WO1997009545A1

WO1997009545A1 - Forward and reverse driving apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1997009545A1
Application number: PCT/JP1996/002531
Authority: WO
Inventors: Iwao Ikegami
Original assignee: Kohritsu Technology Co. Ltd.
Priority date: 1995-09-06
Filing date: 1996-09-06
Publication date: 1997-03-13
Also published as: AU6889996A

Abstract

An apparatus for moving an object forward and reversely reliably and smoothly along a linear or smoothly curved predetermined path by driving a non-ring-shaped open-end roller chain forward and reversely. This apparatus is used optimally, especially for opening and closing (expanding and contracting) an expansible hood of the platform of a truck. A sprocket for applying a driving force to the roller chain is provided in the vicinity of the entrance of a travelling guide adapted to guide the travelling of the leading end of the non-ring-shaped roller chain. Close to the sprocket, an inner guide contacting links of the roller chain from the side closer to the rotating shaft of the sprocket, and an outer guide contacting the links or rollers of the roller chain from the side farther from the shaft are provided. The ends of the inner and outer guides which are on the travelling guide side are parallel to an extension of the travelling guide. A support post for an end of the expansible hood is joined to the leading end of the roller chain.

Description

Description Push-pull drive Technical field

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a push-pull drive device for advancing and retreating a target object along a predetermined traveling path by a non-circular roller chain, that is, an open-end roller chain, and particularly relates to a forward and backward movement of the roller chain. For example, the present invention relates to a push-pull drive device suitable for opening and closing (expanding and contracting) a telescopic hood mounted on a truck bed. The present invention also relates to a push-pull drive device for opening and closing a telescopic hood on a truck bed. Background art

There are various types of lids that cover the space above the truck bed, one of which is the so-called hood. In this hood, a number of inverted U-shaped struts are attached at intervals in the front-rear direction of the carrier, and covered with a sheet of cloth or the like so as to cover the struts.

Conventionally, the hood on the truck bed is generally fixed, and only the rear side of the truck bed can be opened and closed. However, by utilizing the characteristics of the hood, a hood that can be opened and closed in a so-called bellows shape is used. Telescopic hood). As a telescopic hood on such a truck bed, as shown in Fig. 14, a plurality of inverted U-shaped hood posts 3 as a whole can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the bed 2 on the bed 2 of the truck 1. And each of the hood supports 3 is connected by a crossbar 4 in which a pair of arms 4 A and 4 B are combined in an X shape, and the entire hood support 3 and crossbar 4 are covered by a hood 9. It is assumed that it has a configuration. By moving the hood support 3 back and forth, the hood can be extended, retracted, and opened and closed according to the so-called pan and evening graph principle. With such a telescopic hood, most of the space on the bed is opened when the hood is reduced, which makes it extremely easy to load and unload goods on the bed. By the way, it is extremely difficult for workers to manually extend and retract the openable hood of such trucks. In other words, when opening and closing the telescopic hood, it is necessary to move the inverted U-shaped hood support 3 while maintaining the posture orthogonal to the length direction (front-to-back direction) of the carrier, but this requires two or more people. Even if two or more people are required, even if two or more people are involved, friction between the hood support and its supporting part on the loading platform, or backlash, and friction at the connection between the hood support and the arm, play, etc. The position of the hood support was apt to collapse, and opening and closing the telescopic hood required a great deal of effort, which made it difficult to open and close the telescopic hood manually.

Therefore, there is a demand for the development of an open / close drive that automatically and automatically expands and contracts the telescopic hood on the truck bed without using human power. However, large, heavy and expensive items must be avoided due to the nature of the truck bed. In addition, the side plate of the truck bed is generally called "tilt plate" and can be tilted by 180 °, so it is necessary to use an open / close drive device that does not hinder the tilt of the tilt plate. Since trucks are exposed to the weather and are subject to mechanical vibration, it is desirable that they be mechanically robust, have excellent durability, and be easy to maintain. Trucks also have different versatile telescopic hood open / close drive devices that can be applied to trucks of various structures, shapes, and dimensions, with different structures, shapes, and dimensions under the carrier depending on the force and vehicle type. Is expected. However, the opening and closing drive of the retractable hood of the truck bed that fully meets these demands has not been put into practical use until now.

In order to open and close the telescopic hood as described above, it is only necessary to move the hood support in the front-back direction of the cargo bed. What is necessary is just to drive a support | pillar linearly in the front-back direction of a carrier. However, since the length of the truck bed ranges from several meters to more than 10 m, a drive device that can move linearly over such a long distance is required.

In general, metal wires are one of the relatively lightweight and low-cost means for linearly moving an object (in the case of a telescopic hood of a truck, the hood support at the end of the telescopic hood) over a long distance. It can be used. In this case, in general, the metal wire is formed as an endless ring, and the object to be moved (the rear end of the telescopic hood) is placed at an appropriate position on the metal wire. And the endless looped metal wire is bridged between the driving drum and the turn sleep, and the driving drum is rotated by a rotary drive source such as a motor to circulate the metal wire. To move the object forward or backward. However, in such a drive device using metal wires, it is necessary to provide the lower part of the truck carrier, that is, the lower part of the carrier, so as not to hinder the tilting of the carrier carrier. There is. However, the lower part of the loading platform is a place where the road is frequently exposed to mud and dust, which tends to cause corrosion and 駆動 in the drive unit, and also where the gravel and pebbles collide, causing deformation and breakage. Cheap. In addition, there is a tire house and various parts and devices in the lower part of the bed, and the shape, structure, and dimensions of those parts differ depending on the manufacturer and vehicle type. Have difficulty. For these reasons, a telescopic hood opening / closing drive using metal wires has not yet been put to practical use.

A roller chain is a member similar to a metal wire. Even when a roller chain is used, it is conceivable that the roller chain is formed into an endless ring as in the case of using a metal wire, is bridged between a pair of sprockets, and the moving object is fixed at an appropriate position. However, in this case as well, there was a problem similar to the case where a metal wire was used, and it was considered that practical use was difficult.

As mentioned above, the opening and closing drive for the telescopic hood of the truck bed needs not only to be space-saving (compact), light and inexpensive, but also to have a relatively long drive distance, and to prevent tilting of the tilting plate. In order to prevent this, it is desirable to avoid a structure that is mounted below the tilt plate (below the side of the loading platform), but such an opening / closing drive has not been put to practical use in the past. Although it is conceivable to use a roller chain for this type of opening / closing drive, it has been difficult for a general drive using a conventional roller chain to satisfy the above demands. By the way, in a drive device using a roller chain, as described above, generally, the aperture tune is generally formed in an endless annular shape. However, the present inventors have used a non-circular roller chain 5 having an open end (free end) 5A as shown in FIG. Object like hood support 6 is attached, and the non-circular roller chain 5 is guided from both sides by a linear traveling guide 7 and is driven by a sprocket 8 which can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions, thereby driving the object 6. To move forward and backward. If a push-pull drive device using such an open-end roller chain 5 is used as a telescopic hood opening / closing drive device for a truck bed, the sprocket 8 and its rotary drive source part (or, furthermore, the base of the travel guide) The end portion) should be provided in front of the tilt plate of the carrier, and the guide 7 (or the main part excluding the base end of the guide) should be provided on the tilt plate. It becomes possible. In other words, in the state where the telescopic hood is extended (when the hood support at the rear end of the telescopic hood is advanced to the end of the cargo bed), the roller tune is located in the traveling guide, but the telescopic hood is contracted (when the telescopic hood is reduced) The roller chain can be set so that it is not located in the travel guide (or its main part) when the hood support at the rear end of the hood is moved toward the front end of the carrier. This is because, even if the gate (or its main part) is provided on the top of the tilting plate, it does not particularly hinder the tilting of the tilting plate. According to the configuration of the telescopic hood opening / closing drive device, it is not necessary to provide various members and devices below the tilt plate in the carrier, so that the above-described demand can be satisfied.

However, when the practical application of the above-described device that drives the open-end roller chain in a straight-line push-pull manner was promoted, it was found that in this case, there were the following problems.

That is, when the open-end roller chain is driven by a sprocket, a part of the roller chain is wound around a part on the outer periphery of the sprocket, and the sprocket is moved from the sprocket into a straight traveling guide. It is necessary to push or pull out the roller chain, but it has been found that it is easy for the roller chain to not properly enter the travel guide, especially when it is pushed in. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, when the roller chain 5 separates from the sprocket 8, the opening of the mouth chain 5 from the sprocket 8 is delayed, and the roller chain 5 bends locally. As shown in Fig. 17, the roller guide 5 floats from the sprocket 8 and the travel guide As a result, it becomes difficult to smoothly push the roller chain 5 into the travel guide 7 to smoothly travel forward. It has been found that a situation in which a driven object such as a hood support cannot be moved smoothly is likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a push-pull drive device capable of reliably and smoothly advancing and retreating an open end latch having a driven object attached to a distal end thereof. It is intended to provide. In particular, as a drive device that mechanically drives the expansion and contraction and opening and closing of the telescopic hood on the truck bed, a push-pull drive device using an open-end roller chain is used, and the drive device is located below the side of the bed. It is intended to eliminate the necessity of providing the same on the other hand, to improve durability, to save space (small size), to reduce weight, and to reduce cost. Disclosure of the invention

The invention of claim 1 basically has a structure in which a roller chain formed by connecting a number of rollers with each other by a link is made to be non-annular having an open end, and is applied to a tip end of the roller chain. An apparatus for driving the object by pushing and pulling the object by moving the part near the tip of the roller chain forward and backward along a linear or smooth curved predetermined traveling path. A straight-line or smooth curved running guide for guiding the running of the roller chain near the tip with the roller chain sandwiched from both sides thereof along the running system; and A forward / reverse rotatable driving sprocket provided near the base end of the traveling guide for moving the roller chain forward and backward in accordance with the rollers; An inner guide for guiding the roller chain by contacting or opposing the roller chain link matching the sprocket from the side near the rotation center axis of the sprocket near the sprocket; and A roller chain link or roller that matches the sprocket in the vicinity. Has outer guides to guide the roller chain in abutment or opposition from the side far from the rotation center axis of the sprocket. The inner guide and the outer guide Is characterized in that the end on the side of the traveling guide is configured to be parallel to an extension of the traveling guide.

In the push-pull drive device using the open-end roller chain according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving force of the non-circular roller chain is increased by rotation of the sprocket at a portion corresponding to the sprocket. The part near the tip of the sprocket is moved forward or backward along the running guide. Therefore, the object attached to the tip of the roller tune is driven to be pushed and pulled along a predetermined traveling path. The traveling guide guides the traveling by sandwiching the roller chain from both sides.

Here, near the sprocket, a part of the roller chain fits into the sprocket, and is inserted (pushed) into the entrance (base end) of the traveling guide near a position outside the sprocket. Or withdrawn from the driving guide. In the vicinity of such a sprocket, the link portion of the roller chain inside the roller chain (the side near the rotation axis of the sprocket) is guided by the inner guide, and the outside of the roller chain (the sprocket (The side far from the axis of rotation) The guide is strongly guided by the outer guide, and the running posture from the position matching the sprocket to the entrance of the running guide is regulated. That is, since the end of the inner guide and the outer guide on the side of the running guide is parallel to the extension of the running guide, the sprocket is used from the rear side of the roller chain during the pushing drive from the roller chain. When a forward drive force is applied, the roller chain is correctly guided by the inner guide and the outer guide toward the travel guide from the position where it should be separated from the sprocket, and smoothly enters the travel guide. Pushed. Therefore, if the position at which the roller chain moves away from the sprocket is later than the correct position, the roller chain may bend between the sprocket and the travel guide, or the sprocket may rise from the roller chain. Can be prevented from occurring.

The push-pull drive device using the open-end roller chain according to the invention of claim 2 is the device according to claim 1, wherein the inner guide has a tip on a traveling guide side, and a base end of the traveling guide. Is the distance between the centers of adjacent rollers of Roller Tune. Is set so as to be smaller.

In the case of the invention of claim 2 described above, the distance between the tip of the inner guide and the base end (entrance end) of the traveling guide is set smaller than the center-to-center distance between adjacent rollers. It is more reliable and more reliable that the roller chain link will fall into the gap between the tip of the inner guide and the base of the travel guide (or bend in the gap). It can be effectively prevented.

Further, the push-pull drive device using the open-end roller chain according to the invention of claim 3 is the device according to claim 1, wherein the traveling guide is arranged in a horizontal straight line, and the sprocket is horizontally moved. The roller chain is arranged so as to run in a state in which the axis of the roller is horizontal.

The invention of claim 3 shows the most general direction (posture) at the time of using the push-pull drive device of the present invention, and the problem described above in the case of such a posture. Therefore, the effect of each invention of the present application is most effectively exerted in the posture defined by the invention of claim 3.

Further, the push-pull drive device using the open-ended roller chain according to the invention of claim 4 is the device according to claim 3, wherein the roller tune is suspended from the sprocket below the sprocket. A storage box with an open top is provided for storing the base end portion of the storage box in a folded state.

In the case of the invention of claim 4 described above, when the roller chain is driven forward (pushed toward the traveling guide), the roller chain folded from the storage box is smoothly pulled out and retracted (from the traveling guide). When driven, the roller chain is folded and stored in the storage box.

On the other hand, the invention of claim 5 applies the push-pull drive device using the open-end roller chain of the invention of claim 1 to an opening / closing device for a retractable hood of a truck. Specifically, the invention according to claim 5 is arranged on the bed of the truck so that a plurality of hood columns substantially U-shaped when viewed from the front-back direction of the bed are arranged in the front-rear direction of the bed. , And one lower end of each hood support is located on one side plate of the loading platform, and the other lower end is located on the other side of the loading platform. The hood support is located on one side plate, and the entire hood support is covered by the hood, and the hood can be extended and retracted by moving the hood support along the front-rear direction of the carrier. A push / pull drive device for opening and closing the telescopic hood, wherein the two sets of push / pull drive devices according to claim 1 are disposed on the left and right sides of the loading platform, respectively. And the lower end of the hood support at the rear end of the truck is attached to the front end of the roller chain as the object as described above. Is what you do.

Thus, the invention of claim 5 applies the push-pull driving device of the invention of claim 1 to a telescopic hood opening / closing device of a truck bed. In this case, the traveling guide is provided horizontally on the upper part of the side plate of the truck bed, and the lower part of the hood support at the rear end of the truck is attached to the tip of the roller chain. By pushing and pulling the roller chain by the rotation of the sprocket, the hood support at the rear end side of the carrier is pushed and pulled in the length direction of the truck carrier (front-rear direction), and the telescopic hood is opened and closed. Here, the traveling guide may be provided above the side plate of the bed as described above, but the side plate of the bed is often formed of a tiltable tilt plate in a normal truck. However, since the roller chain is non-circular, the roller chain is not located in the traveling guide or the traveling guide is not in a state where the top is reduced to a position near the front end of the truck bed or in front of the bed. Since it is located only near the base end, even if the entire travel guide or the main part excluding the base end is fixed to the tilt plate, the presence of the roller chain causes the tilt plate to tilt. There is no hindrance.

According to the above-described push-pull drive device of each invention, the open-end roller chain having the driven object attached to the distal end portion can be moved forward and backward reliably and smoothly. In particular, if the present invention is applied to a telescopic hood opening / closing drive device for mechanically expanding / contracting (opening / closing) the telescopic hood of a cargo bed of a truck or the like, even if the side plate of the truck cargo bed is a tiltable tilt plate, the drive device can be used. There is no need to install it below the cargo bed, so that the durability can be improved sufficiently without being affected by mud or gravel. In addition, since an open-end roller chain is used, the number of parts is smaller than when an endless annular roller chain is used, and space and weight are reduced. The quantity and cost can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a partially omitted side view showing the entire configuration of a push-pull drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a partially enlarged side view showing the situation near the sprocket of the device shown in Figure 1.o

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line VV of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view showing another example of the outer guide used in the push-pull drive device of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view at a position corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example in which the push-pull drive device of the present invention is applied to an opening / closing drive device of a telescopic hood of a truck bed.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged side view showing a push-pull drive device according to another embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line X--X in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line XI—XI in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the travel guide used in the push-pull drive device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing still another example of the traveling guide used in the push-pull drive device of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing a conventional retractable hood of a truck bed. FIG. 15 is a side view showing a push-pull driving device of a reference example using an open-end lane.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing an example of a situation when the push / pull drive device shown in FIG. 10 is used. WO 97/09545. \ Q-PCT / JP96 / 02531

FIG. 17 is a side view showing another example of the situation when the push / pull drive device shown in FIG. 10 is used. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a push-pull drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.

The roller chain 10 is formed by connecting a large number of rollers 12 with links 14 respectively. At the position of each roller 12, adjacent links 14, 14 are rotatable with each other. As a whole, the roller chain 10 is bendable. Each link 14 is composed of a pair of parallel link pieces 14A and 14B, and a roller 12 is positioned between the pair of parallel link pieces 14A and 14B. . An object 22 to be driven forward and backward is attached to the link piece 14 A at the end of the roller chain 10 via a connection piece 20. The sprocket 16 is rotatably arranged so that its axis 16A is horizontal, and the axis 16A of the sprocket 16 is directly or directly connected to a rotary drive source such as a motor (not shown). It is connected via a rotation transmission mechanism (not shown) or is connected to a manual rotation operation means such as a manual rotation handle so that it can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions. On the outer periphery of the sprocket 16, the roller chain 10 is hung around a portion (upper left portion) of about 1 Z4 of the entire periphery. Here, the teeth 16 B of the sprocket 16 engage with the roller 12 inside the pair of link pieces 14 A and 14 B of the link 14 of the roller chain 10. On the other hand, a storage box 17 having an open upper surface is provided below the sprocket 16. The storage box 17 is for storing the roller chain 10 suspended from the socket 16 in a state where the base end portion of the roller chain 10 is folded in a zigzag shape.

A horizontally linear traveling guide 18 is provided at a horizontally extended position above the outer periphery (top position) of the sprocket 16. The traveling guide 18 is for guiding the horizontal traveling of the roller chain 10 with the roller 12 in the roller chain 10 sandwiched above and below the roller 12, and the lower side receiving the lower side of the roller 12. Guide section 1 8 A The upper guide portion 18B is opposed to or in contact with the upper surface of the roller 12 and the lower guide portion 18A and the upper guide portion 18B are on the roller tune 10 side. Are integrally formed as a whole so as to be connected by a U-shaped connecting portion 18C. The lower guide 18 A and the upper guide 18 B of the traveling guide 18 are formed inside a pair of parallel link pieces 14 A and 14 B constituting the link 14 of the roller chain 10. The interval is set so that it protrudes to the maximum.

On the other hand, near the portion where the roller chain 10 meets the sprocket 16, the roller chain 10 comes into contact with the link 12 of the roller chain 10 from inside (that is, from the side close to the rotation center axis of the sprocket 16). The inner guide 24 for guiding the roller chain 10 and the link 14 of the roller chain 10 from outside (that is, from the side far from the rotation center axis of the sprocket 16) are brought into contact with the roller chain 10. An outer guide 26 for guiding the vehicle is provided. The inner guide 24 is composed of a pair of parallel inner guide pieces 24 A and 24 B, and these inner guide pieces 24 A and 24 B are connected to the sprocket 1. (Approximately 1 Z 4 laps of the sprocket 16) so that each of the link pieces 14 A and 14 B of the link 14 of the roller chain 10 mounted on 6 is individually contacted from inside. The sprocket 16 has a curved portion 24a that is curved with a radius of curvature substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the inner diameter of the teeth 16B of the sprocket 16 and a position corresponding to the top of the outer periphery of the sprocket 10 A horizontal extension 24b extending horizontally toward the base end (entrance) 18a of the traveling guide 18 along the tangential direction is formed continuously and integrally. The outer guide 26 is formed of, for example, a U-shaped channel-shaped member, and the outer guide 26 is a parallel member forming the link 14 of the roller chain 10 corresponding to the sprocket 16. The radius of curvature of the outer diameter of the teeth 16 B of the sprocket 16 along about 14 laps of the sprocket 16 (upper left part) so as to simultaneously contact the pair of link pieces 14 A and 14 B from the outside. A curved portion 26a curved with a slightly larger radius of curvature and a base end portion (entrance portion) 18 of the traveling guide 18 along the tangential direction from a position corresponding to the top of the outer periphery of the sprocket 16 A horizontal extension 26b extending horizontally toward a is formed continuously and integrally. The distance between the distal end of the inner guide 24 and the proximal end (inlet) of the travel guide 18 (Accurately, the distance in the longitudinal direction of the traveling guide as viewed from the side as shown in FIG. 2) W1 is desirably as small as possible, and at least the rollers 1 2 adjacent to the roller chain 10 Is preferably smaller than the center distance L 1. In addition, the distance between the distal end surface of the outer guide 26 and the base end surface (entrance surface) of the travel guide 18 (exactly the travel guide length when viewed from the side as shown in Fig. 2) It is also desirable that the distance W2 be as small as possible, and also smaller than the distance L1 between the centers of the rollers 12 of the roller chain 10.

When pushing and pulling the object 22 using the above-described push-pull drive device, a part of the roller chain 10 is placed on the outer periphery of the sprocket 16 as shown in FIGS. The sprocket 16 is rotated by a rotating means (not shown), a driving source, or a manual rotating operation means (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). Rotate in the direction. As a result, the roller chain 10 is fed out of the storage box 17 and moved from the lower left in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the right. At this time, each link 14 of the roller chain 10 has a curved portion 24 a of the inner guide 24 and an outer portion at a portion to be properly fitted to the sprocket 16 (upper left 1Z 4 circumferential portion). Since the curved portion 26a of the guide 26 is in contact with or facing the roller chain 10, the roller chain 10 is illustrated by the curved portions 24a and 26a of the inner guide 24 and the outer guide 26. 1. From the lower left of Fig. 2 to the top position of the sprocket 16, the curved running while guiding the sprocket 16 is guided. Therefore, the roller chain 10 is prevented from coming off the sprocket 16. Subsequently, the roller chain 10 is directed from the top of the sprocket to the traveling guide 18 by the horizontal extension 24 b of the inner guide 24 and the horizontal extension 26 b of the outer guide 26. All horizontal movements to the right are guided. That is, in the portion corresponding to the sprocket 16, a driving force in the clockwise direction is given to the roller chain 10, but in particular, due to the presence of the horizontal extension 24 b of the inner guide 24. The roller chain 10 is prevented from circling from the top of the outer periphery of the sprocket 16 to the lower right while being aligned with the sprocket 16, and the roller chain 10 from the top of the outer periphery of the sprocket 16 is prevented. It is forcibly removed from sprocket 16 in the horizontal direction. And then the inner gas With the horizontal extension 24 b of the guide 24 and the horizontal extension 26 b of the outer guide 26, the mouth chain 10 is correctly positioned at the base end (entrance) 18 a of the travel guide 18. You will be guided horizontally to. Therefore, between the top position of the sprocket 16 and the traveling guide 18, the roller chain 10 is prevented from bending downward or disengaging upward while matching the sprocket 16. Roller chain 10 is pushed straight into running guide 18.

In the traveling guide 18, the lower guide 18 A and the upper guide 18 B are in contact with or opposed to the roller 12 of the roller chain 10, so that the horizontal Straight running is guided. In addition, in the traveling guide 18, the lower guide 18 A and the upper guide are provided up to the inside of the pair of parallel link pieces 14 A and 14 B of the link 14 of the roller chain 10. Since 18 B protrudes, the roller chain 10 is also prevented from coming off to the side.

Since the object 22 is attached to the link piece 14 A at the end of the roller chain 10, the roller chain 10 is moved horizontally by the traveling guide 18 as described above. By guiding the vehicle to the right, the object 22 can be moved linearly (forward) to the right.

When the forward drive is started by clockwise rotation of the sprocket 16, the tip of the roller tune 16 is not inserted into the base end (entrance) 18 a of the traveling guide 18. Is also good. That is, if at least a part of the roller chain 10 corresponds to a part of the sprocket 16, the forward drive force to the roller chain 10 is given by the sprocket 16, and moreover, the roller chain 10 If the forward drive to the roller chain 10 is given from a state in which the leading end of the roller chain 10 is not inserted into the base end 18 a of the traveling guide 18, the inner guide 24, By the function of the outer guide 26, particularly the horizontal extension portions 24b and 26b, the tip of the mouth-latune 10 is guided straight to the entrance of the travel guide 18 without bending. Because.

On the other hand, if the sprocket 16 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roller chain 10 linearly moves leftward while being guided by the traveling guide 18, contrary to the above. -H-

At the same time, it is sequentially pulled out from the traveling guide 18, hangs down from the sprocket 16, and is sequentially stored in the storage box 17 in a zigzag manner. Then, along with the linear movement (retreat) of the roller chain 10 to the left, the object 22 attached to the tip of the roller chain 10 moves linearly to the left.

In the above embodiment, the outer guide 26 is configured to abut or oppose the portion of the link 14 of the roller chain 10 (the end face of the link pieces 14A and 14B). Depending on the case, the outer guide 26 may be configured to guide the roller chain 10 by contacting or facing the roller 12 portion of the roller chain 10, and an example of such a case is shown in FIG. Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 6. In this case as well, the outer guide 26 naturally has a configuration in which the curved portion and the horizontally extending portion are integrated and continuous. In this case, it is preferable that the outer guide 26 be configured to protrude to a position between a pair of parallel link pieces 14 A and 14 B constituting the link 14.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the traveling guide 18 is configured to have a straight lie. However, depending on the application of the push-pull drive device of the present invention, a smooth curved lie may be used. 2 can be driven forward and backward along a smooth curve.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show examples in which the push-pull drive device of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is applied to a drive device for opening and closing a telescopic hood covering a truck bed.

7 and 8, the truck 30 is provided with a driver's seat portion 32 in front of the truck 30 and a carrier 34 on the rear side. The side plates 36A and 36B on both sides of the loading platform 34 (on the left and right sides with respect to the traveling direction of the truck) are tilt plates that can be tilted outward by about 180 °.

Between the side plates 36 A and 36 B of the carrier 34, there are a plurality of substantially U-shaped shapes (including a U-shaped shape in which the open side faces downward) as viewed from the traveling direction. The hood supports 40 are erected in an upright state, and the plurality of hood supports 40 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction of the carrier. Each hood support 40 is movable in the front-to-rear direction of the loading platform 34, and both ends (lower ends) are located on the side plates 36 A and 36 B of the loading platform 34, Adjacent hood columns 40, 40 are connected so that they can approach and separate from each other. Specifically, the adjacent hood support 40.4.40 The spaces are connected by, for example, a crossbar 42 composed of a pair of arms 42A and 42B, whereby a plurality of hood supports 40 are configured to expand and contract in a pantograph shape in the front-rear direction. The top and sides of the hood support 40 are covered with a hood (sheet) 44 such as canvas.

In such a telescopic hood, the rearmost hood support 401 of each hood support 40 is configured to be advanced and retracted by a pair of push-pull driving devices. That is, a push-pull drive device as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is disposed on each of the left and right sides of the loading platform 34, and one lower end of the rearmost hood support 401 is one push-pull drive. The other lower end is driven by the other push-pull drive device.

Specifically, on the upper surfaces of the left and right side plates 36 A and 36 B on the left and right sides of the loading platform 34, the main parts of the above-described traveling guides 18, each of which forms a straight line along its length direction, are provided. (Excluding the base portion 18 2) 18 1 is provided, and the traveling guides 1 are provided on the portions (fixed portions) in front of the side plates 36 A and 36 B of the loading platform 34, respectively. Eight base ends 182 are provided. That is, the traveling guide 18 is separated into a base portion 182 on the side close to the sprocket 16 and a main portion 181 on the side plates 36A and 36B ahead of it. The sprockets 16, inner guides 24, outer guides 26, storage box 17, and sprockets 1, 16 are also provided on the fixed portions of the traveling guides 18 ahead of the base end 18 2. A rotary drive source or a manual rotation operating means (not shown) for rotating the motor 6 in both forward and reverse directions is provided. The roller chain 10 is hung on the sprocket 16 as described above, and the link at the tip of the roller chain 10 is connected to the rearmost hood support 401 of the hood support 40. . In other words, this rearmost hood support 401 is equivalent to the above-mentioned object 22. Although the detailed configuration of the lower end of the hood support 40 is not shown, in practice, a guide rail is provided integrally with the running guide 18 (181, 182). It is desirable that the guide rail support the lower end of each hood support, and guide the forward and backward movement of each hood support 40.

In the drive device for opening and closing the telescopic hood as described above, As can be seen, by rotating the sprocket 16 to linearly move the roller chain 10 forward and backward, the rearmost hood support 401 of the hood support 40 is driven forward and backward. By applying force, the entire hood support 40 can be expanded and contracted in a pantograph shape, and the hood can be opened and closed.

In addition, the sprocket 16 of the push / pull drive device on one side of the left and right sides of the loading platform 34 and the sprocket 16 of the push / pull drive device on the other side are connected by a common rotating shaft. If both sprockets 16 and 16 are configured to rotate synchronously, both ends of the hood support 401 are driven at the same speed in synchronization, so that the hood can be opened and closed smoothly without meandering. Can do it. Also, in this case, even if there is no rotary drive source or manual rotary operating means for positively applying a rotational force to the left and right sprockets 16, 16, the rearmost hood support 41 1 The hood can be opened and closed even if one end is pushed and pulled by the operator's hand.

Here, the tip of the roller chain 10 is completely displaced from the main part 18 1 of the traveling guide 18 with the telescopic hood folded down most, that is, with the rearmost hood support 401 being advanced most. If it is arranged so that it is pulled out and prone, the roller chain 10 is not located above the side plates 36 A and 36 B when the telescopic hood is reduced at the minimum, and all hood supports 40 (40) 1) is also not located at the side plates 36A and 36B, but is brought closer to the portion in front of the side plates 36A and 36B. Therefore, the side plates 36 A and 36 B can be tilted in the prone state.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the entire length of the traveling guide 18 is provided on the upper surfaces of the side plates 36A and 36B, but in some cases, the traveling guide 18 may be provided at the base end thereof. Part (left end in Fig. 7) and the remaining main part on the right side, and the main part is provided on the upper surface of the side plates 36A and 36B, and the base end is the fixed side part of the truck. (A part in front of the side plates 36A and 36B). In this case, if the distance between the base portion 182 on the fixed side of the traveling guide 18 and the main portion 181 on the side plate is reduced, the traveling guide of the roller chain can be extended even during the extension drive. It can be smoothly inserted from the base portion 18 2 of 18 into the main portion 18 1.

9 to 11 show a push-pull drive device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Note that In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The main difference between the embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 and the above-mentioned embodiments is that neither the inner guide 24 nor the outer guide 26 is curved, and This is a point that is linear. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the inner guide 24 extends from the position corresponding to the top of the outer periphery of the sprocket 16 along the tangential direction of the base end of the traveling guide 18 ( (Inlet part) It is configured to extend horizontally and straight down to 18a. In addition, the inner guide 24 has a distal end portion (the left side portion in FIG. 9) that is branched in a forked shape (fork shape), and is provided between the distal ends of the branched portions 24c and 24d. A part of sprocket 16 is located at The inner guide 24 is configured to be in contact with each of the link pieces 14 A and 14 B of the roller chain 10 as in the above-described embodiments. On the other hand, the outer guide 26 extends from a position in front of the top of the outer periphery of the sprocket 16 (the position on the left side in FIG. 9) to a position above the top of the outer periphery of the sprocket 16 to form the base of the traveling guide 18. End (entrance) 18 Extends horizontally and linearly toward 18a. The outer guide 26 in this embodiment is configured to abut or oppose the roller 12 of the roller chain 10 to guide the mouth latch.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, since both the inner guide 24 and the outer guide 26 are simply straight, the embodiment shown in FIGS. Compared with, processing costs can be greatly reduced.

In the push-pull drive device of the present invention, a roller chain using engineering plastic may be used as the roller chain 10 in order to reduce the weight and the driving force. In this case, the rollers and the inner link pieces are generally made of engineering plastic, and the outer link pieces are often made of metal. When such a roller chain 10 is used, the traveling guide 18 for guiding the traveling of the roller chain 10 is desirably configured as shown in FIG. 12 or FIG.

That is, in the case of FIG. 12, the upper guide portion 18 B and the lower guide portion of the traveling guide 18 are provided. Both the guide portions 18 A are made to contact the inner link piece 14 a made of engineering plastic in the roller chain 10. In the case of Fig. 13, the upper guide 18B of the traveling guide 18 is in contact with the roller 12 made of engineering plastic in the roller chain 10, and the lower guide 18A is the roller. It is made to contact the part of the inner link piece 14 a in the chain 10. Industrial applicability

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The push-pull drive device of the present invention can be used to move various articles forward and backward along a straight line or a smooth curve, and is particularly suitable for opening and closing a telescopic hood mounted on a truck bed. Device. In addition, telescopic hoods of various containers or telescopic tents of temporary tents can be used as the opening / closing drive.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A roller chain formed by connecting a number of rollers with each other by a link is made non-annular with an open end, and an object is attached to the tip of the roller chain, and a portion near the tip of the roller chain is attached. A device for pushing and pulling the object by moving the object forward and backward along a predetermined traveling system path having a straight curve or a smooth curve,

A straight or smooth curved running guide for guiding the running of the roller chain near the front end portion along both sides of the roller chain with the roller chain sandwiched from both sides thereof;

A forward / reverse rotatable sprocket provided close to a base end of the traveling guide to advance and retreat the roller chain in accordance with the rollers of the roller chain;

An inner guide for guiding the roller chain by abutting or facing a roller chain link matching the sprocket from the side near the rotation center axis of the sprocket near the sprocket;

An outer guide for guiding the roller chain in contact with or facing the roller chain link or roller near the sprocket from the side far from the rotation center axis of the sprocket;

And the end of the inner guide and the outer guide on the traveling guide side is configured to be parallel to an extension of the traveling guide. Push-pull drive by ratchet.

2. The distance between the leading end of the inner guide on the side of the traveling guide and the base end of the traveling guide is set to be smaller than the center distance between adjacent rollers of the roller chain. Push-pull drive by open end roller chain described

3. The running guide is arranged in a horizontal straight line, the sprocket is arranged so as to have a horizontal rotation center axis, and the roller chain is arranged so that the roller runs in a state where the axis of the roller is horizontal. 2. The push-pull drive device according to claim 1, wherein the push-pull drive unit is an open-end drive.

4. The storage box according to claim 3, wherein a storage box having an open top surface is provided below the sprocket to store the base portion of the roller chain suspended from the sprocket in a folded state. Push-pull drive by open end rack.

5. On the bed of the truck, a plurality of hood struts having a substantially U-shape when viewed from the front and back of the bed are arranged so as to be arranged in the front and rear direction of the bed, and one lower end of each hood strut. Part is located on one side plate of the carrier, and the other lower end is located on the other side plate of the carrier, and the entire hood support is covered by a hood, and the hood support extends along the longitudinal direction of the carrier. A push-pull drive device for opening and closing the telescopic hood, which can expand and contract the hood by moving the telescopic hood;

The two sets of push-pull drives according to claim 1 are disposed on the left and right sides of the loading platform, respectively, and the traveling guide of each push-pull drive is provided along the side plate of the loading platform of the truck at the top thereof. A retractable hood for opening / closing a retractable hood of a truck, wherein a lower end of a hood support on the rear end side of the loading platform is attached to a tip end of a roller chain as the object.