JP6441720B2 - Rotating mechanism and rotating scanner - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a rotation mechanism and a rotary scanner.

  Conventionally, a slip ring is known as a mechanism for transmitting electric power and signals to a rotating body. A typical slip ring has a configuration in which electric power and a signal are transmitted to a rotating body by bringing a conductive brush into contact with the conductive rotating ring fixed to the rotating body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP2015-222942A

  However, the conventional general industrial slip ring is complicated and heavy, and is not suitable for mounting on a moving body such as an aircraft having a limited weight. In addition, maintenance associated with wear and deformation of the conductive brush is required. On the other hand, a simple slip ring with a simplified structure such as that used in a rotating mechanism for preventing the cable of a telephone handset from being entangled has a problem that power supply and signal transmission are not stable.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable transmission of electric power or a signal to a rotating body while achieving both reliability and weight reduction.

A rotating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stator and a rotor. The stator has a first electrode. The rotor rotates relative to the stator and has a second electrode. The second electrode has a curved film-like or plate-like portion that comes into contact with the first electrode at least when the rotor is rotating.
A rotary scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the rotation mechanism, a sensor, and a power unit. The sensor is attached to the rotor side of the rotation mechanism, and performs at least one of signal input and output through the second electrode. The power unit rotates the sensor together with the rotor by applying power to the rotating shaft of the rotor.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the rotation mechanism which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The cross-sectional view in position AA of the rotation mechanism shown in FIG. The cross-sectional view in position BB of the rotation mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a rotary scanner using the rotation mechanism illustrated in FIG. 1. The cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the rotation mechanism which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  A rotation mechanism and a rotary scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
(Configuration and function)
1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a rotating mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view at a position AA of the rotating mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a rotation shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view in position BB of the mechanism.

  The rotating mechanism 1 is a mechanism for transmitting at least one of a signal and electric power to a desired rotating body. For this purpose, the rotation mechanism 1 includes a stator (stator) 2 and a rotor (rotor) 3. The stator 2 has a first electrode 4. The rotor 3 has a second electrode 5.

  The stator 2 can be formed of an insulator such as a double cylindrical plastic having a through hole in the center. The outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion can be connected at one end side. A necessary number of first electrodes 4 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the stator 2. In the illustrated example, three ring-shaped first electrodes 4 are provided at different axial positions so as to be exposed on the outer peripheral surface side of the stator 2. A part of each ring-shaped first electrode 4 protrudes into a space formed between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion of the stator 2.

  A space formed between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion of the stator 2 is used as a space for passing the first electric wire 6 connected to the first electrode 4. That is, one end is closed between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion, but the other end is opened. For this reason, the same number of first electric wires 6 as the number of the first electrodes 4 can be inserted from the other open end of the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion. And each 1st electric wire 6 inserted in the space between the cylindrical part of the outer side of the stator 2 and an inner side cylindrical part protrudes between the cylindrical part of the outer side of the stator 2, and an inner side cylindrical part. Each can be connected to the first electrode 4.

  On the other hand, the rotor 3 has a structure rotatable with respect to the stator 2. As a specific example, as shown in the figure, the rotor 3 can be configured by providing a rotating shaft 3A at the center of a cylindrical insulator whose one end is closed. When the rotating shaft 3A is made of an insulator such as plastic, the cylindrical portion of the rotor 3 and the rotating shaft 3A can be molded as one part. However, when the strength is required for the rotating shaft 3A, the rotating shaft 3A can be made of any material such as metal.

  The cylindrical portion of the rotor 3 is larger in size than the cylindrical portion outside the stator 2. The rotating shaft 3 </ b> A of the rotor 3 is inserted into a through hole formed at the center of the stator 2. Thereby, the stator 2 is accommodated in the rotor 3.

  The second electrode 5 of the rotor 3 is disposed at a position that is outside the stator 2. The second electrode 5 of the rotor 3 is an electrode for making contact with the first electrode 4 of the stator 2. Therefore, in the illustrated example, the three second electrodes 5 are provided on the rotor 3 so as to be in substantially the same position in the axial direction as the three first electrodes 4.

  The second electrode 5 is a strip-shaped electrode whose both ends protrude outward from a cylindrical portion constituting the rotor 3. That is, a through-hole is provided in a cylindrical portion constituting the rotor 3, and both ends of the belt-like second electrode 5 are inserted into the through-hole of the cylindrical portion. Therefore, the center side of the second electrode 5 is inside the rotor 3.

  A second electric wire 7 is connected to one end of the second electrode 5 protruding outside from the cylindrical portion of the rotor 3. Therefore, the end of the second electrode 5 can be a rigid body in which two plate-like conductors are bonded.

  Furthermore, the second electrode 5 has a curved film-like portion 5A that contacts the first electrode 4 at least when the rotor 3 is rotating. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the second electrode 5 has a film-like portion 5 </ b> A that curves along the outer shape of the stator 2 inside the rotor 3. The film-like portion 5A can be composed of a thin conductor such as a copper foil having flexibility or elasticity.

  That is, the band-shaped second electrode 5 having flexibility or elasticity is applied to the ring-shaped first electrode 4 provided on the stator 2. When the rotor 3 rotates, the strip-shaped second electrode 5 contacts the ring-shaped first electrode 4 while sliding. Therefore, it is desirable to provide the stator 2 with a guide 2A for preventing the curved film-like portion 5A of the belt-like second electrode 5 from shifting in the axial direction while the rotor 3 is rotating.

  In the illustrated example, a ring-shaped groove is formed as a guide 2 </ b> A in the stator 2, and the bottom surface of the groove is the surface of the ring-shaped first electrode 4. The film-like portion 5 </ b> A of the second electrode 5 narrower than the groove of the stator 2 and the ring-shaped first electrode 4 is directed to the groove of the stator 2. Thereby, the shift | offset | difference of film-like part 5A can be prevented.

  Furthermore, weights 8 are provided at both ends of the second electrode 5. Therefore, when the rotor 3 rotates, a centrifugal force is generated in the weight 8. Then, in the state where the rotor 3 is rotating, the film-like portion 5A is pulled in the direction in which the centrifugal force acts by the centrifugal force of the weight 8. For this reason, the film-like portion 5 </ b> A comes into strong contact with the first electrode 4 due to the tension of the film-like portion 5 </ b> A. Thereby, the contact between the film-like portion 5 </ b> A and the first electrode 4 can be ensured when the rotor 3 rotates. In particular, since the centrifugal force increases as the rotational speed of the rotor 3 increases, the film-like portion 5 </ b> A comes into contact with the first electrode 4 more strongly.

  Accordingly, both end portions of the second electrode 5 are configured to be able to slide in the through holes of the rotor 3. For this reason, the tolerance between the size of both end portions of the second electrode 5 and the size of the through hole of the rotor 3 for inserting both end portions of the second electrode 5 should be a clearance fitting tolerance. Is appropriate.

  In order to apply centrifugal force to the film-like portion 5A of the second electrode 5, at least one weight 8 is necessary. Therefore, one end 8 of the second electrode 5 may be provided by overlapping both ends of the band-shaped second electrode 5. Alternatively, the weight 8 may be provided only at one end without overlapping both ends of the band-shaped second electrode 5 and the other end may be fixed to the rotor 3.

  However, if the weight 8 is one, the centrifugal force of the rotor 3 is biased and the center of the rotor 3 may be eccentric. Therefore, as shown in the drawing, it is desirable to provide the second electrode 5 with two weights 8 that generate centrifugal forces in opposite directions. In this case, as shown in the figure, two film-like portions 5A can be provided between the two weights 8, and the stator 2 can be disposed between the two film-like portions 5A. That is, the ring-shaped first electrode 4 can be sandwiched between the two film-like portions 5A.

  Further, three or more film-like portions 5A can be provided, and three or more weights 8 can be provided at the end of the film-like portion 5A. In that case, at least one of the plurality of film-like portions 5A may be in contact with the ring-shaped first electrode 4.

  However, the arrangement of the two film-like portions 5A and the two weights 8 as shown in the drawing ensures a sufficient contact area and pressure between the film-like portion 5A and the first electrode 4. It is preferable from the viewpoint.

  A method of connecting the end of the film-like portion 5A to the rigid portion is arbitrary. For example, the end of the film-like portion 5A may be sandwiched between two plate-like conductors and fixed by screws or soldering. Alternatively, the end of the film-like portion 5A may be directly connected to the rigid portion by soldering or the like.

  Conversely, the second electrode 5 may be configured by only the film-like portion 5 </ b> A without providing rigid portions at both ends of the second electrode 5. In that case, the end portions of the two film-like portions 5A may be bundled and held by the weight 8. That is, the weight 8 may also serve as a holding member for the second electrode 5. Further, the end of the second electrode 5 itself may be provided with a weight and used as the weight 8.

  The weight of the weight 8 can be determined based on the rotation speed of the rotor 3 and the rotation radius of the weight 8. The material of the weight 8 is arbitrary as long as a necessary weight is obtained. Therefore, if the weight 8 is not a part of the second electrode 5, it is not limited to a metal such as iron or steel, and can be composed of a nonconductor.

  The first electric wires 6 can be connected to the corresponding second electric wires 7 via the rotating mechanism 1 having the above-described configuration. The first electric wire 6 and the second electric wire 7 may be power lines for supplying power from a power source, or may be signal lines for transmitting a control signal from the control device. Alternatively, the first electric wire 6 and the second electric wire 7 may be signal lines for transmitting a detection signal from a desired sensor to the signal processing device. For this reason, the rotating mechanism 1 can be used as a component of various rotating bodies that need to transmit electric power or signals.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a rotary scanner using the rotation mechanism 1 shown in FIG.

  The rotary scanner 10 is configured using at least a rotation mechanism 1, a sensor 11, and a power unit 12. The rotary scanner 10 may be provided with a control device 13 as necessary.

  The sensor 11 is attached to the rotor 3 side of the rotation mechanism 1. The sensor 11 is configured to perform at least one of signal input and output via the second electric wire 7 and the second electrode 5 on the rotor 3 side. As the sensor 11, any sensor can be used according to the physical quantity to be scanned.

  For example, when the rotary scanner 10 is a laser scanner, a laser sensor can be mounted on the rotor 3 side of the rotation mechanism 1. A laser scanner is a device that measures the distance to a measurement object by measuring the round-trip time of a laser pulse between the sensor and the measurement object. In the three-dimensional laser scanner, the three-dimensional space coordinates of the measurement target point can be acquired by measuring the irradiation angle of the laser pulse.

  The power unit 12 is a device such as a motor that applies power to the rotating shaft 3 </ b> A of the rotor 3. That is, the sensor 11 is rotated together with the rotor 3 by the power unit 12.

  The control device 13 is a device that transmits a control signal to the sensor 11 and receives a detection signal from the sensor 11 to perform signal processing. Therefore, the control device 13 is connected to the first electrode 4 of the stator 2 by the first electric wire 6. The control device 13 may be provided with a function as a power source for supplying power to the sensor 11. Further, the control device 13 may be provided with a function of controlling the rotation angle of the sensor 11 by controlling the power unit 12.

  Then, power and signals input / output from / to the sensor 11 from the control device 13 can be transmitted / received between the control device 13 and the sensor 11 via the rotation mechanism 1.

  As described above, the rotation mechanism 1 and the rotary scanner 10 ensure contact between the first electrode 4 on the stator 2 side and the second electrode 5 on the rotor 3 side using the centrifugal force of the weight 8. It is what you do.

(effect)
For this reason, according to the rotation mechanism 1, the input and output of the electric power and signal to a rotary body can be performed stably. Moreover, the structure of the rotation mechanism 1 is very simple. That is, the structure of the rotating mechanism 1 is a structure in which parts are stacked in a concentric manner. For this reason, the rotation mechanism 1 can be easily reduced in size and weight. In addition, assembly and disassembly of the rotation mechanism 1 is easy.

  Therefore, when the rotating mechanism 1 is used, the power and signal to the rotating body, which is difficult with the conventional slip ring that transmits the power and the signal to the rotating body by bringing the conductive brush into contact with the conductive rotating ring, is used. Communication is possible.

  For example, it is difficult to mount a heavy weight slip ring or a large size slip ring on a moving body such as a helicopter, a helicopter radio control, an unmanned aerial vehicle, an automobile, or an automobile radio control. In addition, when a slip ring is mounted on a moving body with vibration or inertia, contact failure may occur.

  On the other hand, since the rotation mechanism 1 has high reliability and is small in weight and size, it can be mounted even on a moving body as described above. For this reason, a laser scanner or the like can be mounted on the moving body via the rotation mechanism 1. As a result, it is possible to freely rotate the airborne laser scanner that could not be freely rotated in the 360-degree direction. It is also possible to mount a rotary laser scanner on a small radio-controlled car.

  Of course, the helicopter of the radio control, the unmanned helicopter that is not the radio control, or the rotor blade of the manned helicopter is fixed to the rotor 3 side of the rotating mechanism 1, and power is supplied or input / output of signals to any device attached to the rotor blade side of the helicopter. Can also be done. In that case, the motor for rotating the rotor 3 of the rotation mechanism 1 and the motor for rotating the rotor blades of the helicopter can be made common.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a rotating mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the rotation mechanism 1A in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the configuration of the second electrode 5 on the rotor 3 side is different from that in the rotation mechanism 1 in the first embodiment. Since the other configuration and operation of the rotation mechanism 1A in the second embodiment are not substantially different from those in the rotation mechanism 1 in the first embodiment, the same or corresponding configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. Omitted.

  The belt-like second electrode 5 on the rotor 3 side provided in the rotation mechanism 1A in the second embodiment has a curved plate-like portion 5B that comes into contact with the first electrode 4 on the stator 2 side by elastic force. Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide the weight 8 at the end of the second electrode 5.

  Also by the rotation mechanism 1A in the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the rotation mechanism 1 in the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Other embodiments)
Although specific embodiments have been described above, the described embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the scope of the invention. The novel methods and apparatus described herein can be implemented in a variety of other ways. Various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made in the method and apparatus described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents include such various forms and modifications as are encompassed by the scope and spirit of the invention.

1, 1A Rotating mechanism 2 Stator (stator)
2A Guide 3 Rotor (Rotor)
3A Rotating shaft 4 First electrode 5 Second electrode 5A Film-like portion 5B Plate-like portion 6 First electric wire 7 Second electric wire 8 Weight 10 Rotary scanner 11 Sensor 12 Power unit 13 Controller

Claims (7)

A stator having a first electrode;
A rotor that rotates relative to the stator and has a second electrode;
The second electrode is a rotating mechanism having a curved film-like or plate-like portion that comes into contact with the first electrode at least in a state where the rotor is rotating. The second electrode has a curved film-like portion having flexibility or elasticity,
By pulling the film-like part in the direction in which the centrifugal force acts on the second electrode by centrifugal force while the rotor is rotating, the film-like part and the first electrode The rotation mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a weight for securing contact between the two.   The rotating mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the second electrode is provided with two weights that generate centrifugal forces in opposite directions.   The rotation mechanism according to claim 3, wherein two film-like portions are provided between the two weights, and the stator is disposed between the two film-like portions.   The rotation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode has a curved plate-like portion that comes into contact with the first electrode by an elastic force.   The rotation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a guide is provided on the stator to prevent a shift of the curved portion of the second electrode. The rotation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A sensor that is attached to the rotor side of the rotating mechanism and that performs at least one of signal input and output via the second electrode;
A power unit that rotates the sensor together with the rotor by applying power to the rotating shaft of the rotor;
Rotary scanner with

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