JPH0318072B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention is applicable to robots, machine tools, other mechanical equipment, etc., where the movable and fixed parts of equipment, or between movable parts, are connected by power, control signals, gas, water, oil, etc. This invention relates to a flexible support for cables, etc., that supports, protects and guides one or more cables, hoses, etc. for supplying water.

Prior Art and its Problems Conventionally, flexible supports such as cables that supply energy to moving parts in machine tools, etc. have been constructed by alternately combining hollow inner frames and surrounding pieces between a fixed end and a moving end. Some cables are supported and guided by storing cables and the like inside a tube that can be bent within a certain range. This is made by arranging two inner frames having grooves of a constant width at equal intervals, and connecting them into a single frame by spanning over an enclosing piece having flanges at both ends that fit into the grooves.

The duct device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-120791 is similar to the above-mentioned one, and this duct device has a structure in which duct elements having a square tubular cross section are connected by pins.

In addition, wiring for things that move freely,
A method of accommodating cables and the like in bundles or bellows has been used.

However, the former flexible supports such as cables (including those of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 57-120791) can be bent horizontally (or vertically), but cannot be moved in any direction. I can't handle it. In other words, it can be used for moving objects that move in a straight line, but
There was a problem that it could not be applied to things that move freely, such as robots.

On the other hand, when looking at things that move in three dimensions, bundled wires have problems in terms of appearance, and it is difficult to protect the wires. In addition, the method using bellows has many problems, such as not being able to cut and connect, not having a fixed radius, and not having enough strength to support cables, etc.

As a means to solve this problem, the applicant has already proposed Japanese Patent Application No. 1983-75698 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-37518) and Japanese Patent Application No. 86983-1983 using spherical contact links.
(Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-51715).

However, in order to follow extremely diverse movements and stabilize the locus of movement of the support, it is necessary to have certain parts fixed (stationary, one-dimensional) and other parts flexible in only one direction with a fixed bending radius. (two-dimensional), and a flexible support that can be bent in any direction up to a certain radius is required in certain parts, but conventional supports have had the problem of not being able to adequately accommodate this.

Means and Effect for Solving the Problems The present invention provides, firstly, a flexible support such as a cable configured by engaging a concave spherical inner surface and a convex spherical outer surface of a link; One or more holes are provided, and a pin is press-fitted into one of the holes and loosely fitted into the other. In one embodiment, the pin is provided in a spacer inserted into a gap between adjacent links. Second, in a flexible support such as a cable constructed by engaging the concave spherical inner surface and the convex spherical outer surface of the links, a tongue piece is provided on the spacer inserted into the gap between adjacent links. This is engaged with a groove provided in the link.

By arranging the pins and spacers as described above, various movements such as fixed, two-dimensional, and no-back bending can be realized at any position. ,
It is also possible to prevent rotation of the link.

Embodiment The basic structure and operation of a flexible support to which the present invention is applied will be explained with reference to FIGS. It is constructed by continuously coupling stranded links 6. Both ends of the support body 5 are provided with a flanged fitting 7 having a convex spherical surface and a flanged fitting 8 having a concave spherical surface.

The link 6 has an offset shape and has a small-diameter protrusion 12 having an inner surface of a concave spherical surface 10 on one side of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 9 and an outer surface of a convex spherical surface 11 on the other side, and has a protruding portion 12 with a smaller diameter than each of the above-mentioned spherical surfaces in the longitudinal direction. A cylindrical hole 13 is provided. Each link is inserted into and engaged with an adjacent link with a concave-convex spherical surface. When the flexible support body 5 bends, each link smoothly slides on each other and rotates by θ degrees because the adjacent concave and convex spherical surfaces are loosely connected to each other. When rotated by θ degrees, both or one of the contact points 14 on the outer diameter portion or the contact points 15 on the inner diameter portion come into contact with each other, and a stopper mechanism is activated.
Further, the inner surface of the link 6 is finished smoothly so as not to damage the cables, hoses, etc. 4, and the corners are chamfered. When each link 6 rotates by θ degrees as the flexible body moves, the adjacent links 6 sequentially rotate to form a constant bending radius. Furthermore, since each link 6 can rotate by θ degrees in any direction on the spherical surface, it can be bent three-dimensionally while maintaining a constant bending radius.

In addition, when connecting the link 6, the concave spherical part should be held at 70°C.
This can easily be done by immersing it in hot water at ~100℃ to locally expand it, and then inserting the convex spherical part on the other side.

By the way, FIG. 1 shows a single link 3 according to the present invention.
6 shows the shape of a pin 30 that connects the link.
The single link 36 has the inside of the concave spherical surface 10 on one side and the outside of the convex spherical surface 11 on the other side, as in the previous application. , left and right symmetrical round holes 31, 32
One or more each are provided in the circumferential direction (four locations in this figure).

FIGS. 2 and 3 show pin 3 in connected link 36.
The case where 0 is inserted is shown.

The pin 30 and the large diameter portion 9 are tightly press-fitted, and are loosely fitted into the small diameter portion 12.

The length of the pin 30 is such that it does not protrude beyond the inner surface of the small diameter portion 12.

If the pins 30 are engaged between the links at four locations, the links 36 cannot be bent and are fixed, so that they can be made self-sustaining.

Furthermore, if the pins 30 are engaged in two or one place symmetrically, a flexible support body that can be bent only in one direction and can move in two dimensions can be created. At this time, the pin is inserted above the bending center, so the bending is smooth.
Also, the tensile load on the link increases. Of course, unless the pin 30 is inserted, it is three-dimensionally flexible.

Note that even when adjacent links are bent to the maximum extent, if a gap W as shown in FIG. 2 remains, fingers or objects will not get caught.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show an embodiment in which the link 36 is connected by arc-shaped spacers 33 and 34 (a portion of the circumference is cut out) having a pair of left and right pins 30'.

The spacer 33 is used when fixing the links in a straight line, and an overall view of the spacer 33 is shown in FIG.

The spacer 34 is used to fix the links at a constant radius, and has a tapered side surface.

6 and 7 show an embodiment in which a link 36 is connected by a spacer 35 having a semicircular arc shape and having a pair of pins 30' on the left and right sides, the overall view of which is shown in FIG. 9.

When this spacer 35 is inserted, the link becomes a flexible support having a so-called "no-back bend" structure that bends only in one direction and does not bend in the opposite direction.

Since the pin 30' is inserted into the hole 31 of the large diameter portion 9, the spacer 35 moves together with the bending of the link and moves along the spherical outer surface 11 of the small diameter portion 12.

This is a spacer that has both the functions of a stopper and a pin, and is easy to insert into the link, and can be installed at any position without being independent or restricted.

The spacer 35 and the small-diameter outer spherical surface 11 are loosely matched, and the pins 30' connect each link, increasing the strength of the flexible support.

By changing the width of the spacer shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 or making it tapered, a structure that can maintain various bending radii can be obtained.

10 and 11 show views in which the spacers 37 and 38 of FIGS. 12 and 13 are engaged.

Pins 30 shown in Figure 1 are attached to both sides of the link.
are engaged, and the link alone has the tongue piece 3 of the spacer.
One (or a plurality of) grooves 36' are provided on the outer surface, into which the grooves 9 are press-fitted and fixed. Each of the spacers 37 and 38 has a matching tongue piece 39 on one side, and this tongue piece 39 is fixed to the link unit 36 by press fitting or snap connection.

In the case of two-dimensional bending, although the pin 30 is required in the above description, the pin 30 may be omitted if the links are prevented from rotating.

This embodiment is shown in FIGS. 14-17.

The spacers 37', 38' have tongues 39', 39'' on both sides of the circumference.The tongues 39' are tightly fitted (snap connection, etc.) to the link body and fixed to the link. , the tongue piece 39'' has a length sufficient to move the concave spherical inner surface 10 of the mating link to a bending angle of θ° (see FIG. 19), and engages with a groove 36'' cut out in the mating link, With such a configuration, the links cannot be rotated individually, and if such a spacer 38' is used, they can be bent only two-dimensionally.

Note that the spacers 38, 38' are hard to come off if they have a circumference of 180° or more.

As described above, the present invention provides a flexible support that stably follows all movements by using a common basic link and varying the pins or spacers that engage with it.

That is, one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional bendable configurations can be freely selected as the entire flexible support body at any position, and it is also possible to flexibly respond to actual fitting.

It should be noted that the shape of the link illustrated is only one specific example, and as described in the previous application, there are various modifications.

Effects of the Invention According to the invention of claim 1, depending on the number of pins to be engaged, it is possible to make the link unbendable or to obtain a flexible support that bends only in two dimensions. When bending, the pin becomes the center of bending, so the bending is smooth and has the effect of increasing the tensile load.

In the embodiment of claim 2, depending on the shape of the spacer, the link can be made unbendable, fixed by bending at a certain radius, or made into a no-back bend.

According to the invention of claim 3, depending on the number of tongue pieces and the shape of the spacer, the link can be made unbendable or non-bending, and can be bent only in two dimensions without using pins. It has the effect of allowing you to get links.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the link itself and the pin, Figures 2 and 3
The figures are a front view and a sectional view of the first embodiment, Figures 4 and 5 are a front view and a sectional view of the second embodiment, and Figures 6 and 7 are a front view and a sectional view of the third embodiment.
A front view and a sectional view of the embodiment, FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of different embodiments of the spacer, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are the fourth embodiment.
Plan view and partial cross-sectional front view of Example, No. 12, 1
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a different embodiment of a spacer with tongue pieces, Figures 14 and 15 are a plan view and partially sectional front view of the fifth embodiment, and Figures 16 and 17 are views of a spacer with two tongue pieces. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a different embodiment; 1st
8 and 19 are an overall explanatory view and a partially enlarged sectional view of the invention of the earlier application, which is the basis of the present invention. 30, 30'... Pin, 31, 32... Hole, 3
3, 34, 35... Spacer, 36... Link, 37, 38, 37', 38'... Spacer, 3
9, 39', 39''... tongue piece, 36', 36''...
groove.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a flexible support such as a cable constructed by engaging a concave spherical inner surface and a convex spherical outer surface of a link, one or more holes are provided in a part of each of the spherical surfaces, and one of the holes is provided with one or more holes. A flexible support for cables, etc., with a pin press-fitted on one side and loosely mated on the other. 2. A flexible support for a cable or the like according to claim 1, wherein the pin is provided on a spacer inserted into a gap between adjacent links. 3. In a flexible support such as a cable configured by engaging a concave spherical inner surface and a convex spherical outer surface of a link, a spacer inserted into a gap between adjacent links has a tongue piece in the longitudinal direction, and the spacer has a tongue piece in the longitudinal direction. A flexible support for a cable, etc., characterized in that a piece is engaged with a groove provided in a link.