Projecting type linear actuator

Abstract

To provide a projecting linear actuator which may improve handleability compared to conventional linear actuators.SOLUTION: In a projecting type linear actuator 110, a pair of measure parts 60a, 60b and a drive gear roller 116 are housed in a housing and prevented from being exposed to the outside. Thus, for example, when the linear actuator is attached to a slider of an arm robot, the measure parts 60a, 60b and the gear drive roller 116 do not interfere with other parts, such as the slider, and a worker can perform attachment work without paying attention to positions of the measure parts 60a, 60b and the drive gear roller 116. Accordingly, handleability can be improved compared to conventional linear actuators.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 22

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protruding linear actuator. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration of a protruding linear actuator that includes a slider in which the free ends of long plates extending from a pair of tape measure sections are bent at approximately right angles and overlapped to form a pressing element connecting the free ends of the pair of long plates, a drive unit that moves the slider back and forth in a linear motion along a guide frame, and a gear that rotates forward and backward to move the pressing element in a linear motion back and forth. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6944227 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional protruding type linear actuators, the pair of tape measures and the forward / reverse rotating gears are exposed to the outside, so when mounting them on an arm robot or a self-propelled robot, care must be taken to ensure that the pair of tape measures and the forward / reverse rotating gears do not come into contact with the various parts of the arm robot or the self-propelled robot. Therefore, there has been a demand for protruding type linear actuators with improved ease of handling.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a protruding linear actuator that can be handled more easily than conventional ones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The protruding type linear actuator of the present invention comprises a pair of tape measure sections each having a gear section formed on its outer periphery and arranged opposite each other so that the gear sections engage with each other, a pair of long plates each spirally wound around the pair of tape measure sections, a drive gear roller that engages with the gear section of at least one of the pair of tape measure sections to rotate the pair of tape measure sections, and a housing that houses the pair of tape measure sections and the drive gear roller, and when the long plates extending from the pair of tape measure sections are overlapped, the long plates are pulled out from the pair of tape measure sections or wound up around the pair of tape measure sections, causing the pair of long plates protruding from an opening in the housing to move back and forth in a linear motion outside the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the pair of tape measure units and the drive gear roller can be housed inside the housing and not exposed from the outside, which makes it easier to handle than conventional devices. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an arm robot equipped with a protrusion-type linear actuator according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the arm robot when viewed from a direction different from that of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator when the pair of long plates are pulled out, omitting the illustration of the lid portion shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator when a pair of long plates are wound up, omitting the illustration of the lid portion shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a housing main body. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view showing the configuration of a roller accommodating recess; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a lid portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a tape measure unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a long plate fixed to a tape measure section. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the housing body when the lid is removed. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cover according to a second embodiment, in which a drive roller and a rotary encoder are provided. [Figure 14] 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the stopper mechanism with respect to the tape measure. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a stopper mechanism. [Figure 16] 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a drive roller and a rotation roller that press the widthwise center of a pair of overlapping long plates. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator according to Modification 1, with the cover portion not shown. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator according to Modification 2, omitting the pair of long plates and the pressing element. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator, with the cover portion shown in FIG. 19 omitted. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator according to Modification 3, omitting the pair of long plates and the pressing element. [Figure 22] 22 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator, with the cover portion shown in FIG. 21 omitted. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0010] (1) First embodiment (1-1) <Configuration of arm robot having protruding linear actuator according to the first embodiment> 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of an arm robot 1 equipped with a protrusion-type linear actuator 10 according to this embodiment. In FIGS. 1 and 2, x1 and x2 indicate the extension and contraction directions of a pair of long plates 17a, 17b drawn out from the protrusion-type linear actuator 10, with x1 indicating the direction in which the free ends of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b move away from the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 and x2 indicating the direction in which the free ends of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b move toward the protrusion-type linear actuator 10. y1 and y2 indicate the width direction of the long plates 17a, 17b, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b.

[0011] The characters z1 and z2 indicate the surface normal directions of the long plates 17a and 17b, which are perpendicular to both the extension / contraction directions x1 and x2 and the width directions y1 and y2 of the pair of long plates 17a and 17b. In this embodiment, the protruding-type linear actuator 10 may be disposed so that the surface normal directions z1 and z2 are in the height direction of the arm robot 1, or may be disposed so that the surface normal directions z1 and z2 are in the horizontal direction of the arm robot 1.

[0012] The arm robot 1 according to this embodiment includes a protruding-type linear actuator 10 and a movement mechanism 3 that moves the protruding-type linear actuator 10 in the width directions y1, y2. Note that, here, an arm robot 1 in which the movement mechanism 3 moves the protruding-type linear actuator 10 in the width directions y1, y2 and positions the protruding-type linear actuator 10 at a desired position in the width directions y1, y2 will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to an arm robot that does not include the movement mechanism 3, an arm robot that is provided with another movement mechanism in addition to the movement mechanism 3 and moves the protruding-type linear actuator 10 in the surface normal directions z1, z2 or further rotates the protruding-type linear actuator 10 in the circumferential direction around the surface normal directions z1, z2 as the rotation axis may be applied.

[0013] The arm robot 1 pulls out a pair of long plates 17a and 17b from the protrusion-type linear actuator 10, which has been positioned at a desired position by the movement mechanism 3, and causes the free ends of the long plates 17a and 17b to protrude in the x1 direction. The arm robot 1 protrudes pressers (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) provided at the free ends of the long plates 17a and 17b, and can use the pressers to press down objects such as elevator buttons located on extensions of the extension and contraction directions x1 and x2, or various buttons in a factory facility.

[0014] The protruding linear actuator 10 can accommodate a pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b with protruding depressors inside the housing 11, and can cause the depressors provided at the free ends of the elongated plates 17a, 17b to move back and forth in a linear fashion along the extension and contraction directions x1, x2.

[0015] The movement mechanism 3 includes a guide rail 6 made of lightweight aluminum or aluminum alloy, an actuator drive unit 4 provided at one end of the guide rail 6, a support unit 7 provided at the other end of the guide rail 6, a belt 9 stretched between the actuator drive unit 4 and the support unit 7, and a slider 8 movable along the guide rail 6 between the actuator drive unit 4 and the support unit 7. In this example, the guide rail 6 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction extends in the width directions y1 and y2.

[0016] The actuator driver 4 is provided with a drive pulley 4b that is rotated by a driver 4a such as a motor, and the support unit 7 is provided with a driven pulley 7a. A belt 9 with a slider 8 attached thereto is wound and stretched between the drive pulley 4b of the actuator driver 4 and the driven pulley 7a of the support unit 7. The actuator driver 4 rotates the drive pulley 4b forward and backward, thereby rotating the belt 9 stretched between the drive pulley 4b and the driven pulley 7a forward and backward, and causes the slider 8 fixed to the belt 9 to move back and forth linearly along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 6.

[0017] The slider 8 includes a pair of support plates 8a, 8b sandwiching the guide rail 6 therebetween, a plurality of connecting pins 8c connecting the support plates 8a, 8b sandwiching the guide rail 6 therebetween, and slide rollers 8d rollably mounted on each connecting pin 8c. The slide rollers 8d are positioned in guide grooves 6a formed along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 6 and are rotatably disposed within the guide grooves 6a.

[0018] One support plate 8a of the slider 8 is connected to the belt 9, and is pulled as the belt 9 moves in the circumferential direction, causing the slide rollers 8d to roll and move along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 6. A protrusion-type linear actuator 10 is fixed to the other support plate 8b of the slider 8, and as the belt 9 moves, the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 moves along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 6.

[0019] The protrusion-type linear actuator 10 has a rectangular housing 11, one end of which is fixed to the support plate 8b of the slider 8. The housing 11 according to this embodiment is, for example, rectangular and is made of plastic, metal, or the like. Note that, although the present embodiment describes a housing 11 having a rectangular shape, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other shapes such as a cube or a cylinder may also be used.

[0020] The housing 11 has an opening 21c formed in the first surface 21a, and a pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b protrude from the inside of the housing 11 to the outside through the opening 21c. In this case, the housing 11 is configured such that the surface normal directions of the first surface 21a are extension / contraction directions x1, x2, and the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b extend from the opening 21c of the first surface 21a along the surface normal directions of the first surface 21a.

[0021] The housing 11 is provided with a plate driving device 12 for moving the pair of long plates 17a, 17b, and an object recognition device 13 at predetermined positions on the outer surface. The housing 11 also has a through-hole 15a that penetrates the thickness of the housing 11 at a position a predetermined distance away from the guide rail 6. Wiring (not shown) extending from the plate driving device 12 and / or the object recognition device 13 passes through the through-hole 15a of the housing 11 and is guided to the other side, where it is connected to a control device (not shown) provided at a predetermined position.

[0022] The wiring passes through the through-hole 15a in the housing 11, and the wiring is bundled together by the through-hole 15a. The housing 11 is configured so that when the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 moves along the guide rail 6, the wiring bundled together by the through-hole 15a does not come into contact with the guide rail 6. As a result, when the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 moves along the guide rail 6, the wiring extending from the plate driving device 12 and / or the object recognition device 13 does not interfere with the movement, and the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 can move smoothly along the guide rail 6.

[0023] The housing 11 according to this embodiment has a box-shaped housing body 15 and a lid 16 that covers an opening area of ​​the housing body 15, and has a configuration in which one end located in the longitudinal direction of the housing body 15 is connected to the slider 8. The object recognition device 13 is provided on the other end of the housing body 15 opposite to the one end via a mounting bracket 13a.

[0024] The object recognition device 13 is, for example, an imaging device, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) or a 3D scanner device, and can detect the position of an object to be operated, such as a button pressed by a depressor, based on an image captured by the imaging device and position information acquired by the LiDAR and 3D scanner device.

[0025] The plate driving device 12 is, for example, a motor, and applies a driving force to the pair of long plates 17a, 17b to move the long plates 17a, 17b along the extension and contraction directions x1, x2. In this embodiment, the plate driving device 12 is provided on the outer surface of the lid portion 16, and the output shaft of the plate driving device 12 is disposed inside the housing 11 via a through-hole (not shown) formed in the lid portion 16. The driving force is transmitted to the long plates 17a, 17b inside the housing 11 by a driving roller (described later) connected to the output shaft.

[0026] (1-2) <Configuration of the protruding linear actuator according to the first embodiment> Next, the configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 will be described below. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 when the pair of long plates 17a, 17b are pulled out from the tape measure portions 25a, 25b, and shows the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 with the lid portion 16 shown in Figures 1 and 2 omitted. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 when the pair of long plates 17a, 17b are wound up by the tape measure portions 25a, 25b, and shows the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 with the lid portion 16 shown in Figures 1 and 2 omitted.

[0027] The housing main body 15 has screw holes 21d formed in the four corners of the main body installation surface 21e on which the lid portion 16 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is installed. In the protrusion-type linear actuator 10, the insertion holes 37d of the lid portion 16, which will be described later in FIG. 7, are positioned with the screw holes 21d in the main body installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15, and screws are threaded into the insertion holes 37d of the overlapping lid portion 16 and the screw holes 21d of the housing main body 15, thereby integrating the housing main body 15 and the lid portion 16 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0028] In this embodiment, the outer shape of the main body side installation surface 21e is rectangular, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the main body side installation surface 21e may be formed into an elliptical shape to match the outer circumferential shape of the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b arranged side by side. In this case, the lid side installation surface of the lid unit 16, which is installed on the main body side installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15, can be formed into an elliptical shape to match the shape of the main body side installation surface 21e.

[0029] The housing body 15 accommodates a pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, a drive roller 30a, and a rotary encoder 30b, which is a rotating roller. Each of the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b has a respective long plate 17a, 17b wound in a spiral shape and is disposed opposite each other at a predetermined distance. The pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b is located on the second surface 21b of the housing body 15, which faces the first surface 21a on which the opening 21c is formed, and a plate separator 255 is disposed at a position where the tape measure units 25a, 25b face each other.

[0030] The long plates 17a and 17b wound inside the tape measure portions 25a and 25b are respectively drawn out from plate separation portions 255 of the tape measure portions 25a and 25b into plate guide recesses 35a and 35b, which will be described later.

[0031] The tape measure sections 25a, 25b have a fixed core 27a at their centers, and are fixed to the housing main body 15 by the fixed core 27a. Each tape measure section 25a, 25b has an elastic member such as a spiral spring inside, and the elastic member applies a force (elastic restoring force) to each of the long plates 17a, 17b wound around each tape measure section 25a, 25b in a direction that winds up the long plates 17a, 17b in a spiral shape.

[0032] Here, these long plates 17a, 17b are pulled out from the respective tape measure sections 25a, 25b, respectively, and when no external force is applied, they are linear and have enough rigidity to allow for reciprocating linear motion, and they also have enough elasticity to be wound in a spiral shape around the tape measure sections 25a, 25b.

[0033] Each of the elongated plates 17a, 17b is formed of a long, strip-shaped metal plate or strip-shaped resin plate, and in this embodiment, plates made of aluminum or aluminum alloy are used. The elongated plates 17a, 17b according to this embodiment are formed of the same shape and material, and have a bow-shaped cross section at their free ends. By making the cross section at the free ends of the elongated plates 17a, 17b bow-shaped, the elongated plates 17a, 17b improve linearity and windability within the tape measure sections 25a, 25b. Furthermore, the elongated plates 17a, 17b are arranged with their concave surfaces facing outward, and the protruding portions on their back surfaces are overlapped so that they abut against each other, and a pressing element 18 is provided at the free end.

[0034] The long plates 17a and 17b extend from the pair of tape measure portions 25a and 25b, respectively, to approach each other and come into contact with each other inside the housing body 15, and are sandwiched between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b. The long plates 17a and 17b pass between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b in an overlapping state, and their free ends protrude outward from an opening 21c formed in the first surface 21a of the housing body 15.

[0035] The drive roller 30a and rotary encoder 30b are disposed between a pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b provided on the housing main body 15. In this embodiment, the drive roller 30a and rotary encoder 30b are disposed within the area between the pair of opposing tape measure units 25a, 25b, and within an area not extending beyond an imaginary line L1 connecting the outer periphery tops of the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b. In the protrusion-type linear actuator 10, the length and width of the housing main body 15 need only be large enough to enclose the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, and therefore the housing 11 can be made smaller, for example, by reducing the area extending beyond the imaginary line L1.

[0036] The drive roller 30a is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer surface is formed of a soft resin material such as urethane. The drive roller 30a is connected to the output shaft of a plate drive device 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2) provided on the lid portion 16 (not shown), and is rotated forward and backward by the driving force of the plate drive device 12. The rotation axis of the drive roller 30a is arranged parallel to the rotation axes of the pair of tape measure portions 25a, 25b, and the circumferential direction of the drive roller 30a is arranged in the same direction as the circumferential direction of the pair of tape measure portions 25a, 25b.

[0037] The rotary encoder 30b serving as a rotating roller is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer surface is formed of a soft resin material such as urethane. In this embodiment, the diameter of the rotary encoder 30b is selected to be approximately the same as the diameter of the drive roller 30a, but the present invention is not limited to this. The diameter of the rotary encoder 30b may be larger or smaller than the diameter of the drive roller 30a, or the diameter of the rotary encoder 30b and the diameter of the drive roller 30a may be different. The diameters of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are approximately half the diameter of the tape measure portions 25a and 25b, and are selected to be smaller than the diameters of the tape measure portions 25a and 25b.

[0038] The rotary encoder 30b is disposed opposite the drive roller 30a, and sandwiches the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b between the rotary encoder 30b and the drive roller 30a. The rotary encoder 30b has a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axes of the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b and the drive roller 30a, and its circumferential direction is the same as the circumferential direction of the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b and the drive roller 30a.

[0039] The rotary encoder 30b is connected to the output shaft of a measurement circuit provided on the outer surface of the housing body 15, and rotates forward and reverse in conjunction with the movement of the long plates 17a, 17b, which move in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive roller 30a. The measurement circuit is configured to be able to measure the position of the presser 18 in the extension and contraction directions x1, x2 by identifying the movement direction and movement distance of the free ends of the long plates 17a, 17b when they move forward and backward, based on the rotation direction and number of rotations of the rotary encoder 30b, which rotates in conjunction with the advancement and retreat of the long plates 17a, 17b.

[0040] In the housing main body 15, a through hole 15a is formed that penetrates the thickness in the direction of the rotation axis of the pair of tape measure sections 25a, 25b in the area between the long plates 17a, 17b before they join together and are pulled out from the pair of tape measure sections 25a, 25b and meet between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the housing body 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing body 15 has a pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 26a and 26b, a roller accommodating recess 29, a plate guide recess 35a that connects the tape measure accommodating recess 26a and the roller accommodating recess 29, and a plate guide recess 35b that connects the tape measure accommodating recess 26b and the roller accommodating recess 29, formed on the main body installation surface 21e. In this case, the housing body 15 according to this embodiment is formed of a hard resin material such as plastic, and has a solid portion 155 made of this hard resin material in an area of ​​the main body installation surface 21e where the pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 26a and 26b, the roller accommodating recess 29, and the plate guide recesses 35a and 35b are not formed. The main body installation surface 21e has screw holes 21d formed at its four corners, and a through hole 15a formed between the pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 26a and 26b.

[0042] The pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b are bottomed grooves formed symmetrically on the left and right, and are each formed in a cylindrical shape to match the outer contours of tape measure units 25a, 25b. The diameters of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b are selected to be slightly larger than the diameters of tape measure units 25a, 25b, thereby reducing the size of housing main body 15. Each tape measure unit accommodating recess 26a, 26b has a hole 27b formed in the center of the bottom, into which fixed cores 27a of tape measure units 25a, 25b are press-fitted, thereby fixing tape measure units 25a, 25b inside tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b.

[0043] The plate guide recesses 35a, 35b are formed symmetrically on the left and right, and guide the long plates 17a, 17b pulled out from the tape measure sections 25a, 25b housed in the tape measure section housing recesses 26a, 26b, respectively, between the drive roller 30a and rotary encoder 30b housed in the roller housing recess 29.

[0044] Here, the pair of tape measure sections 25a, 25b are located on the second surface 21b side that faces the first surface 21a where the opening 21c of the housing body 15 is formed, and a plate spacing section 255 is arranged at a position where these tape measure sections 25a, 25b face each other. The long plates 17a, 17b wound inside the tape measure sections 25a, 25b are drawn out from the plate spacing sections 255 of the tape measure sections 25a, 25b into the plate guide recesses 35a, 35b, respectively.

[0045] The plate guide recesses 35a, 35b are formed to approach each other from the plate separation portions 255 of the tape measure portions 25a, 25b, through which the long plates 17a, 17b are pulled out, toward the roller accommodating recess 29. In this embodiment, the plate guide recesses 35a, 35b are formed to extend tangentially from the cylindrical inner circumferential surfaces 266 of the tape measure portion accommodating recesses 26a, 26b toward the roller accommodating recess 29. The plate guide recesses 35a, 35b each have a first inclined surface 32a and a second inclined surface 32b facing each other, and the long plates 17a, 17b are inserted into the hollow space between the first inclined surface 32a and the second inclined surface 32b.

[0046] The first inclined surfaces 32a of the plate guide recesses 35a, 35b extend tangentially from the cylindrical inner peripheral surfaces 266 of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b toward the roller accommodating recess 29. The plate guide recesses 35a, 35b have their tips of the first inclined surfaces 32a, which extend tangentially from the inner peripheral surfaces 266 of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b, joined together to form a triangular vertex 33.

[0047] The second inclined surfaces 32b of the plate guide recesses 35a, 35b push back in a V-shape in the tangential direction from the cylindrical inner peripheral surfaces 266 of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b, respectively, and extend parallel to the first inclined surfaces 32a toward the roller accommodating recess 29. The V-shaped joints 35 between the inner peripheral surfaces 266 of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b and the second inclined surfaces 32b are formed in a smooth curve with no sharp corners at the tip, and are shaped in a way that makes it difficult for the elongated plates 17a, 17b to be damaged even if they come into contact with the joints 35 while advancing or retreating.

[0048] The roller accommodating recess 29 has a drive roller accommodating recess 29a that accommodates the drive roller 30a and a rotating roller accommodating recess 29b that accommodates the rotary encoder 30b, and the drive roller accommodating recess 29a and the rotating roller accommodating recess 29b are configured to communicate with each other. Here, Figure 6 is an enlarged detailed view showing the configuration of the roller accommodating recess 29.

[0049] 6, the drive roller accommodating recess 29a has an inner peripheral surface 291a curved along the outer periphery of the drive roller 30a, forming a cylindrical space as indicated by the imaginary circular line L2. One end of the inner peripheral surface 291a of the drive roller accommodating recess 29a is connected to the second inclined surface 32b of the plate guide recess 35a, and the other end of the inner peripheral surface 291a is connected to the inner surface 211c of the opening 21c.

[0050] The rotating roller accommodating recess 29b has an inner peripheral surface 291b curved along the outer periphery of the rotary encoder 30b, forming a cylindrical space that partially overlaps with the circular imaginary line L2 of the drive roller accommodating recess 29a, as indicated by the circular imaginary line L3. One end of the inner peripheral surface 291b of the rotating roller accommodating recess 29b is connected to the second inclined surface 32b of the plate guide recess 35b, and the other end of the inner peripheral surface 291b is connected to the inner surface 211c of the opening 21c. A through-hole 28 is drilled through the bottom surface of the rotating roller accommodating recess 29b, penetrating the thickness thereof. An output shaft of a measurement circuit provided on the outer surface of the housing main body 15 is disposed in this through-hole 28, and the rotary encoder 30b is attached to the output shaft.

[0051] The opening 21c has a central axis L5 located at the center of an area where a circular imaginary line L2 drawn by the inner circumferential surface 291a of the drive roller accommodating recess 29a and a circular imaginary line L3 drawn by the inner circumferential surface 291b of the rotation roller accommodating recess 29b partially overlap. The pair of long plates 17a, 17b that are stacked while passing between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b have their abutting positions located on the central axis L5 of the opening 21c, and they advance and retreat within the opening 21c along the central axis L5.

[0052] Next, we will explain the lid part 16 that is fixed to the main body installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the lid part 16. The lid part 16 has an edge formed in the same outer shape as the outer shape of the edge of the main body installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15, and when fixed to the main body installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15, the edge of the lid part 16 coincides with the edge of the housing main body 15, and can be integrated with the housing main body 15.

[0053] The lid portion 16 is positioned by abutting the lid-side installation surface 37e against the body-side installation surface 21e of the housing body 15 so as to cover the body-side installation surface 21e of the housing body 15, and is fixed to the housing body 15 with screws. In this case, the lid portion 16 has insertion holes 37d drilled through the thickness of the lid portion 16 at each of the four corners, and when the lid portion 16 is positioned on the housing body 15, the insertion holes 37d overlap with the screw holes 21d (FIGS. 3 and 4) of the housing body 15. The screws inserted into the insertion holes 37d are threaded into the screw holes 21d of the housing body 15, and the lid portion 16 is fixed to the housing body 15 and integrated with the housing body 15 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0054] The lid-side installation surface 37e is formed with convex fitting portions 37f that fit into the pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b formed in the housing body 15. The fitting portions 37f are formed in a circular convex shape that has the same outer contour as the recessed shapes of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b. When the lid 16 is positioned on the housing body 15, the fitting portions 37f fit into the corresponding tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b, respectively, and abut against the tape measure units 25a, 25b accommodated in the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b.

[0055] The lid portion 16 can press down the tape measure portions 25a, 25b housed in the tape measure portion housing recesses 26a, 26b using the fitting portion 37f, so that when an external impact is applied, the tape measure portions 25a, 25b can be reliably positioned within the tape measure portion housing recesses 26a, 26b.

[0056] Furthermore, the lid 16 is formed with an opening fitting portion 37c that fits into the opening 21c of the housing body 15 when the lid 16 is positioned on the housing body 15. The opening fitting portion 37c can adjust the opening area on the outer surface of the opening 21c through which the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b move in and out.

[0057] In addition to this configuration, the lid 16 according to this embodiment is provided with a drive roller 30a rotatably mounted on the lid-side mounting surface 37e. In this case, a through-hole (not shown) is formed through the thickness of the lid 16 at the location where the drive roller 30a will be mounted. The drive roller 30a mounted on the lid-side mounting surface 37e is connected via the through-hole to the output shaft of a plate drive device 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2) fixed to the outer surface of the lid 16, and is rotatable forward and reverse by the driving force of the plate drive device 12. A screw 39a is threadedly attached to the plate drive device 12 from the lid-side mounting surface 37e of the lid 16, and wiring 39b of the plate drive device 12 is disposed on the outer surface of the lid 16.

[0058] The protrusion-type linear actuator 10 according to this embodiment is assembled as follows. First, the housing main body 15, on which the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b and the rotary encoder 30b are pre-installed, and the lid unit 16, on which the drive roller 30a and the plate drive device 12 are pre-installed, are prepared. Then, the lid unit 16 is positioned so that it covers the main body installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15, so that the drive roller 30a, which is installed on the lid-side installation surface 37e of the lid unit 16, is housed in the drive roller housing recess 29a of the housing main body 15.

[0059] At this time, fitting portion 37f formed on lid portion 16 is fitted into tape measure accommodating recesses 26a, 26b formed in housing body 15, and opening fitting portion 37c formed on lid portion 16 is fitted into opening 21c formed in housing body 15. Next, a screw is inserted into insertion hole 37d of lid portion 16 that overlaps with screw hole 21d of housing body 15, and the screw is screwed into screw hole 21d of housing body 15, thereby integrating lid portion 16 and housing body 15.

[0060] In this case, the pair of long plates 17a, 17b can be sandwiched between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b, improving assembly ease, simply by attaching the lid 16 to the main body installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15. Furthermore, by removing the lid 16 from the housing main body 15, the drive roller 30a can be easily removed from the lid 16, and the rotary encoder 30b can also be easily removed from the housing main body 15, making it easy to replace the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b.

[0061] Furthermore, when attaching the lid portion 16 to the housing body 15, if the lid portion 16 is attached upside down by mistake with the short side direction of the lid portion 16, the drive roller 30a and the opening fitting portion 37c will come into contact with the body side installation surface 21e and the lid portion 16 will not be able to be attached, so the lid portion 16 can be easily positioned in the correct position on the housing body 15.

[0062] (1-3) <Action and effect> In the above configuration, the protruding type linear actuator 10 accommodates, inside the housing 11, a pair of tape measure sections 25a, 25b in which the long plates 17a, 17b are spirally wound and arranged opposite each other, a drive roller 30a that abuts against one side of the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b to move the pair of long plates 17a, 17b in the longitudinal direction of the long plates 17a, 17b, and a rotary encoder 30b that sandwiches the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b between the drive roller 30a and the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b, and the pair of tape measure sections 25a, 25b, the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are not exposed from the outside.

[0063] The housing 11 abuts the long plates 17a, 17b so that the long plates 17a, 17b extending from the pair of tape measure portions 25a, 25b are overlapped, and the overlapped free ends of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b protrude to the outside through the opening 21c. Inside the housing 11, the long plates 17a, 17b are pulled out from the pair of tape measure portions 25a, 25b or wound up around the pair of tape measure portions 25a, 25b, causing the pair of long plates 17a, 17b protruding to the outside from the opening 21c to perform a reciprocating linear motion outside.

[0064] Furthermore, the housing 11 has a lid 16 detachably fixed to the main body installation surface 21e of the housing main body 15, and the housing main body 15 and the lid 16 are integrated together. The housing main body 15 has a pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b that accommodate the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, and a roller accommodating recess 29 that accommodates the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b. The pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b accommodated in the pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 26a, 26b and the drive roller 30a and rotary encoder 30b accommodated in the roller accommodating recess 29 are covered by the lid 16.

[0065] In the protrusion-type linear actuator 10, by rotating the drive roller 30a, the long plates 17a, 17b are pulled out from the tape measure sections 25a, 25b, and then the drive roller 30a stops and the presser 18 becomes immobile in a predetermined position. In the protrusion-type linear actuator 10, the presser 18 can press down elevator buttons or the like located on the longitudinal extension of the long plates 17a, 17b. A pressure sensor may be attached to the presser 18 so that the pressure sensor detects the force with which the presser 18 presses down the elevator button or the like.

[0066] The protrusion-type linear actuator 10 winds up each of the long plates 17a, 17b onto the tape measure sections 25a, 25b using a force applied by the drive roller 30a and a force (elastic restoring force) applied by an elastic member such as a spiral spring provided in each of the tape measure sections 25a, 25b. When the long plates 17a, 17b are wound up onto the tape measure sections 25a, 25b, the pressing members 18 provided at the free ends come into contact with the housing 11, thereby preventing the long plates 17a, 17b from being wound up too much.

[0067] According to the above configuration, the protrusion-type linear actuator 10 can house the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, drive roller 30a, and rotary encoder 30b inside the housing 11 and keep them hidden from the outside, so that, for example, when attaching it to the slider 8 of the arm robot 1, the tape measure units 25a, 25b, drive roller 30a, and rotary encoder 30b will not come into contact with other parts such as the slider 8, and the attachment work can be performed without having to worry about the positions of the tape measure units 25a, 25b, drive roller 30a, and rotary encoder 30b. Therefore, handling can be improved compared to conventional actuators.

[0068] (2) Second Embodiment (2-1) <Configuration of the protruding linear actuator according to the second embodiment> Next, a protrusion-type linear actuator according to a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator 40 according to the second embodiment. The protrusion-type linear actuator 40 is provided on the slider 8 of the arm robot 1, for example, as in the first embodiment described above, and has a configuration in which an operation target such as a button can be pressed down by a presser 18.

[0069] The protrusion-type linear actuator 40 has a rectangular housing 42 made of a hard resin material such as plastic. An opening 53c is formed in a first surface 53a of the housing 42, and a pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b protrude from the inside of the housing 42 through the opening 53c to the outside. In this case, the housing 42 is configured such that the surface normal directions of the first surface 53a are extension / contraction directions x1, x2, and the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b extend from the opening 53c of the first surface 53a along the surface normal directions of the first surface 53a.

[0070] The housing 42 has a box-shaped housing main body 50 and a lid portion 51 that covers the opening area of ​​the housing main body 50, and is provided on its outer surface with a measurement circuit 43 that is connected to a rotary encoder 30b (described later in Figure 9) provided inside the housing 42, a plate drive device 44, a winding drive device 45, and an attachment portion 47 on which a stopper mechanism portion (described later) is installed.

[0071] The plate driving device 44 corresponds to the plate driving device 12 according to the first embodiment described above, and is provided on the outer surface of the lid portion 51, with a driving roller 30a (described later in FIG. 9 ) provided inside the housing 42 being connected to an output shaft. The plate driving device 44 rotates the driving roller 30a provided inside the housing 42 to apply a driving force to the pair of long plates 17a, 17b, thereby drawing the pair of long plates 17a, 17b from inside the housing 42 to the outside.

[0072] The winding drive device 45 is provided on the outer surface of the lid portion 51, and has an output shaft connected to the rotation shaft of one of the tape measure units 60b (described later in FIG. 9) provided inside the housing 42. The winding drive device 45 rotates one of the tape measure units 60b provided inside the housing 42, and applies driving force to one of the tape measure units 60b and the other tape measure unit 60a connected to one of the tape measure units 60b, causing the pair of long plates 17a, 17b to be wound onto the tape measure units 60a, 60b and housed inside the housing 42.

[0073] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator 40, omitting the illustration of the lid portion 51 shown in Figure 8. Note that Figure 9 shows, as an example, a configuration in which a rotary encoder 30b abuts on one side of a long plate 17a fed out from one tape measure portion 60a, and a drive roller 30a abuts on one side of a long plate 17b fed out from the other tape measure portion 60b, and shows a configuration in which the positions of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are reversed from those of the first embodiment described above. The housing main body 50 has screw holes 53d formed in each of the four corners of a main body-side installation surface 53e on which the lid portion 51 (Figure 8) is installed. In the protruding linear actuator 40, the communication hole 67d of the lid portion 51, which will be described later in Figure 13, is positioned with the screw hole 53d in the main body side installation surface 53e of the housing main body 50, and the housing main body 50 and the lid portion 51 are integrated by screwing a screw into the communication hole 67d of the overlapping lid portion 51 and the screw hole 53d of the housing main body 50 (Figure 8).

[0074] In this embodiment, the outer shape of the main body installation surface 53e is quadrilateral, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the main body installation surface 53e may be formed in a convex shape to fit the outer circumferential shapes of the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b arranged side by side, the drive roller 30a, and the rotary encoder 30b. In this case, the lid unit 51, whose lid side installation surface is installed on the main body installation surface 53e of the housing main body 50, may have a convex shape to fit the shape of the main body installation surface 53e.

[0075] The housing body 50 accommodates a pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, the drive roller 30a, and the rotary encoder 30b, which is a rotating roller. In this case, a pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b that accommodate the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, and a roller accommodating recess 58 that accommodates the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are formed on the main body installation surface 53e of the housing body 50. Between the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b and the roller accommodating recess 58, an insertion hole 59 through which the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b are inserted is formed.

[0076] In this case, the housing main body 50 of this embodiment is formed from a hard resin material such as plastic, and has a solid portion 501 made of the hard resin material in the area of ​​the main body side installation surface 53e where the pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 57a, 57b and the roller accommodating recess 58 are not formed.

[0077] The pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b are bottomed grooves formed symmetrically on the left and right sides, and are each cylindrically shaped to match the outer contours of the tape measure units 60a, 60b. The diameters of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b are selected to be slightly larger than the diameters of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, thereby reducing the size of the housing body 50. A shaft core 61a is provided at the center of the bottom of each of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b. The tape measure units 60a, 60b are rotatably mounted on the shaft cores 61a of the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b, respectively, and the tape measure units 60a, 60b are accommodated in the tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b.

[0078] The roller accommodating recess 58 accommodates the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b, and guides the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b fed from the tape measure units 60a, 60b through the insertion holes 59. The roller accommodating recess 58 according to this embodiment is a groove with a bottom, and the opening has an elliptical shape that continuously surrounds the outer peripheries of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b. The roller accommodating recess 58 communicates with an opening 53c formed in the first surface 53a, and allows the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b that have passed between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b to pass through toward the opening 53c.

[0079] Each of the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b is spirally wound around each of the long plates 17a, 17b, and is engaged with a gear section 62 formed on the outer periphery, so that as one tape measure section 60b rotates, the other tape measure section 60a rotates.

[0080] Here, the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b are located on the second surface 53b side opposite the first surface 53a on which the opening 53c of the housing main body 50 is formed, and at the position where these tape measure sections 60a, 60b face each other, a plate separation section is arranged where the long plates 17a, 17b move away from the tape measure sections 60a, 60b.

[0081] The long plates 17a and 17b wound around the tape measure portions 60a and 60b are drawn out from the plate separation portions of the tape measure portions 60a and 60b into roller accommodating recesses 58 formed in the housing body 50, which will be described later.

[0082] 10, the tape measure units 60a, 60b have a hole 655a in the center, and a shaft core 61a provided in the housing main body 50 is inserted into the hole 655a, so that the tape measure units 60a, 60b are rotatably provided on the housing main body 50. Unlike the first embodiment described above, each tape measure unit 60a, 60b does not have an elastic member such as a spiral spring inside, and is configured so that the driving force of the winding drive device 45 winds up the respective long plates 17a, 17b onto each tape measure unit 60a, 60b.

[0083] The long plates 17a, 17b are formed of long, strip-shaped metal plates or strip-shaped resin plates, and may be made of, for example, highly rigid aluminum or aluminum alloy. The protrusion-type linear actuator 40 according to the second embodiment winds the long plates 17a, 17b around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b using the driving force of the winding drive device 45. Therefore, even highly rigid strip-shaped metal plates that are difficult to wind around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b using the elastic restoring force provided by an elastic member such as a power spring can be wound around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b.

[0084] The long plates 17a, 17b extend in the tangential direction of the outer peripheries of the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b and abut against them, and are sandwiched between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b housed in the roller accommodating recess 58. The long plates 17a, 17b pass between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b in an overlapping state, and their free ends protrude outward from an opening 53c formed in the first surface 53a of the housing main body 50.

[0085] Next, the configurations of the tape measure units 60a and 60b will be described. Because the tape measure units 60a and 60b have the same configuration, the following description will focus on the tape measure unit 60a. As shown in FIG. 10, the tape measure unit 60a includes a pillar portion 66 and disc portions 65a and 65b provided at the ends of the pillar portion 66. The pillar portion 66 has a flat portion 66a, and a fixing hole 66b is formed in the flat portion 66a. As shown in FIG. 11, the pillar portion 66 is positioned so that a through hole (not shown) formed in the elongated plate 17a overlaps with the fixing hole 66b (FIG. 10) in the flat portion 66a. A screw 67 inserted through the through hole in the elongated plate 17a is screwed into the fixing hole 66b in the flat portion 66a. The tape measure portion 60a fixes the long plate 17a to the flat portion 66a with screws 67 so that the screws 67 are unlikely to protrude, and the long plate 17a can be wound around the column portion 66 without the screws 67 getting in the way.

[0086] The tape measure portion 60a has a long plate 17a, the end of which is fixed to the pillar portion 66 by a screw 67, wound around the outer periphery of the pillar portion 66, and the long plate 17a is wound around the pillar portion 66 between the opposing circular plate portions 65a and 65b.

[0087] 10, a gear part 62 is formed on the outer periphery of each of the disc parts 65a, 65b. The gear part 62 has a configuration in which tooth parts 62a and tooth grooves 62b are formed alternately, and the tooth parts 62a of one tape measure part 60a are meshed with the tooth grooves 62b of the other tape measure part 60b, so that the pair of tape measure parts 60a, 60b can rotate in conjunction with each other.

[0088] The protrusion-type linear actuator 40 according to the second embodiment is assembled as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 12, a housing main body 50 is prepared, on which a pair of measuring tapes 60a, 60b are pre-installed. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, a lid 51 is prepared, on which a drive roller 30a, a plate drive device 44, a winding drive device 45, a rotary encoder 30b, and a measurement circuit 43 are pre-installed. As shown in FIG. 13, the drive roller 30a is connected to the output shaft 71a of the plate drive device 44, which penetrates the thickness of the lid 51, and the rotary encoder 30b is connected to the output shaft 71b of the measurement circuit 43, which penetrates the thickness of the lid 51.

[0089] Then, the lid portion 51 is disposed to cover the main body installation surface 53e of the housing main body 50 so that the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b provided on the lid side installation surface 67e of the lid portion 51 are housed in the roller accommodating recess 58 of the housing main body 50. At this time, the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are housed in the roller accommodating recess 58 with the pair of long plates 17a, 17b sandwiched between them.

[0090] Next, the lid part 51 and the housing body 50 can be integrated by inserting a screw into the communication hole 67d of the lid part 51 that overlaps the screw hole 53d of the housing body 50 and screwing the screw into the screw hole 53d of the housing body 50. In this case, similar to the first embodiment described above, simply attaching the lid part 51 to the body-side installation surface 53e of the housing body 50 allows the pair of long plates 17a, 17b to be sandwiched between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b, improving assembly efficiency and allowing the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b to be easily replaced during disassembly.

[0091] In addition, when using long plates 17a, 17b such as highly rigid strip-shaped metal plates in the protrusion-type linear actuator 40, a strong force acts on the long plates 17a, 17b to straighten them. Therefore, if the tape measure units 60a, 60b are to be kept stopped, it may be necessary to operate the winding drive device 45 to constantly apply a load to the tape measure units 60a, 60b, thereby keeping the tape measure units 60a, 60b stopped.

[0092] Therefore, when using long plates 17a, 17b with high rigidity, a stopper mechanism may be provided in which a rod-shaped stopper such as a metal rod is inserted into the tooth groove 62b of one of the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b to keep the tape measure units 60a, 60b in a non-rotating state. Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the position of the stopper mechanism 74 relative to the tape measure units 60a, 60b. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the stopper mechanism 74.

[0093] In this case, as shown in Fig. 14, the protrusion-type linear actuator 40 is configured so that the connecting fitting 73 is attached to the mounting portion 47 of the lid portion 51 (not shown) and the stopper mechanism portion 74 is provided. Note that in Fig. 14, the lid portion 51 is not shown in order to explain the position of the stopper mechanism portion 74 relative to the tape measure portion 60a. Note that the method of attaching and mounting the stopper mechanism portion 74 to the mounting portion 47 may be any known mounting method, such as fitting the stopper mechanism portion 74 into the mounting portion 47 and fastening it with a screw.

[0094] The stopper mechanism 74 pulls the stopper 77 out of the tooth grooves 62b of the gear unit 62 when rotating the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, and inserts the stopper 77 into the tooth grooves 62b when stopping the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b. In this case, the stopper mechanism 74 includes a voltage generator 75a within the frame 75, and is configured such that when a voltage from the voltage generator 75a is applied to a solenoid 76, the rod-shaped stopper 77 wound around the outer periphery of the solenoid 76 can be caused to protrude by the magnetism generated by the voltage application. When stopping the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, the stopper mechanism 74 applies a voltage to the solenoid 76, causing the stopper 77 to protrude and insert into the tooth grooves 62b, thereby physically maintaining the non-rotating state of the tape measure units 60a, 60b.

[0095] (2-2) <Action and Effects> According to the above configuration, even in the protrusion-type linear actuator 40 according to the second embodiment, the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, drive roller 30a, and rotary encoder 30b can be housed inside the housing 42 and not exposed from the outside, so that, for example, when attaching it to the slider 8 of the arm robot 1, the tape measure units 60a, 60b, drive roller 30a, and rotary encoder 30b will not come into contact with other parts such as the slider 8, and the attachment work can be performed without having to worry about the positions of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, drive roller 30a, and rotary encoder 30b. Therefore, handling can be improved compared to conventional actuators.

[0096] (3) <Other embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, the rotary encoder 30b is used as the rotating roller, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rotary encoder 30b may be a rotating roller that is disposed opposite the drive roller 30a and simply sandwiches the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b between itself and the drive roller 30a.

[0097] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the pressing element 18 is provided at the free end of the elongated plates 17a and 17b has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, electronic devices or the like may be provided at the free end of the elongated plates 17a and 17b.

[0098] The electronic device may be, for example, an electronic device that observes the CO2 concentration in the surrounding environment and outputs a detection signal indicating the measured value of the CO2 concentration based on the information obtained from the observation, or any of other gas sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, illuminance sensors, radiation sensors, proximity sensors, magnetic sensors, imaging sensors, air pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, noise sensors, or acoustic sensors.

[0099] Furthermore, for example, an object recognition device 13 such as an imaging device, a lidar, or a 3D scanner device may be provided as the electronic device in the form of a protruding-type linear actuator 10, 40 at the free end of the elongated plates 17a, 17b. Also, a lighting device may be provided as the protruding-type linear actuator 10, 40 at the free end of the elongated plates 17a, 17b.

[0100] In the above-described embodiment, the protruding linear actuators 10, 40 are provided on the arm robot 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the protruding linear actuators may be installed on a self-propelled robot that moves autonomously, or on a facility device, etc. Also, a hand robot having a gripper may be provided on the free end of the long plates 17a, 17b.

[0101] Furthermore, the protruding-type linear actuators 10, 40 may be provided in a screen device that unfolds and folds a screen. In this case, the protruding-type linear actuators 10, 40 are installed, for example, in a winding mechanism of the screen device that can wind up a screen sheet, and screen support portions that support the ends of the screen sheet are installed at the free ends of a pair of long plates 17a, 17b. The protruding-type linear actuators 10, 40 can extend the pair of long plates 17a, 17b to pull up the screen sheet from the winding mechanism.

[0102] The protruding-type linear actuators 10, 40 can be configured to reciprocate and linearly move screen support members provided at the free ends of the long plates 17a, 17b in the extension and contraction directions x1, x2 by advancing and retracting the pair of long plates 17a, 17b, thereby unfolding and folding the screen sheet. For example, the protruding-type linear actuators 10, 40 can be installed between adjacent desks or chairs to use the screen sheet as a partition, or installed in an opening in a building to use the screen sheet as a sunshade or privacy screen. The protruding-type linear actuators 10, 40 can also be used as a screen device by, for example, projecting images or videos from a projector onto the screen sheet.

[0103] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the plate drive device 12, the measurement circuit connected to the rotary encoder 30b, and the object recognition device 13 are applied as electronic devices arranged on the outer surface of the housing 11, and the wires extending from the plate drive device 12, the measurement circuit, and the object recognition device 13 are inserted through the through hole 15a in the housing 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other electronic devices may be provided in the housing 11, and the wires of the electronic devices may be inserted through the through hole 15a in the housing 11. Furthermore, the through hole 15a provided in the housing 11 in the first embodiment described above may be provided in the housing 42 according to the second embodiment.

[0104] In addition, in the housing 11 according to the first embodiment described above, the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b may be disposed in an area beyond the imaginary line L1 connecting the apexes of the outer peripheries of the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b. Also, a configuration may be adopted in which the configurations of the first embodiment and the second embodiment are combined, such as by providing the tape measure unit 25a with the winding drive device 45 according to the second embodiment.

[0105] The protruding type linear actuator according to each of the above-described embodiments comprises a pair of tape measure sections arranged opposite each other, a pair of long plates wound spirally around each of the pair of tape measure sections, drive rollers extending from each of the pair of tape measure sections and abutting against one side of the pair of overlapping long plates to move the pair of long plates in the longitudinal direction of the long plates, a rotating roller arranged opposite the drive roller and sandwiching the pair of overlapping long plates between itself and the drive roller, and a housing that accommodates the pair of tape measure sections, the drive roller, and the rotating roller, and the long plates are pulled out from the pair of tape measure sections or wound up around the pair of tape measure sections, causing the pair of long plates protruding from an opening in the housing to move back and forth in a linear motion outside the housing.

[0106] The drive roller and the rotating roller may be configured to press the center of the width direction of the pair of overlapping long plates. An example of the configuration of the drive roller and the rotating roller that press the center of the width direction of the pair of overlapping long plates will be described below.

[0107] Fig. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a drive roller 30a that presses the center of a pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b in the width directions y1, y2, and a rotary encoder 30b as a rotating roller. In Fig. 16, the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are viewed from the extension / contraction direction x1 of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b. Fig. 16 also shows cross sections of the free ends of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b and the outer peripheral surfaces of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b when the pair of long plates 17a, 17b are sandwiched between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b.

[0108] The long plates 17a and 17b are made of strip-shaped metal plates or strip-shaped resin plates. The long plates 17a and 17b have a cross section with a bow-shaped curved free end. The long plates 17a and 17b have a concave surface on the front surface and a convex portion on the back surface. The long plates 17a and 17b are arranged with the concave surface on the front surface facing outward, and are stacked so that the convex portions on the back surfaces abut against each other.

[0109] The drive roller 30a is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer circumferential surface is formed of a soft resin material such as urethane. The rotary encoder 30b is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer circumferential surface is formed of a soft resin material such as urethane. The portions of the outer circumferential surfaces of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b that abut against the recessed surfaces on the surfaces of the long plates 17a and 17b are curved to conform to the recessed surfaces on the surfaces of the long plates 17a and 17b.

[0110] The widths of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are selected to be smaller than the widths of the pair of elongated plates 17a and 17b. In Fig. 16, the width directions of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are the same as the width directions y1 and y2 of the pair of elongated plates 17a and 17b.

[0111] Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII in Fig. 16. In Fig. 17, similar to the second embodiment described above, the drive roller 30a is connected to the output shaft 71a of the plate drive device 44 (Fig. 13), and the rotary encoder 30b is connected to the output shaft 71b of the measurement circuit 43 (Fig. 13). Note that similar to the first embodiment described above, the drive roller 30a may be connected to the output shaft of the plate drive device 12 (Figs. 1 and 2), and the rotary encoder 30b may be connected to the output shaft of the measurement circuit (not shown).

[0112] The drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b abut against the pair of long plates 17a and 17b along the extension and contraction directions x1 and x2 of the long plates 17a and 17b. The drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are in contact when the pair of long plates 17a and 17b are not sandwiched between them. When the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are not in contact with each other, the outer peripheral surface of the drive roller 30a is a cylindrical surface as shown by the circular imaginary line L6a, and the outer peripheral surface of the rotary encoder 30b is a cylindrical surface as shown by the circular imaginary line L6b. When the long plates 17a and 17b are sandwiched between the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b, the portions of the outer peripheral surfaces of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b that abut against the recessed surfaces of the long plates 17a and 17b deform into a convex shape along the recessed surfaces of the long plates 17a and 17b.

[0113] The drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b as a rotating roller have their outer peripheral surfaces deformed into a convex shape along the concave surfaces of the surfaces of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b, thereby pressing against the centers of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b in the width directions y1, y2 ( FIG. 16 ), and can more stably sandwich the pair of long plates 17a, 17b. The drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b as a rotating roller have a width smaller than the width of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b, and can therefore more firmly press against the centers of the pair of long plates 17a, 17b in the width directions y1, y2.

[0114] The drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b are not limited to being formed in a cylindrical shape, but may be formed in a barrel shape with the center of the drive roller 30a and the rotary encoder 30b bulging in the width direction.

[0115] In the above-described embodiment, the drive roller 30a is rotated forward and backward by the driving force of the plate driving devices 12 and 44, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the drive roller 30a may be rotated forward and backward using a tool such as an impact wrench or a torque wrench. An example of the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator equipped with a configuration for rotating the drive roller 30a forward and backward using a tool will be described below.

[0116] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator 80 according to Modification 1, with the cover portion not shown.

[0117] 18, in a protrusion-type linear actuator 80 according to Modification 1, similar to the first embodiment described above, a drive roller 30a is accommodated in a drive roller accommodating recess 29a, and a rotary encoder 30b as a rotating roller is accommodated in a rotating roller accommodating recess 29b. The rotary encoder 30b is connected to the output shaft of a measurement circuit (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the housing main body 15, and rotates forward and backward in conjunction with the movement of a long plate (not shown) that moves in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive roller 30a. Note that, similar to the second embodiment described above, the drive roller 30a and rotary encoder 30b may be accommodated in the roller accommodating recess 58.

[0118] The protruding linear actuator 80 according to the first modification includes a tool connecting portion 83 that is attached to the drive roller 30a, protrudes outside the housing, and is detachably connected to a tool. The tool may be an impact wrench, a torque wrench, or the like, and may be an electric or manual tool. A shaft (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the drive roller housing recess 29a, and the drive roller 30a is rotatably mounted on the shaft. The tool connecting portion 83 is connected to the drive roller 30a by a connecting portion 84. That is, the drive roller 30a and the tool connecting portion 83 are rotatably mounted on the shaft. The tool connecting portion 83 and the connecting portion 84 are made of a highly rigid material such as a metal member or a hard resin member. The tool connecting portion 83 is formed in a hexagonal prism shape. The connecting portion 84 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The tool connecting portion 83 is not limited to a hexagonal prism shape, and may have various shapes to suit the tool being used. The connecting portion 84 is not limited to being cylindrical, but may be in various other shapes such as a polygonal pillar, an elliptical pillar, etc. The driving roller 30a and the tool connecting portion 83 are not limited to being rotatably provided on a shaft core, but a shaft core may be rotatably provided at the bottom of the driving roller accommodating recess 29a, and the driving roller 30a and the tool connecting portion 83 may be connected to the shaft core.

[0119] The pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 26a, 26b accommodate tape measure units 25a, 25b (FIG. 3). The housing is formed by fixing a lid to the housing main body 15. The tool connecting portion 83 protrudes to the outside of the housing through a through-hole formed in the lid. The pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, the drive roller 30a, and the rotary encoder 30b are accommodated inside the housing and are not exposed from the outside. A tool such as an impact wrench is connected to the tool connecting portion 83 protruding to the outside of the housing. The drive roller 30a is rotated forward and backward by the impact wrench as a tool connected to the tool connecting portion 83.

[0120] The protrusion-type linear actuator 80 according to the first modification includes a pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, a pair of long plates 17a, 17b, a drive roller 30a, a rotary encoder 30b serving as a rotating roller, a housing, and a tool connecting unit 83. The housing accommodates the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, the drive roller 30a, and the rotary encoder 30b serving as a rotating roller.

[0121] In the protruding-type linear actuator 80 according to the first modification, the pair of tape measure units 25a, 25b, the drive roller 30a, and the rotary encoder 30b can be housed inside the housing and not exposed from the outside, so that, for example, when attaching it to the slider 8 of the arm robot 1, the tape measure units 25a, 25b, the drive roller 30a, and the rotary encoder 30b will not come into contact with other parts such as the slider 8, and the attachment work can be performed without having to worry about the positions of the tape measure units 25a, 25b, the drive roller 30a, and the rotary encoder 30b. Therefore, the ease of handling can be improved compared to conventional actuators.

[0122] In the second embodiment described above, the gear unit 62 is provided on the outer periphery of the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the gear unit may be provided on the outer periphery of the drive roller and the rotating roller. An example of the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator in which the gear unit is provided on the outer periphery of the drive roller and the rotating roller will be described below.

[0123] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a protrusion-type linear actuator 90 according to Modification 2, omitting the pair of elongated plates and the pressing element to show the configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator 90.

[0124] The protruding-type linear actuator 90 according to the second modification has a rectangular housing made of a hard resin material such as plastic. The housing has a box-shaped housing main body 91 and a lid 92 that covers the opening area of ​​the housing main body 91. On the outer surface of the housing, there are provided a tool connecting portion 94 (described later), a measurement circuit (not shown) that is connected to a rotary encoder provided inside the housing, a winding drive device (not shown) that has an output shaft that is connected to the rotating shaft of a tape measure provided inside the housing, and a mounting portion (not shown) on which a stopper mechanism (not shown) is installed.

[0125] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator 90, omitting the illustration of the lid portion 92 shown in FIG. 19. Note that FIG. 20 shows, as an example, a configuration in which a rotary encoder 90b abuts against one side of the long plate 17a fed out from one tape measure unit 60a, and a drive roller 90a abuts against one side of the long plate 17b fed out from the other tape measure unit 60b, as in the second embodiment described above. The housing main body 91 has screw holes formed in the four corners of the main body installation surface on which the lid portion 92 (FIG. 19) is installed. In the protrusion-type linear actuator 90, the communication holes formed in the four corners of the lid portion 92 are aligned with the screw holes formed in the four corners of the main body installation surface of the housing main body 91, and the housing main body 91 and the lid portion 92 are integrated by screwing the communication holes of the overlapping lid portion 92 into the screw holes of the housing main body 91 (FIG. 19).

[0126] 20, the outer shape of the main body installation surface of the housing main body 91 is quadrilateral, but it may be various shapes that match the outer peripheral shapes of the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b arranged side by side, the drive roller 90a, and the rotary encoder 90b. In this case, the lid unit 92 (FIG. 19) can have a shape such that the lid side installation surface that is installed on the main body installation surface of the housing main body 91 matches the shape of the main body installation surface.

[0127] The housing main body 91 accommodates a pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, a drive roller 90a, and a rotary encoder 90b as a rotating roller. In this case, a pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b that accommodate the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, and a roller accommodating recess 58 that accommodates the drive roller 90a and the rotary encoder 90b are formed on the main body installation surface. The tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b and the roller accommodating recess 58 are in communication with each other.

[0128] The housing main body 91 is formed from a hard resin material such as plastic, and has a solid portion made of the hard resin material in the area of ​​the main body installation surface where the pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 57a, 57b and the roller accommodating recess 58 are not formed.

[0129] The pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 57a, 57b are bottomed grooves formed symmetrically on the left and right, and are cylindrically shaped to match the outer shapes of the tape measure units 60a, 60b. The diameters of the tape measure accommodating recesses 57a, 57b are selected to be slightly larger than the diameters of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, thereby enabling the housing body 91 to be made smaller.

[0130] The roller accommodating recess 58 accommodates the drive roller 90a and the rotary encoder 90b and guides the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b fed from the tape measure units 60a, 60b. The roller accommodating recess 58 is a groove with a bottom, and the opening has a shape of four connected circles. The roller accommodating recess 58 communicates with the opening 53c formed in the first surface, and the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b that have passed between the drive roller 90a and the rotary encoder 90b can pass through the roller accommodating recess 58 toward the opening 53c. The shape of the opening of the roller accommodating recess 58 is not limited to a shape of four connected circles, and may be any shape that ensures a space for accommodating the drive roller 90a and the rotary encoder 90b.

[0131] Each of the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b has a gear section 62 formed on its outer periphery and is arranged opposite to each other so that the gear sections 62 engage with each other. The gear sections 62 have a configuration in which teeth 62a and tooth grooves 62b are formed alternately, and the tooth grooves 62b of one tape measure section 60b mesh with the tooth sections 62a of the other tape measure section 60a, allowing the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b to rotate in unison. The pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b are engaged by the gear section 62 formed on their respective outer peripheries, and rotation of one tape measure section 60b rotates the other tape measure section 60a.

[0132] The pair of long plates 17a, 17b are spirally wound around the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b, respectively. The long plates 17a, 17b are made of strip-shaped metal plates or strip-shaped resin plates, and may be made of, for example, highly rigid aluminum or aluminum alloy. The protrusion-type linear actuator 90 winds the long plates 17a, 17b around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b using the driving force of a winding drive device. Therefore, even highly rigid strip-shaped metal plates that are difficult to wind around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b using the elastic restoring force provided by an elastic member such as a spiral spring can be wound around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b.

[0133] The long plates 17a, 17b extend in the tangential direction of the outer peripheries of the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b and abut against them, and are sandwiched between the drive roller 90a and the rotary encoder 90b housed in the roller accommodating recess 58. The long plates 17a, 17b pass between the drive roller 90a and the rotary encoder 90b in an overlapping state, and their free ends protrude outward from an opening 53c formed in the first surface of the housing main body 91.

[0134] Next, the configuration of the drive roller 90a will be described. The drive roller 90a has a drive gear roller 90a1 and a driven gear roller 90a2.

[0135] The drive gear roller 90a1 is configured to engage with the gear portion 62 of at least one of the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b to rotate the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b. In this case, the drive gear roller 90a1 is engaged with the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b.

[0136] The drive gear roller 90a1 has a gear portion 93 formed on its outer periphery. Specifically, a shaft (not shown) is rotatably provided at the bottom of the roller accommodating recess 58, and the gear portions 93 are formed on the outer periphery of disk portions (not shown) provided at each end of the shaft. The gear portions 93 are housed inside the housing. The gear portions 93 have a configuration in which teeth 93a and tooth grooves 93b are formed alternately. The disk portions are attached to one end and the other end of the shaft. One end of the shaft is an end on the bottom side of the roller accommodating recess 58, and the other end of the shaft is an end on the lid portion 92 (FIG. 19) side. The shaft is formed in a cylindrical shape. The shaft, disk portions, and gear portions 93 are made of a highly rigid material such as a metal member or a hard resin member. The drive gear roller 90a1 has a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axes of the tape measure units 60a and 60b, and is circumferentially oriented in the same direction as the circumferential direction of the pair of tape measure units 60a and 60b. The shaft core is not limited to being cylindrical, and may be in various other shapes such as a polygonal column or an elliptical column.

[0137] The drive gear roller 90a1 is provided with a tool connecting portion 94 that protrudes outside the housing and to which a tool can be detachably connected. That is, the protruding-type linear actuator 90 according to Modification 2 is provided with a tool connecting portion 94 that is provided on the drive gear roller 90a1, protrudes outside the housing, and to which a tool can be detachably connected. The tool connecting portion 94 is provided on the other end side of the shaft, i.e., on the side of the lid portion 92 (FIG. 19). The tool connecting portion 94 is attached to the shaft or the disk portion. The tool connecting portion 94 is made of a highly rigid material such as a metal member or a hard resin member. The tool connecting portion 94 is formed in a hexagonal prism shape. Note that the tool connecting portion 94 is not limited to being formed in a hexagonal prism shape, and may have various shapes to suit the tool to be used.

[0138] A tool is connected to the tool connecting portion 94 of the drive gear roller 90a1, and the drive gear roller 90a1 is rotated forward and reverse by the tool. The teeth 93a of the drive gear roller 90a1 mesh with the tooth grooves 62b of the tape measure portion 60b, allowing the drive gear roller 90a1 and the tape measure portion 60b to rotate in conjunction with each other. Furthermore, the teeth 62a of the tape measure portion 60b mesh with the tooth grooves 62b of the tape measure portion 60a, allowing the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b to rotate in conjunction with each other.

[0139] The driven gear roller 90a2 engages with the drive gear roller 90a1 and abuts against one side of the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b extending from the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b, respectively, to move the pair of long plates 17a, 17b in the longitudinal direction of the long plates 17a, 17b. The driven gear roller 90a2 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer circumferential surface is formed from a soft resin material such as urethane.

[0140] The driven gear roller 90a2 has a gear portion 95 formed on its outer periphery. Specifically, a shaft core 96 is provided at the bottom of the roller accommodating recess 58, and disk portions 97 are rotatably provided at one end and the other end of the shaft core 96, with a gear portion 95 formed on the outer periphery of each disk portion 97. The gear portion 95 is housed inside the housing. The gear portion 95 has a configuration in which tooth portions 95a and tooth grooves 95b are formed alternately. One end of the shaft core 96 is an end on the bottom side of the roller accommodating recess 58, and the other end of the shaft core 96 is an end on the lid portion 92 (FIG. 19) side. The shaft core 96 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The shaft core 96, disk portions 97, and gear portion 95 are made of a highly rigid material such as a metal member or a hard resin member. The driven gear roller 90a2 has a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axes of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, and is circumferentially oriented in the same direction as the circumferential direction of the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b. The shaft core 96 is not limited to being cylindrical, and may have various other shapes such as a polygonal pillar or an elliptical pillar.

[0141] The teeth 95a of the driven gear roller 90a2 mesh with the tooth grooves 93b of the drive gear roller 90a1, so that the driven gear roller 90a2 can rotate in conjunction with the drive gear roller 90a1.

[0142] Next, the configuration of the rotary encoder 90b will be described. The rotary encoder 90b is connected to the output shaft of a measurement circuit (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the housing main body 91, and rotates forward and backward in conjunction with the movement of the long plates 17a and 17b, which move in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive roller 30a.

[0143] The rotary encoder 90b is housed inside the housing and is disposed opposite the driven gear roller 90a2 of the drive roller 90a, so that the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b is sandwiched between the driven gear roller 90a2 of the drive roller 90a. In other words, the rotary encoder 90b engages with the driven gear roller 90a2, so that the pair of overlapping long plates 17a, 17b is sandwiched between the driven gear roller 90a2. The rotary encoder 90b corresponds to the rotating roller or rotating gear roller of the present invention. The rotary encoder 90b is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer surface is formed of a soft resin material such as urethane.

[0144] The rotary encoder 90b has a gear portion 98 formed on its outer periphery. Specifically, a shaft core 99 is provided at the bottom of the roller accommodating recess 58, and disk portions 100 are rotatably provided at one end and the other end of the shaft core 99, with a gear portion 98 formed on the outer periphery of each disk portion 100. The gear portion 98 is housed inside the housing. The gear portion 98 has a configuration in which teeth 98a and tooth grooves 98b are formed alternately. One end of the shaft core 99 is an end on the bottom side of the roller accommodating recess 58, and the other end of the shaft core 99 is an end on the lid portion 92 (FIG. 19) side. The shaft core 99 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The shaft core 99, the disk portions 100, and the gear portion 98 are made of a highly rigid material such as a metal member or a hard resin member. The rotary encoder 90b has a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axes of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, and is circumferentially oriented in the same direction as the circumferential direction of the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b. The shaft core 99 is not limited to being cylindrical, and may have various other shapes such as a polygonal pillar or an elliptical pillar.

[0145] The teeth 98a of the rotary encoder 90b mesh with the tooth grooves 95b of the driven gear roller 90a2 of the drive roller 90a, so that the rotary encoder 90b can rotate in conjunction with the driven gear roller 90a2.

[0146] If we define the gear portion 93 of the drive gear roller 90a1 as the first gear portion, the gear portion 95 of the driven gear roller 90a2 as the second gear portion, the gear portion 98 of the rotary encoder 90b as the third gear portion, the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b as the fourth gear portion, and the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60a as the fifth gear portion, the gear portion 93 as the first gear portion engages with the gear portion 95 as the second gear portion and the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b as the fourth gear portion, the gear portion 95 as the second gear portion engages with the gear portion 98 as the third gear portion, and the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b as the fourth gear portion engages with the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60a as the fifth gear portion. In the protruding-type linear actuator 90 according to the second modification, the tool connecting portion 94 protrudes to the outside of the housing through a through-hole formed in the cover portion 92 (FIG. 19). A tool such as an impact wrench is connected to a tool connecting portion 94 that protrudes outside the housing. The drive roller 90a (drive gear roller 90a1 and driven gear roller 90a2), the rotary encoder 90b as a rotating roller or rotating gear roller, and the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b are rotated forward and backward in conjunction with each other by the impact wrench as a tool connected to the tool connecting portion 94. In the protruding-type linear actuator 90 according to the second modification, the long plates 17a, 17b are pulled out from the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b or wound up around the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b, causing the pair of long plates 17a, 17b protruding from the opening 53c to perform a reciprocating linear motion outside the housing.

[0147] The protrusion-type linear actuator 90 according to the second modification includes a pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b, a pair of long plates 17a, 17b, a drive roller 90a (a drive gear roller 90a1 and a driven gear roller 90a2), a rotary encoder 90b as a rotating roller or a rotating gear roller, and a housing. The housing of the protrusion-type linear actuator 90 according to the second modification accommodates the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b, the drive roller 90a (a drive gear roller 90a1 and a driven gear roller 90a2), and the rotary encoder 90b as a rotating roller or a rotating gear roller.

[0148] In the protruding-type linear actuator 90 according to the second modification, the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, the drive roller 90a, and the rotary encoder 90b can be housed inside the housing and not exposed from the outside, so that, for example, when attaching it to the slider 8 of the arm robot 1, the tape measure units 60a, 60b, the drive roller 90a, and the rotary encoder 90b will not come into contact with other parts such as the slider 8, and the attachment work can be performed without having to worry about the positions of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, the drive roller 90a, and the rotary encoder 90b. Therefore, handling can be improved compared to conventional actuators.

[0149] The positions of the drive roller 90a (drive gear roller 90a1 and driven gear roller 90a2) and the rotary encoder 90b may be reversed, and the gear portion 93 of the drive gear roller 90a1 of the drive roller 90a may be engaged with the gear portion 62 of the tape measure unit 60a. The measurement circuit (not shown) is not limited to being connected to the rotary encoder 90b, but may also be connected to the drive gear roller 90a1 or the driven gear roller 90a2. The tool connecting portion 94 is not limited to being provided to the drive gear roller 90a1, but may also be provided to the driven gear roller 90a2 or the rotary encoder 90b. A shaft may be rotatably provided at the bottom of the roller accommodating recess 58, and the disk portion, gear portion 93, and tool connecting portion 94 may be attached to the shaft. Alternatively, a shaft may be non-rotatably provided at the bottom of the roller accommodating recess 58, and the disk portion, gear portion 93, and tool connecting portion 94 may be rotatably provided relative to the shaft.

[0150] In the above-described embodiment, the pair of long plates is sandwiched between the drive roller and the rotating roller using rotating rollers, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotating rollers may not be used. An example of the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator that does not use rotating rollers will be described below.

[0151] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a protrusion-type linear actuator 110 according to Modification 3, with the pair of long plates and the pressing element omitted.

[0152] The protrusion-type linear actuator 110 according to the third modification has a rectangular housing formed of, for example, a hard resin material such as plastic. The housing has a box-shaped housing main body 111 and a lid 112 that covers the opening area of ​​the housing main body 111. On the outer surface of the housing, there are provided a tool connecting portion 120 (described later), a winding drive device (not shown) having an output shaft connected to the rotating shaft of a tape measure portion provided inside the housing, and a mounting portion (not shown) on which a stopper mechanism portion (not shown) is installed.

[0153] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the protrusion-type linear actuator 110, omitting the illustration of the lid portion 112 shown in Figure 21. The housing main body 111 has screw holes formed in the four corners of the main body-side installation surface on which the lid portion 112 (Figure 21) is installed. In the protrusion-type linear actuator 110, the communication holes formed in the four corners of the lid portion 112 are positioned with the screw holes formed in the four corners of the main body-side installation surface of the housing main body 111, and the housing main body 111 and the lid portion 112 are integrated by screwing the communication holes of the overlapping lid portion 112 into the screw holes of the housing main body 111 (Figure 21).

[0154] 22, the outer shape of the main body installation surface of the housing main body 111 is quadrilateral, but it may be various shapes that match the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b arranged side by side or the outer circumferential shape of the drive gear roller 116. In this case, the lid unit 112 (FIG. 21) can have a shape such that the lid side installation surface that is installed on the main body installation surface of the housing main body 111 matches the shape of the main body installation surface.

[0155] The housing main body 111 accommodates therein a pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b and a drive gear roller 116. In this case, a pair of tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b that accommodate the pair of tape measure units 60a, 60b, and a drive gear accommodating recess 117 that accommodates the drive gear roller 116 are formed on the installation surface of the housing main body 111. The tape measure unit accommodating recesses 57a, 57b and the drive gear accommodating recess 117 are in communication with each other.

[0156] The housing main body 111 is formed from a hard resin material such as plastic, and has a solid portion made of the hard resin material in the area of ​​the main body installation surface where the pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 57a, 57b and the drive gear accommodating recess 117 are not formed.

[0157] The pair of tape measure accommodating recesses 57a, 57b are bottomed grooves formed symmetrically on the left and right, and are cylindrically shaped to match the outer shapes of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, respectively. The diameters of the tape measure accommodating recesses 57a, 57b are selected to be slightly larger than the diameters of the tape measure units 60a, 60b, thereby enabling the housing body 111 to be made smaller.

[0158] The drive gear accommodating recess 117 accommodates the drive gear roller 116 and guides the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b fed from the tape measure units 60a, 60b. The drive gear accommodating recess 117 is a groove with a bottom, and the opening has a shape of four connected circles. The drive gear accommodating recess 117 communicates with the opening 53c formed in the first surface, and the pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b fed from the tape measure units 60a, 60b can pass through the opening 53c toward the opening 53c. The shape of the opening of the drive gear accommodating recess 117 is not limited to the shape of four connected circles, and may be any shape that ensures a space for accommodating the drive gear roller 116.

[0159] Each of the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b has a gear section 62 formed on its outer periphery and is arranged opposite to each other so that the gear sections 62 engage with each other. The gear sections 62 have a configuration in which teeth 62a and tooth grooves 62b are formed alternately, and the tooth grooves 62b of one tape measure section 60b mesh with the tooth sections 62a of the other tape measure section 60a, allowing the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b to rotate in unison. The pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b are engaged by the gear section 62 formed on their respective outer peripheries, and rotation of one tape measure section 60b rotates the other tape measure section 60a.

[0160] The pair of long plates 17a, 17b are spirally wound around the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b, respectively. The long plates 17a, 17b are made of strip-shaped metal plates or strip-shaped resin plates, and may be made of, for example, highly rigid aluminum or aluminum alloy. The protrusion-type linear actuator 110 winds the long plates 17a, 17b around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b using the driving force of a winding drive device. Therefore, even highly rigid strip-shaped metal plates that are difficult to wind around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b using the elastic restoring force provided by an elastic member such as a spiral spring can be wound around the tape measure portions 60a, 60b.

[0161] The long plates 17a, 17b extend in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the pair of tape measure sections 60a, 60b and abut against each other, passing through the drive gear accommodating recess 117 in an overlapping state, with their free ends protruding outward from the opening 53c formed on the first surface of the housing main body 111.

[0162] Next, the configuration of the drive gear roller 116 will be described. The drive gear roller 116 is configured to engage with the gear portion 62 of at least one of the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b to rotate the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b. In this case, the drive gear roller 116 is engaged with the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b.

[0163] The drive gear roller 116 has a gear portion 119 formed on its outer periphery. Specifically, a shaft core 122 is rotatably provided at the bottom of the drive gear accommodating recess 117, and the gear portion 119 is formed on the outer periphery of a disk portion (not shown) provided at at least one of the ends of the shaft core 122. In this case, the gear portion 119 is formed on the outer periphery of the disk portion provided at one end of the shaft core 122. One end of the shaft core 122 is an end on the bottom side of the drive gear accommodating recess 117, and the other end of the shaft core 122 is an end on the cover portion 112 (FIG. 21) side. The gear portion 119 is accommodated inside the housing. The gear portion 119 has a configuration in which tooth portions 119a and tooth grooves 119b are formed alternately. The disk portion is attached to one end of the shaft core 122. The shaft core 122 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The shaft core 122, the disk portion, and the gear portion 119 are made of a highly rigid material such as a metal member or a hard resin member. The rotation axis of the drive gear roller 116 is arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the tape measure portions 60a, 60b, and the circumferential direction is arranged in the same direction as the circumferential direction of the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b. The shaft core 122 is not limited to being cylindrical, and may be various other shapes such as a polygonal pillar or an elliptical pillar.

[0164] The drive gear roller 116 is provided with a tool connecting portion 120 that protrudes outside the housing and to which a tool can be detachably connected. That is, the protruding-type linear actuator 110 according to Modification 3 is provided with a tool connecting portion 120 that is provided on the drive gear roller 116, protrudes outside the housing, and to which a tool can be detachably connected. The tool connecting portion 120 is provided on the other end side of the shaft core 122, i.e., on the cover portion 112 (FIG. 21) side. The tool connecting portion 120 is fixed to the other end side of the shaft core 122. The tool connecting portion 120 is made of a highly rigid material such as a metal member or a hard resin member. The tool connecting portion 120 is formed in a hexagonal prism shape. Note that the tool connecting portion 120 is not limited to being formed in a hexagonal prism shape, and may have various shapes to suit the tool to be used.

[0165] A tool is connected to the tool connecting portion 120, and the drive gear roller 116 is rotated forward and reverse by the tool. The teeth 119a of the drive gear roller 116 mesh with the tooth grooves 62b of the tape measure portion 60b, allowing the drive gear roller 116 and the tape measure portion 60b to rotate in conjunction with each other. Furthermore, the tooth grooves 62b of the tape measure portion 60b mesh with the tooth portions 62a of the tape measure portion 60a, allowing the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b to rotate in conjunction with each other.

[0166] If the gear portion 119 of the drive gear roller 116 is defined as the first gear portion, the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b as the second gear portion, and the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60a as the third gear portion, the gear portion 119 as the first gear portion engages with the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b as the second gear portion, and the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60b as the second gear portion engages with the gear portion 62 of the tape measure portion 60a as the third gear portion. In the protrusion-type linear actuator 110 according to the third modification, the tool connecting portion 120 protrudes to the outside of the housing through a through-hole formed in the cover portion 112 (FIG. 21). A tool, such as an impact wrench, is connected to the tool connecting portion 120 protruding to the outside of the housing. The drive gear roller 116 and the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b are rotated forward and backward in unison by the impact wrench as a tool connected to the tool connecting portion 120. In the protruding linear actuator 110 of the third modification, the long plates 17a and 17b extending from the pair of tape measure portions 60a and 60b are overlapped with each other, and the long plates 17a and 17b are pulled out from the pair of tape measure portions 60a and 60b, or the long plates 17a and 17b are wound up around the pair of tape measure portions 60a and 60b, causing the pair of long plates 17a and 17b protruding from the opening 53c to make a reciprocating linear motion outside the housing.

[0167] The protrusion-type linear actuator 110 according to the third modification includes a pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b, a pair of elongated plates 17a, 17b, a drive gear roller 116, and a housing. The housing of the protrusion-type linear actuator 110 according to the third modification accommodates the pair of tape measure portions 60a, 60b and the drive gear roller 116.

[0168] In the protruding type linear actuator 110 according to the third modification, the pair of tape measure parts 60a, 60b and the drive gear roller 116 can be housed inside the housing and not exposed from the outside, so that, for example, when attaching it to the slider 8 of the arm robot 1, the tape measure parts 60a, 60b and the drive gear roller 116 will not come into contact with other parts such as the slider 8, and the attachment work can be performed without having to worry about the positions of the tape measure parts 60a, 60b and the drive gear roller 116. Therefore, the ease of handling can be improved compared to conventional actuators.

[0169] Note that the position of the drive gear roller 116 may be changed so that the gear portion 119 of the drive gear roller 116 engages with the gear portion 62 of the tape measure unit 60a. It is not limited to the case where a disc portion is provided at one end of the shaft core 122, but a disc portion may be provided at the other end of the shaft core 122 and the gear portion 119 may be formed on the outer periphery of the disc portion, or a disc portion may be provided at each of one end and the other end of the shaft core 122 and the gear portion 119 may be formed on the outer periphery of each disc portion. It is not limited to the case where the shaft core 122 is rotatably provided at the bottom of the drive gear accommodating recess 117 and the disc portion, gear portion 119, and tool connecting portion 120 are connected to the shaft core 122, but the shaft core 122 may be non-rotatably provided at the bottom of the drive gear accommodating recess 117 and the disc portion, gear portion 119, and tool connecting portion 120 may be rotatably provided relative to the shaft core 122. [Explanation of symbols]

[0170] 10, 40, 80, 90, 110 protruding linear actuator 11,42 Case 15,50,91,111 Housing body 16,51,92,112 Lid 17a, 17b Long plates 25a,25b,60a,60b Tape measure part 30a, 90a Drive roller 30b, 90b rotary encoder (rotating roller, rotating gear roller) 26a, 26b, 57a, 57b Tape measure housing recess 29,58 Roller receiving recess 83,94,120 Tool connection part 90a1 Drive gear roller 90a2 Driven gear roller

Claims

1. a pair of tape measure units each having a gear portion formed on its outer periphery and arranged opposite to each other so that the gear portions engage with each other; a pair of elongated plates wound spirally on the pair of tape measure portions, respectively; a drive gear roller that engages with the gear portion of at least one of the pair of tape measure portions to rotate the pair of tape measure portions; a housing that houses the pair of tape measure units and the drive gear roller; Equipped with A protruding linear actuator in which the long plates extending from the pair of tape measure sections are overlapped, and the long plates are pulled out from the pair of tape measure sections or wound up around the pair of tape measure sections, causing the pair of long plates protruding from the opening of the housing to move back and forth linearly outside the housing.

2. a driven gear roller that engages with the drive gear roller and abuts against one surface of the pair of long plates that extend from the pair of tape measure portions and are overlapped, thereby moving the pair of long plates in the longitudinal direction of the long plates; a rotating gear roller that engages with the driven gear roller and sandwiches the pair of overlapping elongated plates between the driven gear roller and the rotating gear roller; Equipped with The housing accommodates the pair of tape measure units, the drive gear roller, the driven gear roller, and the rotary gear roller.

2. The protruding linear actuator of claim 1.

3. a tool connecting portion provided on the drive gear roller, protruding to the outside of the housing, to which a tool is detachably connected; 3. The protruding linear actuator according to claim 1 or 2.

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