JPH0722400Y2 - Device replacement mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a device replacement mechanism capable of engaging and disengaging a unit to be joined and a unit to be joined automatically.

[Prior Art] Devices for remotely connecting a joining unit to a unit to be joined include a manipulator and an industrial robot having multiple joints.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when the joining unit is joined to the unit to be joined by the manipulator, it is difficult to perform the positioning accurately and in a short time. This is an important problem from the viewpoint that humans cannot easily assist when the joining unit is disengaged in a dangerous atmosphere or outer space.

[Means for Solving the Problem] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the present invention provides a device replacement mechanism for automatically engaging and disengaging a joining unit with a unit to be joined by being moved by a manipulator or the like. A locking hole formed on one joint surface of the unit and having a slit in the radial direction, and a projection that is housed in the other unit of the unit so as to be retractable and retractable toward the one unit side, and that engages with the slit at the tip. And a cam floor mechanism that is provided in the guide rod accommodating portion, rotates the protrusion with respect to the slit when the guide rod that penetrates the locking hole is retracted, and prevents the protrusion from separating from the slit. It was done.

[Operation] When the projection is engaged with the slit and the guide rod is extended in a position where the projection penetrates the slit and then the guide rod is moved in the retracted direction, the guide rod is rotated by the cam floor mechanism. Then, the position of the protrusion with respect to the slit changes, and the protrusion cannot be separated from the slit. That is, the temporary latch is performed. Thereafter, when the guide rod is further moved in the retracted direction, the joining unit is moved in the joining direction with respect to the unit to be joined and the joining is completed, that is, the latch is completed.

[Embodiment] A preferred embodiment of the present invention adopted for a space station will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shown in FIG. 1 is a base unit which is a unit to be joined and which is fixed to an exposed portion 2 of a space station (not shown), 4 is a payload which is joined to the base unit 1 as a joining unit, and 5 is a payload It is a multi-joint manipulator that grips 4 and carries it to the base unit 1 side. Male and female interface elements (couplers, connectors, etc.) 6a, 6b that engage with each other are arranged on the mutual joint surfaces 4a, 5a of the base unit 1 and the payload 4, respectively, and the interface elements 6a, 6b At the time of joining, the space station side sends electricity, gas, working fluid, etc. to the payload 4 side through the interfaces 6a, 6b to maintain the function of the payload 4.

Now, a device exchanging mechanism for attaching and detaching the payload 4 to and from the base unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The device exchanging mechanism in the embodiment includes an aligning mechanism 10 for positioning, an engaging / disengaging mechanism 12 for fixing the payload 4 to the base unit 1 after the aligning operation, and the aligning mechanism 10 described above.
And a substrate 3 on which a part of is disposed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 3 is formed in a disk shape which surrounds the outer peripheral surface 4b of the payload 4 with a predetermined interval in the radial direction. 4 is hung on the payload 4 by the first spring 14 which is hung on the upper part between the outer peripheral surface 4a of the No. 4 and the outer peripheral surface 4b of the payload 4 on the surface of the substrate 3. A second spring (not shown) is provided so as to keep a constant circumferential distance. That is, the substrate 3 is the payload 4
On the other hand, the payload 4 is suspended at the concentric position.

The aligning mechanism 10 is a joint surface of the base unit 1 of the substrate 3
5a, a rough positioning guide pin 30 having a cone-shaped head portion 30a, an engagement hole 31 provided on the base unit 1 side and into which the guide pin 30 is inserted, A guide portion 32 is formed by expanding the diameter of the upper portion of the fitting hole 18 into a cone shape and slidingly guiding the cone-shaped head portion 30a from the peripheral edge side to the axis of the engagement hole 31.

Now, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the engaging mechanism 12 is provided with a precise positioning guide rod 13 which is housed in the base unit 1 so as to be able to move up and down and retractable to the payload 4 side. , A cam floor mechanism 14 for guiding the guide rod 13 up and down again from the rotation position by rotating the guide rod 13 by a predetermined angle during the ascent and descent of the guide rod 13, and a drive mechanism 15 and the payload for raising and lowering the guide rod 13. It is composed of a locking hole 16 formed in 4.

The cam floor mechanism 14 is an accommodating portion of the base unit 1 that accommodates the guide rod 13 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
A cam groove 18 formed on the inner surface 17a of the roller 17 and a roller 19 that is axially supported on the rear end side of the guide rod 13 and engages with the cam groove 18 to drive. As shown in FIG. 4, a first elevating portion 19a is formed above the lower end of the accommodating portion 17a along the axis of the guide rod 13, and a rotating portion 19b formed by bending the elevating portion 19a at an oblique angle. And a second elevating part 19c along the axis of the guide rod 13 by modifying the rotating part 19b.

The drive mechanism 15 is fitted into a shaft hole 20 formed on the axis of the guide rod 13 from the rear end of the guide rod 13, and a shaft member 22 having an external thread 21 formed on the outer peripheral surface along the axial direction. , A ball nut member 24 screwed to this shaft member 22 and keyed to a fitting hole 23 formed by expanding the diameter of the rear end of the shaft hole 20 of the guide rod 13, and a guide penetrating the accommodating portion 17. It comprises a drive element 26 such as a motor for chain driving a sprout 25 fixed to the rear end of the rod 13.

By the way, the engagement / disengagement mechanism 12 is disposed at the four corners of the base unit 1, and the drive element 26 is connected to the sprocket 25 of each guide rod 13.
It is designed to drive the chain in conjunction with.

Now, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, a locking hole 16 into which the guide rod 13 is inserted is formed in the joint surface 4a facing the tip 13a of each guide rod 13 of the payload 4.
Is formed.

Here, the locking hole 16 is formed with a slit 16a that engages with a plate-shaped projection 13b standing upright in the radial direction at the tip of the guide rod 13, and after being aligned by the aligning mechanism 10, the guide 16 is guided. When the rod 13 is extended, the slit 16a and the protrusion 13b are engaged with each other (see FIG. 6).

Next, the operation will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, first, the manipulator 5 is operated to carry the payload 4 to the joining position of the base unit 1 as shown in FIG. 2, and the head portion 30a of the guide pin 30 is guided to the guide portion 32. When they are brought into contact with each other and the payload 4 is further brought closer to the joining direction, the shaft portion of the guide pin 30 penetrates the engaging hole 31 and the entire centering mechanism 10 is centered on the shaft center of the base unit 1 (Fig. 5). reference). When the force of the joint portion of the manipulator 5 is released here, the first spring 14 and the second spring (not shown) move the axis of the payload 4 in the direction of the axis of the base unit 1 for alignment. Is completed (see FIG. 6). After this, the drive element 26 is operated to operate the guide rod 13
Is extended to the payload 4 side, the slit of the locking hole 16
16a and the projection 13b of the guide rod 13 are engaged with each other (see FIG. 6). Next, when the manipulator 5 is brought closer to the base unit (FIG. 7), the drive element 26 is rotated in the opposite direction, and the position of the protrusion 13b with respect to the slit 16a is changed by the rotating portion 19b of the cam groove 19, and the protrusion is changed. 13b is prevented from leaving the slit 16a. That is, a temporary latched state is created (see FIG. 8).

When the manipulator 5 is separated from the payload 4 in the temporary latched state, and then the driving element 26 is driven in the reverse direction again,
The payload 4 is pulled into the base unit 1 by the guide rod 13, the joining of the interface elements 6a, 6b and the like is completed, and the latching is completed (see FIG. 9).

When disconnecting the payload 4 from the base unit 1,
First, by connecting the manipulator 5 to the payload 4 and proceeding in the reverse order of the above operation, the disconnection is easily performed. 28
Is a damper that is provided in the base unit 1 and buffers the impact at the time of joining.

[Effect of the Invention] As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily engage and disengage the joining unit with respect to the base unit by a manipulator or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an aligning mechanism, FIGS. 3 and 4 are detailed views showing a main part of an engaging / disengaging mechanism, and FIGS. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the operation. In the figure, 1 is a base unit, 4 is a payload as a joining unit, 10 is an alignment mechanism, 12 is an engagement / disengagement mechanism, 13 is a guide rod, 13b is a protrusion, 16 is a locking hole, and 16a is a slit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A device exchanging mechanism which is moved by a manipulator or the like to automatically engage and disengage the joining unit with the unit to be joined, the engaging hole having a radial slit formed on one joining surface of the unit. And a guide rod that is housed in the other of the units so as to be retractable toward one unit side and that has a projection at the tip that engages with the slit, and the locking hole that is provided in the guide rod housing portion. And a cam floor mechanism for preventing the projection from coming off the slit when the guide rod that penetrates the slit is retracted.