Chain drive device and driven member oscillation mechanism

Abstract

To provide a chain drive device capable of changing a feeding direction easily and freely without changing the entire posture and adding another mechanism, and having high versatility, and a door opening / closing mechanism.SOLUTION: A chain drive device comprises: a chain member 110 composed of a pair of chains that are driven so as to freely move forward and backward and that mesh with each other to become one unit; a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member 110 and leads it to a rigid state from a first chain housing part 131; and a drive mechanism that drives the chain member 110 forward and backward. The chain guide mechanism comprises a fixed guide part 120 that is continuous with the first chain housing part 131, and a swingable guide part 140 that is arranged so as to be swingable relative to the fixed guide part 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chain drive device and a door opening / closing mechanism having a chain member that is driven to be retractable, a chain housing portion that houses the chain member, a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member and guides it from the chain housing portion to a rigid state, and a drive mechanism that drives the chain member to move forward and backward.

Background Art

[0002] As a drive device that generates a pressing force, a chain drive device having a chain member that is driven to be retractable, a chain housing portion that houses the chain member, a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member and guides it from the chain housing portion to a rigid state, and a drive mechanism that drives the chain forward and backward is known. For example, as in Patent Document 1, a pair of meshing chains (chain members) that can move forward and backward are configured to mesh with each other and integrate as they move in the forward direction, while disengaging and branching from each other as they move in the reverse direction. Or, as in Patent Document 2, a chain that is bendable on one side and non-bendable on the opposite side is configured to be fed out linearly. Such configurations are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] These known chain drive devices can generate a pressing force in the feeding direction by a linearly fed chain member, but a housing portion for housing the feeding chain member is required. For example, when used for opening and closing a door member having a hinge shaft, when the pressing direction changes, it is necessary to change the posture of the entire chain drive device including the housing portion for housing the chain member, or to add another mechanism such as a link mechanism to change the feeding direction, resulting in a problem that the equipment becomes complicated. Also, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, there is a known device that rigidifies a chain fed specifically for opening and closing a door member having a hinge shaft into a curved shape. However, since the feeding direction and the pressing direction do not coincide and the angle increases as the feeding progresses, it is necessary to extremely increase the bending rigidity during rigidification, and there is a problem that the feeding locus is fixed to a constant radius of curvature and the versatility is poor.

[0005] The present invention solves these problems, and an object thereof is to provide a chain drive device that can easily and freely change the feeding direction without changing the overall posture or adding other mechanisms, and has high versatility, and a door opening and closing mechanism using the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention is a chain drive device having a chain member that can be driven forward and backward, a chain housing portion that houses the chain member, a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member and guides it from the chain housing portion to a rigid state, and a drive mechanism that drives the chain member forward and backward. The chain guide mechanism has a fixed guide portion continuous with the chain housing portion and a swing guide portion swingably disposed with respect to the fixed guide portion, thereby solving the above problems. The present invention also relates to a door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing a door member pivotally connected to a main body by a hinge shaft using a chain drive device. The chain drive device includes a chain member that is driven to be retractable, a chain housing portion that houses the chain member, a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member and guides it from the chain housing portion into a rigid state, and a drive mechanism that drives the chain member to move forward and backward. The chain guide mechanism includes a fixed guide portion that is continuous with the chain housing portion and a swing guide portion that is swingably disposed with respect to the fixed guide portion. The fixed guide portion is connected to the main body portion, and the tip of the protruding side of the chain member is connected to the door member, thereby solving the above problems.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the invention according to claim 1, since the chain guide mechanism has a fixed guide portion continuous with the chain housing portion and a swing guide portion swingably disposed with respect to the fixed guide portion, the feeding direction can be easily changed by the swing of the swing guide portion without changing the overall posture or adding other mechanisms. According to the configuration described in claim 2, since the swing center of the swing guide portion coincides with the rotation center of the sprocket, it is not necessary to swing the drive mechanism when the swing guide portion swings, and the feeding direction can be changed more easily. According to the configuration described in claim 3, since the chain member has a pair of chains that mesh with each other and are integrated, the fed chain member becomes rigid regardless of the swing direction, further increasing the degree of freedom of swing.

[0008] According to the invention according to claim 4, since the swing center of the swing guide portion coincides with the rotation center of the sprocket, it is not necessary to swing the drive mechanism when the swing guide portion swings, and the feeding direction can be changed more easily, making it possible to configure a compact door opening and closing mechanism.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Examples of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

Examples

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, a chain drive device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chain member 110 composed of a pair of chains (first chain 111, second chain 112) that are driven to be retractable and engage with each other to be integrated, a chain housing portion (first chain housing portion 131, second chain housing portion 151) that houses the chain member, a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member 110 and guides it from the chain housing portion to a rigid state, and a drive mechanism that drives the chain member 110 to move forward and backward. The chain housing portion includes a first chain housing portion 131 that houses the first chain 111, which is one of the pair of chains, and a second chain housing portion 151 that houses the second chain 112, which is the other of the pair of chains. The chain guide mechanism includes a fixed guide portion 120 that is continuous with the first chain housing portion 131, and a swing guide portion 140 that is swingably disposed with respect to the fixed guide portion 120. The fixed guide portion 120 is integrally formed in a state of being fixed to the first chain housing portion 131 that houses the first chain 111, and the swing guide portion 140 is integrally formed in a state of being fixed to the second chain housing portion 151 that houses the second chain 112.

[0012] The drive mechanism includes a drive shaft 161 and a sprocket 162 that rotates integrally with the drive shaft 161 and engages with the first chain 111 at a location where the chain member 110 is in a rigid state. In the present embodiment, the swing center of the swing guide portion 140 is configured to coincide with the rotation center of the sprocket 162. Note that the rotation center of the sprocket and the swing center of the swing guide do not necessarily have to coincide. The first chain housing portion 131 and the second chain housing portion 151 are provided with a first housing guide groove 132 and a second housing guide groove 152. When the chain member 110 is drawn in, the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are respectively guided by the first housing guide groove 132 and the second housing guide groove 152 and housed separately.

[0013] The swing guide portion 140 is provided with a swing guide groove 141 into which the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are drawn from both directions to guide them into a rigid state. Further, the fixed guide portion 120 is provided with a fixed guide groove 121 that communicates between the first accommodation guide groove 132 of the first chain accommodation portion 131 and the swing guide groove 141 of the swing guide portion 140. In this embodiment, the pins of the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are provided so as to protrude in both width directions, and the pins of the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are engaged with and guided by the first accommodation guide groove 132, the second accommodation guide groove 152, the swing guide groove 141, and the fixed guide groove 121.

[0014] In the chain drive device 100 of this embodiment, when the drive shaft 161 rotates and the second chain 112 is fed out by the sprocket 162, the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are pulled out from the first chain accommodation portion 131 and the second chain accommodation portion 151, guided by the swing guide groove 141, and integrally formed into a rigid state and fed upward. Then, by swinging the swing guide portion 140 around the rotation axis of the sprocket 162 engaged with the first chain 111, the feeding direction of the chain member 110 can be changed or can follow the change in the feeding direction. Further, the sprocket 162 is driven by a drive motor or a speed reducer connected to the drive shaft 161. Since the swing center of the swing guide portion 140 coincides with the rotation center of the sprocket 162, the position of the drive shaft 161 does not change. Therefore, a heavy drive motor or speed reducer can be fixedly arranged in the same manner as the fixed guide portion 120 and the first chain accommodation portion 131.

[0015] The operation when opening and closing the driven member D having the hinge axis H by the chain drive device 100 configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the chain drive device 100 is fixed to a fixed member, and the driven member D is fixed to the tip of the chain member 110 of the chain drive device 100. The driven member D is configured to rotate about the hinge axis H. In the state of swinging downward, the tip of the rigid portion of the chain member 110 of the chain drive device 100 in the state shown in FIGS. 1-5 is connected to the inside of the driven member D in the state of swinging downward. From this state, when the drive shaft 161 rotates and the second chain 112 is fed out by the sprocket 162, the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are pulled out from the first chain housing portion 131 and the second chain housing portion 151, guided by the swing guide groove 141, engaged integrally in a rigid state, and fed upward to push up the driven member D.

[0016] Since the driven member D swings upward while rotating about the hinge axis H, the tip of the chain member 110 connected to the driven member D rises upward and moves in the direction of the hinge axis H, and the pushing-up direction also gradually tilts. The swing guide portion 140 swings about the rotation axis of the sprocket 162 engaged with the first chain 111, so that the feeding direction also tilts in conjunction with the upward swing of the driven member D, enabling smooth operation. Also, the sprocket 162 is driven by a drive motor or a speed reducer connected to the drive shaft 161. In this embodiment, since the swing center of the swing guide portion 140 coincides with the rotation center of the sprocket 162, the position of the drive shaft 161 does not change. Therefore, a heavy drive motor or speed reducer can be fixedly arranged in the same way as the fixed guide portion 120 and the first chain housing portion 131.

[0017] As shown on the right side of FIG. 11, in the state where the driven member D swings greatly upward (the state shown in FIGS. 6-10), only the swing guide portion 140 and the second chain housing portion 151 swing about the rotation axis of the sprocket 162, greatly inclining the pushing-up direction. When the driven member D swings downward, contrary to the above, the second chain 112 is drawn in by the sprocket 162, so that the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are separated from the rigid state where they are guided in the swing guide groove 141 and engaged integrally, and are accommodated in the first chain accommodating portion 131 and the second chain accommodating portion 151.

[0018] In this embodiment, the fixed guide groove 121 and the swing guide groove 141 are partially overlapped, and the thickness is such that the protruding tip side and the link plate side of the pins of the first chain 111 are engaged respectively, so as to avoid the occurrence of a section that is not guided as the swing guide portion 140 swings. As described above, the swing of the driven member D has been described as an example, but it is not limited to this application. A separate drive mechanism may be arranged to actively swing the swing guide portion to change the feeding direction. Regarding the lengths of the portions where the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 are accommodated shown in FIGS. 1 - 3, FIGS. 6 - 8, they are drawn to be of the same length for convenience in drawing, but of course they are different when being accommodated and protruding, and the overall lengths of the first chain 111 and the second chain 112 and the sizes of the accommodating portions can be appropriately changed according to the stroke of the reciprocating motion.

[0019] In the above embodiment, the swing guide portion 140 is configured such that the feeding direction of the rigid state portion inclines toward the first chain accommodating portion 131 side of the first chain 111, but it may be set to incline toward the second chain accommodating portion 151 side of the second chain 112 according to the application. Also, in the above embodiment, the second chain accommodating portion 151 is configured to swing integrally with the swing guide portion 140, but a flexible guiding member may be provided between the swing guide portion and the second chain accommodating portion so that only the swing guide portion swings.

[0020] In the above embodiment, the chain member 110 is composed of a pair of chains (the first chain 111 and the second chain 112) that mesh with each other and are integrated. However, a chain member that can be made rigid with a single chain, such as a push-pull chain or a no-back bend chain, may be used, and the swing guide portion may be configured such that the feeding direction of the chain member inclines toward the side opposite to the first chain accommodating portion 131, thereby omitting the second chain accommodating portion.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 12 to 13, the door opening and closing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided in a box body 200 having a main body portion 210 and a door member 220. The door member 220 is rotatably connected to one surface of the main body portion 210 via a hinge shaft H, and is configured to be opened and closed by the above-described chain drive device 100. In the present embodiment, the box body 200 is a rectangular parallelepiped and has two hinge shafts H and two door members 220 on the upper surface side. Each door member 220 has a bent portion 222 and is formed to cover the upper surface and one side surface of the main body portion 210, and is configured to obtain a large opening continuous in the upper and side directions. The chain drive device 100 is disposed at both end portions in the axial direction of the hinge shaft H of the door member 220, and is disposed so as to be accommodatable in a device accommodating portion 212 provided at the upper end of the side wall portion 211 of the adjacent main body portion 210. With this configuration, a large opening can be obtained without being obstructed by the chain drive device 100 in the entire width direction of the door member 220. When the door member 220 is closed, the chain drive device 100 does not protrude to the inner side or the outer side of the main body portion 210, and the door opening and closing mechanism is compact and has no protrusions.

[0022] The tip of the chain member 110 of the chain drive device 100 is connected to the door member 220, and the fixed guide portion 120 of the chain drive device 100 is fixed in the device accommodating portion 212 of the main body portion 210. Note that the device accommodation part 212 may not be provided on the side wall part 211, and the chain drive device 100 may be provided inside or outside the main body part 210 of the side wall part 211. The fixed guide part 120 of the chain drive device 100 may be fixed to the door member 220 side, and the tip of the chain member 110 may be connected to the main body part 210 side.

[0023] In addition, in the present embodiment, the door member 220 is arranged to rotate about the hinge shaft H provided on the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped box body 200. However, the door member may be provided on the side surface, and the axial direction of the hinge shaft may be in any direction, horizontal, vertical or diagonal. In addition, the box body is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped and may have any shape. Furthermore, the object to which the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention is applied may be any object, such as a building, etc. The object to be opened and closed may not be an actual "door", but may be any object such as a "window", "shutter", etc.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0024] 100 ··· Chain drive device 110 ··· Chain member 111 ··· First chain 112 ··· Second chain 120 ··· Fixed guide part 121 ··· Fixed guide groove 131 ··· First chain accommodation part 132 ··· First accommodation guide groove 140 ··· Oscillation guide part 141 ··· Oscillation guide groove 151 ··· Second chain accommodation part 152 ··· Second accommodation guide groove 161 ··· Drive shaft 162 ··· Sprocket 200 ··· Accommodation box body 210 ··· Main body part 211 ··· Side wall part 212 ··· Device accommodation part 220 ··· Door member 221 ··· Chain connection part 222 ··· Bend part D ··· Driven member H ··· Hinge shaft

Claims

1. A chain drive device including a chain member that can be driven to move back and forth, a chain housing that houses the chain member, a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member from the chain housing to a rigid state, and a drive mechanism that drives the chain member back and forth, The chain drive device according to the present invention, wherein the chain guide mechanism includes a fixed guide portion continuous with the chain accommodating portion, and a swingable guide portion disposed so as to be swingable relative to the fixed guide portion.

2. The drive mechanism includes a sprocket that engages with the chain member.

2. The chain drive device according to claim 1, wherein the center of oscillation of the oscillating guide portion coincides with the center of rotation of the sprocket.

3. The chain member includes a pair of chains that mesh with each other to form a unitary structure, the chain accommodating portion has a first chain accommodating portion that accommodates one of the pair of chains and a second chain accommodating portion that accommodates the other of the pair of chains, the first chain accommodating portion being disposed so as to be continuous with the fixed guide portion; 2. The chain drive device according to claim 1, wherein the second chain housing portion is disposed so as to be continuous with the swing guide portion.

4. A door opening and closing mechanism that opens and closes a door member rotatably connected to a main body via a hinge shaft by a chain drive device. the chain driving device includes a chain member that can be driven to move back and forth, a chain housing that houses the chain member, a chain guide mechanism that guides the chain member from the chain housing to a rigid state, and a driving mechanism that drives the chain member back and forth, The chain guide mechanism includes a fixed guide portion connected to the chain accommodating portion and a swingable guide portion arranged to be swingable relative to the fixed guide portion, A door opening and closing mechanism, characterized in that the tip of the chain member and the fixed guide portion are connected to the door member and the main body portion.

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