drive device

Abstract

The present application provides a driving device capable of manually operating a rotating shaft and detecting the rotating position of the rotating shaft. The driving device has a motor having a rotating shaft, a driving member driven by the rotating power of the rotating shaft, a transmission mechanism transmitting the rotating power of the rotating shaft to the driving member, an encoder detecting the rotating position of the rotating shaft, and an encoder housing accommodating at least a part of the encoder, the encoder housing being formed with an insertion hole into which an operating portion capable of forcibly rotating the rotating shaft by manual operation is inserted at a position radially away from the axis of the rotating shaft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a drive device. Background Technology

[0002] There is a clamp that transmits the rotational power of the motor's rotating shaft to the gripping member. A groove is formed at the end of the rotating shaft opposite to the gripping member for manually rotating the rotating shaft using a jig (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-125851

[0004] When an encoder for detecting the rotational position of a rotating shaft is placed on the end side of the rotating shaft, it is also necessary to ensure the manual operability of the rotating shaft. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a drive device that can manually operate the rotating shaft and also detect the rotational position of the rotating shaft.

[0006] The above objective can be achieved by a drive device comprising: a motor having a rotating shaft; a drive component driven by the rotational power of the rotating shaft; a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational power of the rotating shaft to the drive component; an encoder that detects the rotational position of the rotating shaft; and an encoder housing that houses at least a portion of the encoder, the encoder housing having an insertion hole formed at a position radially away from the axis of the rotating shaft for inserting an operating part that can forcibly rotate the rotating shaft by manual operation.

[0007] A drive device is provided that allows manual operation of the rotating shaft and also detects the rotational position of the rotating shaft. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1A and Figure 1B This is a 3D view of the clamp's appearance.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the clamp.

[0010] Figure 3 This is an exploded perspective view of the encoder housing.

[0011] Figure 4A It is a three-dimensional view of the operating fixture. Figure 4B This is a perspective view of the clamp with the operating gear of the operating fixture inserted into the insertion hole of the cover.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the clamp with the operating gear of the operating fixture inserted into the insertion hole of the cover.

[0013] Figure 6A and Figure 6B This is a perspective view of the external appearance of the clamp in a modified example.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a partial sectional view of the clamp in a modified example.

[0015] Figure 8 This is an exploded perspective view of the encoder housing in the modified example. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Figure 1A and Figure 1B This is a perspective view of the gripper 1. The gripper 1 includes a motor 10, a motor housing 19, a transmission mechanism 20, a guide plate 50, a pair of gripping parts 61 and 65, and an encoder housing 70. The motor housing 19 is provided with a connector C1 for supplying power to the motor 10. The motor housing 19 is located at the base end of the motor 10. A connector C2, described in detail later, is provided on the encoder housing 70. The encoder housing 70 is located at the base end of the motor housing 19. The transmission mechanism 20 is fixed to the front end of the motor 10. The guide plate 50 is fixed to the front end of the transmission mechanism 20.

[0017] A gripping member 61 and a gripping member 65 are held on the guide plate 50 in a manner capable of clamping a specified component. Specifically, the gripping member 61 and the gripping member 65 are slidably supported on the guide rail 51 of the guide plate 50 in a manner that allows them to approach or separate from each other. The gripping member 61 and the gripping member 65 are driven by the rotational power of the motor 10, as will be described in detail later. The gripping member 61 and the gripping member 65 are examples of drive components. By bringing the gripping member 61 and the gripping member 65 close to each other, the specified component is clamped by the gripping member 61 and the gripping member 65. In addition, by separating the gripping member 61 and the gripping member 65 from the state of clamping the specified component, the gripping member 61 and the gripping member 65 release the specified component. The gripper 1 is an example of a drive device. The gripper 1 is, for example, mounted on the front end of a robotic arm.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the clamp 1. The motor 10 has a rotating shaft 11. Figure 2In the diagram, the axis A of the rotating shaft 11 is indicated by a dashed line. The front end of the rotating shaft 11 protrudes into the transmission mechanism 20. The transmission mechanism 20 houses the feed screw 21, nut 23, arm component 31, and arm component 41. A generally cylindrical feed screw 21 is fixed to the front end of the rotating shaft 11. The feed screw 21 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 11. An external thread 21S is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the feed screw 21. The external thread 21S engages with an internal thread 23S formed on the inner circumferential surface of the nut 23. The nut 23 is held by a guide portion 22 extending along the axis A, allowing it to move in the direction of the axis A, and is also held by the guide portion 22 to prevent it from rotating about the axis A. As the rotating shaft 11 rotates, the feed screw 21 rotates, and through the engagement of the external thread 21S and the internal thread 23S, the nut 23 moves along the direction of the axis A via the guide portion 22.

[0019] A movable pin 25 is provided at the front end 23E of the nut 23. The movable pin 25 engages with the engaging groove 32 formed at the base end of the arm member 31. Additionally, a movable pin is also provided at the front end 23E of the nut 23 on the side opposite to the movable pin 25, and the base end of the arm member 41 engages with this movable pin. The arm member 31 and arm member 41 are supported by support pins 27 and 28 respectively provided in the transmission mechanism 20, allowing them to swing. The front ends 35 and 45 of the arm member 31 and arm member 41 respectively protrude from the clearance holes 53 and 54 of the guide plate 50. The front ends 35 and 45 engage with engaging recesses 63 and 68 provided at the base ends of the gripping member 61 and gripping member 65 respectively.

[0020] By rotating the shaft 11, the nut 23 moves along the axis A. Consequently, arm components 31 and 41 swing about support pins 27 and 28 respectively, with their front ends 35 approaching or separating from each other. Specifically, by moving the nut 23 away from the gripping components 61 and 65, arm components 31 and 41 swing with their front ends 35 approaching each other. By moving the nut 23 towards the gripping components 61 and 65, arm components 31 and 41 swing with their front ends 35 separating from each other. Thus, gripping components 61 and 65 move in a manner that allows them to approach or separate. As described above, the rotational power of the rotating shaft 11 of the motor 10 is transmitted to the gripping components 61 and 65.

[0021] Both the external thread portion 21S and the internal thread portion 23S have a self-locking function. The self-locking function works as follows: the rotational power of the feed screw 21 is transmitted to the nut 23, which can move along the axis A. However, when an external force is applied in a manner close to the holding member 61 and the holding member 65, the rotation of the feed screw 21 is restricted, and the separation of the holding member 61 and the holding member 65 is locked. Thus, for example, when an external force is applied to at least one of the holding member 61 and the holding member 65, the movement of the nut 23 in a manner close to the holding member 61 and the holding member 65 is restricted, resulting in the restriction of the separation of the holding member 61 and the holding member 65. Therefore, for example, even when an external force is applied to at least one of the holding member 61 and the holding member 65 that holds the specified component, the separation of the holding member 61 and the holding member 65 is restricted, maintaining the state of holding the specified component. In addition, to achieve this self-locking function, the angle of the thread teeth of the external thread portion 21S, the angle of the thread groove of the internal thread portion 23S, and the coefficient of friction between the external thread portion 21S and the internal thread portion 23S are set. For example, the above conditions are set by a known method.

[0022] Figure 3 This is an exploded perspective view of the encoder housing 70. The encoder housing 70 has a cover 71 and a housing 73. The cover 71 closes the base end of the housing 73. An insertion hole 72 is formed on the cover 71 at an edge radially outward from the shaft center A, the details of which will be described later. The base end of the rotating shaft 11 protrudes from the motor cover 19 and is located inside the housing 73 via an opening 74. A driven gear 80 is fixed to the base end of the rotating shaft 11. The driven gear 80 is retained within the housing 73.

[0023] The driven gear 80 has a fitting hole 81, a driven gear portion 83, a cylindrical portion 85, and a bottom 87. The base end of the rotating shaft 11 fits into the fitting hole 81. Therefore, the rotating shaft 11 and the driven gear 80 rotate integrally. The driven gear portion 83 is generally cylindrical, and multiple teeth are formed on the outer periphery of the driven gear portion 83. The cylindrical portion 85 is generally cylindrical, and its outer diameter is smaller than that of the driven gear portion 83. The cylindrical portion 85 protrudes from the surface of the driven gear portion 83 that faces the sensor substrate 91 described later. The bottom 87 is generally annular and is formed inside the cylindrical portion 85. The cylindrical portion 85 is formed at a position closer to the sensor substrate 91 than the driven gear portion 83. A magnet 90 is fixed to the bottom 87 inside the cylindrical portion 85. The magnet 90 is generally cylindrical, and its S pole and N pole are magnetized in the circumferential direction. The rotating shaft 11, the driven gear 80, and the magnet 90 rotate integrally. In this way, the magnet 90 is fixed to the base end of the rotating shaft 11 via the driven gear part 83.

[0024] A sensor substrate 91 is held within the housing 73. A connector C2 is provided on the sensor substrate 91. The sensor substrate 91 is positioned opposite the magnet 90 along the axis A. Figure 2 As shown, a sensor element 91S is disposed on the surface of the sensor substrate 91 opposite to the magnet 90. Other electronic components are mounted on the sensor substrate 91. The sensor element 91S outputs the detected value corresponding to the magnetic field that changes according to the rotation of the magnet 90 to an external device via connector C2, thereby detecting the rotational position of the rotating shaft 11 with high precision. The sensor element 91S is, for example, a Hall element. The magnet 90 and the sensor substrate 91 constitute a magnetic encoder.

[0025] A notch 92 is formed at the edge of the sensor substrate 91. The notch 92 is formed at a position corresponding to the insertion hole 72. Specifically, the notch 92 and the insertion hole 72 are located on the same straight line parallel to the axis A. In other words, the notch 92 is formed at a position that moves radially outward from the axis A.

[0026] Figure 4A This is a perspective view of the operating fixture 100. The operating fixture 100 includes an operating part 101, a shaft part 102, and an operating gear part 103. The operating gear part 103 is formed at the front end of the shaft part 102. Multiple teeth are formed on the outer periphery of the operating gear part 103. The operating part 101 is fixed to the base end of the shaft part 102. The diameter of the operating part 101 is larger than the diameter of the shaft part 102, making it easier for the operator to operate.

[0027] Figure 4B This is a perspective view of the clamp 1 with the operating gear part 103 of the operating fixture 100 inserted into the insertion hole 72 of the cover 71. Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the clamp 1 with the operating gear part 103 of the operating fixture 100 inserted into the insertion hole 72 of the cover 71. (See image below.) Figure 5 As shown, when the operating gear 103 of the operating fixture 100 is inserted into the insertion hole 72, the operating gear 103 engages with the driven gear 83 of the driven gear 80 via the notch 92 of the sensor substrate 91. With the operating gear 103 engaged with the driven gear 83, the operator manually rotates the operating unit 101, thereby forcibly rotating the rotating shaft 11. This allows manual operation of the gripping member 61 and gripping member 65. For example, by using the operating fixture 100 when the power to the motor 10 is stopped, the gripping member 61 and gripping member 65 can be manually driven. Thus, the operating fixture 100 can be inserted and removed relative to the insertion hole 72 and the notch 92. As described above, the clamp 1 can manually operate the rotating shaft 11, and the rotational position of the rotating shaft 11 can also be detected by the magnet 90 and the sensor substrate 91.

[0028] As described above, the operating fixture 100 is supported so that it can be inserted into and removed from the encoder housing 70 of the clamp 1. Therefore, the operating fixture 100 can be removed from the clamp 1 without manually driving the gripping members 61 and 65. This prevents the operating fixture 100, which is inserted into the insertion hole 72, from accidentally contacting peripheral devices or the like, which could cause the rotating shaft 11 to rotate incorrectly.

[0029] A notch 92 is formed on the sensor substrate 91, which is used to avoid the shaft portion 102 of the operating jig 100 and the operating gear portion 103, at a position away from the axis A. Specifically, a notch is formed at the edge of the sensor substrate 91. This ensures the mounting area of ​​the electronic components in the sensor substrate 91.

[0030] The driven gear portion 83 is located away from the magnet 90 and the sensor substrate 91 in the direction of the axis A. In other words, the magnet 90 is located between the driven gear portion 83 and the sensor substrate 91, and the driven gear portion 83 is not provided between the magnet 90 and the sensor substrate 91. Therefore, even if wear powder is generated due to the meshing of the driven gear portion 83 and the operating gear portion 103, the adhesion of wear powder to the magnet 90 and the sensor element 91S can be suppressed. As a result, the detection accuracy of the rotational position of the rotating shaft 11 can be maintained.

[0031] Furthermore, the diameter of the operating gear section 103 is smaller than the diameter of the driven gear section 83. Therefore, the driven gear section 83 can be rotated via the operating gear section 103 with a smaller torque. Consequently, the gripping members 61 and 65 can be easily driven manually.

[0032] The operating fixture 100 is one example of an operating unit, but it is not limited to this. For example, the operating fixture 100 may also be configured in a non-removable manner on the clamp 1. In this case, the operating gear 103 and the driven gear 83 are always engaged.

[0033] Next, the modified clamp 1a will be described. Regarding the modified clamp 1a, the same reference numerals are used for structures that are the same as those of the clamp 1 in this embodiment described above, and therefore repeated descriptions are omitted. Figure 6A and Figure 6B This is a perspective view of the external appearance of the modified clamp 1a. A connector C1 is provided on the motor cover 19a at the base end of the motor 10a provided in the clamp 1a. An encoder housing 70a is provided at the base end of the motor cover 19a.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a partial sectional view of the clamp 1a in the modified example. Figure 8This is an exploded perspective view of the encoder housing 70a in a modified example. An insertion hole 72a is provided on the edge of the cover 71a, radially outward from the axis A. The base end of the rotating shaft 11 protrudes from the motor cover 19a and is located within the encoder housing 70a via an opening 74a in the outer casing 73a. A driven gear 80a is fixed to the base end of the rotating shaft 11. The driven gear 80a is retained within the encoder housing 70a. Unlike the driven gear 80 in this embodiment described above, the driven gear 80a does not retain the magnet 90.

[0035] A sensor substrate 91a is held within the housing 73a. The sensor substrate 91a has a clearance hole 93 to allow the rotation shaft 11 to pass. The sensor substrate 91a faces the driven gear 80a along the axis A. Furthermore, a sensor element 91Sa is provided on the surface of the sensor substrate 91a opposite to the surface facing the driven gear 80a. A rotating plate 95 is housed in the motor cover 19a facing the surface of the sensor substrate 91a where the sensor element 91Sa is located. The rotating plate 95 is circular and has a fitting hole 96 at its center for the rotation shaft 11 to engage. The sensor element 91Sa integrally comprises a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, but this is not a limitation; the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element may also be mounted separately on the sensor substrate 91a.

[0036] A reflective portion 97 for reflecting light and a transmissive portion 98 for transmitting light are alternately arranged circumferentially on the rotating plate 95. The transmissive portion 98 is formed in a slit shape. Figure 8 Only a portion of the multiple reflective portions 97 and transmitting portions 98 are shown. The sensor element 91Sa illuminates light towards the reflective portion 97. The light reflected by the reflective portion 97 is received by the sensor element 91Sa. Light transmitted through the transmitting portion 98 is not received by the sensor element 91Sa. The sensor element 91Sa outputs an output signal, which varies according to the rotation of the rotating plate 95, to an external device via connector C2, thereby accurately detecting the rotational position of the rotating shaft 11. The sensor substrate 91a and the rotating plate 95 constitute an optical encoder. The sensor substrate 91a and the rotating plate 95 are positioned between the driven gear 80a and the motor 10. The transmitting portion 98 is an example of a non-reflective portion that does not reflect light.

[0037] The non-reflective part can also be a component that is pasted onto the rotating plate at predetermined intervals along the circumference and has a lower light reflectivity than the reflective part. The reflective part can also be a component that is pasted onto the rotating plate at predetermined intervals along the circumference and has a higher light reflectivity than the non-reflective part.

[0038] The sensor substrate 91a is housed in the encoder housing 70a, separating the rotating plate 95 and the driven gear 80a. Furthermore, the sensor element 91Sa is mounted on the surface of the sensor substrate 91a opposite to the rotating plate 95. This prevents wear powder and dust from the driven gear 80a from adhering to the sensor element 91Sa and the reflector 97. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the rotational position of the rotating shaft 11 is maintained.

[0039] Furthermore, the outer casing 73a is formed to be larger than the cover 71a, and a connector C2 is disposed on the portion of the outer casing 73a that protrudes from the cover 71a. The connector C2 is disposed on the sensor substrate 91a, but interference with the driven gear 80a opposite to the sensor substrate 91a is avoided. In addition, sufficient space is ensured for the sensor substrate 91a, which has the clearance hole 93 formed.

[0040] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment and can be modified and altered within the scope of the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims.

Claims

1. A driving device comprising: A motor, which has a rotating shaft; A driving component, which is driven by the rotational power of the rotating shaft; A transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational power of the rotating shaft to the drive component; An encoder that detects the rotational position of the rotating shaft; and An encoder housing that houses at least a portion of the encoder. The encoder housing has an insertion hole formed at a position radially away from the axis of the rotating shaft, into which an operating part can be inserted to force the rotating shaft to rotate manually.

2. The driving device according to claim 1, wherein, The drive unit has a driven gear portion fixed to the end of the rotating shaft opposite to the drive component, and the driven gear portion is housed in the encoder housing. The operating part has an operating gear part that meshes with the driven gear part.

3. The driving device according to claim 2, wherein, The encoder includes a magnet fixed to the end of the rotating shaft and a sensor substrate disposed opposite to the magnet. The magnet and the sensor substrate are housed in the encoder housing.

4. The driving device according to claim 3, wherein, The magnet is fixed to the end of the rotating shaft via the driven gear. The sensor substrate is positioned opposite the driven gear.

5. The driving device according to claim 4, wherein, The magnet is located between the driven gear and the sensor substrate.

6. The driving device according to claim 5, wherein, The sensor substrate has a notch at a position corresponding to the insertion hole. The operating part can be inserted and removed relative to the insertion hole and the notch. The operating part is inserted into the insertion hole and the notch, and the operating gear part meshes with the driven gear part.

7. The driving device according to claim 2, wherein, The encoder includes: A rotating plate having a reflective part that reflects light and a non-reflective part that does not reflect light, the rotating plate rotating together with the rotating shaft; as well as The sensor substrate has a light-emitting element that emits light toward the rotating plate and a light-receiving element that receives light reflected by the reflective portion. The encoder is configured between the driven gear and the transmission mechanism.

8. The driving device according to claim 7, wherein, The sensor substrate is housed in the encoder housing, and the surface where the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are located faces the rotating plate. The sensor substrate separates the rotating plate from the driven gear.

9. The drive device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein, The diameter of the operating gear is smaller than the diameter of the driven gear.

10. The drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The drive component is a pair of gripping components that use the rotational power of the rotating shaft to grip a specified component. The transmission mechanism has the following self-locking function: when an external force is applied to open the pair of gripping parts, the power transmission from the pair of gripping parts to the rotating shaft is restricted.

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