Polishing machine and processing machine

Abstract

To provide a polishing machine which can perform polishing to a needed portion of a workpiece to attain highly accurate flatness regardless of the worker's skill level.SOLUTION: A polishing machine includes: a motor provided within a main part 10; a polishing part 40 which is rotated by a motor to polish a surface of a workpiece; and a universal joint 24 and a ball joint 30 which transmit rotation of the motor to the polishing part 40. The universal joint 24 and the ball joint 30 transmit rotation of the motor to the polishing part 40, regardless of an inclination of a rotation axis of the motor relative to a rotation axis of the polishing part 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a polishing machine and a processing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a precision grinding device such as that described in Patent Document 1 is used to finish the surface of a workpiece to a highly accurate flatness. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-102258 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Because the flatness of the workpiece surface achieved by the grinding machine described above is limited, achieving a higher degree of flatness requires, for example, arranging pellets, each of which is a metal block with diamond abrasive grains embedded in it, on a precise plane and manually smoothing out any minute irregularities. However, when manually moving pellets in a horizontal direction, the movement of the human joints can cause the pellet to move in an arc, even if only slightly, making it extremely difficult to achieve a perfectly linear motion. For this reason, the results of polishing using pellets depend heavily on the skill, experience, and knowledge of the operator.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a polishing machine that enables polishing to obtain high-precision flatness in required areas of a workpiece, regardless of the skill of the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the polishing machine of the present invention comprises a motor, a polishing unit that polishes the surface of a workpiece by rotating with the motor, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the motor to the polishing unit, and is characterized in that the transmission mechanism transmits the rotation of the motor to the polishing unit regardless of the inclination of the rotation axis of the motor relative to the rotation axis of the polishing unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The polishing machine according to the present invention makes it possible to polish a required portion of a workpiece to a high degree of flatness without depending on the skill of the worker. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a grinding machine according to the present invention, seen from the front side. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the polishing machine as seen from the rear side. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration of the tip of the grinder. [Figure 4] 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the configuration of a ball joint of the grinding machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration of a spindle head of the grinding machine. [Figure 6] 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining that the pressure on the polishing surface is uniform even when the main body of the polishing machine is tilted with respect to the polishing surface. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a structure for facilitating replacement of the grinding part with respect to the ball joint of the grinding machine. FIG. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a modified example of the structure for replaceably attaching the grinding unit to the ball joint of the grinding machine. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a modified example of the structure for replaceably attaching the grinding unit to the ball joint of the grinding machine. [Figure 10]10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a structure that enables grinding units of different sizes to be attached to the grinding machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. First, the external configuration of one embodiment of a grinding machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the front of the grinding machine 1 of this embodiment (the surface facing the operator) as viewed from slightly above on the right side. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the grinding machine 1 as viewed from slightly below on the left side. In the description with reference to Fig. 1, when referring to the front-to-back direction, left-to-right direction, and up-down direction, the directions of the arrows shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will be followed.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the grinding machine 1 has a substantially cylindrical main body 10 that extends in the vertical direction, and a motor (not shown) is provided inside the main body 10. Here, it is desirable that the rotation axis of this motor coincides with the central axis of the main body 10. A switch-equipped volume 11 is provided at approximately the center of the front of the main body 10 in the vertical direction, which can turn the internal motor on and off and adjust the rotation speed of the motor. When the knob of this switch-equipped volume 11 is turned counterclockwise to its fullest extent, the switch turns off and the motor stops rotating. Furthermore, when the knob is turned clockwise from the switch-off position, the switch turns on, and as the knob is continued to be turned clockwise, the rotation speed of the motor increases as the knob is turned more.

[0011] The main body 10 is provided with a right handle 12R and a left handle 12L, which are roughly cylindrical and extend in the left-right direction from a roughly central position in the up-down direction. The right handle 12R and the left handle 12L are parts that are gripped by the operator when using the grinder 1, and house batteries (secondary batteries) inside for driving the motor inside the main body 10. A battery cover 13 is detachably attached to the end of each handle, and the battery can be housed inside the handle by removing the battery cover 13. The battery housed inside each handle is charged via a charging connector 14 (for example, a USB Type C (registered trademark) connector) shown in FIG. 2. Although FIG. 2 shows only the charging connector 14 provided on the battery cover 13 of the left handle 12L, a similar charging connector 14 is also provided on the battery cover 13 of the right handle 12R.

[0012] Returning to FIG. 1, a charging LED 15 and a charging completion LED 16 are provided on the flat surface of the battery cover 13 (which can also be considered the end surface of the right handlebar 12R). Both the charging LED 15 and the charging completion LED 16 are off when a charging cable is not connected to the charging connector 14 shown in FIG. 2, and only the charging LED 15 is lit when a charging cable is connected to the charging connector 14. When the battery inside the handlebar is fully charged, the charging LED 15 is turned off and the charging completion LED 16 is lit. Note that while FIG. 1 only shows the charging LED 15 and charging completion LED 16 provided on the battery cover 13 of the right handlebar 12R, a similar charging LED 15 and charging completion LED 16 are also provided on the battery cover 13 of the left handlebar 12L.

[0013] A periodic flashing LED 17 that flashes at regular intervals is provided on the main body 10 slightly above the right handle 12R. By visually checking the flashing of the periodic flashing LED 17, the operator using the grinder 1 can perform grinding work at a regular rhythm. This makes it less likely that the areas being ground will be unevenly ground within the grinding range, making it easier to grind the entire grinding range roughly evenly. On the back of the main body 10 shown in Figure 2, a 45° inclined vial 18 is provided between the right handle 12R and the left handle 12L. The 45° inclined vial 18 is inclined at a 45° angle from the horizontal plane The level is a vial level inclined downward at 45 degrees toward the rear, and the worker can easily polish the 45-degree inclined surface accurately by tilting the main body 10 toward the front (forward) so that the bubble in the circular window of the 45-degree inclined vial 18 is at the center of the window.

[0014] Returning to Figure 1, a horizontal vial 19 is provided in the center of the top surface of the main body 10. The horizontal vial 19 is a levelling instrument that is provided horizontally, and by having the operator stand the main body 10 upright so that the bubble in the circular window of the horizontal vial 19 is at the center of the window, it becomes easier to accurately polish horizontal surfaces. Near the horizontal vial 19 is provided an operating indicator LED 20 that lights up while the motor provided inside the main body 10 is rotating.

[0015] A tip portion 21 is detachably attached to the lower end of the main body 10. The shape and internal configuration of the tip portion 21 will now be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3(a) is a side view of the tip portion 21 attached to the lower end of the main body 10. FIG. 3(b) is a view showing the internal configuration of the tip portion 21 in the state shown in FIG. 3(a), with the cross section of the tip portion 21 indicated by hatching. FIG. 3(c) is a view showing the tip portion 21 removed from the main body 10 and a ball joint 30 (described later). In these figures, parts that are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0016] 3(c), a main body-side internal thread 22 that screws together with a male thread 10a formed on the lower end of the main body 10 is formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the tip portion 21. In addition, a receiving portion-side internal thread 23 that screws together with a male thread 32a formed on a receiving portion 32 of a ball joint 30 (described later) is formed on the inner surface of the lower end of the tip portion 21. As a result, the ball joint 30 is detachably attached to the lower end of the tip portion 21, and the upper end of the tip portion 21 is detachably attached to the lower end of the main body 10.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3(b), a universal joint 24 is provided inside the tip portion 21. The universal joint 24 is a so-called double universal joint, which includes a first universal joint including a cross bearing (not shown) and a first yoke 24b at the upper end of the shaft 24a, and a second universal joint including a cross bearing (not shown) and a second yoke 24c at the lower end of the shaft 24a. The first yoke 24b of the first universal joint is connected to the drive shaft of a motor provided inside the main body 10. A round rod-shaped tip-side engaging member 25 extending downward along the rotation axis of the second yoke 24c is attached to the lower end of the second yoke 24c of the second universal joint, and an engaging pin 25a (see FIGS. 3(c), 6(b-1), and (b-2)) is formed at the lower end of the tip-side engaging member 25, protruding in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the second yoke 24c.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3(c), the ball joint 30 includes a ball portion 31 to which the polishing portion 40 is attached, a receiving portion 32 that is in surface contact with the ball portion 31 so as to be able to swing freely, and a ball joint side engaging member 33 that is coupled to the ball portion 31 via the receiving portion 32 and engages with the tip side engaging member 25 described above. An insertion opening 33b and a notch 33a are formed in the upper end surface of the ball joint side engaging member 33. The tip side engaging member 25 is inserted into the insertion opening 33b. The notch 33a extends downward from the upper end surface of the ball joint side engaging member 33 along the rotation axis of the tip side engaging member 25 and receives the engaging pin 25a. As a result, when the ball joint 30 is attached to the tip portion 21 and the tip portion 21 is attached to the main body 10, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the engaging pin 25a engages with the notch 33a. As a result, the rotation of the motor provided in the main body 10 is transmitted to the polishing unit 40 via the universal joint 24 and the ball joint 30 .

[0019] Next, the configuration of ball joint 30 will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4(a) is a side view of ball joint 30, and Figure 4(b) is an exploded view of ball joint 30 of Figure 4(a). Figure 4(c) is a diagram for explaining the movement of ball portion 31 and ball joint side engaging member 33 relative to receiving portion 32. Note that in these figures, the same parts as those shown in Figures 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted. Also, to avoid complication of the illustration, the male thread 32a formed on receiving portion 32 (see Figure 3(c)) is not shown.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 4(b), ball joint 30 is mainly composed of ball portion 31, receiving portion 32, and ball joint side engaging member 33. Ball portion 31 is substantially hemispherical in shape and is composed of a spherical portion and a flat portion, and polishing portion 40 is attached to the flat portion. A screw hole 31a is formed in the top portion of the spherical portion of ball portion 31 to screw into a mounting screw 33c (described later) of ball joint side engaging member 33. Receiving portion 32 is formed with a concave portion 32c that comes into surface contact with the spherical portion of ball portion 31. A circular through hole 32b is formed in the top portion of concave portion 32c, and ball joint side engaging member 33 is attached to ball portion 31 through this through hole 32b.

[0021] A cylindrical connecting portion 33b is formed at the lower end of the ball joint side engaging member 33, and a mounting screw 33c that screws into the aforementioned screw hole 31a is formed at the lower end of the connecting portion 33b. Then, by passing the connecting portion 33b of the ball joint side engaging member 33 through the through hole 32b of the receiving portion 32 and threading the mounting screw 33c into the screw hole 31a of the ball portion 31, the ball portion 31, the receiving portion 32, and the engaging member 33 can be integrated. Here, because the diameter φ2 of the through hole 32b is smaller than the diameter φ1 of the ball joint side engaging member 33, the ball joint side engaging member 33 and the ball portion 31 will not fall out of the receiving portion 32. In addition, a fluorine-based lubricant is applied to the spherical portion and concave portion 32c of the ball portion 31, which ensures smooth movement of the ball portion 31 relative to the receiving portion 32 for a long period of time.

[0022] Next, the movement of the ball portion 31 will be described with reference to Figure 4(c). In this figure, a cross-sectional view of the receiving portion 32 is shown. The upper view of Figure 4(c) shows a state in which the tip portion 21 (and therefore the main body 10) attached to the receiving portion 32 is perpendicular to the polishing surface of the polishing portion 40. In this figure, the rotation axis C of the polishing portion 40 P The center of oscillation P of the ball portion 31 coincides with the center point of a virtual hemisphere HS (shown by a dot pattern in the upper drawing of FIG. 4(c)) that coincides with the spherical surface of the ball portion 31. Pcan swing freely around the swing center P as a fulcrum within a range until the connecting portion 33b abuts on the upper edge of the through hole 32b. As a result, the polishing surface of the polishing unit 40 can swing freely relative to the horizontal plane without changing the position of the swing center P within a range until the connecting portion 33b abuts on the upper edge of the through hole 32b.

[0023] Next, the mounting structure of the grinder 40 to the ball portion 31 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5(a) is a perspective view showing the appearance of the grinder 40, and Fig. 5(b) is a perspective view showing the appearance of the ball portion 31. Fig. 5(c) is a perspective view showing the posture of the grinder 40 when it is mounted to the ball portion 31 and the internal structure of the ball portion 31, and Fig. 5(d) is a perspective view of the ball portion 31 with a portion of the ball portion 31 broken away after the grinder 40 is mounted to the ball portion 31.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the grinding unit 40 has a pellet wheel 41, a base portion 42, an insertion portion 43, and two hook portions 44. The pellet wheel 41 is a disk-shaped grinding member made of, for example, diamond abrasive grains solidified with a metal bond, and its grinding surface PLF is provided with a groove G (see FIG. 5(c)) for improving the circulation of grinding fluid. The base portion 42 is a metal plate in a substantially disk shape with the same diameter as the pellet wheel 41, and is fixed with adhesive to the surface of the pellet wheel 41 opposite to the grinding surface PLF. The insertion portion 43 is cylindrical in shape. and is fixed to the center of the base portion 42. Near the upper end of the insertion portion 43, two hook portions 44 are provided that protrude radially from the circumferential surface of the insertion portion 42.

[0025] Meanwhile, an opening 34 for receiving the base portion 42 is provided in the bottom surface of the ball portion 31, as shown in Figure 5(c), and two guide pieces 35, which are generally C-shaped flat plate members, are screwed into the opening in a facing state. The gap where the ends of the two guide pieces 35 face each other forms a hook hole 36 for receiving the hook portion 44, and the circular area where the arc portions of the two guide pieces 35 face each other forms an insertion opening 37 for receiving the insertion portion 43. In the polishing portion 40 and ball portion 31 configured as described above, the polishing portion 40 is detachably held to the ball portion 31 by a so-called bayonet lock mechanism.

[0026] Specifically, when attaching the grinding unit 40 to the ball unit 31, first, the insertion unit 43 is inserted into the insertion opening 37 with the hooking portion 44 aligned with the hooking hole 36. Then, when the pellet wheel 41 is grasped by hand and rotated in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 5(c), the hooking portion 44 moves from the hooking hole 36 along the guide piece 35 in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 5(d) and abuts against the spherical stopper 38. The stopper 38 is biased upward by a spring (not shown). When the hooking portion 44 abuts against the stopper 38 and continues to move in the direction of arrow b, the hooking portion 44 pushes the stopper 38 down against the bias of the spring. When the hooking portion 44 passes the stopper 38, the bias of the spring again causes the stopper 38 to protrude from the surface of the guide piece 35, making it difficult for the hooking portion 44 to return toward the hooking hole 36 (see FIG. 5(d)).

[0027] To remove the grinding unit 40 from the ball unit 31, the pellet wheel 41 is grasped by hand from the state shown in Figure 5(d) and turned in the direction opposite to the arrow b, and the hooking portion 44 passes through the stopper 38 while pushing it downward. When the hooking portion 44 reaches the position of the hooking hole 36, the grinding unit 40 can be pulled out of the ball unit 31.

[0028] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the movement of each part of the grinder 1 when the surface of the workpiece W is ground using the grinder 1 will be described. Here, when referring to the up, down, left, and right directions in FIGS. 6(a-1) and (a-2), the arrows shown in FIG. 6(a-1) will be used. Also, in FIGS. 6(a-1) and (a-2), the front side of the paper is the forward direction, and the back side of the paper is the rear direction. Also, when referring to the up, down, up, and down directions in FIGS. 6(b-1) and (b-2), the arrows shown in FIG. 6(b-1) will be used. In FIGS. 6(b-1) and (b-2), the front side of the paper is the right direction, and the back side of the paper is the left direction.

[0029] FIG. 6(a-1) is a front view of the tip 21 when the main body 10 is standing upright perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece W. FIG. 6(a-2) is a front view of the tip 21 when the main body 10 is tilted backward by an angle θ (see FIG. 6(a-2)) from the state of FIG. 6(a-1). FIG. 6(b-1) is a right view of the tip 21 when the main body 10 is standing upright perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece W. FIG. 6(b-2) is a right view of the tip 21 when the main body 10 is tilted backward by an angle θ from the state of FIG. 6(b-1). Note that FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the tip 21 (the hatched portion indicates the cross-section). In FIGS. 6(a-1) and (a-2), the ball-joint-side engaging member 33 is shown in a cross-sectional view at the position of the notch 33a (the hatched portion indicates the cross-section).

[0030] Conventionally, when it is necessary to flatten the surface of a workpiece with extremely high precision (for example, the difference in unevenness on the surface is about 0.1 micrometers), the required precision cannot be obtained by simply grinding the surface of the workpiece using grinding, so highly skilled and experienced workers have had to spend a huge amount of time manually completing the finishing work. In order to reduce the burden on workers and shorten the time required for finishing work, general electric hand tools such as sanders and routers have been used. If an electric hand tool is used for the above-mentioned finishing work, the movement of the hand is directly transmitted to the electric hand tool, making it extremely difficult to keep the polishing surface of the electric hand tool parallel to the surface of the workpiece, and it is difficult to say that the electric hand tool is suitable as a tool for flattening the surface of the workpiece with high precision.

[0031] Therefore, in the polishing machine 1, as shown in Figure 4(c), the ball portion 31 and the receiving portion 32 allow the polishing surface of the polishing unit 40 to swing freely relative to the horizontal plane without changing the position of the swing center P of the polishing unit 40, and the universal joint 24 and the ball joint side engaging member 33 transmit the rotation of the motor to the polishing unit 40 without being affected by the swing of the polishing surface.

[0032] For example, suppose that the main body 10 is tilted backward by an angle θ as shown in Figures 6(a-2) and (b-2) from a state in which it is standing upright perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece W as shown in Figures 6(a-1) and (b-1). At this time, the central axis of the main body 10 and the rotation axis C of the motor M Since the motor rotation axis C M The receiving portion 42 (and therefore the main body 10) is tilted backward along the spherical portion of the ball portion 41, so that the polishing surface of the polishing portion 40 is kept parallel to the surface of the workpiece W.

[0033] In addition, as the main body 10 is tilted, the rotation axis C of the polishing unit 40 is rotated as shown in FIG. P The motor's rotation axis C M is tilted by angle θ, shaft 24a bends relative to first yoke 24b connected to the motor's rotating shaft. Accordingly, engagement pin 25a moves upward within notch 33a, but because engagement pin 25a remains within notch 33a, engagement between universal joint 24 and ball-joint-side engagement member 33 is maintained. As a result, the rotation of the motor is transmitted to polishing unit 40, and even if main body 10 is tilted, polishing surface of polishing unit 40 can be rotated by the motor while being kept parallel to the surface of workpiece W.

[0034] In this way, the polishing surface of the polishing unit 40 can be oscillated by the ball joint 30, while the polishing unit 40 can be rotated by the motor, so that the polishing surface of the polishing unit 40 and the surface of the workpiece W can be made flush with each other simply by pressing the polishing surface of the polishing unit 40 against the surface of the workpiece W, and this state can be maintained. This allows the surface of the workpiece W to be polished while maintaining a uniform distribution of surface pressure within the polishing surface of the polishing unit 40.

[0035] Next, with reference to Figure 7, a structure for easily attaching and detaching the polishing part 40 to and from the ball part 31 will be described. Note that in Figure 7, the same components as those shown in Figure 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the embodiment described above, as shown in Figure 4(b), the diameter d0 of the ball part 31 is larger than the diameter d1 of the polishing part 40, so that the polishing part 40 is difficult to grasp by hand due to the obstruction caused by the ball part 31, and it is thought that this will make it difficult to turn the polishing part 40 relative to the ball part 31 in the bayonet lock mechanism shown in Figure 5.

[0036] Therefore, to make it easier to turn the grinding unit 40, it is advisable to provide an insertion hole H into which a rod-shaped tool TL can be inserted on the side surface (circumferential surface) of the base unit 42, as shown in FIG. 7(a), for example. This makes it easy to attach and detach the grinding unit 40 by inserting the tip of the tool TL into the insertion hole H and turning the tool TL in the circumferential direction of the base unit 42. In addition to this, it is also possible to provide a base unit 42' with a diameter d B The diameter d0 of the base portion 42′ may be made larger than the diameter d0 of the ball portion 31, making it easier to grip the base portion 42′ with the hand and to turn the grinding portion 40 relative to the ball portion 31. Furthermore, in the case of such a configuration, a number of linear grooves g may be formed on the circumferential surface of the base portion 42″ as an anti-slip agent, as shown in FIG. 7(c).

[0037] As shown in FIG. 7(d), the diameter d B Not just pellets Diameter d of the 41' P The size of the base portion 42' is alsoB In this case, a number of linear grooves g may be formed on the circumferential surface of the base portion 42'' as an anti-slip surface, as shown in FIG. 7(e). In FIGS. 7(d) and (e), the diameter d B and pellet wheel diameter d 41' P The diameter of the pellet wheel 41' is d P The diameter of the base 42' B It may be larger than

[0038] Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, a modified example of the mechanism for maintaining the attachment of the polishing unit 40 to the ball unit 31 will be described. In the ball unit 31 and polishing unit 40 shown in FIG. 5, the attachment of the polishing unit 40 to the ball unit 31 is maintained by a bayonet lock mechanism. However, as shown in FIG. 8(a), for example, a long leaf spring 45 may be provided on the base unit 42' and fitted into an elongated hole 39 formed in the ball unit 31' shown in FIG. 8(b). The leaf spring 45 is a long member with a roughly U-shaped cross section (see FIG. 8(c-1)), and is attached along the diameter of the base unit 42' with the open portion of the U-shape facing upward. The leaf spring 45 is biased in a direction that widens the gap in the open portion of the U-shape. Meanwhile, the elongated hole 39 has a dovetail groove shape, as shown in FIG. 8(c-1). 8(c-1) to 8(c-3), the cross section of the ball portion 31' is shown in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 39 at the center of the ball portion 31'.

[0039] In this configuration, when attaching the polishing part 40' to the ball part 31', as shown in Figure 8(c-1), the leaf spring 45 is aligned with the oblong hole 39, and the upper end of the leaf spring 45 is pressed against the edge of the oblong hole 39 (see Figure 8(c-2)). As the polishing part 40' is pressed toward the ball part 31', the leaf spring 45 bends in a direction narrowing the gap at its upper end. Then, when the leaf spring 45 is inserted into the oblong hole 39 as shown in Figure 8(c-3), the bias of the leaf spring 45 widens the gap at its upper end to match the cross-sectional shape of the oblong hole 39, making it difficult for the leaf spring 45 to come out of the oblong hole 39. As a result, the polishing part 40' can be held by the ball part 31'.

[0040] Separately, in the configuration shown in FIG. 9(a), a male thread 46a is formed on the circumferential surface of a cylindrical threaded portion 46, and the central axis of the threaded portion 46 (shown as a dashed line in FIG. 9(a)) is aligned with the central axis of the pellet wheel 41 (shown as a dashed line in FIG. 9(a)) and bonded with an adhesive to form a grinding portion 40". In relation to this grinding portion 40", in the ball portion 31", as shown in FIG. 9(b), an insertion hole 31c" into which the threaded portion 46 is inserted is provided at the center of the bottom portion 31b", and a female thread 31d" that threads with the male thread 46a is formed on the inner surface of the insertion hole 31c". In this configuration, the grinding portion 40" can be held in the ball portion 31".

[0041] When replacing the polishing unit 40 with one having a different polishing surface size, the tip portion 21, ball joint 30, and polishing unit 40 may be considered as a single attachment 100, as shown in Figure 10(a), and this attachment may be replaced with a polishing unit of a different size. For example, as shown in Figure 10(b), in tip portion 21', the diameter of the main body side female thread that screws into the male thread 10a of the main body 10 (see Figure 3(c)) is the same as the diameter D of the main body side female thread 22 shown in Figure 10(a), while the inner diameter of tip portion 21' is smaller than the inner diameter of tip portion 21, so that a ball joint 50 can be attached to the tip.

[0042] Ball joint 50 is configured to include ball portion 51, receiving portion 52, and ball joint side engaging member 53, and the diameters of these are all smaller than the diameters of ball portion 31, receiving portion 52, and ball joint side engaging member 33. In addition, diameter d2 of the polishing surface of polishing portion 60 is also smaller than diameter d1 of the polishing surface of polishing portion 40. 3(a) and 3(b), in the grinder 1, the engagement pin 25a of the universal joint 24 is not fixed to the tip-side engagement member 33 but is engaged in a state in which it can move freely up and down within the notch 33a, and furthermore, the upper end of the notch 33a is open, so that the attachment 100 can be easily removed from the main body 10 and another attachment 100' can be easily attached.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the universal joint 24 is used as part of the transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the motor to the polishing unit 40, but a flexible shaft having a configuration similar to that of the tip-side engaging member 25 and the engaging pin 25a may be used instead. Also, the ball joint 30 is used as part of the transmission mechanism, but a universal joint may be used instead.

[0044] In the above-described embodiment, a grinding machine capable of grinding a required portion of a workpiece to obtain high-precision flatness has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the above technology can also be applied to a case where the inclination of the rotation axis of the processing unit relative to the workpiece is maintained regardless of the inclination of the tool (processing machine). In this case, the tool corresponds to the grinding machine 1, and the processing unit corresponds to the grinding unit 40. The processing unit may be any type of unit that is similar to rotary processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Polishing machine 10 Main Unit 21 Tip 24 Universal joint 25 Universal joint side engaging member 30 ball joint 31 Ball section 32 Receiving part 33 Tip side engaging member 40 Polishing section 41 Pellet Wheel 42 Base

Claims

1. A motor; a polishing unit that is rotated by the motor to polish the surface of the workpiece; a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the motor to the polishing unit, The polishing machine according to claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism transmits the rotation of the motor to the polishing unit regardless of the inclination of the rotation axis of the motor relative to the rotation axis of the polishing unit.

2. The transmission mechanism includes: a first universal joint that rotatably supports the polishing unit and swingably supports the polishing unit with the position of the rotation axis of the polishing unit on the polishing surface of the polishing unit as a fulcrum; 2. The grinding machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a second universal joint that transmits rotation of the motor to the first universal joint regardless of the inclination of the rotation axis of the motor relative to the rotation axis of the grinding unit.

3. The first universal joint comprises: a ball portion having a substantially hemispherical shape formed by a flat portion and a spherical portion, the abrasive portion being attached to the flat portion; a receiving portion having a concave portion that is in spherical contact with the spherical portion and has a through hole formed at the top of the concave portion; 3. The grinding machine according to claim 2, further comprising an engaging portion fixed to said ball portion through said through-hole and engaging with said second universal joint.

4. The second universal joint comprises: A shaft and a first universal joint formed at one end of the shaft; a second universal joint formed at the other end of the shaft, the first universal joint is attached to a rotating shaft of a motor; 3. The grinding machine according to claim 2, wherein the second universal joint engages with the engaging portion.

5. 5. The grinding machine according to claim 3, wherein the ball portion detachably holds the grinding portion by a bayonet lock mechanism.

6. 5. The grinding machine according to claim 3, wherein the ball portion detachably holds the grinding portion by a screw lock mechanism.

7. 5. The grinding machine according to claim 3, wherein a leaf spring having a substantially U-shaped cross section and an open portion facing the other of the ball portion and the grinding portion is attached to one of the ball portion and the grinding portion, and a fitting opening into which the leaf spring fits is provided in the other of the ball portion and the grinding portion, and when the leaf spring fits into the fitting opening, the grinding portion is detachably held by the elastic force of the leaf spring.

8. A motor; a processing unit that processes a workpiece by being rotated by the motor; a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the motor to the processing unit, The processing machine is characterized in that the transmission mechanism transmits the rotation of the motor to the processing unit regardless of the inclination of the rotation axis of the motor relative to the rotation axis of the processing unit.

Images