Rotational power transmission mechanism and electric appliance including the same

Abstract

To provide a rotational power transmission mechanism in which couplings can be engaged with each other even if there is a positional deviation between couplings.SOLUTION: A rotational power transmission mechanism 10 according to the present invention includes: a first coupling 20 provided in a driving mechanism; and a second coupling 30 provided in a driven mechanism and detachably engaged with the first coupling from the front. The first coupling includes a first engagement member 23 having a blade front edge 24 in a rotary driving direction G, a blade rear edge 25 being formed obliquely rearward, the front surface being a first guide slope 26 and the rear surface being a first engagement surface 27. The second coupling includes a second engagement member 33 having a rear blade edge 35 in the rotary driving direction, a blade rear edge 34 being formed obliquely rearward, the rear surface being a second guide slope 36 and the front surface being a second engagement surface 37, and either the first coupling or the second coupling is provided with a guide projection 39 on the outer peripheral side of the first guide slope or the second guide slope.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 21

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rotary power transmission that engages a drive mechanism and a driven mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] In kitchen appliances such as blenders, juicers, and food processors, cooking is performed by crushing, mincing, grating, crushing, chopping, or stirring ingredients using cooking utensils that rotate in a cooking cup. The cooking cup is used by being attached to a main body having a driving mechanism such as a motor, and the cooking utensils are attached to a driven mechanism such as a rotating shaft arranged in the cooking cup and rotate integrally with the rotating shaft.

[0003] The drive mechanism and the driven mechanism are engaged by mounting the cooking cup to the main body, with the main body coupling acting as the drive coupling and the cooking utensil coupling acting as the driven coupling. In a typical mixer (a so-called vertical mixer), the cooking utensil is placed so that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the cup, and the cooking utensil coupling is placed on the underside of the cooking cup. The main body coupling is placed on the top surface of the main body on which the cooking cup is mounted. Then, the cooking cup is brought closer to the main body in the vertical direction, whereby the main body coupling and the cooking utensil coupling are engaged.

[0004] For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the main body coupling and the cooking utensil coupling have protruding engagement members that engage with each other. The main body coupling is an engagement member that has an engagement surface on the side in the direction of rotation, and the cooking utensil coupling is an engagement member that has an engagement surface on the side opposite to the direction of rotation. During rotation, the engagement surfaces come into contact with each other, causing the driven mechanism to rotate in response to the drive mechanism.

[0005] The engaging members of the main body coupling and the cooking utensil coupling each have an inclined surface on the side opposite to the engaging surface, tapering in the circumferential direction at the tip. When the rotation centers of the main body coupling and the cooking utensil coupling are aligned on a straight line and the cooking utensil coupling is brought closer to the main body coupling from the vertical direction, the inclined surfaces slide against each other and the main body coupling and the cooking utensil coupling rotate relative to each other, preventing the engaging members from interfering with each other in the vertical direction.

[0006] The applicant has proposed an inclined mixer in which the rotation axis of the cooking utensil is inclined at an angle in Patent Document 3. In the inclined mixer, the cooking utensil is inclined, so that the food to be cooked rotates not only horizontally but also diagonally or vertically, thereby improving cooking efficiency such as stirring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7126711 [Patent Document 2] CN214128306U [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. WO2022 / 211034 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In an inclined mixer, the cooking cup can be attached to and detached from the main body not vertically but horizontally or diagonally, so there is a large degree of freedom in the direction of attachment and detachment. Therefore, if the cooking cup is attached in the wrong direction, the rotation centers of the main body side coupling and the cooking utensil side coupling will be misaligned, and the engaging members of both couplings will interfere with each other, making it impossible to attach the cooking cup to the main body.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary power transmission mechanism that is capable of engaging couplings even if the couplings are misaligned with each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The rotational power transmission mechanism according to the present invention comprises: A rotational power transmission mechanism including a drive mechanism and a driven mechanism driven by the drive mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism transmitting rotation of the drive mechanism in a rotational drive direction to the driven mechanism, a first coupling provided in the drive mechanism; and a second coupling provided in the driven mechanism and detachably engaged with the first coupling from a front direction; the first coupling has a blade leading edge in the rotation drive direction, a blade trailing edge formed obliquely rearward, a front surface of the first engagement member being a first guide slope, and a rear surface of the first engagement surface; the second coupling has a blade trailing edge in the rotation drive direction, a blade leading edge is formed obliquely forward, and a second engagement member has a rear surface side which is a second guide slope and a front surface side which is a second engagement surface; Either the first coupling or the second coupling has a guide protrusion protruding therefrom on an outer circumferential side relative to the first guide inclined surface or the second guide inclined surface, When the first coupling and the second coupling are brought close to each other and engaged, if the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the first guide inclined surface and the second guide inclined surface come into surface contact with each other, thereby correcting the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling, and the first coupling rotates in the rotation drive direction relative to the second coupling, thereby engaging the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface, When the first coupling and the second coupling are brought close to each other and engaged, if the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling exceeds a predetermined value, the guiding convex portion abuts against the first guiding slope or the second guiding slope, and the first coupling rotates in the rotational drive direction relative to the second coupling while the guiding convex portion slides toward the outer periphery of the first guiding slope or the second guiding slope, so that the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the first guiding slope and the second guiding slope come into surface contact with each other, the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling is corrected, and the second coupling rotates in the rotational drive direction relative to the first coupling, so that the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface engage with each other.

[0011] The first and second engagement surfaces may be complementary in shape.

[0012] The other of the guide inclined surfaces of the first coupling and the second coupling, which contact the guide protrusion, can be formed so that a twist angle becomes gentle toward the trailing edge of the blade.

[0013] The other engaging member of the first coupling or the second coupling, which comes into contact with the guide protrusion, may be formed so that the blade thickness increases toward the trailing edge of the blade.

[0014] The first engagement surface may be shaped to bulge in a mountain shape, and the second engagement surface may be shaped to be recessed in a valley shape.

[0015] The kitchen appliance of the present invention is A kitchen appliance including the above-described rotational power transmission mechanism, comprising: a main body; and a cooking cup that is detachable from the main body; The drive mechanism is disposed on the body, The driven mechanism is provided in the cooking cup and is capable of rotating a cooking utensil disposed in the cooking cup.

[0016] The cooking cup can be attached to and detached from the main body in a non-vertical direction. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the rotational power transmission mechanism of the present invention, even if there is a misalignment between the centers of rotation of the first coupling and the second coupling, the guiding convex portion comes into contact with the first guiding slope or the second guiding slope, correcting the misalignment between the centers of rotation of the first coupling and the second coupling, and the first coupling and the second coupling can be engaged. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inclined mixer, which is a kitchen appliance according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a cooking cup is being attached to a main body or has been removed. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view seen from an angle different from that of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the range in which the cooking cup can be attached and detached. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first coupling (right) and the second coupling (left). [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first coupling and the second coupling in the process of being engaged with each other with their centers of rotation aligned. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the first coupling and the second coupling in the middle of engaging with each other. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the first coupling and the second coupling are engaged with each other. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 7, seen from the second coupling side. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of FIG. 7 as viewed from the second coupling side. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of FIG. 7 as viewed from the first coupling side. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of disengaging the first coupling from the second coupling. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the first coupling and the second coupling in the process of being engaged with each other in a state in which their centers of rotation are shifted beyond a predetermined position, as viewed from the second coupling side. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of FIG. 19 as viewed from the first coupling side. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a state in which the guiding protrusion is in contact with the first guiding slope, as viewed from the second coupling side. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a state in which the guiding protrusion is sliding on the first guiding slope from the state shown in FIG. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a state in which the first guiding slope and the second guiding slope are in contact with each other, as viewed from the second coupling side. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a perspective view of FIG. 23 seen from a different angle. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a perspective view of FIG. 23 as viewed from the first coupling side. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first guiding slope and the second guiding slope are in contact with each other, taken along a position corresponding to line BB in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] An embodiment in which the rotational power transmission mechanism 10 of the present invention is used in a kitchen appliance will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the rotational power transmission mechanism 10 is used in a kitchen appliance, specifically, an inclined mixer 40, but the rotational power transmission mechanism 10 of the present invention is not limited to kitchen appliances and can be applied to various devices, machines, etc. having a mechanism for transmitting rotational power. In addition, the kitchen appliance is an inclined mixer 40 in this embodiment, but the kitchen appliance is not limited to the inclined mixer 40 and may be a cooking device that cooks ingredients by rotating cooking utensils in a cooking cup, such as a vertical mixer, a food processor, a juicer, a soup maker, a mill, or a blender.

[0020] <Inclined Mixer 40> As a specific embodiment in which the rotational power transmission mechanism 10 of the present invention can be used, an inclined mixer 40 will first be described. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the inclined mixer 40 (hereinafter simply referred to as "mixer 40") comprises a main body 50 and a cooking cup 60 that is detachable from a cup attachment portion 51 of the main body 50. Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the cooking cup 60 in the process of being attached to the main body 50 or after it has been removed from the main body 50, and Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the range in which the cooking cup 60 can be attached to and detached from the main body 50. As shown in Figure 3, in the mixer 40 of this embodiment, the cooking cup 60 approaches not vertically, but at an angle that falls within an approximately conical range in a non-vertical direction (for example, horizontally or at an angle of approximately 70° or less from the horizontal, and / or at an inclination of approximately 35° to the left and right) to the main body 50, specifically the main body side coupling 55, as shown in Figure 3, with the detachable range being indicated by the symbol 41, so that the cooking cup 60 can be attached to the cup attachment portion 51, and the cooking cup 60 can be removed from the cup attachment portion 51 by pulling the cooking cup 60 in the detachable range 41, which is also approximately conical in shape.

[0021] The main body 50 includes, for example, a vertical portion 52 extending to approximately the same height as the cooking cup 60, and a horizontal portion 53 extending from the lower end of the vertical portion 52 on which the cooking cup 60 is placed, and the upper side of the horizontal portion 53 is the cup mounting portion 51. Between the vertical portion 52 and the horizontal portion 53, an inclined portion 54 is formed, which is inclined at an angle, as shown in FIG. 1. A main body side coupling 55 (referred to as the "first coupling 20" in FIG. 4 and subsequent figures) that is connected to a cooking utensil side coupling 65 (see FIG. 2) of the cooking utensil protrudes from the inclined portion 54. The main body side coupling 55 is connected to a rotating shaft (the center of rotation is indicated by the symbol O1) of a motor (not shown) built into the main body 50. The main body side coupling 55 will be described in detail later. The motor is driven by the operation of an operating portion 56 provided on the main body 50, and the main body side coupling 55 rotates. The motor, the rotating shaft, and the main body side coupling 55 (the first coupling 20) constitute the drive mechanism in the present invention. In addition, when a reduction mechanism or the like is included between the motor and the rotating shaft, the drive mechanism also includes the reduction mechanism or the like.

[0022] The cooking cup 60 is a container into which ingredients to be cooked are placed and cooked, such as by stirring, using a cooking utensil. The cooking cup 60 can be configured to include a cup portion 61 and a lid 62 that covers the cup portion 61. The cup portion 61 has an open top, and ingredients are placed through the opening on the top. The cup portion 61 is formed with a handle 66 for the user to grasp. In this embodiment, the cup portion 61 itself is a cylindrical body that extends vertically above approximately the center, and the lower portion is bent diagonally downward, with a bottom hole (not shown) formed on the inclined bottom side into which a cutter die 63 is attached.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the cutter die 63 can be attached and detached by screwing into the bottom hole of the cup part 61. The cutter die 63 is a base on which cooking tools such as blades and cutters according to the cooking contents are rotatably arranged. Although the cooking tools are not shown, by attaching the cutter die 63 to the cup part 61, the cooking tools are exposed inside the cup part 61. The cooking tools are connected to a rotating shaft 64 that rotatably passes through the cutter die 63 and has a rotation center O2. A cooking tool side coupling 65 (referred to as the "second coupling 30" in FIG. 4 and subsequent figures) is connected to the base end of the rotating shaft 64. When the cooking cup 60 is attached to the cup attachment part 51, the cooking tool side coupling 65 is connected to the main body side coupling 55 (FIG. 1) and can rotate together. The cooking tool side coupling 65 (second coupling 30), the rotating shaft 64, and the cooking tools constitute the driven mechanism of the present invention. The above-mentioned drive mechanism and driven mechanism constitute the rotational power transmission mechanism 10 of the present invention.

[0024] The method of using the mixer 40 having the above configuration will be described. In the mixer 40, the cooking cup 60, in which ingredients are placed in the cup portion 61 and closed with the lid body 62, is brought close to the cup mounting portion 51 of the main body 50 from the substantially conical detachable range 41 in FIG. 3, and is attached to the cup mounting portion 51. This engages the main body side coupling 55 (first coupling 20) and the cooking utensil side coupling 65 (second coupling 30) in the manner described below. Then, by operating the operating portion 56 from this state to drive the motor, the main body side coupling 55 rotates, and the cooking utensil side coupling 65 engaged therewith is rotated accordingly. The rotation of the cooking utensil side coupling 65 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 64, which rotates the cooking utensil, and cooking such as stirring is performed on the ingredients in the cooking cup 60. After cooking is completed, the cooking cup 60 can be pulled up within the approximately conical-shaped detachable range 41 in Figure 3, disengaging the main body side coupling 55 (first coupling 20) from the cooking utensil side coupling 65 (second coupling 30) and removing the cooking cup 60 from the cup attachment portion 51.

[0025] <Rotational power transmission mechanism 10> Next, the rotational power transmission mechanism 10 of the present invention will be described. The rotational power transmission mechanism 10 includes a driving mechanism such as a motor (built into the main body 50 in the above) and a driven mechanism such as a cooking utensil (exposed in the cooking cup 60 in the above), and is configured to detachably engage a first coupling 20 arranged on the driving mechanism with a second coupling 30 arranged on the driven mechanism to transmit rotational power. In Figs. 4 to 26, only the first coupling 20 is shown as the driving mechanism and only the second coupling 30 is shown as the driven mechanism for the rotational power transmission mechanism 10. In the following, for the sake of explanation, the second coupling 30 side (upper side in the figure) in Fig. 7 will be referred to as the "front" and the first coupling 20 side (lower side in the figure) as the "rear". That is, the second coupling 30 approaches from the front side of the first coupling 20 and engages with the first coupling 20.

[0026] As shown on the right side of FIG. 4, the first coupling 20 has a configuration in which a plurality of blade-shaped first engagement members 23 (four in the figure) are protruded in the circumferential direction from a substantially conical first base 21 toward the front (the second coupling 30 side). The first engagement members 23 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the first base 21. The reason for the equal intervals is to suppress eccentricity during rotation. A shaft hole 22 to which a rotating shaft of a drive mechanism is connected is formed in the center of the first base 21. When the direction in which the first coupling 20 is rotated by the drive mechanism is defined as a rotation drive direction G, the clockwise direction becomes the rotation drive direction as shown in FIG. 4. The first engagement members 23 are protruded in a direction toward this rotation drive direction G.

[0027] More specifically, the first engagement member 23 is provided on the front side of the first base 21 to protrude obliquely forward in the rotational drive direction G. As shown in Fig. 4, the first engagement member 23 has a blade leading edge 24 on a diameter passing through the rotation center O1, and a blade trailing edge 25 connected to the first base 21. The front side of the first engagement member 23 facing the second coupling 30 is referred to as a first guide slope 26, and the rear side is referred to as a first engagement surface 27.

[0028] The first guiding slope 26 is a surface that abuts against the second guiding slope 36 of the second coupling 30 when the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are engaged with each other, causing the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 to rotate relatively, and aligning the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 so that they can easily engage with each other. In addition, the first guiding slope 26 is a surface that abuts against a guiding protrusion 39 of the second coupling 30, which will be described later, when the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are engaged with each other in a state in which the rotation centers O1, O2 of the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are misaligned, and corrects the misalignment of the rotation centers O1, O2.

[0029] The first engagement surface 27 is a surface that comes into contact with the second engagement surface 37 of the second coupling 30 when the drive mechanism is driven to rotate the first coupling 20, and causes the second coupling 30 to rotate integrally therewith.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the first guide slope 26 can be formed so that the twist angle becomes gentler toward the blade trailing edge 25. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 15 to 17 which are cross-sectional views of Fig. 7, the inclination with respect to the rotation center O1 becomes greater toward the rear side (lower side in Fig. 7) of the cross section which becomes the blade trailing edge. For example, the twist angle of the first guide slope 26 can be adjusted by increasing the blade thickness of the first engagement member 23 toward the blade trailing edge 25.

[0031] It is preferable that the first engagement surface 27 is configured to be inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the diameter line R passing through the rotation center O1 from the blade leading edge 24 to the blade trailing edge 25. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, a cross section taken along the arrow DD in FIG. 7, the first engagement surface 27 is parallel to the diameter line R at the upper side, but in FIG. 16, which is a cross section taken along the arrow EE at the middle position, the first engagement surface 27 is inclined at an obtuse angle θ with respect to the diameter line R. Furthermore, in FIG. 17, which is a cross section taken along the arrow FF at the lower position, the first engagement surface 27 is also configured to be inclined at an obtuse angle θ with respect to the diameter line R. As a result, as will be described later, it is possible to suppress center misalignment when the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are rotated together, thereby improving stability during rotation.

[0032] It is desirable that the first engagement surface 27 has a shape complementary to the second engagement surface 37 described next. The first engagement surface 27 may be in the form of a flat surface, but it is desirable that the first engagement surface 27 has a shape that bulges in a mountain shape as shown in Figures 4, 11 to 17, etc., so that it can be suitably engaged with the second engagement surface 37 that has a complementary shape and is recessed in a valley shape.

[0033] As shown on the left side of FIG. 4, the second coupling 30 has one or more blade-shaped second engagement members 33 protruding from a disk-shaped second base 31 toward the rear (first coupling 20 side) in the circumferential direction, four of which are the same as the first engagement members 23 in the figure. The second engagement members 33 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the second base 31, similar to the first engagement members 23. A shaft hole 32 is formed in the center of the second base 31 to which the rotating shaft (reference numeral 64 in FIG. 2) of the driven mechanism is connected. When the direction in which the first coupling 20 is rotated by the drive mechanism is the rotation drive direction G, the direction in which the second coupling 30 is rotated by the drive mechanism is the rotation drive direction indicated by the arrow G' in FIG. 4. The second engagement member 33 protrudes from the second base 31 in the direction opposite to the rotation drive direction G'.

[0034] More specifically, the second engagement member 33 is provided so as to protrude obliquely from the second base 31 toward the rear in the opposite direction to the rotational drive direction G'. As shown in Fig. 4, the second engagement member 33 has a blade leading edge 34 on the second base 31 and a blade trailing edge 35 extending obliquely rearward, that is, the blade leading edge 34 is located obliquely forward of the blade trailing edge 35. In the figure, the first engagement member 23 has a shape in which the blade width narrows toward the blade trailing edge 35. The rear surface side of the second engagement member 33 that faces the first coupling 20 is referred to as a second guide slope 36, and the front surface side is referred to as a second engagement surface 37.

[0035] The second guide slope 36 is a surface that abuts against the first guide slope 26 when the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are engaged, causing the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 to rotate relative to each other, and aligns the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 so that they can easily engage with each other.

[0036] The second engagement surface 37 is a surface that comes into contact with the first engagement surface 27 when the drive mechanism is driven to rotate the first coupling 20, and causes the second coupling 30 to rotate integrally therewith.

[0037] The second engagement surface 37 may have a shape complementary to the first engagement surface 27. The second engagement surface 37 may be in the form of a flat surface, but when the first engagement surface 27 is in the form of a convex mountain shape, it is preferable that the second engagement surface 37 be in the form of a concave valley shape as a complementary shape.

[0038] It is preferable that the second engagement surface 37 is configured to be inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the diameter line R passing through the rotation center O2 from the blade leading edge 34 to the blade trailing edge 35. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, a cross section taken along the arrow DD in FIG. 7, the second engagement surface 37 is parallel to the diameter line R at the upper side, but in FIG. 16, which is a cross section taken along the arrow EE at the middle position, the second engagement surface 37 is inclined at an obtuse angle θ with respect to the diameter line R. Furthermore, in FIG. 17, which is a cross section taken along the arrow FF at the lower position, the second engagement surface 37 is also configured to be inclined at an obtuse angle θ with respect to the diameter line R. As a result, as will be described later, it is possible to suppress center misalignment when the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are rotated together, thereby improving stability during rotation.

[0039] 4, a guide protrusion 39 is formed on the outer periphery of the second coupling 30 toward the first coupling 20 side (rearward). In this embodiment, the guide protrusion 39 is provided on the second coupling 30, but the guide protrusion 39 may be provided on the first coupling 20.

[0040] The second base 31 is formed to have a larger diameter than the first base 21 or the first engaging member 23 formed on the first base 21, and a cylindrical outer tube 38 is formed on the outer periphery of the second base 31. The outer tube 38 has an inner diameter that allows the first coupling 20 to be housed therein, and the first coupling 20 is housed inside the outer tube 38 in a state of being engaged with the second coupling 30, as shown in Figures 7 to 12, which will be described later.

[0041] The outer cylinder 38 is formed with one or more guide protrusions 39, and in the illustrated embodiment, the same four guide protrusions 39 as the second engagement member 33. As shown in Fig. 7 and other figures, the guide protrusions 39 are formed to protrude from the edge of the outer cylinder 38 toward the first coupling 20 (downward in Fig. 7) beyond the second engagement member 33. Since the outer cylinder 38 has a larger diameter than the first coupling 20, the guide protrusions 39 are located on the outer circumferential side of the first guide slope 26 when the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are engaged with each other.

[0042] 4, it is desirable to form the guide protrusion 39 so as to protrude most on an extension line of the second guide slope 36. Specifically, the guide protrusion 39 has a shape having a slope that continues on a substantial extension line of the second guide slope 36. This is to guide the first guide slope 26 guided by the guide protrusion 39 to the second guide slope 36 in a continuous manner.

[0043] The engagement of the couplings 20, 30 will be described below when the rotation centers O1, O2 of the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 configured as above are aligned, or when the rotation centers O1 and O2 are misaligned but the misalignment is within a predetermined amount and is so small that the first guide inclined surface 26 of the first coupling 20 does not come into contact with the guide protrusion 39 of the second coupling 30. For example, in the mixer 40 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, this is the case where the cooking cup 60 is brought close to the main body 50 from the center of the approximately conical detachable range 41 of Fig. 3 or from a direction misaligned from the center by a predetermined amount or less.

[0044] In this case, when the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 approach each other, the first guide slope 26 and the second guide slope 36 come into surface contact as shown in FIG. 6. When the couplings 20 and 30 are brought closer to each other in this state, the first guide slope 26 and the second guide slope 36 slide relative to each other. This causes the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 to rotate relative to each other. Specifically, the first coupling 20 rotates in the same direction as the rotation drive direction G, and the second coupling 30 rotates in the H direction opposite to the rotation drive direction G. Note that only one of the couplings may rotate. For example, in the mixer 40, when solid ingredients are put into the cooking cup 60, the cooking utensil is difficult to rotate due to the ingredients, so the first coupling 20 on the drive mechanism side rotates.

[0045] Even if the rotation centers O1, O2 of the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are misaligned by a predetermined amount or less, the first guide slope 26 and the second guide slope 36 come into surface contact with each other, as described later with reference to Figures 23 to 26. The first guide slope 26 and the second guide slope 36 press against each other relatively, correcting the misalignment between the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30. In particular, when the first guide slope 26 of the first coupling 20 is formed so that the torsion angle is gentle toward the trailing edge of the blade, the second guide slope 36 slides along the first guide slope 26, and the misalignment of the rotation centers can be suitably corrected.

[0046] From this state, by moving the second coupling 30 further toward the first coupling 20, the second guide slope 36 slides on the first guide slope 26, and as a result, the couplings 20, 30 engage while rotating relative to each other due to a driving force such as a screw thrust. Figures 7 to 11 show a state in which the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 come into surface contact with each other after the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 engage with each other. The surface contact of the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 is achieved by driving the drive mechanism. In this way, when the first engagement member 23 and the second engagement member 33 engage with each other, the drive mechanism is driven to rotate the first coupling 20 in the rotation drive direction G, and the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 are pulled into each other and firmly engaged, and the second coupling 30 rotates in response to the drive. In the case of the mixer 40, the cooking utensil is rotated in response to the drive of the motor.

[0047] When the first coupling 20 rotates, the second coupling 30, which is rotated accordingly, receives a centrifugal force on the second engagement member 33 as indicated by the arrow I in Fig. 15. As a result, the center of rotation O2 of the second coupling 30 coincides with the center of rotation O1 of the first coupling 20, improving the stability during rotation.

[0048] In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 15 to 17, which are cross-sectional views of Fig. 7, the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 are configured to be inclined at an obtuse angle θ from the blade leading edge 24, 34 to the blade trailing edge 25, 35 (see Fig. 4) with respect to the diameter line R passing through the rotation centers O1, O2. At this time, as shown by the arrow J in Fig. 15, a force perpendicular to the diameter line R acts on the second engagement surface 37 of the second coupling 30. The force of the arrow J has a zero component in the direction along the diameter line R. However, since the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 are inclined by θ in the rotation drive direction G with respect to the diameter line R at the middle and lower sides as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the forces K and L acting on the second engagement surface 37 include components in the direction of the diameter line R indicated by K1 and L1. These forces K1 and L1 acting in the diameter direction are generated on the second engagement surfaces 37 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, respectively, so that the forces K1 and L1 act to more accurately align the rotation center O2 of the second coupling 30 with the rotation center of the first coupling 20. Therefore, the stability during these rotations can be further improved.

[0049] In addition, in the present invention, by making the first engagement surface 27 bulge in a mountain shape and the second engagement surface 37 recessed in a valley shape, when the couplings 20, 30 are engaged, the first engagement surface 27 fits over the second engagement surface 37 as shown in Figures 11 to 13. This has the advantage that when the couplings 20, 30 are rotated, an inward force is generated from the second engagement surface 37 to the first engagement surface 27 as shown by arrow M in Figure 11, making it easier for the rotation centers of the couplings 20, 30 to align with each other.

[0050] To disengage the couplings 20 and 30, the second coupling 30 is pulled away from the first coupling 20 while the drive mechanism is stopped. In the case of the mixer 40, the cooking cup 60 is pulled within the detachable range 41 shown in a substantially conical shape as shown in FIG. 3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the second engagement surface 37 slides upward on the first engagement surface 27, and the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 rotate relatively in the opposite direction to when engaged. Specifically, the first coupling 20 rotates in the H direction opposite to the rotation drive direction G, and the second coupling 30 rotates in the same direction as the rotation drive direction G. Note that only one of the couplings may rotate. Then, as the second coupling 30 is pulled upward in this state, the surface contact between the first engagement surface 27 and the second engagement surface 37 is released, and the engagement between the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 is released.

[0051] Next, a case will be described where the misalignment of the rotation centers of the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 exceeds a predetermined value when these couplings 20, 30 are engaged with each other as shown in Figures 19 and 20. Note that even if the misalignment exceeds the predetermined value, if the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 do not face each other, specifically, if the first guiding slope 26 of the first coupling 20 and the guiding protrusion 39 do not face each other, then of course the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 cannot be engaged with each other.

[0052] In the case where the rotation center is shifted beyond a predetermined distance, when the second coupling 30 approaches the first coupling 20, the guide protrusion 39 of the second coupling 30 protrudes from the second engagement member 33, so that the guide protrusion 39 first comes into contact with the first guide slope 26 of the first coupling 20, as indicated by a circle in Fig. 21. When the second coupling 30 approaches the first coupling 20 from this state, the guide protrusion 39 slides on the outer periphery of the first guide slope 26, causing the second coupling 30 to rotate relatively to the first coupling 20, since the first guide slope 26 is formed so that the torsion angle becomes gentle toward the trailing edge of the blade. In Fig. 22, the rotation direction of the first coupling 20 is indicated by G, and the rotation direction of the second coupling 30 is indicated by H.

[0053] As a result, the guide protrusion 39 is shifted toward the outer periphery of the first engagement surface 27, and the rotation center of the second coupling 30 is brought closer to the rotation center of the first coupling 20. That is, the misalignment between the rotation centers of the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 is corrected to a predetermined value or less (FIGS. 23 to 26). When the second coupling 30 is further pushed toward the first coupling 20 from this state, the first guide slope 26 and the second guide slope 36 come into surface contact and press against each other relatively, as shown in FIG. 23 to FIG. 26, so that the misalignment between the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 is further corrected. In particular, when the first guide slope 26 of the first coupling 20 is formed so that the torsion angle is gentle toward the trailing edge of the blade, the second guide slope 36 slides along the first guide slope 26, and the misalignment of the rotation center can be suitably corrected.

[0054] Then, by further moving the second coupling 30 toward the first coupling 20, the second guide slope 36 slides on the first guide slope 26. As a result, the couplings 20, 30 rotate relative to each other due to a propulsive force such as a screw thrust, and the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 engage with each other as shown in Figures 7 to 11.

[0055] As described above, according to the rotational power transmission mechanism 10 of the present invention, even if the rotational centers of the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 are misaligned beyond a predetermined value, the first coupling 20 and the second coupling 30 can be appropriately engaged while correcting the misalignment of the rotational centers. Therefore, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the rotational power transmission mechanism is preferably applied to the rotational power transmission mechanism of a mixer 40 in which a cooking cup 60 is attached close to the main body 50 from a non-vertical direction.

[0056] The above description is for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and should not be interpreted as limiting the invention described in the claims or restricting the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Rotational power transmission mechanism 20 First Coupling 23 First engagement member 26 First Guidance Slope 27 First engagement surface 30 Second Coupling 33 Second engagement member 36 Second Guidance Slope 37 Second engagement surface 39 Guiding protrusion 40 Tilting mixer (kitchen appliance)

Claims

1. A rotational power transmission mechanism including a drive mechanism and a driven mechanism driven by the drive mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism transmitting rotation of the drive mechanism in a rotational drive direction to the driven mechanism, a first coupling provided on the drive mechanism; and a second coupling provided on the driven mechanism and detachably engaged with the first coupling from a front direction; the first coupling has a blade leading edge in the rotation drive direction, a blade trailing edge formed obliquely rearward, a front surface side of the first engagement member being a first guide slope, and a rear surface side of the first engagement surface; the second coupling has a blade trailing edge in the rotation drive direction, a blade leading edge is formed obliquely forward, and a second engagement member has a rear surface side which is a second guide inclined surface and a front surface side which is a second engagement surface, Either the first coupling or the second coupling has a guide protrusion protruding therefrom on an outer circumferential side relative to the first guide inclined surface or the second guide inclined surface, When the first coupling and the second coupling are brought close to each other and engaged, if the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the first guide inclined surface and the second guide inclined surface come into surface contact with each other, thereby correcting the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling. The first coupling rotates in the rotation drive direction relative to the second coupling, thereby engaging the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface. When the first coupling and the second coupling are brought close to each other and engaged, if the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling exceeds a predetermined value, the guiding convex portion comes into contact with the first guiding slope or the second guiding slope, and while the guiding convex portion slides toward the outer circumferential side of the first guiding slope or the second guiding slope, the first coupling rotates in the rotation drive direction relative to the second coupling, so that the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and the first guiding slope and the second guiding slope come into surface contact with each other, thereby correcting the deviation of the rotation centers of the first coupling and the second coupling, and the second coupling rotates in the rotation drive direction relative to the first coupling, so that the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface engage with each other. Rotational power transmission mechanism.

2. the first and second engagement surfaces are complementary in shape; 2. The rotary power transmission mechanism of claim 1.

3. The other of the guide inclined surfaces of the first coupling and the second coupling, which contact the guide protrusion, is formed so that a twist angle becomes gentle toward the trailing edge of the blade.

3. The rotary power transmission mechanism according to claim 2.

4. The other engagement member of the first coupling or the second coupling that comes into contact with the guide protrusion is formed so that the blade thickness increases toward the trailing edge of the blade.

4. The rotary power transmission mechanism according to claim 3.

5. The first engagement surface is convex in a mountain shape, and the second engagement surface is concave in a valley shape.

5. The rotary power transmission mechanism according to claim 4.

6. A kitchen appliance including the rotational power transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a main body and a cooking cup that is detachable from the main body, The drive mechanism is disposed on the body, The driven mechanism is provided in the cooking cup and rotates a cooking utensil disposed in the cooking cup. Kitchen appliances.

7. The cooking cup is attached to and detached from the main body in a non-vertical direction. The kitchen appliance according to claim 6.

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