JPH05124389A - Pen carriage for a plotter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To operate smoothly by a pen carriage wherein runout of a pen holder of the pen carriage in a plotter can be stopped with a simple structure. CONSTITUTION:A piece of sliding guide 13 is provided on a carriage base 11 of a pen carriage 10. Guide grooves are provided on 3 side faces of the sliding guide 1.3 in up and down directions. On a pen holder base 21 of a pen holder 20, a recess 22 to be set on the sliding guide 13 is provided. 1 guide groove is formed also on the side of the recess 22 at a part where the two are to be connected. In a manner straddling both of the guide grooves, a ball to be held by a holding device of a slide bearing 27 is engaged and assembled, so that precise plotting is possible without adjusting operation. Accordingly, highly precise plotting can be performed with simple assembly and a small number of parts.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pen carriage for a plotter improved to have assembly workability and operation stability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a pen carriage in an XY plotter has already been proposed in many configurations.
And it is put to practical use. In many cases, the pen holder is operated by a solenoid in response to an output signal from a computer in a frame of a carriage that is driven in the X or Y direction along a guide rail that straddles the drawing. A required line drawing is drawn by the operation of vertically moving the held drawing pen and moving the carriage along the guide rails.

A supporting structure of a pen holder which is vertically moved in such a pen carriage is constructed as shown in FIG. 6 (a), for example. In this drawing, a pen holder 2 is arranged inside a carriage base 1 having an irregular U-shaped cross section, with a pen gripping portion 2b protruding outward. In this pen holder 2, a base 2a portion is guided by a front guide pin 4 which is vertically mounted in the carriage base 1, and an iron core of a solenoid 3 fixed on the lower surface inside the carriage base 1 is connected to a base 2a portion. Together with this base 2a part and carriage base 1
A pull-back spring 5 is stretched between the upper side and the upper side.

Further, the pen holder 2 can be smoothly moved up and down by the solenoid 3 in response to a command signal from the outside, and the pen holder (not shown) held by the pen gripping portion 2b will not be displaced. At the rear end of the second base 2a, two steady rest rollers 7 and 7'are arranged as shown in FIG. 6 (b). These both steady rest rollers 7,
7'is related so as to sandwich the rear guide pin 6 vertically mounted on the carriage base 1 from both sides,
The one steadying roller 7 decenters the support shaft pin 7a, and the position of the pen held by the pen holder 2 can be set by adjusting the eccentric amount of the support shaft pin 7a. A slide ball bearing 8 is fitted in the base 2a portion of the pen holder 2 through which the front guide pin 4 is inserted, so that the solenoid 3 can smoothly move the pen holder 2 up and down.

[0005]

In such a conventional pen carriage, a high precision is required when the slide ball bearing 8 is attached to the pen holder base 2a, and there is a problem in fitting and fixing the slide ball bearing 8. Yes, it is necessary to bond it. Further, it is difficult to adjust the contact holding between the steady rest rollers 7 and 7'and the rear guide pin 6. Further, since the number of parts is large and the size is small, the assembly operability is poor. There are many problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a pen carriage for a plotter which has a simple structure, improves the assembling operability, and is improved in accuracy so as to be smoothly operated. Especially.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vertical movement guide mechanism by a solenoid of a pen holder in a pen carriage, and a pen holder base has a concave portion parallel to a pen holding axis of the pen holder. Along with the recessed portion and the slide guide piece that is erected on the carriage base, a plurality of rotors are vertically movably fitted to each other with slide bearings arranged at predetermined positions in a plurality of columns. It is characterized in that a rotor at a predetermined position supported by the retainer of the slide bearing is configured to be engaged with a guide groove provided to face the recess and the slide guide piece. Is.

According to the present invention, the recess provided in the pen holder base has a rectangular cross section, and the recess is held by the cage of the slide bearing so as to face the inner surfaces of the pen holding side and the solenoid side of the recess. A guide groove that allows the child to roll-engage is provided, and the slide guide piece corresponding thereto has a rectangular cross section corresponding to the recess, and the guide grooves of the rotor are respectively provided at positions facing the guide grooves provided in the recess. It is preferable that the structure is provided so that the rotor of the slide bearing is fitted in the guide grooves facing each other and the directionality is regulated, because the structure is simplified.

In addition, in the vertical movement guide mechanism of the concave portion of the pen holder base and the slide guide piece on the carriage base side, in addition to the both guide grooves, another guide groove is provided on a different side surface of the slide guide piece. It is preferable that the rotor of the slide bearing retainer is in contact with the guide groove and the opposite surface of the recess so that the rotor is rollingly guided, because the pen holder can be made more stable.

[0010]

According to the pen carriage of the present invention, the pen holder base is fitted on the slide guide piece on the carriage base when the pen holder is moved up and down by the solenoid during drawing work, and is interposed between the slide guide piece and the slide guide piece. By engaging and rolling the rotor held by the slide bearing retainer in the guide groove, it is possible to smoothly move up and down by regulating the directionality, and it is not necessary to adjust the steady rest of the pen holder. Also, the assembling operation becomes simple.

Further, a concave portion having a rectangular cross section of the pen holder base is fitted on the slide guide piece having a rectangular cross section, and the guide groove is provided in opposite directions of the slide guide piece and the side surface of the concave portion of the pen holder base opposite to each other. The rotor of the slide bearing retainer engages with the guide groove and rolls, and the rotor at a position corresponding to the other surface of the slide bearing retainer moves between the guide groove of the slide guide piece and the corresponding inner surface of the recess. The pen holder base slides up and down along the slide guide piece during the up and down movement, and is smoothly slid up and down by being guided in contact with the slide guide piece, and the pen held by the pen holder can perform accurate drawing smoothly. ..

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a pen carriage for a plotter according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of a pen carriage according to the present invention, and FIG.
1 is a plan view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is line III-III in FIG.
It is a visual side view. FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the main part, and FIG.
(a) is a plane sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 4, and (b) is an enlarged plane sectional view of the guide groove portion.

Shown in these figures is a specific example of a pen carriage which is movable by being guided by a well-known means on a Y rail which can be operated on a flat drawing board surface. The pen carriage 10 has a base 11a within the Y rail 40 (see FIG. 3).
A carriage base 11 which is supported on the Y rail 40 and horizontally projects a supporting portion to the side of the Y rail 40; a slide guide piece 13 provided upright on the carriage base 11; It is composed of a pen holder 20 held and a solenoid 30 for operating the pen holder 20 in a drawing state.

A vertical movement guide mechanism 15 for the pen holder 20.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, a slide guide piece 13 and a pen holder 20 fitted and guided by the slide guide piece 13 are provided in a pen holder base 21 and a recess 22 and A slide bearing 27 is interposed between the slide guide piece 13 and the pen holder 20 so that the pen holder 20 is kept in a horizontal state and can be reliably moved up and down by the operation of a solenoid 30 mounted on the carriage base 11.

The slide guide piece 13 has a prismatic shape with a quadrangular cross section, and as shown in FIG. 5, guide grooves 16 are vertically symmetrical on both sides in the direction intersecting the axis of the Y rail (see FIG. 2). A stepped guide groove 17 is provided on the side surface facing the Y rail.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pen holder 20 has a well-known pen holding portion on one side of a pen holder base 21 provided with a recess 22 formed in the shape of a rectangular groove to be fitted on the slide guide piece 13. A pen holding piece 23 having 23 'is fixed, and a projection piece 24 horizontally protruding from the upper portion of one side surface of the pen holder base 21 in a direction opposite to the mounting side of the pen holding piece 23.
The projecting piece 24 is connected to the movable iron core of the solenoid 30. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the slide guide piece 13 is provided in the concave portion 22 of the pen holder base 21 in a state where the slide guide piece 13 is fitted to the inner surfaces facing each other. A guide groove 25 similar to the guide groove 16 is provided at a position facing the guide groove 16 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (a), a space formed between these slide guide pieces 13 and the recess 22 of the pen holder base 21 fitted onto the slide guide pieces 13. In addition, the U-shaped slide bearing 27
Is intervening. The slide bearing 27 is provided in a cage 27 'having a U-shaped cross section and a length shorter than the height of the pen holder base 21, for example, in the upper and lower two positions in the slide guide piece 13 and the recess 22 of the pen holder base 21, respectively. The ball 27 "that engages with the opposing guide grooves 16 and 25 to guide the pen holder base 21 side in the vertical direction is
Each is arranged. Each ball 27 "has a guide groove 1
As shown in Fig. 5 (b), a thin metal wire is provided in each of the guide grooves 16 and 25 so that smooth sliding motion can be performed along 6 and 25.
28 is attached along the corners of the guide grooves 16 and 25, and the thin metal wires 2 at the four corners are incorporated in both guide grooves 16 and 25.
The balls 28 "of the slide bearings 27 are adapted to roll as a substantial guide rail, and the relationship between the balls 27" in the guide grooves 16 and 25 is as follows. The shape of the guide groove is not limited to the specific example, and the shape of the guide groove can be set so that the ball 27 ″ of the slide bearing 27 can directly contact with it, if necessary.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 (a), the slide bearing 27 described above has at least one.
The individual guide rollers 29 are rotatably held by a retainer 27 'and received in the stepped guide grooves 17 of the slide guide piece 13, and the guide rollers 29 are provided on the bottom surface of the stepped guide grooves 17.
Are contacted with each other so that the pen holder base 21 can be stably maintained. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the lid pieces 18, 18 are attached to the upper and lower end surfaces of the pen holder base 21 without contacting the slide guide piece 13.
The slide bearing 27 is designed not to come out. Further, on the upper end of the slide guide piece 13, a bracket 32 equipped with a holding piece 33 for holding the upper half of the drawing pen 50 held by the pen holding portion 23 of the pen holder 20 is attached. Rear end of bracket 32 (Fig. 1
On the right side), a spring 35 for pulling up the pen holder 20 is provided between the protruding locking pin 34 and the protruding pin 34 'at the end of the pen holder base 21. Reference symbol in the figure
Reference numeral 11b is a guide roller for traveling of the pen carriage 10, and 11c is a traveling drive wire of the pen carriage 10.

In the pen carriage constructed as described above, when the pen holder 20 is moved up and down by the operation of the solenoid 30 in response to a command signal from the outside, the pen holder 20 is moved in the vertical movement guide mechanism 15 by the carrier base.
11 Stand upright slide guide piece 13 and pen holder base
Guide grooves 16 and 25 in which concave portions 22 of 21 are provided in both
By the ball 27 "of the slide bearing 27 which engages with this part, this part acts as a bearing as a whole, and further, two sets of parallel lines are formed on the Y rail connecting the pen holding side of the pen holder 20 and the solenoid side. In addition to the engagement between the ball 27 "and the two sets of guide grooves 16 and 25, the guide roller 29 and the guide by contacting the inner wall surfaces of the stepped guide groove 17 and the recess 22 at a position orthogonal to these, Pen holder 20 when moving up and down
The pen 50 can be moved up and down without difficulty in a constant posture, and the pen 50 held by the pen holding portion 23 does not shake and accurate drawing can be performed.

Further, at the time of assembly, the slide guide piece 13
Against the pen holder base 21 recess 22 of the pen holder 20
The slide guide piece 13 from which the slide bearing 27 is removed is engaged with the ball 27 ″ in each guide groove 16 and the guide roller 29 in the stepped guide groove 17. By fitting, connecting the protrusion 24 and the solenoid 30 to the movable iron core, attaching the bracket 32 to the upper end surface of the slide guide piece 13, and attaching the pulling spring 35, it is easy to perform fine adjustment operation. Can be assembled.

The slide guide piece 13 in the above specific example
However, if the carriage base 11 is integrally molded, the number of parts can be reduced and the strength and rigidity can be improved. Further, the guide roller in the above specific example
Instead of 29, a ball 27 ″ may be provided in this portion as well, and guide grooves 16 and 25 may be arranged in the same manner as the other portions so as to be engaged with this.

[0022]

According to the present invention, by the vertical movement guide mechanism of the pen holder, the above-mentioned combination enables easy assembly and accurate assembly without any subsequent touch-stop adjustment. In addition, the number of parts can be reduced, the rigidity of the movable part can be increased, and the accuracy and durability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of a pen carriage according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of a main part.

5 (a) is a plan sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 4,
(b) is an enlarged plan sectional view of the guide groove portion.

FIG. 6 shows a guide mechanism of a pen holder in a conventional pen carriage, (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is A of (a).
It is the figure seen from the direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Pen Carriage 11 Carriage Base 13 Slide Guide Piece 15 Vertical Movement Guide Mechanism of Pen Holder 16,25 Guide Groove 17 Stepped Guide Groove 18 Lid Piece 20 Pen Holder 21 Pen Holder Base 22 Recess 23 Pen Holding Piece 23 'Pen Holding Part 24 Projecting Piece 27 Slide bearing 27 'Slide bearing retainer 30 Solenoid 32 Bracket 40 Y rail

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. As a vertical movement guide mechanism by a solenoid of a pen holder in a pen carriage, a concave portion parallel to a pen holding axis of the pen holder is provided in the pen holder base, and the pen holder base is provided on a slide guide piece which is upright on the carriage base. A plurality of rotors are vertically movably fitted to each other via slide bearings arranged at predetermined positions in a plurality of columns, and a rotor at a predetermined position held by a retainer of the slide bearing is A pen carriage for a plotter, which is engaged with a guide groove provided so as to face the recess and the slide guide piece. 2. A recess provided in the pen holder base has a rectangular cross section, and a rotor held by a retainer of a slide bearing rolls in opposition to inner surfaces of the recess on the pen holding side and the solenoid side. Provided with a guide groove that can be engaged,
On the other hand, the slide guide piece also has a rectangular cross section corresponding to the recess, and guide grooves of the rotor are provided at positions facing the guide grooves provided in the recess, respectively, and slide in the guide grooves facing each other. The pen carriage of the plotter according to claim 1, wherein the rotor of the bearing is fitted to the pen carriage to regulate the directionality.