JP4138513B2 - Starter for engine inspection - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an engine inspection starter used for inspecting a manufactured engine before being mounted on a vehicle body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the engine manufacturing field, it is a common practice to perform an inspection by actually rotating a manufactured engine. Conventionally, there is an engine inspection starter B as shown in FIG. 4 as means for this purpose (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
This engine inspection starter B can be rotated by externally fitting a meshing movable body 80 having a pair of arms 80b with teeth 80a to a spline shaft 81 that is rotated by a motor (not shown). It has become. The meshing movable body 80 is held by a holder 82, and when the holder 82 is reciprocated in the horizontal direction by a reciprocating cylinder 83, the meshing movable body 80 is also reciprocated accordingly. It has become.
[0004]
In this engine inspection starter B, in a state where the engine 90 is arranged in front of the meshing movable body 80 (in the left direction in the drawing), the holder 82 and the meshing movable body 80 are advanced to move the engine 90. The teeth 80a are meshed with a ring gear 91a attached to the rotary shaft 90a. Next, when the spline shaft 81 and the meshing movable body 80 are rotated, the rotation shaft 90a of the engine 90 is rotated, whereby the engine 90 can be inspected.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-113388 (FIG. 3)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When the engine 90 is inspected, the engine 90 is conveyed to the front of the meshing movable body 80 in a state of being placed on a pallet, for example. Therefore, the positioning of the engine 90 may be inaccurate, and in this case, the center C1 of the rotating shaft 90a of the engine 90 and the center C2 of the meshing movable body 80 and the holder 82 are displaced. On the other hand, in the above-described prior art, no means for eliminating such a center shift is provided. Therefore, conventionally, there is a case where the engine inspection starter B is operated with the center deviation occurring, and there is a possibility that a large vibration is generated in each part of the engine 90 or the engine inspection starter B and a large damage is caused.
[0007]
As a means for solving the above problem, as shown in FIG. 5, the holder 82 is supported by using, for example, four springs 85 so that the holder 82 can be displaced in the vertical and horizontal directions. Can be adjusted to the center of the rotation shaft 90a of the engine 90. However, in the centripetal structure using the four springs 85 as described above, the spring force of the spring 85 and the centripetal force based on the spring 85 are different between the direction indicated by reference numeral n1 and the direction indicated by reference numeral n2, for example. Depending on the displacement direction, the centripetal may become very bad. Further, in the vertical direction, the weights of the holder 82 and the meshing movable body 80 act, so that it is difficult to adjust the spring force. Furthermore, the spring 85 may gradually lose its elasticity due to long-term use, but if such a situation occurs, the centripetality becomes worse, and therefore the meshing movable body 80 and the holder rotate the engine 90. The shaft 90a may be rotated while being displaced, and these may vibrate greatly, causing damage to each part.
[0008]
The present invention has been conceived under such circumstances, and can appropriately align the center of the meshing movable body with respect to the rotation shaft of the engine, thereby suppressing rotational vibration of each part. An object of the present invention is to provide an engine inspection starter.
[0009]
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.
[0010]
An engine inspection starter provided by the present invention includes a meshing movable body for meshing with a gear attached to a rotating shaft of an engine, and a central axis extending the meshing movable body in a substantially horizontal direction. A starter for inspecting an engine, wherein the support member and the intermediate member are formed separately from the holder, and the intermediate member is slid with respect to the support member. First slide guide means for slidably connecting, and second slide guide means for slidably linking the holder with respect to the intermediate member, wherein the first and second slide guide means The slide guide direction is characterized by being orthogonal to each other in a plane direction intersecting with the direction in which the central axis extends.
[0011]
According to such a configuration, the holder can move in any direction within the plane direction intersecting the direction in which the central axis extends with respect to the support member. More specifically, the holder can be moved not only in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction, but also in any direction such as a vertically inclined direction inclined with respect to these. Therefore, when the engine to be inspected is set in front of the starter for engine inspection, even if the center of the rotating shaft of the engine and the movable body for engagement is shifted, the centering of the engine is performed by the movement of the holder. Can be performed. Since the holder is movable by being slide-guided by the first and second slide guide means, for example, unlike the case where it is supported using the four springs described above, the holder depends on the moving direction. The holder does not become difficult to move, and excellent centripetality can be obtained regardless of the direction of center deviation between the rotating shaft of the engine and the movable body for meshing. As a result, according to the present invention, the centering of the meshing movable body with respect to the rotation shaft of the engine is appropriately performed, the rotational shake of each part due to the center deviation is suppressed, and each part is damaged by the rotational shake. Can be avoided appropriately.
[0012]
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sliding direction of the intermediate member with respect to the support member is a substantially horizontal direction, the sliding direction of the holder with respect to the intermediate member is a substantially vertical direction, and the holder can be raised and lowered. A balance cylinder is further provided. According to such a configuration, the weight of the holder is borne by the balance cylinder, and the operation when the holder moves in various directions such as up, down, left, and right can be made smoother. It becomes.
[0013]
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a lock mechanism capable of regulating the sliding operation of the intermediate member with respect to the support member and the sliding operation of the holder with respect to the intermediate member. According to such a configuration, the center of the holder and the meshing movable body is kept at a constant position by using the lock mechanism until just before the meshing movable body is meshed with the gear of the rotation shaft of the engine. Since it can be held, the above meshing operation can be performed easily and accurately.
[0014]
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided rotational shake detecting means for detecting rotational shake of the meshing movable body or the holder. According to such a configuration, if the meshing movable body or the holder causes an abnormal rotational shake due to some circumstances, this is detected and stopped so that the engine inspection starter is stopped. It is possible to prevent breakage of each part.
[0015]
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, the x and y directions are both substantially horizontal and are orthogonal to each other. The z direction is a substantially vertical direction.
[0018]
As shown well in FIG. 1, in the engine inspection starter A of this embodiment, a holder 2 that rotatably holds a meshing movable body 1 is supported by a support member 4 via an intermediate member 3. Have a structure. The engine inspection starter A includes a first slide guide 5A for connecting the intermediate member 3 to the support member 4 so as to be slidable in the y direction, and the holder 2 being slidable in the z direction with respect to the intermediate member 3. A second slide guide 5B to be connected and a sensor 65 for detecting rotational shake are also provided.
[0019]
The support member 4 has a substantially flat base 40 and an upright plate 41 erected on the upper surface of the base 40. The support member 4 has a pair of grooves 32 (see FIG. 2) provided on the bottom surface of the base 40 and is fitted to a rail 61 provided on the base member 60, and the reciprocating rod of the reciprocating cylinder 62 is By being connected to the base portion 40, it can reciprocate in the x direction by the driving force of the reciprocating cylinder 62.
[0020]
Each first slide guide 5A includes a linearly extending rail member 50a and a receiving member 51a having a concave groove into which the rail member 50a is slidably fitted. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the rail member 50 a and the receiving member 51 a are attached to the side surface of the upright plate portion 41 of the support member 4 and one side surface of the intermediate member 3 so as to extend in the horizontal direction. Thus, the intermediate member 3 is slidable in the y direction with respect to the support member 4. The rail member 50a and the receiving member 51a are connected so that they do not come off in the x direction, whereby the intermediate member 3 is held by the support member 4.
[0021]
The support member 4 and the intermediate member 3 are provided with a lock mechanism 7A that can prevent the intermediate member 3 from sliding in the y direction. The lock mechanism 7A has a substantially L-shaped bracket portion 70a provided on the upright plate portion 41 of the support member 4, and a stopper 71a protruding downward from the bracket portion 70a. The stopper 71a restricts the movement of the intermediate member 3 in the y direction by being fitted into the upward opening-shaped concave portion 72a of the upper portion of the intermediate member 3, and can be switched between insertion into and removal from the concave portion 72a. It can move up and down freely.
[0022]
Each second slide guide 5B includes a rail member 50b and a receiving member 51b, which have the same configuration as the rail member 50a and the receiving member 51a of the first slide guide 5A. 2 and 3, the rail member 50 b and the receiving member 51 b are attached to the side surfaces of the intermediate member 3 and the holder 2 so as to extend in a substantially vertical direction. Is slidable in the z direction with respect to the intermediate member 3.
[0023]
The intermediate member 3 and the holder 2 are also provided with a lock mechanism 7B. The lock mechanism 7B includes a substantially L-shaped bracket portion 70b provided on the side surface portion of the intermediate member 3, and a stopper 71b protruding laterally from the bracket portion 70b. The stopper 71b regulates the movement of the holder 2 in the z direction by fitting into a concave portion 72b provided in one side portion of the holder 2 so as to switch between insertion into and withdrawal from the concave portion 72b. Can reciprocate in the y direction.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 1, the holder 2 includes a cylindrical portion 20 that supports the meshing movable body 1 via a plurality of bearings 69, and a flange plate portion 21 that is connected to the cylindrical portion 20. ing. The cylindrical portion 20 penetrates through holes 39 and 49 provided in the intermediate member 3 and the support member 4 respectively with allowance. The holder 2 is suspended and supported by a bracket portion 70c attached to the upper portion of the intermediate member 3 via a balance cylinder 68 and a connector 68a. The balance cylinder 68 bears the weight of the holder 2 and the movable movable body 1 held by the holder 2 without hindering the movement of the holder 2 moving up and down in the z direction.
[0025]
The meshing movable body 1 includes a substantially cylindrical shaft portion 10 that is held by a holder 2 and extends in the x direction, a pair of arms 11 that are coupled to the tip portions of the shaft portion 10, and the tip portions of the arms 11. And a pair of teeth 12. Each arm 11 can be rotated in the direction of arrow N1 about a shaft 13 by a mechanism (not shown), and when the meshing movable body 1 moves forward toward the engine 90, the tip of each arm 11 opens, When each arm 11 reaches the periphery of the ring gear 91 attached to the rotating shaft 92 of the engine 90 to be meshed, it is closed to the original state as indicated by the phantom line in FIG. By this operation, the pair of teeth 12 mesh with the ring gear 91.
[0026]
The shaft portion 10 of the meshing movable body 1 is connected to a drive shaft 76 that can be driven and rotated by a motor (not shown) via a one-way clutch 79, first and second couplings 78a and 78b, and a spline shaft 77. Are connected. The one-way clutch 79 prevents the rotation of the engine 90 from being transmitted to the motor via the drive shaft 76 when the rotation speed of the engine 90 becomes higher than the rotation speed of the drive shaft 76, and protects the motor. Fulfill. The first coupling 78a connects the one-way clutch 79 and the spline shaft 77, and the second coupling 78b drives and connects the spline shaft 77 and the shaft portion 10 of the meshing movable body 1. Yes. However, the second coupling 78 b allows the shaft portion 10 of the meshing movable body 1 to move in the x direction with respect to the spline shaft 77. When the drive shaft 76 is rotated by the motor and the spline shaft 77 rotates, the meshing movable body 1 rotates around the central axis C of the shaft portion 10.
[0027]
The rotational shake detection sensor 65 is for detecting the magnitude of rotational shake of the meshing movable body 1 or the holder 2. In the present embodiment, the vibration of the outer peripheral surface of the second coupling 78b is detected, and the rotational vibration of the meshing movable body 1 and the holder 2 is indirectly detected. May be configured in this way. Of course, the rotational shake of the meshing movable body 1 and the holder 2 may be directly detected. As the rotational shake detection sensor 65, for example, a non-contact type sensor that detects a change in the position of the surface of a member to be shake detected by an optical or magnetic detection means is used. It is also possible to use a contact type sensor, and its specific configuration is not limited.
[0028]
Next, the operation of the engine inspection starter A having the above configuration will be described.
[0029]
First, the engine 90 to be inspected is disposed in front of the meshing movable body 1. In this case, the holder 2 and the meshing movable body 1 are moved in the y direction by using the lock mechanisms 7A and 7B in advance. And locked so as not to move in the z direction. Specifically, the two stoppers 71a and 71b shown in FIG. 2 are inserted into the recesses 72a and 72b. As a result, the center axis C of the meshing movable body 1 is fixed at a fixed position, and when the engine 90 is set in front of the meshing movable body 1, the center of the rotating shaft 92 of the engine 90 is fixed. Can be easily positioned so as to be aligned with the central axis C of the meshing movable body 1.
[0030]
After the engine 90 is set, the support member 4 is advanced in the direction of the arrow N2 by operating the reciprocating cylinder 62. Then, as the support member 4 moves forward, the intermediate member 3, the holder 2, and the meshing movable body 1 also move forward. When the meshing movable body 1 moves forward toward the engine 90, as described above, the pair of arms 11 are opened and then closed so as to grip the ring gear 91, whereby the pair of teeth 12 mesh with the ring gear 91. . However, immediately before the pair of teeth 12 mesh with the ring gear 91, the locked state of the holder 2 and the meshing movable body 1 by the lock mechanisms 7A and 7B is released. Then, the holder 2 and the meshing movable body 1 can move in a composite manner in both the y and z directions with respect to the support member 4. That is, it can move in any direction of the plane direction orthogonal to the x direction. Therefore, when the pair of teeth 12 mesh with the ring gear 91, the centripetal action is accurately obtained, and meshing is performed so that the center axis C of the meshing movable body 1 coincides with the center axis of the ring gear 91 and the rotating shaft 92. The movable body 1 for movement will move.
[0031]
The movement of the holder 2 and the meshing movable body 1 during the centripetal operation described above is performed by the guide action of the first and second slide guides 5A and 5B. For example, the holder 2 is moved in four directions using four springs. Unlike the case where the holder 2 is supported, the holder 2 does not become difficult to move depending on the moving direction of the holder 2. Therefore, the movement of the holder 2 and the meshing movable body 1 is smooth, and the centripetality is excellent. Further, since the weight of the holder 2 and the meshing movable body 1 is borne by the balance cylinder 68, for example, when these members move upward, the smoothness of the operation is impaired by their own weight. This is also suppressed. Therefore, the centripetality is further improved.
[0032]
As a result, in this engine inspection starter A, when the pair of teeth 12 of the meshing movable body 1 are meshed with the ring gear 91, their center shift amounts can be eliminated or extremely reduced. it can. Therefore, when the meshing movable body 1 is subsequently rotated and the engine 90 is inspected for rotation, the meshing movable body 1 of the engine inspection starter A and other members are prevented from undergoing large rotational vibrations. It is possible to prevent the member from receiving great damage. When a large rotational shake occurs due to special circumstances, this is detected by the rotational shake detection sensor 65. In this case, the rotation of the meshing movable body 1 is immediately stopped and the meshing with the ring gear 91 is stopped. By redoing the meshing operation of the alignment movable body 1, each part can be prevented from being damaged.
[0033]
The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment.
[0034]
For example, in the present invention, unlike the above-described embodiment, the intermediate member 3 can be slid in the vertical direction relative to the support member 4, and the holder 2 can be slid in the horizontal direction relative to the intermediate member 3. It doesn't matter. Further, the sliding direction of the intermediate member 3 and the holder 2 is not limited to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. The direction in which the intermediate member or the holder slides may be a surface direction that intersects the direction in which the central axis of the meshing movable body extends and is orthogonal to each other. It is also possible to configure so as to.
[0035]
The first and second slide guide means are not limited to a combination of a rail member and a receiving member. For example, the support member, the intermediate member, and the holder have a convex portion serving as a rail or a concave groove serving as a rail receiver. The structure may be integrally formed.
[0036]
Of course, the specific shapes and sizes of the meshing movable body, the holder, the support member, the intermediate member, and the like can be configured differently from the above-described embodiment, and for engine inspection according to the present invention. The specific configuration of each part of the starter can be changed in various ways.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment of an engine inspection starter according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the engine inspection starter shown in FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional technique.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the prior art.
[Explanation of symbols]
A engine starter 1 meshing movable body 2 holder 3 intermediate member 4 support member 5A first slide guide (first slide guide means)
5B Second slide guide (second slide guide means)
7A, 7B Lock mechanism 65 sensor (rotational shake detection means)
68 Balance cylinder 90 Engine 91 Ring gear (gear)
92 Rotating shaft

Claims (4)

A meshing movable body for meshing with a gear attached to a rotation shaft of the engine, and a holder for rotatably holding the meshing movable body around a central axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction. An engine inspection starter,
A support member and an intermediate member formed separately from the holder,
First slide guide means for slidably connecting the intermediate member to the support member;
Second slide guide means for slidably connecting the holder to the intermediate member,
The engine test starter characterized in that the slide guide directions of the first and second slide guide means are orthogonal to each other in a plane direction intersecting with the direction in which the central axis extends. The slide direction of the intermediate member with respect to the support member is a substantially horizontal direction, the slide direction of the holder with respect to the intermediate member is a substantially vertical direction, and further includes a balance cylinder that supports the holder so that it can be raised and lowered. The engine inspection starter according to claim 1. 3. The engine inspection starter according to claim 1, further comprising a lock mechanism capable of regulating a sliding operation of the intermediate member relative to the support member and a sliding operation of the holder relative to the intermediate member. The starter for engine inspection according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a rotational shake detecting means for detecting rotational shake of the meshing movable body or the holder.

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