanism transmits the rotational force in one direction of the output shaft to the drain valve so that the drain valve is fully opened before the dead point. The fully open state is maintained while being applied to the motor via the one-way clutch mechanism. When the drain valve is changed from the open state to the closed state, the motor is started again and the output shaft is rotated in one direction. After the dead point is exceeded, the load on the drain valve causes the one-way clutch mechanism to release the rotational force. Thus, the drain valve can be moved to the closed position by the load, the output shaft is rotated by the rotational driving force of the motor, and the motor is stopped when the output shaft rotates once.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The one-way clutch mechanism according to the prior art utilizes a frictional force generated by a tightening force of a coil spring to transmit a rotational driving force only in one direction. Therefore, there is a limit to the rotational driving force that can be transmitted, and it cannot be used for applications where a high load is applied. For example, when the motor actuator according to the above prior art is used as a motor actuator of a mechanism for turning on / off a brake of a centrifugal dehydrator incorporated in a washing machine, a high load is applied to a coil spring used in a one-way clutch mechanism. There is a problem that the coil spring is damaged.
[0004]
In addition, when the drive target is driven in one direction and then the drive target is returned to the original position, that is, for example, when the drain valve of the washing machine is returned from the fully open position to the fully closed position, the one-way is caused by the return force of the drain valve itself. When the coil spring that constitutes the clutch mechanism is loosened, the power transmission by the one-way clutch mechanism is released, and the drive object returns to its original position, the coil spring becomes a frictional resistance, and the return time to the fully closed position of the drain valve There is a drawback that it becomes slow.
[0005]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and can be driven in one direction without being damaged even if a driving target is subjected to a large load. An object of the present invention is to provide a motor actuator that can return smoothly when the object returns with the return force of the drive object itself.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotational force from the motor is transmitted to the rotating body having the output unit via the transmission mechanism, and the motor drives the rotating body against the external load connected to the output unit. in the actuator, the transmission mechanism engages the first engagement portion provided on the rotating body, has a transfer member having a second engaging portion for rotating the rotary body against the external load, the transmission The member is a gear coaxial with the rotating body, and has a tooth portion to which the rotational force from the motor is transmitted on the outer periphery, and the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engaged on the inner periphery. The second engaging portion has an engaging portion that pushes the first engaging portion to rotationally drive the rotating body, and the output portion is formed at a position spaced radially from the rotation center of the rotating body. In the first half of the rotation of the rotating body, the second engaging portion engages with the first engaging portion and the transmission portion It has a engagement section in which the rotary body is driven by the second half of which the rotating body is rotated 1, characterized in that the rotating body is rotated by an external load.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the second half of the rotation of the rotating body is a non-driven section by the motor, and the rotating body is transmitted by an external load in the non-driving section. The first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are separated from each other by rotating faster than the rotation of the member, and the first engaging portion precedes the second engaging portion. .
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the rotating body has a coaxial gear, and the first rotating portion and the second engaging portion are provided on the coaxial rotating body and the gear, respectively. The total size of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion in the rotational direction is 180 ° or less.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a speed control mechanism is connected to the rotating body.
[0010]
The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, it has a cam for detecting that the rotating body makes one rotation and a switch contact which is turned on / off by this cam.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a motor actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Although the application of the motor actuator according to the present invention is not limited to a specific application, the illustrated embodiment is configured as a motor actuator that opens and closes a drain valve of a washing machine.
[0012]
In FIG. 3, the motor actuator includes a ground plane 40, a middle ground plane 42, and an upper plane 46 that are coupled in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval, and the motor 10 that is a drive source is disposed on the lower surface side of the ground plane 40. It is fixed. The motor 10 has a stator and a rotor, and the rotor has an output shaft 12 integrally. The output shaft 12 passes through the ground plate 40 and reaches the middle ground plate 42, and is rotatably supported by an appropriate bearing. A small-diameter gear 14 is integrally formed on the output shaft 12 between the main plate 40 and the intermediate plate 42.
[0013]
Four shafts are supported between the main plate 40 and the middle plate 42, and a deceleration transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational force from the motor 10 to the output unit is incorporated in these shafts. As shown in FIGS. 1 (c), 2, and 3, the reduction transmission mechanism includes a large-diameter gear 16 and a small-diameter gear 18 that are integrally formed, a large-diameter gear 20 and a small-diameter gear 22 that are integrally formed, A large-diameter gear 24 and a small-diameter gear 26 that are integrally formed, and a large-diameter gear 28 and a small-diameter gear 30 that are integrally formed. The large-diameter gear 16 meshes with the small-diameter gear 14, and the small-diameter gear 18 and the large-diameter gear 20, the small-diameter gear 22 and the large-diameter gear 24, and the small-diameter gear 26 and the large-diameter gear 28 are meshed in this order. The small-diameter gear 30 meshes with a transmission member 32 that is a large-diameter gear. The speed reduction transmission mechanism is configured including the transmission member 32.
[0014]
The transmission member 32 is fitted to the lower part of the rotating body 34 so as to be rotatable relative to the rotating body 34. The rotation center of the transmission member 32 and the rotating body 34 is common, and therefore the transmission member 32 includes a gear coaxial with the rotating body 34. The rotating body 34 is rotatably supported at the lower end portion thereof by the base plate 40 and is rotatably supported at the upper portion thereof by the bearing portion of the upper plate 46. An output portion 38 is formed on the rotating body 34 at a position spaced apart from the center of rotation of the rotating body 34 in the radial direction on the upper surface side of the upper plate 46. The output unit 38 is connected to the drive target and drives the drive target. For example, the output unit 38 is connected to the drain valve opening / closing mechanism of the washing machine, and the drain valve is opened by half rotation of the output unit 38 and the drain valve is closed by the remaining half rotation. The output unit 38 and the drive target may be directly connected, or a connecting member is interposed between the output unit 38 and the drive target, and the rotational movement of the output unit 38 is converted into a linear reciprocating motion to drive the drive target. You may make it transmit force.
[0015]
As shown in FIGS. 1C and 2, in the fitting portion between the transmission member 32 and the rotating body 34, the first engaging portion 62 is in the radial direction at an opening angle of about 90 ° from the outer peripheral portion of the rotating body 34. It protrudes outward. On the other hand, from the inner peripheral surface of the transmission member 32, the second engaging portion 64 is formed to protrude radially inward at an opening angle of approximately 90 °. The first engagement portion 62 is within the rotation range of the second engagement portion 64, and the total size of the first engagement portion 62 and the second engagement portion 64 in the rotation direction is 180 ° or less. . When the motor 10 is activated, the transmission member 32 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIGS. 1B and 2, and the second engagement portion 64 of the transmission member 32 pushes the first engagement portion 62 to rotate. The body 34 is driven to rotate counterclockwise.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3, the rotating body 34 is integrally formed with a large-diameter gear 48 and a cam 66 between the center plate 42 and the upper plate 46. The cam 66 is for detecting that the rotating body 34 makes one rotation, and a recess is formed at a predetermined opening angle at one place on the outer peripheral edge. A distal end portion of a movable contact piece 68 bent in a V shape is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cam 66 by its elastic force. The cam 66 constitutes a switch 70 that is paired with a fixed contact piece that is in contact with and away from the cam 66. The switch 70 is turned on / off according to the cam surface of the cam 66. Specifically, when the tip of the movable contact piece 68 is in sliding contact with the concave portion of the cam 66, the switch 70 is turned off, and the tip of the movable contact piece 68 is slid on the other concentric arc portion of the cam 66. The switch 70 is configured to be on when in contact.
[0017]
The large-diameter gear 48 is connected to a speed control mechanism 60. The speed regulating mechanism 60 includes a small diameter gear 50 that meshes with the large diameter gear 48, a large diameter gear 52 that is formed integrally with the small diameter gear 50, a small diameter gear 54 that meshes with the large diameter gear 52, and a high speed integrally with the small diameter gear 54. It has a brake mechanism 56 that rotates and generates a braking force. The speed regulating mechanism 60 generates a braking force when the rotating body 34 tries to rotate at a high speed, and controls the rotation speed of the rotating body 34 to be constant. In particular, when the rotating body 34 returns to the original position, if the rotating body 34 and the driving object are instantaneously returned to the original position due to a load from the driving object, the driving object and the motor actuator may be damaged by the impact force. Therefore, high speed rotation of the rotating body 34 is suppressed by the action of the speed adjusting mechanism 60, and the returning of the rotating body 34 and the driving target to the original position is performed softly and smoothly. The operation of returning the rotating body 34 and the drive target to the original position will be described in detail later.
[0018]
Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 shows an operation mode of each part when the drain valve is closed. In FIG. 1A, when the rotation angle of the rotator 34 is 0 °, the position of the output unit 38 is the bottom dead center, the rotator 34 rotates 180 °, and the output unit 38 rotates to the position indicated by reference numeral 38A. The position at which this occurs is the top dead center. When the rotation angle of the rotator 34 is 0 °, a drain valve that is a driving target (not shown) is in the closed position. At this time, the movable contact piece 68 of the switch 70 falls into the recess of the cam 66 and the switch 70 is turned off. In FIG. 1B, a start switch (not shown) is pressed or a start control signal is output. The motor 10 is driven, the cam 66 is slightly rotated counterclockwise, the movable contact piece 68 is pushed, and the switch 70 is turned on. After the switch 70 is turned on, even if the start switch or the start control signal is turned off, the switch 10 is turned on to keep the motor 10 energized and the motor 10 maintains its rotation.
[0019]
As the motor 10 rotates, the reduction transmission mechanism from the small-diameter gear 14 to the transmission member 32 transmits the rotational force, and the transmission member 32 is driven to rotate counterclockwise as shown in FIG. There is a first engagement portion 62 of the rotating body 34 immediately before the rotation direction of the second engaging portion 64 of the transmission member 32, and the second engaging portion 64 pushes the first engaging portion 62 so that the rotating body 34 is shown in FIG. As shown in (a), it is rotated counterclockwise. As the rotating body 34 rotates, the output unit 38 moves toward the top dead center while drawing an arc. The drain valve connected directly or indirectly to the output unit 38 is loaded, and the output unit 38 is driven against the load, thereby opening the drain valve.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 4 (a), when the rotating body 34 is rotated by 160 ° (approximately half a turn) and comes to a position before the top dead center, the drain valve is fully opened. The energization is stopped and the rotation of the rotating body 34 is also stopped. The timing of stopping energization of the motor 10 may be controlled by a timer, or the rotation angle is detected by an encoder, or another switch (a recess in the example shown in the figure) is formed on the cam 66 and the switch 70 is turned on. You may make it turn off.
[0021]
Next, when drainage is completed and energization control for the motor 10 is performed again, the rotating body 34 starts rotating again as described above. When the output unit 38 moves together with the rotating body 34 and exceeds the top dead center, a force is exerted on the output unit 38 to push the output unit 38 back to the original position by the load of the drain valve. Thus, the rotating body 34 rotates counterclockwise toward the original position. Although the transmission member 32 continues to rotate counterclockwise due to the rotation of the motor 10, the rotational speed of the rotating body 34 due to the load of the drain valve is fast, so the first engagement of the rotating body 34 as shown in FIG. The joining portion 62 rotates in the clockwise direction ahead of the second engaging portion 64 of the transmission member 32, and the first engaging portion 62 and the second engaging portion 64 are separated from each other. The rotating body 34 moves the output unit 38 to near the bottom dead center as shown in FIG. 5A by the above rotation, and the drain valve is fully closed. Thereafter, the motor 10 continues to rotate, and when the transmission member 32 rotates almost once and the second engagement portion 64 of the transmission member 32 catches up with the first engagement portion 62 of the rotating body 34, the movable contact piece 68 is camped. The rotation of the motor 10 stops when the switch 70 is turned off by dropping into the recess 66.
[0022]
As described above, when the rotating body 34 is returned to the original position by the load of the drain valve, the return speed is suppressed by the above-described speed control mechanism, and the rotating body 34 can be smoothly moved to the original position without damaging the drain valve or the motor actuator. The drain valve can be returned to the fully closed state smoothly.
[0023]
When the motor 10 is energized to drain again, the rotating body 34 is driven to rotate counterclockwise by the rotation of the motor 10, and the switch 70 remains after the output unit 38 has passed the bottom dead center as shown in FIG. Is turned on, the rotation of the motor 10 is maintained, and the drain valve is opened as described above.
Thus, in the first half of the rotation of the rotating body 34, the second engaging portion 64 is engaged with the first engaging portion 62, and the rotating member 34 is driven by the transmission member 32. This is an engaging section in which the portion 64 and the first engaging portion 62 are engaged. The second half of the rotation of the rotator 34 is a non-drive section of the rotator 34 by the motor 10, and this non-drive section is rotated by a load such as a drain valve where the rotator 34 is an external load. In addition, the second engaging portion 64 and the first engaging portion 62 are separated from each other.
[0024]
According to the embodiment described above, since the drive target is driven by the chasing mechanism of the transmission member 32 and the rotating body 34, the drive target is driven via the one-way clutch mechanism using a spring as in the prior art. As in the motor actuator described above, driving a driving object with a high load eliminates the problem of damaging the one-way clutch mechanism, and it is possible to drive a driving object with a high load.
[0025]
Further, when the object to be driven is driven against the load and then returned to the original position, the first engagement portion 62 of the rotating body 34 is preceded by the chasing mechanism of the transmission member 32 and the rotating body 34. Since the first engaging portion 62 and the second engaging portion 64 do not contact each other by the second engaging portion 64 of the transmitting member 32, friction may be generated between the transmitting member 32 and the rotating body 34. The driving object can be returned smoothly.
[0026]
According to the present invention, since it can be driven even with a high-load drive target as described above, the brake mechanism for a centrifugal dehydrator, for example, a centrifugal dehydrator having a higher load is not limited to the drain valve of the washing machine. It is also possible to use it as a motor actuator.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the output portion is formed at a position spaced apart from the rotation center of the rotating body in the radial direction, and the first half of the rotation of the rotating body is formed in the transmission member and resists an external load. The second engaging portion that rotates the rotating body is engaged with the first engaging portion of the rotating body to be an engaging section in which the rotating body is driven by the transmission member, and the rotating body rotates once. Since the second half of the period is a section in which the rotator is rotated by an external load, it is possible to drive even a high-load drive target.
In addition, when the drive target is driven against the load and then returned to the original position, the rotating body is preceded, and the transmission member does not contact the rotating body and the transmission member. Friction does not occur between the rotating body and the transmission member, and the drive target can be returned smoothly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A and 1B show an embodiment of a motor actuator according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a plan view of a portion below an upper plate, and FIG. 1C is a portion below a center plate. It is a top view.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a deceleration transmission mechanism portion of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a developed cross-sectional view showing a portion from the speed reduction transmission mechanism to the speed control mechanism of the embodiment.
4A and 4B show another operation mode of the embodiment according to FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is a plan view, FIG. 4B is a plan view of a portion below an upper plate, and FIG. 4C is a portion below a center plate. FIG.
5A and 5B show still another operation mode of the embodiment according to FIG. 1. FIG. 5A is a plan view, FIG. 5B is a plan view of a portion below the top plate, and FIG. 5C is a view below the center plate. It is a top view of a part.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Motor 32 Large diameter gear 34 as transmission member Rotating body 38 Output part 62 1st engaging part 64 2nd engaging part

Claims (5)

In the motor actuator that the rotational force from the motor is transmitted to the rotating body including the output unit via the transmission mechanism, and drives the rotating body against the external load connected to the output unit,
The transmission mechanism includes a transmission member having a second engagement portion that engages with a first engagement portion provided in the rotating body and rotates the rotating body against the external load,
The transmission member is a gear coaxial with the rotating body, and has a tooth portion to which the rotational force from the motor is transmitted on the outer periphery, and the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion on the inner periphery. And the second engagement portion has an engagement portion that pushes the first engagement portion to rotationally drive the rotating body,
The output portion is formed at a position spaced apart from the rotation center of the rotating body in the radial direction, and the second engaging portion is engaged with the first engaging portion in the first half of the rotation of the rotating body. It is an engagement section in which the rotating body is driven by the transmission member,
A motor actuator characterized in that in the latter half of the rotation of the rotating body, the rotating body is rotated by an external load.   The latter half of the rotation of the rotating body is a non-drive section by the motor. In this non-drive section, the rotating body rotates faster than the transmission member by the external load, and the first engagement portion is the second. The motor actuator according to claim 1, wherein the motor actuator is a separation section in which the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are separated from each other by preceding the engagement portion.   The rotating body has a coaxial gear, and the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are provided on the coaxial rotating body and the gear, respectively, and the rotation direction of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion is The motor actuator according to claim 1, wherein the total size of the motor actuator is 180 ° or less.   The motor actuator according to claim 1, wherein a speed control mechanism is connected to the rotating body.   2. A motor actuator according to claim 1, further comprising a cam for detecting that the rotating body makes one rotation and a switch contact which is turned on / off by the cam.

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