JPH0242166B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a spindle drive structure, and more particularly to an improvement in a structure for driving a spindle of a measuring instrument or the like using a release device.

For example, in measuring instruments such as dial gauges, a release device is sometimes used to drive (raise and lower) a spindle. The spindle drive structure using this release device is easy to remotely control, has excellent handling properties, and is extremely convenient, especially in measuring instruments with a digital display function, as it can prevent overspeeding of the spindle.

In a conventional spindle drive structure using a release device, an eccentric cam is generally rotated by a push shaft of the release device, and the spindle is driven by this eccentric cam. However, the stroke length of the push shaft of the release device is limited within a certain range due to its ease of handling, and if the stroke length is forcibly increased, a problem arises in responsiveness. Therefore, the spindle drive structure using the release device cannot drive the spindle with a large stroke.

An object of the present invention is to provide a spindle drive structure that can drive a spindle over a long stroke while using a release device.

The present invention provides a rack provided directly or indirectly on a spindle that is biased in one direction on the axis by a spindle biasing means, and a rack that is appropriately engaged with the rack to move the spindle by the biasing force of the spindle biasing means. a spindle feeding means that intermittently feeds the spindle against the urging force; a spindle position regulating means that engages the rack when the spindle feeding means and the rack are not engaged to regulate the position of the spindle against the biasing force; a spindle release means for releasing the spindle position regulating means from the rack and freely moving the spindle according to the urging force; and a push shaft, the spindle feeding means being driven by a first stroke of the push shaft; and a release device that drives the spindle release means with a second stroke, forming a spindle drive structure.

and a ratchet lever that easily engages the spindle position regulating means at the swing end side;
The ratchet lever is configured with a ratchet lever biasing spring that biases the ratchet lever toward the rack side, and the spindle feeding means is rotated by the pushing shaft of the release device and includes a feeding portion, and the spindle feeding means is rotated by the pushing shaft of the release device and includes a feeding portion. The pushing motion of the release device is controlled by the feed section consisting of a cam that engages with the rack and transmits the motion of the pushing shaft, and a cam biasing spring that biases this cam toward the pushing shaft. the first axis
It is possible to move the spindle many times for each step of the rack by repeatedly moving it forward and backward within the range of the stroke.

Furthermore, the spindle release means is constituted by a contact portion that is provided on the cam and that abuts the ratchet lever during the second stroke of the push shaft to release the ratchet lever from the rack. When the spindle position regulating means is moved to the second stroke, the spindle position regulating means is released from the rack and the spindle returns to its original position, thereby achieving the above object.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the spindle drive structure according to the present invention is applied to a dimension measuring machine. In the figure, a spindle 1 is supported via a stem 2 by a main body 3 so as to be movable on an axis 1A. has been done. A substantially box-shaped case body 8 is attached to the main body 3, and a cavity 9 is formed inside the main body 3 and the case body 8.

The spindle 1 is urged downward in the figure by a spindle urging means 4, which is a tension coil spring or the like, interposed between the spindle 1 and the main body 3, and is fitted into a predetermined position of the spindle 1. The lowermost position is regulated by a fixed ring 5. Further, a measuring element 50 that contacts the object to be measured is fixed to the lower end of the spindle 1, and a measuring element 50 that electrically or mechanically detects the amount of advance and retreat of the spindle 1 is attached to the upper end of the spindle 1 in the space 9. A displacement measurement mechanism is provided for measuring the dimensions, position, etc. of the object to be measured.

If the displacement measurement mechanism electrically detects the amount of movement of the spindle 1, the displacement measurement mechanism includes, for example, a main scale 51 fixed to the spindle 1 and an index fixed to the main body 3 side. scale 52 and these scales 51, 52
The light emitting elements 5 are arranged facing each other so as to sandwich the
3 and a light receiving element 54, and the detected displacement amount is digitally displayed on a display 55.

A rack 6 is provided on one side of the spindle 1 over a predetermined range along the longitudinal direction of the spindle 1. Each of the racks 6 includes a plurality of saw-toothed claw teeth 7, and these plurality of claw teeth 7 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction.

The tip (swinging end) of a ratchet lever 11 can come into contact with the claw teeth 7 of the rack 6 from the lower end side in the figure. The ratchet lever 11 is swingably supported by the main body 3 via the mounting shaft 12 at its base end, and is located at a predetermined position facing toward the distal end from the mounting shaft 12 and at the mounting shaft 12 of the main body 3.
The ratchet lever is biased to rotate counterclockwise in the figure with the mounting shaft 12 as the pivot center by a tension coil spring or the like interposed between the ratchet lever and a predetermined position on the lower side in the figure. ing. Here, the ratchet lever 11 and the ratchet lever biasing spring 13 constitute a spindle position regulating means 14 for regulating the position of the spindle 1.

A cam 17 is rotatably mounted on the main body 3 at a predetermined position via a mounting shaft 16. This cam 1
A feed lever 19 is rotatably supported via a support shaft 18 at a predetermined position near the rack 6 of 7. One end of the feed lever 19 is a feed portion 19A, and the feed portion 19A is capable of coming into contact with the lower end surface of the claw teeth 7 of the rack 6, and the other end of the feed lever 19 is equipped with a tension coil spring or the like. One end of the feed lever biasing spring 21 is attached. The other end of the feed lever biasing spring 21 is attached to the mounting shaft 16, so that the feed lever 19 is
The cam 17 is biased to rotate counterclockwise in the figure with the cam 8 as the center.
is provided in a protruding manner, and the feed lever 19 is always maintained in a state in which one side edge is in contact with the stopper pin 22. Further, at a predetermined position between the support shaft 18 of the feed lever 19 and the feed portion 19A, a pin-shaped contact portion 23 serving as a release means for releasing the ratchet lever 11 from the rack 6 is provided so as to face the ratchet lever 11 side. The contact portion 23 is provided in a protruding manner and is capable of contacting the lower end edge of the ratchet lever 11 .

A cam biasing spring 24 such as a tension coil spring is interposed between a predetermined position on the swinging end side of the cam 17 and the main body 3, and the cam biasing spring 24 causes the cam 17 to rotate against the mounting shaft 16. It is biased to rotate counterclockwise in the figure as a center of rotation. The tip of the push shaft 32 of the release device 31 is brought into contact with the one side edge 17A on the rotation direction side of the cam 17 which is rotationally biased by the cam biasing spring 24; The edge 17A is biased by the cam bias spring 24 and is configured to always come into contact with the tip of the push shaft 32.

Note that here, the cam 17 is provided with a feed portion 19A and a contact portion 23 via a feed lever 19, and the cam 17, the feed portion 19A of the feed lever 19, and the cam biasing spring 24 are used to A spindle feeding means 25 is provided which engages the rack 6 as appropriate and feeds the spindle 1 intermittently against the biasing force of the spindle biasing spring 4.

The release device 31 includes a tube 3 of a predetermined length.
3 and a cable 34 that is slidably inserted into the tube 33, and a mounting tube 35 that is inserted and held on one side of the main body 3 is fixed to the distal end of the tube 33. is the operation tube 3
6 is fixed. The push shaft 32 is inserted into the mounting tube 34 so as to be movable forward and backward, and the base end of the push shaft 32 is fixed to the tip of the cable 34. A spring receiver 37 is fixed at a predetermined position of the mounting tube 35, and a return spring 38 is interposed between the spring receiver 37 and a predetermined position of the mounting pipe 35. is constantly energized.

An operating rod 39 is inserted and held in the operating tube 36 so as to be movable forward and backward, and the distal end of the operating rod 39 is fixed to the proximal end of the cable 34, and a push button 41 is attached to the proximal end of the operating rod 39. It is being Further, a flange 36A is provided on the proximal end side of the operation tube 36.

When the push button 41 is pushed in with the thumb while grasping the operation tube 36 between the index and middle fingers, the movement of the operation rod 39 is transmitted to the push shaft 32 via the cable 34, and the push shaft 32 is returned. It protrudes toward the cam 17 against the biasing force of the spring 38. At this time, the amount by which the push shaft 32 pushes the cam 17 while the push button 41 is pushed to an intermediate position that does not reach the flange 36A is defined as a first stroke (see FIG. 2). Push button 41 to flange 3
The amount of advance of the push shaft 32 when the operating rod 39 is pushed in to the deepest position so as to reach 6A is defined as the second stroke (FIG. 3).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

Assume that the operating rod 39 is not pushed in at all. This situation is shown in FIG.
The cam 17 is brought into contact with the push shaft 32 by the cam biasing spring 24, and at this time, the cam 17 is rotated most counterclockwise and stopped. The feed portion 19A provided on the cam 17 via the feed lever 19 is connected to one of the claw teeth 7 of the plurality of claw teeth 7 constituting the rack 6.
The spindle 1 contacts the feed lever 19 from the lower end in the figure so as to rotate the feed lever 19 counterclockwise.
However, since the stopper pin 22 is in contact with the feed lever 19, the feed lever 19 is not rotated, and the cam 17 is also stopped as described above. Despite the biasing force, it is stopped in the state shown in FIG.

The tip (swinging end) of a ratchet lever 11 is disposed on the lower end side of the pawl tooth 7 one level above the pawl tooth 7 with which the feed portion 19A is engaged, and the ratchet lever 11 also allows the spindle 1 to be Movement to the downward side is restricted.

Next, when the operating rod 39 is pushed so as to advance the push shaft 32 to the first stroke position, the cam 17 is pushed by the push shaft 32 and rotated clockwise in the figure. When the cam 17 is rotated in this manner, the feed portion 19A at the tip of the feed lever 19 pushes up the claw tooth 7 against the urging force of the spindle urging means 4. When the spindle 1 is pushed up by one interval of the pawl teeth 7 (one increment of the rack 6), the feed lever 19 is engaged and the lower end of the pawl tooth 7 is pushed up, as shown in FIG. The tip side of the ratchet lever 11 is also arranged on the side. In this way, in the process in which the spindle 1 is raised by one increment of the rack 6 by the feeder 19A, the ratchet lever 11 comes into contact with the upper end surface of the claw tooth 7 that is being pushed up, and is temporarily retreated from the rack 6. is immediately placed in the aforementioned position (see FIG. 2) by the urging force of the ratchet lever urging spring 13.

When the push button 41 is released, the pushing shaft 32 and the operating rod 39 are returned to the state shown in FIG. 1 by the urging forces of the cam urging spring 24 and the return spring 38. When the push shaft 32 is retracted in this manner, the cam 17 is rotated counterclockwise by the cam biasing spring 24, and during this rotation, the feed lever 19 is moved clockwise against the biasing force of the feed lever biasing spring 21. In other words, the rack 6 and the feed lever 19 are disengaged, and the feed portion 19A is moved one step below the initially positioned pawl tooth 7. It will be arranged at the lower end surface position of the claw tooth 7. On the other hand, during this time, the push shaft 32 of the ratchet lever 11 is retracted and the cam 17
Even if the spindle 1 is rotated as described above, the claw teeth 7 are abutted and engaged with the tip side to prevent the spindle 1 from moving downward in the figure. The movement of the spindle 1 during this period is prevented by the ratchet lever 11.

In this way, by repeatedly moving the push shaft 32 forward and backward within the range of the first stroke, the spindle 1 is successively raised by the distance of each step of the pawl teeth 7 of the rack 6.

After the spindle 1 has been raised by a predetermined length, the spindle 1 is lowered to bring the probe 50 at the tip into contact with the object to be measured, by pushing the operating rod 39 to its deepest position. As a result, the push shaft 32 reaches a second stroke that is longer than the first stroke. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the push shaft 32 has reached the second stroke. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the cam 17 is rotated further clockwise in the figure than in the second stroke, and the contact portion 23 provided on the feed lever 19
comes into contact with the lower end surface of the ratchet lever 11 near the tip and rotates the ratchet lever 11 significantly clockwise in the figure against the biasing force of the ratchet lever biasing spring 13, whereby the rack 6 is released from the ratchet lever 11. Ru. Also at this time,
The rack 6 is also released from the feed portion 19A of the feed lever 19, and the spindle 1 is therefore free to move downward in the figure according to the biasing force of the spindle biasing means 4.

According to this embodiment, the release device 3
By repeatedly operating 1, the spindle 1 can be driven (raised) over a long stroke, and by selecting the number of operations, the spindle 1 can be
It is also possible to select various driving stroke lengths.

Further, by pushing the push button 41 deeply, the ratchet lever 11 can be released from the rack and the spindle 1 can be returned to the position before being raised.
The spindle 1 is released by operating two release devices 31.
can be both driven and returned.

Furthermore, when the push shaft 32 shifts from the first stroke to the second stroke, the biasing force of the ratchet lever biasing spring 13 acts, so the operator operates the push button 41 within the range of the first stroke. Push button 41 unless you apply a particularly large force to it.
I can't push it in deep either. Therefore, the operator can easily and reliably use the first stroke and the second stroke using only the reaction force of the push button 41 without visually checking the depth of depression of the operating rod 39. , there is no risk of erroneous operation.

In addition, during implementation, rack 6 is the same as spindle 1.
It is not limited to the case where it is provided directly on one side of the spindle 1, but it may be provided indirectly on the spindle 1, such as being provided on a separate member fixed to the spindle 1.

Further, the spindle position regulating means 14 is not limited to the case where the ratchet lever 11 and the ratchet lever biasing spring 13 are used. It may be a pawl member or the like that engages with the pawl teeth 7 in a naturally hanging state, and in short, it is sufficient as long as it restricts the position of the spindle 1 while the spindle feeding means 25 is once lowered.

Further, the feeding section 19A of the spindle feeding means 25
may have a structure in which it retreats from the rack 6 when the rack 6 is not being driven upward (see FIG. 1) and engages with the rack 6 only when the rack 6 is being driven upward. Furthermore, the cam 17 and the feed lever 19 may be integrally formed so as not to rotate, and even in such a case, when the fulcrum position of the cam 17 is movable in a predetermined direction, the cam 1
By repeatedly rotating the rack 6, the rack 6 can be driven upward in sequence.

Furthermore, although the release means is the abutting part 23 attached to the feed lever 19, the invention is not limited to this, and the spindle position regulating means 14 may be released by a pawl member or the like formed directly on the cam 17. Alternatively, for example, the ratchet lever 11 and the cam 17 can be interlocked via a connecting wire or the like, and the wire operates at the second stroke of the push shaft 32 to largely pull the ratchet lever 11 in the opposite direction from the rack 6. In short, any structure may be used as long as the spindle 1 can freely move on the push shaft 32 during the second stroke.

Further, the return spring 38 of the release device is connected to the operating tube 3.
It may be provided on the 6th side, or it may not be provided. Furthermore, in order to distinguish between the first and second strokes of the push shaft 32, a scale is provided, or a structure is provided that adds resistance when pushing the push button 41 when the second stroke is reached. Good too.

Further, the present invention is applicable not only to a dimension measuring machine but also to various devices other than the dimension measuring machine, such as a drive device for a stage, a device for aligning articles, and the like.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a spindle drive structure that can drive a spindle over a long stroke while using a release device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing essential parts of an embodiment in which a spindle drive structure according to the present invention is applied to a dimension measuring machine, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views showing mutually different operating states of the embodiment. It is. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Spindle, 3... Main body, 4... Spindle biasing means, 6... Rack, 7... Claw teeth, 11
... Ratchet lever, 13... Ratchet lever biasing spring, 14... Spindle position regulating means,
17...Cam, 19...Feed lever, 19A...
Feed section, 21... Feed lever biasing spring, 22...
Stopper pin, 23... Contact portion as release means, 24... Cam biasing spring, 25... Spindle feeding means, 31... Release device, 32... Push shaft, 33... Tube, 34... Cable , 35
...Mounting tube, 36...Operation tube, 38...Return spring, 39...Operation rod, 41...Push button.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A rack provided directly or indirectly on the spindle that is biased in one direction along the axis by the spindle biasing means, and a rack that is appropriately engaged with the rack to cause the spindle to move in one direction on the axis. a spindle feeding means for intermittently feeding the spindle against the urging force; and a spindle position regulating means for engaging the rack and regulating the position of the spindle against the urging force when the spindle feeding means and the rack are not engaged. means and
a spindle release means for releasing the spindle position regulating means from the rack and freely moving the spindle according to the urging force; and a push shaft, the spindle feeding means being driven by a first stroke of the push shaft; a release device that drives a release means for all spindles in a second stroke, and the spindle position regulating means includes a latch lever that easily engages on the swinging end side, and a latch lever that urges the latch lever toward the rack side. and a ratchet lever biasing spring, and the spindle feeding means is rotated by the push shaft of the release device and includes a feed portion, and the feed portion engages with the rack during the first stroke of the push shaft. The cam includes a cam to which the movement of the push shaft is transmitted, and a cam biasing spring that urges the cam toward the push shaft. A spindle drive structure comprising: a contact portion that abuts the ratchet lever to release the ratchet lever from the rack during the second stroke of the spindle drive structure. 2. In claim 1, a feed lever having the feed portion and a contact portion is pivotally supported on the cam, and a stopper pin that restricts the rotation range of the feed lever, and a stopper pin cargo feed lever are supported on the cam. A spindle drive structure comprising: a feed lever biasing spring that urges the feed lever to come into contact with the feed lever.