JPS62242208A - Operation controlling device for apparatus or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an operation controlling device that can be made light and compact and generates little operation noise by utilizing deformation characteristic of shape memorizing alloy. CONSTITUTION:When the rotary contact 8 of a rotary switch B is at off position, current is not applied to a heat deforming member 1 in the state of plastic deformed to the shape of a coil, and a connecting member 3 occupies reference position by balancing with pressing force of a spring action body 2 energized in the direction of elongation, and a damper C is fully closed. When the movable contact of 8 of the rotary switch B is turned to the right, current flows between the fixed end 1a of the heat deforming member 1 and fitting part of a movable contact 6b. Consequently, the area is heated to above inverse transformation temperature, and its elongation deformation is increased, and angle of rotation of the damper C is made larger by increment of displacement of the connecting member 3. When the rotary switch B is turned fully to the right end, the damper C is brought to the state of full admission.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is capable of improving the thermal denaturation properties of shape memory alloys without relying on conventional four-wheel electric equipment such as servo motors or various actuators, or the action of fluid pressure. Regarding the operation control device for the equipment used.

[Conventional technology] Wind direction mill for attaching to the blower outlet! ! 1lvi
One end of the shape memory alloy shaped into a coil is fixed as a power source for rotating the A-direction grille, and the other end is used as a source of force to return the thermally deformed shape memory alloy to its original shape. A method of connecting coil springs and using a kind of actuator was disclosed in JP-A-58-214737J. This actuator is configured so that by intermittently energizing the shape memory alloy, periodic expansion and contraction movements occur at arbitrary time intervals, thereby automatically deflecting the grille.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The automatic width air conditioner incorporates several dampers for switching the air passage and adjusting the amount of air blown. These dampers are driven by a ribomotor or a diaphragm that operates by switching supply between negative pressure and atmospheric pressure.

Although modern automobiles, especially passenger cars, have reached a sufficiently high level of technology in terms of driving mechanisms, there is still room for improvement in terms of interior comfort. Improving the quiet operation of air conditioning-related equipment and reducing its external size are important issues at hand. On the other hand, there is also a strong demand for weight reduction for purposes such as fuel efficiency.

By utilizing the deformation characteristics of shape memory alloys, the present invention has the advantage of causing almost no noise and being lightweight and compact, making it suitable for integration into equipment, especially automobile air conditioners. The purpose is to provide a suitable actuation control device.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the operation control device for equipment according to the present invention includes a heat-deformable bamboo member made of a shape memory alloy that deforms by heating, and a heat-deformable bamboo member made of a shape memory alloy that deforms when heated. a heating means, a heating control means for changing the degree of deformation of the thermally deformable member stepwise or continuously, and a spring action for returning the shape of the thermally deformable member deformed by heating to its original shape. A structure comprising a body, a connecting means for connecting the spring acting body and the thermally deformable member, and a displacement transmitting means for transmitting the deformation movement of the thermally deformable bamboo member to the operating part of the actuated controlled device. did.

[Function] The operation control device for equipment having the above-mentioned configuration is capable of controlling a heat deformable member made of a shape memory alloy that has been memorized and deformed in a predetermined shape from a heating means through a heating control means. By applying an arbitrary amount of thermal energy for deforming the member and heating it to a temperature higher than the reverse transformation temperature of the member, the member recovers to its previously memorized shape against the force of the spring acting body to return to its original shape. . Since this deformation motion is transmitted to the displacement transmission means via the connection means, a control action force corresponding to the degree of heating of the thermally deformable member is applied to the operating portion of the controlled device.

When the supply of thermal energy to the thermally deformable member is stopped, the temperature of the member decreases to below the temperature at which martenreit transformation starts, and then the deformation and restoring force of the spring acting body is applied to the thermally deformable member. Then, the member returns to its original shape on the energization start surface.

[Example] The structure of the present invention will be specifically described below based on the example shown in the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a schematic side sectional view and a schematic side sectional view of the device, respectively, showing the case where the device of the present invention is used for the purpose of rotating the rotating shaft of an air mix damper built in an air conditioner for an automobile. 1° Horizontal sectional view The device main body A is built into a long and narrow cylindrical case 4 made of heat-resistant synthetic resin or porcelain. A heat deformable member 1 made of a shape memory alloy whose wavy coil shape is memorized at high temperatures is housed, and a spring acting body 2 as a coil spring is housed on the other side.

One end of the coil-shaped thermally deformable member 1 is fixed to one cylindrical end surface of the case 4 by screwing, adhering, or other appropriate means, and the free end is provided with a heat-resistant synthetic resin, porcelain, etc. as a connecting means. The connecting member 3 that has been made is fixed. Further, the coil-shaped spring acting body 2 has one end fixed to the other cylindrical end surface of the case 4, and its free end side fixed to the connecting member 3, so that the thermally deformable member 1 and the spring acting body 2 and 2 are connected in a straight line via a connecting member 3, and these kings are inside the case 4 and can freely move back and forth in the direction of expansion and contraction of both springs.

Currently, various compositions of shape memory alloys constituting the thermally deformable member 1 have been developed, but when used for the purpose of the present invention, it is very often necessary to
Since it is alternately subjected to the ability to return to its original shape due to external force, titanium-nickel alloys are currently the most suitable in terms of both durability and operational reliability. The transformation start temperature (MS) of this alloy to the maitenrite phase can be arbitrarily selected in the range of -50°C to +100°C depending on the composition.

By heating the thermally deformable member 1 to a temperature higher than the reverse transformation temperature of the shape memory alloy, the deformation strain is eliminated, and the memorized shape of the linear shape or the coil shape with a wider pitch is restored.

A guide pin 3a is pushed through the side surface of the connecting member 3 as a small block body, and both protruding ends of the guide pin 3a pass through pin guide slits 4a provided in a pair of opposing side wall surfaces of the case 4. and 4b are 1fIi&, respectively.

A pin loosely fitting groove 22 provided at one end of a rotating bar 20 forming a part of the displacement amount transmitting means is fitted into a portion of the guide bin 3a protruding from the side wall surface of the case 4. The rotary shaft 21 of this rotary bar 20 has an air conditioner for an automobile (
A rotating shaft 31 of a main body 30 of an air mix damper C (not shown) is connected directly or via an appropriate power transmission link mechanism. Numerals 32 and 33 are seed-like cushion bodies attached to both sides of the damper body 30, which serve both as an air seal and as a buffer.

In this embodiment, an on-vehicle battery 10 is used as heating means for the coil-shaped thermally deformable member 1, and power is supplied to the member 1 via an appropriate electric circuit. Further, as a heating control means for controlling the degree of deformation of the thermally deformable member 1, a plurality of sets of electrical contacts 5a-6a, 5b- are used to energize only an arbitrary region between both ends of the thermally deformable member 1. 6
b, 5cm6C... are attached to the bottom surface of the case 4 and the thermally deformable member 1 at an arbitrary interval. The resonating electrical contacts 6a16b, 6c... are formed by bending small strips of phosphor bronze or the like, and screws are installed at multiple locations where the heat deformable member 1 contacts the bottom inner wall surface of the case 4. It is attached by an appropriate method such as tightening or welding. However, if the shape of the heat deformable member 1 is devised, these movable contacts 6a, 6b, 6c...
・can be omitted. the other fixed contacts 5a, 5b,
5c... is simply a metal strip-shaped plate, and as shown in FIG.
, 6b, 6c.

It is attached or buried in the bottom wall surface of the space 4 at a place where it can come into contact with... As will be described later, the degree of movement in the longitudinal direction of the thermally deformable member 1 due to thermal deformation differs depending on the portion, so the fixed contacts 5a, 5b.

The lengths of 5C... are also different accordingly.

B is a rotary switch for selecting an energization area to the heat deformable member 1, and includes a plurality of fixed electrical contacts 78 to 78.
1e are connected to fixed contacts 58 to 5e of the case 4 by wiring, respectively. Also, the fixed side end 1 of the heat deformable member 1
a is connected to the positive terminal of the battery power source 10.

8 and 9 are rotating contacts and their rotating wheels, and a rotating shaft 9 is provided with a cable for remote rotation operation.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment device will be explained. If the rotary contact 8 of the rotary switch B is now in the OFF position, the thermally deformable member 1 is plastically deformed into a coil shape.
The connecting member 3 occupies the reference position shown in FIG. 1 due to the balance with the pressing force of the spring acting body 2, which is not energized and is biased in the direction of extension, and in this state, the damper C The rotation angle is zero, and the damper C is fully opened (or fully rM).

Next, when the 〇-tally switch B is operated to make the rotating contact 8 conductive to the fixed contact 7a, the contact 7a is in contact with the fixed contact 5a attached to the bottom inner wall surface of the case 4 and the contact 5a is heated. Since it is electrically connected to the movable contact 6a joined to the deformable member 1, the fixed side end 1 of the thermally deformable member 1 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery power source 10.
Electricity is applied to the region from a to the position of the movable contact 6a, and only this region generates heat due to Joule heat. The energizing circuit is installed in advance so that the temperature rise due to heat generation is somewhat higher than the reverse transformation temperature of the heat deformable member 1.
has been done.

Therefore, from the fixed end 1a of the heat deformable member 1 to the movable contact 6a
In the meantime, an elongation force is generated in the longitudinal direction in an attempt to return to the pre-memorized coil shape or linear shape with a wider pitch, and the heat deformable member 1 is fixed to the free end side. Push the connecting member 3 to the right in the figure. An opposite force is also applied to the connecting member 3 by the spring acting body 2, pushing it toward the left side in the figure.
Since this spring action force is set to be smaller than the thermal deformation force of the thermally deformable member 1, the connecting member 3 moves a certain distance to the right in order to achieve a state in which these two forces are balanced. Stand still.

As the connecting member 3 moves to the right, the rotating bar 20 is pushed by the guide bin 3a and pivots to the right. Therefore, the rotation shaft 31 of the damper C, which is directly connected to the rotation shaft 21 of the rotation bar 20, also rotates by a certain angle, and the purpose of the rotation of the damper C is achieved. During such a series of operations of the apparatus of the present invention, unlike when the damper is rotated by a servo motor or an actuator using gas pressure, no deafening noise is emitted at all.

When it is desired to further increase the rotation angle of the damper C, the movable contact 8 of the rotary switch B is rotated to the right. Since electricity is applied between the attachment point and the attachment point, this area is heated above the reverse transformation temperature, and the amount of elongation deformation further increases, and the rotation angle of the damper C is changed by the increase in the amount of movement of the connecting member 3. becomes crowded.

When rotary switch B is turned all the way to the right,
The area between the fixed side end 1a of the heat deformable member 1 and the attachment point of the movable installation point 6e becomes an energized region, and the damper C is brought into the fully open or fully opened state (r11).

When it is desired to rotate the damper C in the closing direction, the rotary switch B may be operated in the opposite direction to that described above. Along with this, the current is cut off to part or all of the area of the heat deformable part 111 that has been energized until now, and this area begins to cool down, and when it cools to below the martensite temperature, the shape When this member made of a memory alloy is subjected to an external force, it changes to a state in which it can undergo twin deformation, and its apparent elastic modulus decreases, so that the stretching force that previously opposed the pressing force of the spring acting body 2 is reduced. will be lost. For this purpose, the spring acting body 2
The coil is subjected to a so-called plastic deformation process due to the force of the spring, and returns to its original shape as a coil with a narrow pitch before energization.

A pulse oscillator whose pulse waveform can be arbitrarily changed is incorporated into the power supply circuit serving as heating means for the thermally deformable member 1, and the operation of this pulse oscillator is controlled based on information from a temperature sensor and other various sensors. With this configuration, the operation of the device of the present invention can be controlled more precisely and precisely by the duty ratio control method.

FIG. 3 is a partial view showing the second embodiment, and the difference from the first embodiment is that the thermally deformable member is not formed into a single coil, but is made by dividing into several pieces. heat deformable member 1A,
1B...1F is a plurality of connection pieces 1 made of conductive material
1 by screw tightening, welding, or other appropriate method. According to such a configuration, by making the materials and dimensions of the individual heat deformable members 1A to 1F different from each other, the connection member 3 can be moved from the movement start end to the movement end due to the rotational operation of the rotary switch B. It is also possible to cause this member to perform any desired inconstant motion during the movement up to. Further, by adopting the divided structure, it becomes easier to shape the shape memory alloy, which is not necessarily easy to process, into a desired shape.

FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the device of the third embodiment.
The difference from the embodiment lies in the configuration of the heating control means. The coil-shaped heat deformable member 1 has screws at one end of each of highly flexible energizing cords 13a to 13e at a plurality of locations 12a to 12C separated by an arbitrary tit interval between both ends. It is attached by an appropriate method such as tightening or welding, and each other end is attached to each fixed contact 7 of rotary switch B.
connected to a to 70. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the complicated assembly associated with attaching the electrical contact to the heat deformable member 1 itself can be omitted, and it is also advantageous in terms of operational reliability.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a fourth embodiment, in which the heat deformable member 21 is in the form of a thin forest or band, and it remembers a straightly stretched shape and then plastically deforms into an arched shape as shown in the figure. It has been transformed. One end 21a of the thermally deformable member 21 is fixed, and the free end 22a of the spring acting body 22 is connected to the other end via a connecting member 23. The connecting member 23 is loosely fitted into a kite groove of a guide rail 24 having a radius of curvature approximately equal to the length of the heat deformable member 1. 2
Reference numerals 5a to 25e denote fixed contacts each having a circular arc shape, and are arranged in a wide circular shape with an arbitrary interval from the circular arc of the guide rail 24. Each fixed contact 25
One ends of a to 25e are electrically connected to the fixed contacts 7a to 7C of the Tally switch B by wiring, and the fixed end 21a of the heat deformable member 21 is connected to the power source 10 to the rotary contact 8 of the rotary switch B. connected via. The heat deformable member 21 and each of the fixed contacts 25a-250 are always in pressure contact with each other.

Therefore, by rotating the rotary switch B, as in the first embodiment, the thermally deformable member 21 is energized in any region between its both ends, and the thermally deformable member 21 is thermally deformed depending on the degree of heating caused by the energization. The bending member 21 reduces the degree of bending to return to its straight shape, and the connecting member 23 is connected to the guide rail 2.
When the power to the thermally deformable member 21 is cut off, the apparent modulus of elasticity decreases as the part becomes colder, and the tensile force exerted by the spring acting body 22 causes the elastic modulus to decrease. It is restored to its shape.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a fifth embodiment, in which a heat-deformed bamboo member 31 in the form of a wire or a thin strip is memorized into a linear shape or a gently wavy shape, and also has a shape as shown in the figure. It is plastically deformed into a wavy shape with large ups and downs. One end 318 of the heat deformable material 31 is fixed, and the other end is free. A compression spring 32 as a spring acting body is connected to each corrugated portion of the member 31 so as to extend between the troughs at both ends thereof. In addition, in order to make the bottom surfaces 36a, 36b, 3Gc of each valley function as movable contacts, fixed contacts 35a, 35b, 35 in the form of strips are placed opposite to each of these contacts, respectively.
It is pressed against c. This pressure contact force can be easily obtained by selecting the fixing direction of the fixed end 31a of the heat deformable member 31.

At or near the free end of the heat deformable member 31, the member 3
A small block body or a hook-shaped portion JjA33 is attached to constitute a displacement transmitting means for transmitting the thermal deformation movement of No. 1 to the controlled Ia device as an operating control force.

37 is a rail for guiding the movement of the member 33. Each fixed contact 35a, 35b, 35c is connected to each fixed contact 7a, 7b, 7 of tally switch B by wiring.
C and the fixed end 31a of the heat deformable member 31 are connected to the rotating contact 8, respectively. The operation of this device is essentially the same as the previously described embodiments.

7 to 9 show a sixth embodiment. Compared to the first embodiment, the method of attaching the fixed contact to the case is different.
Accordingly, the mounting structure of the movable points is also different. The cylindrical case 44 of the device has elongated slits 4 on its peripheral wall with a step-like arrangement as shown in the figure.
48 to 44d are provided, and band plate-shaped fixed contacts 458 to 45d are attached from the outside of the case 44 so as to close each slit. Further, the movable contacts 46 are arranged in the coil-shaped heat deformable member 41 in such a positional relationship that they can be loosely fitted into each of the slits 448 to 44d.
a-, 4 (id) is formed by locally bending and deforming the thermally deformable member 41, or by welding a separately prepared contact member, screwing, welding, or other appropriate IJ method.

10 to 15 all show other embodiments of the material and shape of the spring acting body and its mounting structure.

FIG. 10 depicts an example of use of the L-shaped spring 51, and FIG. 11 depicts an example of use of the leaf spring 52.

Figure 12 shows an air cylinder 53 instead of a spring material made of gold Iil.
It incorporates. By increasing or decreasing the air pressure within the cylinder, the operating mode of the actuator can be easily and widely changed. To change the air pressure inside the cylinder, the cylinder may be provided with a variable internal volume mechanism.

In FIG. 13, a strip-like material or a string-like material made of a rubber elastic material is used as a spring acting body.

FIG. 14 shows a heat deformable member 1 made of rubber elastic material F155.
The device has a structure in which it is embedded, which has the effect of reducing the external dimensions of the device. However, it is difficult to allow the thermally deformable member 1 to cool rapidly after the heating is stopped, so this method is not suitable when a highly responsive control operation is required.

In FIG. 15, a compression spring 56 is housed coaxially in the inner space of the coiled thermally deformable member 1, thereby achieving the effect of making the external shape of the device more compact.

In the above example, the heat-deformed bamboo member mainly uses a wire rod that has been plastically deformed into a spiral shape, but it can also be formed into various shapes such as a wire rod or a strip material that has been plastically deformed in a spiral shape. It is possible to use the

In addition, in order to sufficiently increase the operational response of the controlled device in response to the operation of the heating control means, it is necessary to cool the thermally deformable member heated by -1a to 7J], so for example, It is recommended to use methods such as using a Pervue element or blowing cold air produced by an air conditioner to a predetermined location at a predetermined time. Further, in all of the above embodiments, the heating area (and thus the degree of heating) of the thermally deformed bamboo member is changed stepwise, but it can also be changed continuously by changing the structure of the electrical contact.

The device of the present invention is not limited to the purpose of controlling the rotation of the damper built into the air conditioner shown in the embodiment, but its features can be utilized for controlling the operation of various other devices.

[Effect of the invention] The operating side of the equipment according to the present invention having the above configuration
Even if the level of the device is relatively low in terms of absolute value, such as the inside of a car for example, the location of the occurrence is close to each other, so it can be particularly disturbing to the user. If used as a replacement for conventional actuators and servo motors that utilize fluid pressure, which are one of the sources of noise generated by air conditioners, the noise level can be reduced to almost zero.

In addition, the structure of the entire device can be significantly simplified, and unlike a fluid pressure actuator, no fluid piping is required, so the cost and size of the entire control system can be reduced and made more compact.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a side sectional view and a horizontal sectional view, respectively, of the device of the first embodiment. . 3 and 4 are partial cross-sectional views of the second and third embodiments of the apparatus, respectively. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are schematic structural explanatory diagrams of the apparatus of the fourth embodiment and the fifth embodiment, respectively. 7 to 9 are a partial side view, a sectional view, and a partially enlarged view of the sixth embodiment, respectively. 10 to 15 are schematic side views or side sectional views of the device, showing other examples of the shape and material of the spring acting body, respectively. In the figure 1... Heat deformed bamboo member 2... Spring acting body 3
... Connecting means 4... Case 5-9... Heating control means 10... Heating means 20-22... Displacement transmission means A... Device of the present invention B... Rotary switch C.・・Controlled equipment (air conditioner damper)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A heat-deformable member made of a shape memory alloy that is deformed by heating; a means for heating the heat-deformable member; and a stepwise or continuous change in the degree of deformation of the heat-deformable member. a spring acting body for returning the shape of the thermally deformable member deformed by heating to its original shape; a means for connecting the spring acting body and the thermally deformable member; An operation control device for equipment, comprising a displacement transmitting means for transmitting the deformation movement of a deformable member to an actuated portion of an actuated controlled device. 2) The heating means is an electric circuit for energizing the thermally deformable member, and the heating control means is configured to apply electricity to an arbitrary region between both end faces of the thermally deformable member in the form of a linear body or a band-shaped body. 2. The apparatus for controlling the operation of equipment according to claim 1, comprising a group of electrical contacts for selectively energizing, and selective conduction means between the group of contacts. 3) The electric circuit includes an oscillation circuit that sends out a current with an arbitrary pulse waveform for duty ratio control of the actuated controlled device. An operation control device for the equipment described in item 2.