Connectors

Abstract

A connector is provided that is used to position and secure two members relative to one another. [Solution] The connector includes a hollow main body and a plate-shaped nut member 18, and a side wall 12c of the main body has a groove 14 extending from one longitudinal end of the side wall to the other end. The groove has a first portion 14a that opens to the outer surface of the side wall and a second portion 14b located more inward than the first portion, and the first and second portions form a groove with a T-shaped cross section. The nut member is disposed in the second portion, and a set screw 24 is screwed into a first female threaded portion 20 of the nut member.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector used to position and secure two members relative to one another. [Background technology]

[0002] JP 2009-208203 A describes an attachment structure for fixing a tool holder at a predetermined position relative to a tool rest of a machine tool. This attachment structure includes a T-slot formed in the tool rest and a rod-shaped attachment nut inserted into the T-slot. The attachment nut is positioned and fixed to the tool rest using a backing plate. That is, after the attachment nut is inserted into the T-slot of the tool rest, a fixing bolt is screwed from the outside of the backing plate into a threaded hole in an end face of the tool rest and a threaded hole in an end face of the attachment nut. The tool holder is fixed to the attachment nut by inserting the attachment bolt into a mounting hole of the tool holder and screwing it into a threaded hole of the attachment nut.

[0003] However, the mounting structure of JP 2009-208203 A requires the preparation of a backing plate as a new part, and requires the formation of a screw hole in the end face of the mounting nut, resulting in a complex structure. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-208203 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector according to the present invention is for positioning and fixing a first member and a second member relative to each other, and includes a hollow body and a plate-shaped nut member, the side wall of the body having a groove extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the side wall. The groove has a first portion that opens to the outer surface of the side wall and a second portion located inside the first portion, the width of the second portion is larger than the width of the first portion, and the first and second portions form a groove with a T-shaped cross section. The nut member is disposed in the second portion and includes a set screw that screws into the first female threaded portion of the nut member, the outer diameter of the set screw is smaller than the width of the first portion, and the first member is fixed to the body via the nut member by a fastener that screws into the second female threaded portion of the nut member.

[0007] According to the above-mentioned connector, the set screw inserted from the first part of the groove is screwed into the first female thread of the plate-shaped nut member arranged in the second part of the groove, thereby fixing the nut member at any position in the longitudinal direction of the side wall. Therefore, the structure for positioning and fixing two members relative to each other using the plate-shaped nut member can be simplified. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The connector according to the present invention includes a main body and a plate-shaped nut member, the side wall of the main body has a groove extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction, the first and second parts of the groove form a T-shaped groove in cross section, and a set screw is screwed into the nut member disposed in the second part. This allows the nut member to be fixed at any position in the longitudinal direction of the side wall with a simple structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1 taken along line II-II. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1 taken along line III-III. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a view showing the connector of FIG. 1 exploded into its components. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an application example of the connector of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In the following, the connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to several preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when words related to the up and down directions are used, they refer to the directions in the drawings for convenience, and do not limit the actual arrangement of the components, etc.

[0011] (First embodiment) A connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As shown in Figure 5, the connector 10 is applied between a movable carrier (first member) 30 of a linear actuator that operates in the X-axis direction and a fixed housing (second member) 32 of a linear actuator that operates in the Y-axis direction.

[0012] 1 to 4, the connector 10 includes an elongated hollow main body 12, a pair of end plates 28 closing both ends of the main body 12, and a pair of elongated plate-like nut members 18. The main body 12 has a cylindrical shape surrounded by a top wall 12a, a bottom wall 12b, a first side wall 12c, and a second side wall 12d, and the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body 12 is rectangular. The first side wall 12c has a pair of upper and lower grooves 14 extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the first side wall 12c.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the groove 14 of the first side wall 12c has a first portion 14a that opens to the outer surface of the first side wall 12c, a second portion 14b located inside the first portion 14a, and a third portion 14c located inside the second portion 14b. The first portion 14a, the second portion 14b, and the third portion 14c extend from one end of the first side wall 12c in the longitudinal direction to the other end, and have a uniform width in the vertical direction. The width W2 of the second portion 14b is larger than the width W1 of the first portion 14a, and the first portion 14a and the second portion 14b form a groove with a T-shaped cross section. In this embodiment, the width W3 of the third portion 14c is the same as the width W1 of the first portion 14a, but the width W3 of the third portion 14c may be larger than the width W1 of the first portion 14a.

[0014] The groove 14 of the first side wall 12c has a pair of upper and lower fixing wall surfaces 16 that can be pressed against a nut member 18. The fixing wall surfaces 16 extend upward or downward from the ends of the pair of upper and lower wall surfaces that constitute the wall surface of the first portion 14a to constitute the wall surface of the second portion 14b. The groove 14 of the first side wall 12c has an opposing wall surface 26 that faces the fixing wall surfaces 16. The opposing wall surface 26 constitutes a part of the wall surface of the second portion 14b. The end plate 28 is detachably attached to the main body portion 12 by a mounting bolt 34.

[0015] The nut member 18, which is an elongated plate, has a uniform thickness and width and is disposed in each groove 14 of the first side wall 12c. Specifically, the nut member 18 is inserted from a longitudinal end of the groove 14 of the first side wall 12c into the second portion 14b of the groove 14, and is fixed at an arbitrary position in the longitudinal direction of the second portion 14b by the action of a set screw 24 described later. Note that, when the nut member 18 is inserted into the second portion 14b of the groove 14, the end plate 28 is removed from the main body 12, and the end plate 28 is attached to the main body 12 after the nut member 18 is fixed.

[0016] The length of the nut member 18 is shorter than the length of the groove 14 in the first side wall 12c. The thickness of the nut member 18 is smaller than the depth of the second portion 14b of the groove 14 (see FIG. 2). The nut member 18 has elasticity and can be displaced or deformed in the thickness direction by a predetermined amount within the second portion 14b of the groove 14. The nut member 18 has a first female thread portion 20 in the center in the longitudinal direction.

[0017] A setscrew 24 for fixing the nut member 18 to the body portion 12 is screwed into the first female threaded portion 20. The setscrew 24 has a uniform outer diameter D except for its tip. The outer diameter D of the setscrew 24 is smaller than the width W1 of the first portion 14a of the groove portion 14. The rear end of the setscrew 24 has a recess 24a for engaging a tool.

[0018] The mechanism by which the nut member 18 is fixed to the main body portion 12 by the set screw 24 will be described as follows. After the nut member 18 is inserted into the second portion 14b of the groove portion 14 in the first side wall 12c and placed at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the second portion 14b, the set screw 24 is inserted from the first portion 14a of the groove portion 14 toward the first female thread portion 20 of the nut member 18.

[0019] Next, a tool (not shown) is engaged with the recess 24a of the setscrew 24, and the setscrew 24 is rotated while being screwed into the first female threaded portion 20 of the nut member 18. When the setscrew 24 begins to screw into the first female threaded portion 20, the nut member 18 is displaced together with the setscrew 24 and comes into contact with the opposing wall surface 26 of the groove portion 14.

[0020] When the set screw 24 is screwed into the first female thread portion 20 of the nut member 18 by a predetermined amount, the tip of the set screw 24 protrudes from the nut member 18 and enters the third portion 14c of the groove portion 14. When the set screw 24 is further rotated, the set screw 24 is displaced in the axial direction. The axial displacement of the set screw 24 is stopped when the tip of the set screw 24 abuts against the bottom surface of the third portion 14c of the groove portion 14.

[0021] When the setscrew 24 is further rotated after the axial displacement of the setscrew 24 has stopped, the nut member 18 is displaced relative to the setscrew 24. That is, the nut member 18 is displaced toward the fixing wall surface 16 of the groove 14, and is pressed against the fixing wall surface 16 of the groove 14 in the vicinity of the setscrew 24 (see FIG. 2). As a result, a frictional force acts between the nut member 18 and the main body 12, and the nut member 18 is fixed to the main body 12.

[0022] The nut member 18 has second female threaded portions 22 near both ends in the longitudinal direction (see FIG. 3). A fastener such as a bolt (not shown) for fixing a fixed housing 32 of a linear actuator that operates in the Y-axis direction to the nut member 18 is screwed into the second female threaded portions 22. The fixed housing 32 is fixed to the main body 12 of the connector 10 via the nut member 18. The bottom wall 12b of the main body 12 has a mounting hole 36 for fixing a movable conveyance table 30 of a linear actuator that operates in the X-axis direction to the main body 12 (see FIG. 4). The movable conveyance table 30 is fixed to the main body 12 of the connector 10 using the mounting hole 36 in the bottom wall 12b.

[0023] According to this embodiment, the set screw 24 inserted from the first portion 14a of the groove portion 14 is screwed into the first female thread portion 20 of the plate-shaped nut member 18 arranged in the second portion 14b of the groove portion 14, thereby making it possible to fix the nut member 18 at any position in the longitudinal direction of the first side wall 12c of the main body portion 12. Therefore, the structure for positioning and fixing the movable conveyance platform 30 and the fixed housing 32 relative to each other using the plate-shaped nut member 18 can be simplified with a small number of parts.

[0024] In this embodiment, the groove 14 has been described as having the third portion 14c, but the groove 14 does not have to have the third portion 14c. In this case, the tip of the set screw 24 abuts against the bottom surface of the second portion 14b of the groove 14, thereby stopping the axial displacement of the set screw 24.

[0025] The connector 10 of this embodiment has been described as being applied between the movable conveying platform 30 of a linear actuator that operates in the X-axis direction and the fixed housing 32 of a linear actuator that operates in the Y-axis direction, but the specific application form of the connector 10 is not limited to this.

[0026] Second embodiment A connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The connector according to the second embodiment differs from the connector 10 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the set screw. Note that components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the connector 10 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference symbols, and detailed descriptions may be omitted.

[0027] The set screw 40 is composed of a cylindrical body 42, a ball 44, and a spring 46, and is configured as a so-called ball plunger. The body 42 has a uniform outer diameter D, and the outer peripheral surface of the body 42 has a male thread 42a. The outer diameter D of the body 42 is smaller than the width W1 of the first portion 14a of the groove 14 and the width W3 of the third portion 14c. The body 42 has a hole 42b for accommodating the spring 46 and a recess 42c for engaging a tool. The hole 42b opens at the front end of the body 42, and the recess 42c opens at the rear end of the body 42.

[0028] The ball 44 is attached near the open end of the hole 42b of the cylindrical body 42. The inner diameter of the hole 42b of the cylindrical body 42 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball 44, except for the open end of the hole 42b. The inner diameter of the open end of the hole 42b of the cylindrical body 42 is made slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ball 44 by means of crimping or the like. Therefore, there is no risk of the ball 44 coming off the cylindrical body 42. A spring 46 is disposed between the bottom surface of the hole 42b of the cylindrical body 42 and the ball 44. The spring 46 is compressed by a predetermined amount, and the ball 44 is biased in a direction protruding from the cylindrical body 42 by the biasing force of the spring 46.

[0029] The cylindrical body 42 screws into the first female threaded portion 20 of the nut member 18. The mechanism by which the nut member 18 is fixed to the body portion 12 by the set screw 40 will be described as follows. After the nut member 18 is placed at a predetermined position in the second portion 14b of the groove portion 14, the set screw 40 is inserted from the first portion 14a of the groove portion 14 toward the first female threaded portion 20 of the nut member 18.

[0030] Next, a tool (not shown) is engaged with the recess 42c of the cylindrical body 42, and the cylindrical body 42 is screwed into the first female thread portion 20 of the nut member 18 while being rotated. When the cylindrical body 42 begins to screw into the first female thread portion 20, the nut member 18 is displaced together with the cylindrical body 42 and comes into contact with the opposing wall surface 26 of the groove portion 14. When the cylindrical body 42 is screwed into the first female thread portion 20 to a predetermined extent or more, the ball 44 and a part of the cylindrical body 42 enter the third portion 14c of the groove portion 14.

[0031] When the cylindrical body 42 is further rotated after the ball 44 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the third portion 14c of the groove portion 14, the nut member 18 is displaced relative to the cylindrical body 42. That is, the nut member 18 is displaced toward the fixing wall surface 16 of the groove portion 14 and is pressed against the fixing wall surface 16 of the groove portion 14 in the vicinity of the cylindrical body 42. As a result, a frictional force acts between the nut member 18 and the main body portion 12, and the nut member 18 is fixed to the main body portion 12.

[0032] The force that generates the frictional force required to fix the nut member 18 to the main body 12 (the force pressing the nut member 18 against the fixing wall surface 16) is smaller than the compressive repulsive force of the spring 46 that acts when the ball 44 protrudes to the maximum extent from the cylindrical body 42. Therefore, when performing the above-mentioned operation of rotating the cylindrical body 42 to fix the nut member 18 to the main body 12, the ball 44 maintains a state in which it protrudes to the maximum extent from the cylindrical body 42.

[0033] When adjusting the position of the nut member 18 once fixed to the main body 12, it is not necessary to use a tool to rotate the cylinder 42 in the direction to loosen it, but it is sufficient to apply a force to push the nut member 18 toward the opposing wall surface 26 of the groove 14. If the nut member 18 is pushed in with a force greater than the compressive repulsive force of the spring 46 acting when the ball 44 is projected to the maximum extent from the cylinder 42, the force with which the nut member 18 is pressed against the fixing wall surface 16 of the groove 14 is weakened. Therefore, the frictional force acting between the nut member 18 and the main body 12 is weakened, and the nut member 18 can slide along the longitudinal direction of the groove 14. After adjusting the nut member 18 to the desired position, the force pushing the nut member 18 is released, and the nut member 18 is fixed to the main body 12 again at the adjusted position.

[0034] According to this embodiment, the set screw 40 is composed of a cylindrical body 42, a ball 44, and a spring 46, the body 42 has a male thread 42a on its outer circumferential surface, the ball 44 is attached near the open end of a hole 42b in the body 42, and the spring 46 is disposed between the bottom surface of the hole 42b in the body 42 and the ball 44. Therefore, the position of the nut member 18 once fixed to the main body 12 can be easily fine-tuned.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the above disclosure, and various configurations may be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10...Connector 12...Main body 12c...First side wall (side wall) 14...Groove 14a...First part 14b...Second part 14c...Third part 18...Nut member 20: First female thread portion 22: Second female thread portion 24, 40...Set screw 30...Movable conveyor table (second component) 32...Fixed housing (first member) 42...Cylinder body 42a... Male thread 42b... Hole 44…Ball 46…Spring

Claims

1. A connector for positioning and fixing a first member and a second member to each other, A coupling device comprising a hollow main body and a plate-shaped nut member, a side wall of the main body having a groove extending from one longitudinal end to the other end of the side wall, the groove having a first portion opening to an outer surface of the side wall and a second portion located more inward than the first portion, the width of the second portion being greater than the width of the first portion, the first portion and the second portion forming a groove with a T-shaped cross section, the nut member being disposed on the second portion and provided with a set screw screwed into a first female threaded portion of the nut member, the outer diameter of the set screw being smaller than the width of the first portion, and the first member being fixed to the main body portion via the nut member by a fixing device screwed into the second female threaded portion of the nut member.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, A connector in which the groove has a third portion located inside the second portion, and the width of the third portion is the same as or greater than the width of the first portion.

3. 2. The connector according to claim 1, A connector wherein the thickness of the nut member is less than the depth of the second portion.

4. 2. The connector according to claim 1, The set screw is a connecting device composed of a cylindrical body, a ball, and a spring, the body having a male thread on its outer surface, the ball being attached near the open end of the hole in the body, and the spring being disposed between the ball and the bottom surface of the hole in the body.

5. 2. The connector according to claim 1, which is applied between a movable carrier of a linear actuator that operates in the X-axis direction and a fixed housing of a linear actuator that operates in the Y-axis direction.

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