JPH0538091A - Actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate adjustment, maintenance, inspection and the like by facilitating separation and dismantling of actuator body. CONSTITUTION:The actuator body is constituted of a structure 12 and a moving member 20 wherein the structure member is temporarily secured to a work table or the like and then the guide part of the moving member 20 is slid on the structure 12 and adjusted or it is removed therefrom.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an actuator for converting fluid energy into mechanical energy using a motor, a fluid pressure cylinder, a linear motor, a fluid pressure motor or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an actuator which is a device for adsorbing a work or gripping and conveying a work by using a mechanical hand or a chuck, casting extrusion,
A moving body such as a table is attached to a body integrally formed by pulling out or the like through a guide, and the moving body is moved by a driving source such as a servo motor or a stepping motor through a driving mechanism such as a ball screw or a timing belt. ing. Along with this movement, the suction-holding means connected to the moving body also moves, and the work piece sucked by the suction-holding means is conveyed to a desired position under such movement of the moving body.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, a structure in which a movable body such as a table is directly attached to the main body and the work is conveyed to a desired position is adopted. Therefore, once the desired position for carrying the work is set and set as described above, when the work such as adjustment or change of the moving position, maintenance and inspection is performed, the set configuration is disassembled. It has to be reconfigured, which is very complicated. Further, since the main body, the moving body, the drive mechanism, the drive source, etc. are integrally formed as an actuator, the installation place is limited, and there is the inconvenience that it is difficult to perform the work on site.

An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator in which a structural member and a conveying member are individually and detachably configured and which can be freely assembled and configured in a desired space. ..

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a structural member which linearly extends and is formed in a columnar shape, and a concave portion is defined on a functional surface to form an outer frame. An actuator comprising a driving source and a moving member in which a moving body that is linearly or rotatably displaced in a longitudinal direction thereof under the driving action of the driving source is arranged in the recess, It is characterized in that the body and the moving body are individually and detachably formed through an attaching means, and that the body and the movable body are provided so as to be assembled by connecting a plurality of the structures.

[0006]

In the actuator according to the present invention described above, the structural member and the conveying member are constructed separately. Therefore, the moving member can be integrally connected to the concave portion of the structural member forming the outer frame by the attachment means that can be easily attached and detached. Subsequently, the drive source provided on the moving member is operated,
The moving body can be moved to a desired position. When the moving body is moved, it is possible to adjust the moving position by sliding the moving member with respect to the structural member by means of the attachment means that connects the structural member and the moving member. Further, during maintenance and inspection work, the moving member can be easily separated from the structural member. Furthermore, a plurality of members can be interposed in the structural member, and it is possible to work with each other.

Further, in the actuator according to the present invention, since a plurality of structural members can be assembled freely, the basic structural member is assembled within a limited space, and the actuator connected to the structural member is moved. The work can be transported by moving the body.

[0008]

The preferred embodiments of the actuator according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the actuator 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention basically has a structure (structural member) 12 constituting an outer frame and an encoder, or uses a harmonic drive. The moving member 20 including the motor 14, the ball screw 16, the moving body 18, and the like. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

In the structure 12, two rail-shaped groove portions 22 are defined on the inner bottom, recesses 24 are formed on both inner side surfaces and recesses 26, 28 on the outer side surfaces in the longitudinal direction, and the structure 12 is extruded and pulled out. , Integrally molded by metal injection molding or resin casting.

The moving member 20 has a circular motor 14 (for example, an electric motor) which functions as a drive source, a casing portion 30 for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor 14 to the ball screw 16, and the ball screw 16 1 which is moved linearly by the rotational movement of the
8, a ball-screw support portion 34 having a plate shape, a guide portion 46 and a frame portion 36 for positioning the casing portion 30 and the moving body 18 on a straight line are arranged. Also, the ball screw 16 is the same as the motor rotation shaft,
The rotation may be balanced so that they are integrated and the coupling may be omitted. A maintenance window 41 is provided on the upper surface of the casing portion 30. The frame portion 36 is provided with screw holes 40 for fixing the moving member 20 to the structural body 12 with screws 38 at predetermined intervals.

One end of the ball screw 16 is the motor 1
4 is connected to the casing portion 30 and the other end side is inserted into the bearing hole 42 of the ball screw support portion 34. Between the casing portion 30 and the bearing hole 42, a female screw provided in a hole portion (not shown) of the nut 32 connected to the moving body 18 is screwed with a male screw engraved on the outer periphery of the ball screw 16. Also, similarly to this, the ball screw 16
Can be replaced with a string screw or a trapezoidal screw. The moving body 18 is provided with a table having protrusions 44 on both ends of the upper surface. A positioning groove 45 is provided substantially at the center of the protrusions 44 on both ends. On the upper surface of the frame portion 36, a guide portion 46 (see FIG. 2) is provided which functions as a guide for contacting the concave portion of the moving body 18 and linearly moving the moving body 18. The casing 30 and the ball screw 16 function as a drive mechanism for linearly moving the moving body 18.

The operation of the actuator 10 according to the first embodiment having such a structure will be described.

First, as shown in FIG.
The moving member 20 in which the motor 14, the casing portion 30, the ball screw 16, the moving body 18, the ball screw supporting portion 34, and the like are continuously provided is fixed to the structure 12. At that time, the frame part 3
The T-nut or nut 32 is inserted into the two rail-shaped groove portions 22 formed in the bottom portion of the structure 12 through the screw holes 40 provided in 6, and the moving member 20 is fixed by tightening with the screw 38. After the moving member 20 is fixed to the structure 12 in this manner, the motor 14 connected to a power source (not shown) is driven. Since a transmission (not shown) is provided inside the casing portion 30, the ball screw 16 rotates in conjunction with the rotational driving of the motor 14. The rotational movement of the ball screw 16 is transmitted to the nut 32 connected to the moving body 18, and the male screw on the outer peripheral surface of the ball screw 16 and the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion (not shown) at the center of the nut 32 are separated. Mating. The moving body 18, which is connected to the nut 32 and is integrated with the nut 32, rotates the ball screw 16 under the above-mentioned fitted state so that the moving body 18 is moved from the end portion of the casing portion 30 to the end portion of the ball screw supporting portion 34 to the maximum extent. It is possible to move up to. The actuator 10 similar to that of the present embodiment may be mounted on the protrusion 44 of the table provided on the upper surface of the moving body 18, and the bottom portion thereof may be fixed to the protrusion 44, or a suction pad or the like. It is also possible to fix the other member to which the work suction-holding means is connected to the protrusion 44.

As described above, when the moving position is readjusted or changed after positioning and setting for carrying the work, the screw 38 of the frame portion 36 fixed to the structure 12 is used. Loosen the moving member 20 to the structure 1
It can be displaced from 2 in its length direction. In this case, the moving member 20 can be moved while the structure 12 is fixed to, for example, a work board or the like. In addition, when performing maintenance / inspection of the actuator 10, the structure 12
Loosen the screw 38 fitted in the rail-shaped groove 22 of
Easy to maintain by removing the moving member 20 from the structure 12.
You can perform inspections.

Next, an actuator according to the second embodiment is shown in FIG.

The actuator 50 according to the second embodiment is different from the actuator 50 according to the first embodiment in that a recess 54 is provided in the bottom of a structure 52 forming an outer frame, and a plate 60 is provided in the recess 54.
Is the point that is attached. This plate 60 has screws 38
Is fixed to the frame portion 36 of the moving member 20 via the plate 60 mounted in the recess 54.
Can be moved.

In the second and subsequent embodiments, the first
The same components as those in the embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals,
Detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Regarding the operation of the second embodiment, first, the frame portion 36 of the moving member 20 in which the motor 14, the moving body 18 and the like are continuously provided is fixed to the plate 60 via the screw 38. Therefore, the concave portion 54 provided at the bottom of the structure 52
Then, the plate 60 connected to the frame portion 36 of the moving member 20 is slid in the length direction from the end portion side of the structure 52 and mounted in the recess 54. It can also be attached at any position from the top surface. In this way, when the moving member 20 is connected to the structure 52 and the work transfer position is set and then readjustment or position change is performed, the screw 38 is loosened and the plate 60 mounted in the recess 54 is removed. It can be slid and easily moved.

Next, a third embodiment using a plurality of moving members of such an actuator will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the actuator 62 according to this embodiment, a long structure 64 forming an outer frame is provided.
In addition, the moving member A66 and the moving member B68 are arranged in close proximity to each other in series, and the moving body 18 is provided at two positions. A locking member 70 is attached to one end of the structure 64. In addition to the structure of the actuator 10 described above, the moving member A66 includes the motor 14 and the casing portion 3 as well.
In addition to accommodating 0, a cover member 74 having a plurality of slits 72 engraved therein is attached. Further, a plate-shaped cover member 76 is provided on the table of the moving body 18, and the projections 44 on both end sides of the table are formed so as to project. The operations of the moving member A66 and the moving member B68 of the actuator 62 are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, an actuator according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The actuator shown in FIG. 5 is characterized in that the moving body is moved by using a timing belt as a drive mechanism (see FIG. 6).

The actuator 78 according to the third embodiment is
Basically, the structure 12 that constitutes the outer frame, the motor 14,
It is composed of a moving member 84 including a timing belt 80 and a moving body 82.

In the structure 12, a rail-shaped groove is defined in the center of the inner bottom, and recesses 24 are formed in the inner side surfaces in the longitudinal direction and are integrally formed by casting or the like. A locking member 70 is attached to the end of the structure.

The moving member 84 is housed in a box-shaped cover member 86 in which a plurality of slits 85 are engraved, and has a cylindrical shape. The motor 14 functions as a drive unit. A motor pulley unit 90 provided with a tension adjusting mechanism, a timing belt 80 that functions as a drive mechanism, and a moving body 82 that moves in the left and right linear directions when the timing belt 80 rotates. , An idle pulley unit 92 having a disk-shaped rotating body 89 located on one end side of the timing belt 80, and a motor pulley unit 90 on one end side.
However, an idle pulley unit 92 is continuously provided on the other end side, and a guide portion 46 in which the movable body 82 is linearly movable is arranged in the middle thereof. The guide portion 46 is provided with screw holes 94 for connecting to the frame portion 36 via screws at a predetermined distance.

The timing belt 80 has projections 96 formed at predetermined intervals, and the projections 96 have recesses (not shown) in the annular bodies 96 of the rotating bodies 88 and 89 of the motor pulley unit 90 and the idle pulley unit 92. The timing belt 80 circulates by engaging with the ().
Further, a recess 98 is defined at the bottom of the moving body 82, and the moving body 82 can slide on the guide portion 46 by engaging with the upper surface of the guide portion 46. Further, a substantially rectangular and plate-shaped cover member 76 is provided on the upper surface of the moving body 82.
Is provided, and the projections 44 on both end sides of the table are formed to project.

The operation of the actuator according to the third embodiment having such a structure will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, a moving member 84 in which a motor pulley unit 90 is connected to one end side of the guide portion 46 and an idle pulley unit 92 and the like is connected to the other end side thereof is fixed to the structure 12. At that time, it is connected to the frame portion 36 through the screw hole 94 provided in the guide portion 46, the plate is inserted into the rail-shaped groove portion 54 engraved in the bottom portion of the structure 12, and then tightened with the screw 38 to move the moving member. Fix 84. After the moving member 84 is fixed to the structure 12 in this way, the motor 14 connected to the power source via the CIM controller and sequencer (not shown) is driven, and the motor pulley is interlocked with the rotational movement of the motor 14. The rotating body 88 arranged in the unit 90 rotates. When the convex portion of the timing belt 80 meshes with the concave portion of the rotating body 88, the timing belt 80 circulates.
The revolving motion of the timing belt 80 is transmitted to the inside (not shown) of the moving body 82, and the moving body 82 moves in the revolving direction of the timing belt 80. The moving body 82 can move to the maximum from the end of the motor pulley unit 90 to the end of the idle pulley unit 92. It is possible to mount an actuator 78 similar to that of the present embodiment on the protrusions 44 provided on both ends of the upper surface of the moving body 82, or to connect another member to which the work suction gripping means is connected. is there.

In the case where the moving position is readjusted after the positioning for conveying the work as described above,
First, the cover members 76 and 86 are removed, the screw 38 fixing the frame portion 102 of the moving member 84 to the structure 12 is loosened, the moving member 84 itself is slid, and then fixed to the structure 12 by the screw 38 again. Let

Next, FIGS. 7 to 11 show an embodiment of a module type actuator in which each component of the moving member can be easily assembled and disassembled. 7 to 9 are different from each other in that an electric motor is used as a drive source, and that FIGS. 10 and 11 use compressed air or fluid pressure such as vacuum pressure as a drive source.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a moving member constituting the actuator, showing a fourth embodiment of the actuator according to the present invention.

The moving member 100 includes a frame portion 102 as a base, a locking portion 104 provided at one end of the frame portion 102, a moving body 106, a guide portion 108,
A ball screw 112 to which a ball holding portion 110 which is a driving mechanism is connected, an electric motor 114 which is a driving source, a connecting portion 116 which mediates and transmits the rotational movement of the electric motor 114 and the ball screw 112, an annular body 118, and a holding It is composed of a metal fitting 120.

Explaining the assembling method of this embodiment, first,
From one end side of the frame portion 102 having several linear groove portions 122 in the length direction, the protrusion 124 of the locking portion 104 is slid in the horizontal axis direction along the groove portion 122. Next, similarly, from the other end side of the frame portion 102, the groove portion 12
2, the protrusion 126 of the connecting portion 116 can be fixed by sliding it from the horizontal axis direction. Subsequently, the guide portion 108 is fitted into the recess 128 of the frame portion 102, and then the ball screw 112 and the electric motor 114 are connected to the hole portion 130 of the locking portion 104 via the annular body 118 and the holding metal fitting 120, respectively. It is fitted into the hole 132 of the portion 116. After the attachment, the lower portion of the moving body 106 is slid from the horizontal axis direction and inserted into the cylindrical portion 134 of the ball holding portion 110 connected to the ball screw 112. And
The guide portion 10 is provided in the recess 136 provided on the lower surface of the moving body 106.
The moving body 106 is attached so that the blocks 138 that are continuously provided in 8 are fitted and inserted.

As described above, the moving member 100 can be easily assembled on site, and similarly disassembled for easy maintenance and inspection.
Also, if parts need to be replaced after the maintenance and inspection,
It can be easily replaced. Further, the frame portion 10
2 can be adjusted in length by cutting it into an arbitrary length.

FIG. 8 shows a fifth embodiment of the actuator.

The fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 8 differs from the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 7 in that the groove portion 144 on the side surface of the frame portion 142 is provided.
Is formed at an acute angle. Therefore, the locking portion 1
When mounting the connector 46 and the connecting portion 148, it is not necessary to slide and fix the frame portion 142 from the end of the frame portion 142 in the horizontal axis direction, and lock the groove portion 144 of the frame portion 142 from a desired arbitrary position in the vertical axis direction. The part 146 and the claw part 150 of the connecting part 148 can be inserted and fixed by being sandwiched from the side surface. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the third embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 9 shows a sixth embodiment which constitutes the moving member of the actuator. Unlike the fourth and fifth embodiments, a timing belt 154 is used as a drive source.

The moving member 152 shown in the fifth embodiment includes a frame portion 156, a guide portion 158 and a table top 160.
And a moving body 164 including a slide table 162,
The motor pulley unit 166, the idle pulley unit 168, the timing belt 154, and the motor 170 are included.

The method of assembling the moving member 152 is as follows: the frame portion 156 and the protruding portion 17 of the slide table 162.
2 can be assembled by inserting them into the motor pulley unit 166, the idle pulley unit 168 and the hole 174 of the table top 160, respectively.

10 and 11 show a seventh embodiment, respectively.
The eighth embodiment shows the movement of the actuator characterized by using compressed air or fluid pressure such as vacuum pressure as a drive source and using a rodless cylinder or a cylinder using a band type seal slit as a drive mechanism. The exploded perspective view of a member is shown.

In FIG. 10, the rodless cylinder 18
The reference numeral 2 is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped housing 184, a cylindrical tube 186, an internal piston (not shown), and the like. The connecting portion 188, which is attached by sandwiching the claw portion 150 in the groove portion 144 of the frame portion 142, is provided with a solenoid valve 190 for switching the supply of compressed air to the rodless cylinder 182. The rodless cylinder 182 introduces compressed air from ports (not shown) on both ends of the tube 186, and switches the compressed air with the solenoid valve 190 to move a piston (not shown) in the tube 186 to the left or right. It can be moved in the end direction to continue the reciprocating linear motion. A ring-shaped magnet (not shown) is connected to the piston, and a magnet (not shown) is also housed in the housing 184. The housing 184 also moves due to the action of the magnet holding force as the piston moves. The table top 192 can be connected and used on the upper surface of the housing 184 which moves in this way. In addition, this rodless cylinder 182
Similarly, a rodless cylinder using a rectangular or elliptical piston for lowering the height direction without changing the pressure receiving area of the piston can be replaced.

FIG. 11 is common in that the rodless cylinder 196 is used similarly to the above, but is different in that two pistol rods 200 are provided to prevent the rotation of the housing 198. Reference numeral 202 indicates a connecting portion, reference numeral 204 indicates a solenoid valve, reference numeral 206 indicates a locking member, and reference numeral 208 indicates a shock absorber which is a compressed air inlet / outlet port, respectively. In addition, due to the holding force of the magnet connected to the piston,
Since the operation of moving the housing 198 is the same as the above, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the case of assembling and using a plurality of actuators according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 12, an actuator 210 according to the sixth embodiment has a plurality of columnar members 212 forming a skeleton and first to third actuators 214, 21.
6, 218, work table 220, and work 222
A work storage plate 224, a work holding plate 226, and a suction pad 228 as a work holding means.
And cylinder rod 232
And a cylinder 234 in a protruding state.

The first actuator 214 is the second actuator 21 attached to the upper surface of the moving body 236.
6 for moving the 6 in a linear direction, and the suction pad 228 is provided on the moving body 238 of the second actuator 216 which is orthogonally connected to the first actuator 214.
Cylinders 230 are connected in series. Also,
A cylinder 234 is connected to the moving body 240 of the third actuator 218 and is used for positioning the work 222.

Regarding the operation, first, compressed air is supplied through a tube (not shown) connected to the cylinder 230 connected to the second actuator 216. The cylinder rod 2 of the cylinder 230 is supplied by the supply of the compressed air.
32 is displaced downward, and the work 222 placed on the work storage plate 224 is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 228. The cylinder rod 23 is again supplied with the compressed air.
2 is displaced upward, and while maintaining this state, the moving body 236 of the first actuator 214 is moved in the vertical axis direction, and the second actuator 216 connected to the moving body 236 of the first actuator 214 is moved. The second actuator 216 stops moving when the work 222 sucked by the suction pad 228 approaches above a desired position, and the moving body 2 of the second actuator 216 is stopped.
38 is moved in the horizontal axis direction to insert the work 222 into a desired hole 242 of the work holding plate 226. At this time, the third actuator 2 is operated so that the work 222 is surely inserted into the hole 242 of the work holding plate 226.
The eighteen cylinder rods 232 can be displaced for positioning.

In this embodiment, the actuator 210 is assembled into a chair shape and the three actuators 21 are assembled.
Although the case where 4, 222, 218 are arranged to convey the work 222 has been described, it is possible to convey the work freely in four directions by various combinations using the plurality of columnar members 212 and the actuator 210. Become.

Next, as in FIG. 12, the actuator 2
13 to 15 show the case where a plurality of 10 are used for assembly and use. In FIG. 13, the air cylinder 250 and the electric actuator 252 are mounted in the structure 12, and the respective control boxes 254 and 256 are attached to the columnar member 25.
It is the figure attached to 8. Here, reference numeral 260 indicates a motor box, and reference numeral 262 indicates a valve unit. It is also possible to integrate a compressor, a dehumidifier, an aftercooler, etc., which are not shown, into each actuator block. In this case, the columnar member 25
8 are integrated or connected and wired. Further, it is also possible to circulate and transmit the vacuum pressure by using a suction device such as a well-known compressor or scroll compressor.

FIG. 14 shows an example in which actuator controllers 264 and 265 are attached to the frame portion 36 and are housed in the structure 12. In addition, in FIG.
Transmission of various signals input to the actuator controllers 264 and 265, for example, electric signals, fluid pressure signals, power signals, etc., is performed by the structure 12 and the columnar member 258, respectively.
Done through the inside of.

[0051]

According to the actuator of the present invention,
The following effects can be obtained.

That is, even after the actuator is once positioned and set so as to convey the work to a desired position, the mounting means for connecting the structural member and the moving member is displaced and installed on the moving member. The moving position of the moving body can be readjusted or changed. Further, the moving member can be easily removed from the structural member to perform maintenance / inspection work.

Further, by connecting a plurality of structural members or structures and assembling them into a desired structure, the work space can be saved and the work can be conveyed in any direction. Therefore, a plurality of working units like CIM can be easily used in the factory.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an actuator according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment according to the actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment according to the actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment according to the actuator of the present invention.

6 is a perspective view of a moving member of the actuator shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a moving member of a fifth embodiment according to the actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a moving member according to a sixth embodiment of the actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a moving member according to a seventh embodiment of the actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a moving member according to an eighth embodiment of the actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a moving member according to a ninth embodiment of the actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a plurality of actuators according to the present invention are used to convey a work.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a plurality of actuators according to the present invention are used to carry a work.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a plurality of actuators according to the present invention are used to convey a work.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a plurality of actuators according to the present invention are used to convey a work.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 50, 62, 78, 210, 214, 216, 2
18 ... Actuator 12, 52, 64 ... Structure 14, 170 ... Motor 16, 112 ... Ball screw 18, 82, 106 ... Moving body 20, 66, 68, 84, 140, 152 ... Moving member 36, 142, 156 ... Frame portion 46, 108, 158 ... Guide portion 80, 154 ... Timing belt 90, 166 ... Motor pulley unit 92, 168 ... Idle pulley unit 116, 148, 188, 202 ... Connection portion 160 ... Table top 162 ... Slide table 182, 196 ... Rodless cylinder 212, 258 ... Columnar member

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A structural member, which is linearly extended and formed in a columnar shape, and which defines a concave portion on a functional surface to form an outer frame, a driving source in the concave portion, and a driving source under the driving action of the driving source. An actuator comprising a moving member in which a moving body that is displaced linearly or rotatably in the length direction is arranged, wherein the structure and the moving body are attached and detached individually and via an attaching means. An actuator, which is formed freely and has means for connecting a plurality of the structures so as to be assembled. 2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein
An actuator characterized in that the structural member and the moving member are configured separately from each other.