JPH0857152A - Moving mechanism and running wheel for running body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To minimize resistance in the horizontal movement of a running body by keeping a running range constant with respect to the number of revolutions of a drive wheel. CONSTITUTION: A running wheel 31 is synchronously driven so that a barrel- shaped bearing 21 of at least one other running wheel 31 contacts a running plate 34 when a mating gear part 3c of one running wheel 31 is meshed with a vertical rack 34 while an outer periphery 21b of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 and a pitch circle 13e of an involute gear 13c of the mating gear part are positioned on the same circle centering a rotating shaft 19 of the running wheel 31.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traveling body moving mechanism and a traveling wheel on which a traveling body can freely move back and forth and left and right on a traveling plate provided with guide means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional moving mechanism of a traveling body, for example, one shown in FIG. 12 is known. That is, on the traveling plate 1 having the plurality of guide grooves 1a, the traveling plate 1
A traveling body 2 traveling above is placed.

The moving mechanism of the traveling body 2 is driven by a motor 3 as a driving means to rotate via a reduction gear (not shown) so as to move the traveling body 2 in a straight traveling direction (a direction in which the guide groove extends). 4 and sprocket 6, 6 and the like which rotate by the drive of the motor 5 and mesh with the guide groove 1a of the traveling plate 1 to move the traveling body 2 in the left-right direction.

The driving wheel 4 is divided into two divided wheels 4a, 4b having rubber bands 4c, 4d on the outer periphery, and is slidable left and right with respect to the support shafts 7, 7, respectively. It is supported so that it becomes.

Therefore, when the rubber strips 4c or 4d of the split wheels 4a or 4b are in contact with the traveling plate 1, the traveling body 2 is moved in the left-right direction by the rotation of the sprockets 6 and 6, This split wheel 4a or 4b
It moves on the support shaft 7 in the right or left direction.

Therefore, since the traveling body 2 advances forward by the drive wheels 4 and also advances in the left and right directions by the sprockets 6 and 6, the traveling body 1 can be slanted on the traveling plate 1.

An example of this type is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-92383.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional traveling body moving mechanism, the traveling plate 1 and the rubber band 4 are not provided.
The friction coefficient between the sprockets 6 and 6 and the guide grooves 1a of the traveling plate 1 when the traveling body 2 is laterally moved by the sprockets 6 and 6 is reduced due to deterioration of the rubber bands 4c and 4d. For example, when the frictional force in the straight traveling direction is generated during the driving, the driving wheels 4 may slip and the traveling distance of the traveling body 2 with respect to the rotation speed of the driving wheels 4 may not be constant.
Therefore, there is a problem that the accuracy of the moving distance is insufficient.

When the traveling body 2 moves in the left-right direction by the rotation of the sprockets 6 and 6, the split wheels 4a or 4b of the drive wheel 4 move in the right or left direction while slidingly contacting the support shaft 7. A sliding resistance is generated between the split wheel 4a or 4b and the support shaft 7. Therefore, when the traveling body 2 is moved in the left-right direction, an unnecessary load due to frictional resistance is applied to the motor 5, which is not preferable.

Therefore, according to the present invention, a traveling mechanism for a traveling body and a traveling wheel that can keep the traveling distance constant with respect to the rotational speed of the drive wheel and can suppress the resistance when moving the traveling body in the left-right direction to a minimum. The challenge is to provide.

[0011]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in the invention described in claim 1, a plurality of rows of vertical racks and horizontal racks are arranged in a vertical and horizontal direction. A traveling wheel having a traveling plate having guide means and a traveling body traveling on the traveling plate, and having a plurality of engaging tooth portions formed to mesh with the vertical rack and being rotationally driven by a driving means, and the lateral rack. The traveling body has a sprocket that meshes with and is rotatably driven by a drive means, and a plurality of traveling wheels are arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal rack on the traveling body, and the engagement of the traveling wheels is performed. The barrel-shaped bearings that are rollable in the extending direction of the vertical rack are respectively provided on the teeth, and the traveling wheels arranged in the vertical rows are
When the engaging tooth portion of one traveling wheel meshes with the rack,
The barrel bearing of at least one other traveling wheel is driven in synchronization so as to abut on the traveling plate, the outer peripheral edge of the barrel bearing, and the pitch circle of the engaging tooth portion, It is characterized by a moving mechanism of a traveling body located on the same circle around the rotation axis of the traveling wheel.

The moving mechanism of the running body according to claim 1 is characterized in that the engaging tooth portion has an involute tooth profile.

According to the third aspect,
A traveling wheel rotatably moving on a traveling plate having guide means in which a plurality of rows of vertical racks are arranged, and having a plurality of engaging tooth portions meshing with the vertical rack, the traveling wheel being adjacent to the traveling wheel. A friction reducing member is provided between the engaging tooth portions, the friction reducing member being in contact with the traveling plate between the adjacent vertical racks to reduce the frictional force in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction due to the rotation of the traveling wheels. It features the following running wheels.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the friction reducing member comprises a bearing having a rotating shaft arranged in the arc direction of the traveling wheel. It features wheels.

According to the fifth aspect,
The bearing is a barrel-shaped bearing having an outer peripheral edge that comes into contact with a traveling plate between the adjacent vertical racks for a predetermined length to obtain a driving force in the traveling direction when the traveling wheel is traveling by rotation. It features the described running wheels.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the outer peripheral edge of the bearing and the pitch circle of the engaging tooth portion are located on the same circle centered on the rotation axis of the traveling wheel. The traveling wheel according to claim 4 or 5 is featured.

According to the seventh aspect,
The traveling wheel according to claim 6, wherein the engaging tooth portion has an involute tooth profile.

[0018]

According to such means, in the invention described in claim 1, the longitudinal rack is rotationally driven while the engaging tooth portions of the traveling wheels are meshed with each other, so that no slip occurs and traveling with respect to the rotational speed of the traveling wheels. The distance is constant.

Further, when the traveling body moves in the extending direction of the vertical rack, at least one barrel-shaped bearing of the traveling wheel abuts on the traveling plate to support the traveling body. In the orthogonal direction, it is possible to smoothly move in the lateral direction only by the frictional force reduced by the rolling resistance.

The outer peripheral edge of the barrel bearing and the pitch circle of the engaging tooth portion are located on the same circle centered on the rotation axis of the traveling wheel. Therefore, the precision of meshing between the traveling wheels and the vertical and horizontal racks is always kept constant, and the traveling body travels smoothly.

Further, in the invention described in claim 2, since the engaging tooth portion is formed to have an involute tooth profile, the pressure angle at which the vertical rack and the engaging tooth portion mesh with each other is also constant. . For this reason, the frictional resistance generated between the vertical rack and the engaging tooth portion generated when moving in the left-right direction can be made constant, and the traveling of the traveling body is further facilitated.

In the invention described in claim 3,
A friction reducing member that contacts the traveling plate between the adjacent vertical racks between the adjacent engaging tooth portions of the traveling wheels to reduce the frictional force in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction due to the rotation of the traveling wheels is provided. Since it is arranged, the resistance when moving in the arrangement direction of the horizontal rack is suppressed to a minimum.

Further, in the invention as set forth in claim 4, since the friction reducing member is constituted by a bearing having a rotating shaft arranged in the arc direction of the traveling wheel, the horizontal rack is arranged. The resistance when moving in the direction becomes rolling resistance and is suppressed to a minimum.

And, in the invention described in claim 5,
Since the bearing is composed of a barrel-shaped bearing having an outer peripheral edge that comes into contact with the traveling plate between the adjacent vertical racks for a predetermined length when the traveling wheel is rotated, the direction of rolling of the traveling wheel is increased. Makes the outer peripheral edge of the barrel-shaped bearing contact the traveling plate to move forward while maintaining a certain distance from the traveling plate, and to reduce the friction reduced by rolling resistance in the direction orthogonal to the rolling direction of the traveling wheels. Only by force,
It can be moved laterally smoothly.

Further, in the invention described in claim 6, the outer peripheral edge of the bearing and the pitch circle of the engaging tooth portion are located on the same circle about the rotation axis of the traveling wheel. Therefore, the precision of meshing between the traveling wheels and the vertical and horizontal racks is always kept constant, and the traveling wheels roll smoothly.

Further, in the invention described in claim 7, since the engaging tooth portion is configured to have an involute tooth profile, the pressure angle at which the vertical rack and the engaging tooth portion mesh is:
It is constant at any rotation angle of the traveling wheel. For this reason, the frictional resistance generated between the vertical rack and the engaging tooth portion, which is generated when moving in the left-right direction, can be made constant, so that the traveling wheels are further smoothly moved.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5 show the basic structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the structure will be described. The traveling member moving mechanism of this embodiment is mainly composed of a traveling plate 8 and a traveling member 9 traveling on the traveling plate 8.

Of these, guide means 12 having a vertical rack 10 and a horizontal rack 10a are formed on the traveling plate 8 having a planar shape.

The vertical rack 10 is composed of a plurality of horizontal racks 10a arranged at an equal pitch with respect to the main traveling direction of the traveling body 9. The horizontal rack 10a has a plurality of rack teeth 10b at equal pitches in the longitudinal direction. Reference numeral 11a is an engagement groove formed between the rack teeth 10b and 10b. The height of the bottom surface of the engagement groove 11a is formed to be slightly higher than the height on the other traveling plate 8.

Although each rack tooth 10b of the horizontal rack 10a has the side surface 10c in the arrangement direction formed as a vertical surface, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the side surface 10c can be formed in a curved shape similar to the tooth surface shape in the arrangement direction of the plurality of horizontal racks 10a. That is, the side surface 10c may have a tooth surface shape using an involute curve.

Next, the traveling body 9 will be described.

The traveling body 9 is mainly provided with a traveling body main body 9a formed in a longitudinal shape along the main traveling direction, and is arranged on both sides of the traveling body main body 9a and meshed with the vertical rack 10. A traveling wheel 13 for moving the traveling body 9a in the arrangement direction of the vertical rack 10, a motor 14 and a reduction gear portion 15 as one of driving means for rotationally driving the driving wheel 13, and a mesh with the lateral rack 10a. The sprockets 28 and 29 which are combined to move the traveling body 9a in the extending direction of the lateral rack 10a, and the sprockets 28 and 29.
The motor 17 and the reduction gear portion 18 are included as one of the driving means for rotating the motor.

The traveling body main body 9a constitutes a rectangular parallelepiped outer frame having openings on the upper and lower surfaces by sandwiching the front and rear walls 9b and 9c and the mounting member 9g between the left and right side walls 9d and 9e.

The front traveling module M1 is provided in approximately the front half of the traveling body 9a, and the rear traveling module M2 having substantially the same structure as the front traveling module M1 is provided in the rear approximately half.
Are arranged respectively.

That is, both side walls 9 of the traveling body 9a.
d and 9e have two rotating shafts 19 and 19 projecting sideways.
Are attached at intervals in the longitudinal direction. A traveling wheel 13 and a driven gear 20 fixed to the traveling wheel 13 are rotatably disposed on the rotary shaft 19, and a part of the front traveling module M1 is provided on each of the front left and right traveling wheels 13. The drive means includes a rear traveling module M.
A part of 2 is constituted mainly by the two left and right traveling wheels 13 on the rear side and the drive means.

First, the front traveling module M1 will be described. At the peripheral portions of the left and right traveling wheels 13, 13 of the front traveling module M1, fitting grooves 13a that engage with the engaging protrusions 10a on the traveling plate 8 are formed at 90 ° intervals to form engaging tooth portions 13b. Presents.

A barrel-shaped bearing 21 as a friction reducing member is rotatably mounted between the engaging tooth portions 13b and 13b around a pin 21a arranged in the arc direction. The outer circumference of the barrel bearing 21 is slightly higher than the height of the peripheral surface of the traveling wheel 13 and is formed to have substantially the same curvature. The direction of rotation of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 is a direction perpendicular to the rolling direction of the traveling wheel 13. Then, it is configured to come into contact with the traveling plate 8 between the engaging protrusions 10a of the adjacent vertical racks 10a and 10a to reduce the frictional force in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction due to the rotation of the traveling wheels 13. There is.

Further, the motor 14 as a driving means
Is fixed to the right side wall 9e via a mounting member 9f. The pinion gear 2 is attached to the motor shaft of the motor 14.
2 is provided, and this pinion gear 22 is meshed with a reduction gear 24 that rotationally drives a drive shaft 23.

Then, at the tip of the drive shaft 23,
A drive gear 25 meshing with the driven gears 20 is provided so that the rotation of the drive shaft 23 is transmitted to the traveling wheels 13. This pair of front and rear driven gears 2
As shown in FIG. 2, the meshing positions 0 and 20 are set such that the phases of the running wheels 13 and 13 are shifted by 45 ° and mesh with each other.

Therefore, when the driving gear 25 rotates, the engaging tooth portion 13b of one traveling wheel 13 of the traveling wheels 13 and 13 of the front and rear traveling modules M1 meshes with the vertical rack 10. The barrel-shaped bearing 21 of the other traveling wheel 13 is rotationally driven in synchronization so as to come into contact with the traveling plate 8.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a motor 17 as one of the driving means is disposed at a substantially central position of the traveling body 9a with a motor case fixed to the mounting member 9g. . A pinion gear 26 is provided on the motor shaft of the motor 17, and constitutes a reduction gear unit 18 together with the reduction gear group 18a. In addition, the front and rear side walls 9
A rotary shaft 27 that is rotatably supported is disposed between b and 9c, and the rotational drive of the pinion gear 26 is connected so as to be transmitted to the rotary shaft 27 via the reduction gear group 18a. Has been done.

Sprocket wheels 28 and 29 that mesh with the horizontal rack 10a provided on the traveling plate 8 are provided at both front and rear positions of the rotary shaft 27. Therefore, the traveling body main body 9a is moved in the arrangement direction of the horizontal rack 10a by the rotation of the rotary shaft 27.

The lengths of the sprockets 28 and 29 are set to be slightly longer than the gap between the vertical rack 10 on the traveling plate 8 and the adjacent vertical rack 10.

The rotation driving of the motors 14 and 17 is controlled by a controller including a power source (not shown).

Since the rear traveling module M2 has substantially the same structure as the front traveling module M1,
Some symbols in FIGS. 1 to 3 and descriptions thereof are omitted.

Next, the operation of the basic elements of this embodiment will be described.

By driving the motor 14, the traveling wheels 1
When 3 and 13 are rotationally driven in the arrangement direction of the vertical rack 10 of the traveling plate 8, the fitting grooves 13a and 13a of the pair of front and rear traveling wheels 13 and 13 are engaged with each other by the engaging protrusions 10 of the vertical rack 10.
The traveling bodies 9 are moved in the arrangement direction of the vertical racks 10 while sequentially meshing with the a and 10a alternately.

At this time, one of the fitting grooves 13a, 13a of the traveling wheels 13, 13 is always engaged with the engaging projection 10a of the traveling plate 8, so that the conventional traveling body has It does not slip like the drive mechanism. Therefore, the traveling body 9 can be reliably moved by an amount corresponding to the rotation speed of the traveling wheels 13.

Therefore, when a stepping motor or the like is used as the motor 14, the rotational speed of the traveling wheel 13 can be determined in advance by the number of pulses input to the motor 14, and the traveling distance can be controlled. The body 9 can be accurately moved to the target position. For this reason,
There is no need to perform feedback control by providing a moving distance sensor or the like for measuring the moving distance.

When the motor 17 is driven to rotate the sprockets 28 and 29 through the pinion gear 26, the reduction gear portion 18a, and the rotary shaft 27, the traveling body 9a is arranged on the lateral rack 10a. Moved in the setting direction.

At this time, even if the traveling wheels 13, 13 are rolling, the barrel bearing 21 of at least one traveling wheel 13 of the front traveling module M1 and at least one traveling wheel of the rear traveling module M2. Since the barrel bearing 21 of 13 abuts on the traveling plate 8 and supports the traveling body 9, the resistance when moving in the extending direction of the vertical rack 10 becomes the rolling resistance of the barrel bearing 21. In the conventional drive mechanism for a traveling body, the traveling body 9 can be moved obliquely or laterally with a smaller resistance than the sliding resistance generated between the drive wheel and the support shaft.

In the traveling moving mechanism of this embodiment, the front and rear traveling modules M1 and M2 are arranged in front of and behind the traveling body 9a, but the invention is not limited to this, and only one traveling module M1 or M2 is provided. You may make it arrange | position in the said traveling body main body 9a. Also in this case, since the barrel-shaped bearing 21 of at least one traveling wheel 13 is in contact with the traveling plate 8, the same resistance as in the case where the two barrel-shaped bearings 21 and 21 are in contact is provided with a small resistance. The traveling body 9 can be moved obliquely or laterally.

Moreover, in the conventional traveling body moving mechanism, when the drive wheels reach the end of the support shaft and come into contact with the side wall of the traveling body supporting the support shaft, the driving wheels are further moved in the left-right direction. Since the drive wheels cannot slide, the lateral movement of the traveling body is restricted.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the barrel bearing 21 rolls in the direction in which the horizontal rack 10a is arranged,
It is possible to reliably move the traveling body 9 on the traveling plate 8 only in the arrangement direction of the lateral rack 10a without restricting the movement of the traveling body 9 in the lateral direction.

In the drive mechanism for the traveling body 9 of this embodiment, the traveling body 9 can move smoothly in the direction in which the lateral rack 10a is arranged, so that the energy loss of the motor 17 can be suppressed to a minimum. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the driving unit.

Moreover, a horse model of a horse racing game is placed as a running model on a running surface arranged above the running body 9,
The model of the horse and the running body 9 are attracted to each other by magnetic force, and the like.
When the horse model is made to follow the movement of the running body 9, the horse model smoothly moves forward and backward, obliquely, and left and right on the running surface without being restricted by the track to ensure the desired position. Since it reaches, it is possible to create a realistic sensation closer to the actual behavior of the horse.

In the moving mechanism of the traveling body of this embodiment, the vertical rack 10 and the horizontal rack 10a are constituted by the rack teeth 10b as the guide means of the traveling plate 8, but not limited to this, the vertical rack 10 is guided. Any guide means may be used as long as a plurality of rows of vertical racks and horizontal racks are arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions so as to intersect each other, such as by forming grooves.

In this case, it goes without saying that a projection-shaped portion must be used instead of the fitting groove 13a of the engaging tooth portion of the traveling wheel 13.

Further, in the above embodiment, the vertical racks 10 and the horizontal racks 10a are arranged so as to cross each other in the vertical and horizontal directions.
Although the sprocket 28, 29 is engaged with a, the traveling body 9 is moved in the arrangement direction of the lateral rack 10a.
Instead of using the horizontal rack 10a and the sprockets 28, 29, the vertical rack 10 may be moved by another moving means in the extending direction.

In this case, the traveling body 9 is the barrel bearing 13
Since the vertical racks 10 are supported by the vertical racks 10, the vertical racks 10 can be accurately moved in the arrangement direction of the vertical racks 10 and can be smoothly moved in the extending direction of the engaging protrusions 10a of the vertical racks 10. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to any transporting means that is required to reliably move in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction while accurately moving the relative position.

6 to 11 show the structure of the essential part of the embodiment of the present invention. The same or equivalent parts as the basic ones will be described with the same reference numerals.

The traveling wheels 31 of the traveling body 30 of this embodiment ...
As shown in FIG. 9, the outer peripheral edge 21 b of the barrel bearing 21 and the pitch circle of the involute gear 13 c as the engaging tooth portion are the rotary shaft 1 of the traveling wheel 31.
It is configured so as to be located on the same circle 32 centered on 9.

That is, this involute gear 13c
Is formed between the plurality of barrel bearings 21 ...
A pair of tooth portions 13d, 1 each having an involute tooth profile
Four sets of 3d are provided on the circumference of the traveling wheel 31 at 90 ° intervals.

Further, the barrel-shaped bearing 21 is brought into contact with the traveling plate 32 between the adjacent vertical racks 34, 34 for a predetermined length when traveling by the rotation of the traveling wheel 31, so that the driving force in the traveling direction is provided. The outer peripheral edge 21b is obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, guide means 33 having a vertical rack 34 and a horizontal rack 35 are formed on the traveling plate 32 having the planar shape.

In the vertical rack 34, a plurality of central projecting strips 34b arranged at regular intervals are arranged at equal pitches with respect to the main traveling direction of the traveling body 30, and the central projecting strips 34b are also arranged. Before and after, the central protrusion 34b
Is formed by forming a pair of lateral tooth grooves 34a, 34a along the extending direction. The lateral tooth grooves 34a, 34a have an involute tooth profile that engages with the involute gear 13c at a constant pressure angle, and the tips of the tooth portions 13d, 13d of the involute gear 13c are insertable and removable so that the running plate 32 It is formed by digging deeper than.

Further, the central protrusion 34 of the vertical rack 34
A plurality of rack tooth grooves 35a of the sprocket 28, 29 of the lateral rack 35 are formed at a predetermined interval along the extending direction in b. The lateral positions of the rack teeth 35a are the same in the front and rear vertical racks 34, 34 so that the sprocket wheels 28, 29 are engaged with each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, the outer peripheral edge 21b of the barrel-shaped bearing 21 and the pitch circle 13e of the involute gear 13c of the engaging tooth portion shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure.
And are arranged on the same circle centered on the rotation shaft 19 of the traveling wheel 31.

Since the rear-side traveling module M4 has substantially the same structure as that of the front-side traveling module M3, some reference numerals in FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 and the description thereof will be omitted.

The front module M constructed in this way
As shown in FIG. 6, the drive shaft 2 of the drive shaft 2 and the drive shaft 2 of the basic module 3 are arranged so that the rotational phase angle of the traveling wheel 31 is shifted by about 15 °.
The distance is made smaller than the distance between 3 and 23 and is rotatably disposed on the traveling body 30.

Next, the operation of the main part of this embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, in addition to the operation of the above-described basic one, the involute gear 13c of the engaging tooth portion of the traveling wheel 31 is rotationally driven while meshing with the vertical rack 34, so that the traveling is performed without slipping. The traveling distance with respect to the rotation speed of the wheel 31 is constant.

Further, the traveling body 3 is installed in the extending direction of the vertical rack 34.
When 0 moves, the barrel bearing 21 of at least one traveling wheel 31 abuts on the surface of the traveling plate 32, and the traveling body 3
Since 0 is supported, it is possible to smoothly move in the lateral direction in the direction orthogonal to the rolling direction of the traveling wheel 31 only by the frictional force reduced by the rolling resistance of the barrel bearing 21.

The outer peripheral edge 2 of each barrel bearing 21
1b and the pitch circle 13 of the involute gear 13c
e is located on the same circle centered on the rotating shaft 16 of each traveling wheel 31. Therefore, the distance between the rotating shafts 16 of the traveling wheels 31, 31 of the modules M3, M4 and the upper surface of the traveling plate 32 is always a constant distance, and the involute gear 13c of the traveling wheels 31 and the vertical and horizontal racks 34, 35 are separated. The precision of the engagement between the two is always kept constant, and the traveling body 30 travels smoothly.

Therefore, when the gear is created, the teeth 13d may be in contact with the vertical rack 34 when there is no back-and-forth movement due to the presence of backlash. The frictional force when moving in the left-right direction is only the frictional force reduced by the rolling resistance of the barrel bearing 21.

Further, since the engaging tooth portion is composed of the involute gear 13c having the involute tooth profile, the pressure angle at which the vertical rack 34 and the engaging tooth portion mesh is also constant. Therefore, the frictional resistance generated between the vertical rack 34 and the engaging tooth portion, which is generated when moving in the left-right direction with the movement in the front-rear direction, can be made constant,
The drive torque required for lateral movement can be easily calculated and set, and the traveling body 30 can smoothly travel.

Further, in this embodiment, the front module M
3 and the rear module M4, as shown in FIG. 6, so as to shift the rotational phase angle of the traveling wheels 31, 31 by about 15 °,
The distance between the drive shafts 23, 23 is made narrower than the distance between the drive shafts 23, 23 of the basic structure, and the traveling body 30 is
It is rotatably arranged.

For this reason, the transmission of the driving force is further uniform, and the traveling body 30 travels smoothly.

Moreover, in this embodiment, a pair of tooth portions 13d, 13d each having an involute tooth profile are formed between the plurality of barrel bearings 21 ...
Since four sets are provided at 90 ° intervals on the circumference of, the tooth portion 13d of any of the traveling wheels 31 before and after each module M3, M4 meshes with the vertical rack 34 at any rotation angle of the traveling wheels 31. Therefore, the positive movement is possible.

Further, the recessed lateral tooth grooves 34a, 34a formed in front of and behind the central protruding strip 34b of the vertical rack 34.
Since the tooth portions 13d having a larger protruding amount than the basic one are also formed by the involute tooth profile so that they can be inserted and removed, it is easy to create a tooth profile with good molding accuracy.

Therefore, the tooth portion 13d of the one traveling wheel 31 is
However, the time during which the vertical racks 34 are in contact with the vertical racks 34 can be set to be long, and the time during which the tooth portions 13d of the adjacent running wheels 31 that mesh next with each other in the front-rear direction are in contact with the vertical racks 34 is increased. It is possible to increase the overlap amount of the time when the tooth portions 13d, 13d are in contact with the vertical rack 34. Therefore, the driving force is transmitted by utilizing a portion where the distance between the rotary shaft 19 and the tooth portion 13d is in contact with the vertical rack 34 ... It is possible to reduce the rotational unevenness and to move the traveling body 30 more smoothly.

The other structures and operations are substantially the same as those of the above-mentioned basic structure, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific structure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and even if there is a design change or the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention. Included in the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the barrel bearing 21 is used as the friction reducing member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a bearing member having another configuration or shape may be used depending on the rotation of the traveling wheel 13 or 31. As a matter of course, any friction reducing member may be used as long as it reduces the frictional force in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the traveling plates 8 and 32 are constructed so as to have a planar shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the traveling plates 8 and 32 may be constituted by a substantially flat surface such as having an inclination or undulation. Any running plate may be used, if any.

Further, in the above embodiment, the front module M
3 and the rear module M4, as shown in FIG. 6, so as to shift the rotational phase angle of the traveling wheels 31, 31 by about 15 °,
The distance between the drive shafts 23, 23 is made narrower than the distance between the drive shafts 23, 23 of the above-mentioned basic one, but the distance is not particularly limited, and, for example, traveling wheels of the front module M3 and the rear module M4. The rotation phase angle of 31, 31 is about 3
The distance between the drive shafts 23 may be set so as to have any phase difference within the range of 0 ° to 90 °, such as shifting by 0 °.

[0089]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the engaging teeth of the traveling wheels mesh with the vertical rack of the traveling plate, the traveling body is moved in the arrangement direction of the vertical racks. Can be reliably moved by an amount corresponding to the rotation speed of the traveling wheels, and an unnecessary load can be prevented from being applied to the motor for driving the traveling wheels.

Therefore, the traveling body can be accurately moved to the target position by controlling the rotational speed of the traveling wheels in advance by the drive means. Moreover, according to the configuration of the present invention, it is easy to arrange a plurality of traveling bodies on the traveling plate and to move the plurality of traveling bodies independently.

When the horizontal rack is moved, even if the traveling wheels are rolling, the barrel-shaped bearings of at least one traveling wheel contact the traveling plate to support the traveling body. Therefore, the traveling body can be moved obliquely or laterally. Therefore, the energy loss of the driving means can be suppressed to the minimum, and the driving means can be reduced in size and weight.

Moreover, when the running model is made to follow the running body, the running model smoothly moves forward and backward, obliquely, and left and right over a predetermined running distance to surely reach the target position. More realistic behavior can be created.

Further, since the traveling body is supported by the barrel-shaped bearing, it can be moved accurately in the arrangement direction of the rack teeth and also smoothly moved in the extending direction of the rack teeth. Therefore, it is possible to apply the moving mechanism of the traveling body to any transporting means that is required to move in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction with substantially no resistance while accurately moving the relative position.

Moreover, the outer peripheral edge of the barrel-shaped bearing and the pitch circle of the engaging tooth portion are located on the same circle about the rotation axis of the traveling wheel. Therefore, the accuracy of meshing between the traveling wheels and the vertical and horizontal racks is always kept constant, and the traveling wheels are rotated and the traveling body travels smoothly.

Further, since the engaging tooth portion is composed of an involute gear having an involute tooth profile,
The pressure angle at which the vertical rack and this engaging tooth portion mesh is also constant. For this reason, the frictional resistance generated between the vertical rack and the engaging tooth portion, which occurs when moving in the left-right direction, can be made constant, and further, the rotation of the traveling wheels and the traveling of the traveling body can be performed smoothly. It has the practically beneficial effect of being called.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing how a traveling body, which is the basis of an embodiment of the present invention, is moving on a traveling plate.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an essential part showing a relationship between a traveling plate and traveling wheels in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a traveling body, which is the basis of an embodiment of the present invention, seen from above.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 showing a drive mechanism for a sprocket of a traveling body, which is the basis of an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 3 showing the reduction gear portion of the traveling body that is the basis of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an essential part showing the relationship between the traveling plate and the traveling wheels in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a traveling body, which is a main part of an embodiment of the present invention, seen from above.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 7, showing a drive mechanism for a sprocket of a traveling body, which is a main part of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing traveling wheels of a traveling body, which is a main part of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a traveling plate that is a main part of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a traveling plate that is a main part of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an overall perspective view showing a traveling body of a conventional example moving on a traveling plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 13c Involute gear (engaging tooth portion) 13e Pitch circle 21 Barrel bearing 21b Outer peripheral edge 31 Traveling wheel 32 Traveling plate 33 Guide means 34 Vertical rack 35 Horizontal rack

Claims (7)

[Claims] A plurality of rows of vertical racks and horizontal racks, and a traveling plate having guide means in which the longitudinal racks are arranged to intersect each other in the vertical and horizontal directions; and a traveling body that travels on the traveling plates. The traveling body has traveling wheels that are formed with joint teeth and that are rotationally driven by a driving unit, and sprockets that mesh with the lateral rack and that are rotationally driven by the driving unit. A plurality of traveling wheels are arranged in a row in the arrangement direction, and barrel-shaped bearings that are rollable in the extending direction of the vertical rack are provided at the engaging tooth portions of the traveling wheels, respectively, and are arranged in the columns. The traveling wheels provided are synchronously driven so that the barrel-shaped bearings of at least another traveling wheel come into contact with the traveling plate when the engaging teeth of one traveling wheel mesh with the rack. In addition, the barrel And the outer peripheral edge of the ring, the engagement pitch circle of the tooth portion, the moving mechanism of the traveling body, characterized in that located on the same circle about the axis of rotation of the running wheels. 2. The moving mechanism for a traveling body according to claim 1, wherein the engaging tooth portion has an involute tooth profile. 3. A traveling wheel that is rotatably moved on a traveling plate having guide means in which a plurality of rows of vertical racks are arranged, with a plurality of engaging tooth portions that mesh with the vertical rack. And a friction reducing member for contacting a traveling plate between the adjacent vertical racks between adjacent engaging tooth portions to reduce a frictional force in a direction orthogonal to a traveling direction due to rotation of the traveling wheels. A traveling wheel characterized by being provided with. 4. The traveling wheel according to claim 3, wherein the friction reducing member is formed of a bearing having a rotating shaft extending along an outer peripheral edge of the traveling wheel. 5. The barrel-shaped bearing having an outer peripheral edge that comes into contact with a traveling plate between the adjacent vertical racks for a predetermined length to obtain a driving force in a traveling direction when the bearing is traveling by rotation of the traveling wheel. The traveling wheel according to claim 4, wherein 6. The outer peripheral edge of the bearing and the pitch circle of the engaging tooth portion are located on the same circle centered on the rotation axis of the traveling wheel. Running wheels. 7. The traveling wheel according to claim 6, wherein the engaging tooth portion has an involute tooth profile.