JPS60261374A - Operating device in vacuum - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To readily operate as desired by composing movable units of an alloy having shape memorizing effect, controlling the transfer of the shape from the exterior to drive the units. CONSTITUTION:A movable element of a linear motion is disposed with a coil spring 3 of shape memorizing alloy in housings 1, 2 made of insulator, and the other end is supported by a retainer 4a at one end of an output shaft 4. A bias spring 5 is mounted between the end wall of the housing 1 and the retainer 4a. The shaft 4 and the retainer 4a reciprocate axially in the housings 1, 2. Thus, currents are flowed from cables 6, 7 connected with a power source to the spring 3 to heat it to move upward the shaft 4 against the spring 5. When the currents are interrupted to shift the spring 3 to low temperature, the spring 3 is contracted to move the shaft 4 downward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an actuating device such as a manipulator, a nodling mechanism, a drive mechanism, etc., which is operated in a vacuum such as a vacuum process device to perform various motion operations.

Drive is generally transmitted to operating devices such as jigs and mechanisms in a vacuum by directly mechanically coupling a drive shaft via a vacuum seal such as an O-ring or a Wilson seal.

As a result, dust is generated from each moving or sliding part, and since the vacuum seal part is a dynamic seal, it not only requires continuous lubrication and periodic replacement of the sealing material, but also the risk of vacuum leakage. Furthermore, the output of the drive section on the atmospheric side must take into account the sliding resistance of the vacuum seal section. In addition, since the dynamic seal part is structurally complex and precisely configured, the actuating device is complicated and bulky, υ costs are high, and the degree of freedom is small. The aim is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks associated with dynamic seals in structures by using alloys with shape memory effect.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an operating device in a vacuum that does not substantially require the use of a dynamic seal and can use a static seal as a sealing means between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side, increasing the degree of freedom. It's about doing.

In order to achieve the above object, the actuating device in the stem according to the present invention comprises movable St-alloys with shape memory effect adapted to perform various operations in a vacuum. It is characterized in that the movable S is driven by controlling the transition from one shape to the other shape from the outside.

In the present invention, controlling the transformation of the alloy shape from the outside can preferably be carried out by supplying electrical energy and/or thermal energy. Also, in the present invention, the speed of shape change of the alloy constituting the movable St is increased. Therefore, if necessary, spring means can be incorporated. By this construction, the actuating device can be driven without introducing mechanical movements from the outside, and the component itself can be shaped. By changing the shape, the desired operation is performed without any sliding resistance of the seal portion, and by combining the movable deformation portions in various ways, a large degree of freedom can be obtained.

Embodiments Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but these are merely for illustrative purposes and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

Figure 1.2) shows movable elements for linear motion, 1\2
is a housing made of an insulator, in which a coil spring 6 made of a shape memory alloy is arranged, one end of which is supported by the end wall of the housing 2, and the other end is provided at one end of the output shaft 4 made of an insulator. It is received by the receiving member 4a. Further, a bias spring 5 is installed between the end wall of the nousing 1 and the receiver member 4a. The output shaft 4 and its receiving member 4a are capable of reciprocating in the axial direction within the housing 2, and the other end 4b of the output shaft 4 extends from the casing 1 to an external force. Both ends of the coil spring 6 are connected to a current introduction cable 6.7 which is connected to a suitable power source (not shown). Also in the drawing 8
is an insulating tube that guides the cable 6. - In the operation of the movable element constructed in this manner, when the coil spring 3 is heated to a high temperature by passing a current through it, the coil spring 3 moves the output shaft 4 upward against the bias spring 5, as shown in FIG. Then, when the current to the coil spring 3 is cut off and the coil spring 3 changes to a low temperature, the coil spring 6 contracts and moves the output shaft 4 toward the lower blade. In this case, the bias is 5
acts to promote contraction of the coil spring 6 in order to increase the response speed. Therefore, the same effect can be obtained by supplying a refrigerant to the coil spring 3 instead of the bias spring 5 to shorten the transition time from a high temperature state to a low temperature state. In this way, linear reciprocating motion of the output shaft 4 is obtained.

Figure 3.4 shows an example of a rotary movable element.

This movable element has an insulating seat 10 fixed to one end of the bracket 9, an output shaft 11 rotatably attached to the other end, and the seat 10
A plate spring 12 made of a shape memory alloy is installed between the output shaft 11 and the output shaft 11.Current introducing cables 13 and 14 are connected near both ends of the plate spring 12, and this plate spring For example, 12 takes on a flat plate shape when the temperature is low, and takes on a twisted shape when the temperature is high. Therefore, when the current is cut off, it is in the state shown in Figure 3, and the plate 12
When heated by the introduction of electric current, it twists as shown in FIG. 4 and rotates the output shaft 11 as shown by the arrow. In this case as well, cooling means and biasing means may be combined to increase the response speed of the spring 12, or stress may be applied to the leaf spring 121C in advance.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the actuating device using the movable elements shown in FIG.
8, the presser foot is moved between the presser foot position (indicated by a solid line) and the release position (indicated by a dashed line). The current-feeding cable (not shown) of each movable element 15 is led to the outside through a current-feeding vacuum joint, such as a one-to-one metric seal, provided in the wall of the vacuum vessel.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which the rotary movable element shown in FIG. 3.4 is applied to a monitor shutter actuating device. It is configured to be moved to the open/closed position.

Effects As explained above, the actuating device according to the present invention can be driven by simply introducing electric current, thermal energy, etc. from the vacuum cooling part without using an external mechanical transmission mechanism, and there is no sliding resistance of the seal part. The life of the sealing material can be extended, and desired operations can be easily performed by designing the movable parts in various ways, making it widely applicable to moving and operating loads in vacuum.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1.2 is a perspective view of the main part of the actuating device of the present invention;
Figure 5.6 is a perspective view showing a different usage example. In the figure, 3.12: Movable member made of shape memory alloy, 6.7.
16.14: Current introduction group.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Each movable part that performs various movements in the center is made of an alloy that has a shape memory effect, and the movable parts are driven by externally controlling the transformation from at least one shape of the alloy to the shape of another force. An actuating device in a vacuum characterized by having the following configuration: