Vibration-free platform

Abstract

To provide a base isolation stand for achieving protection against swinging caused by moving in a curve.SOLUTION: A base isolation stand includes an upper plate and a lower plate. The upper plate has a recessed part at a center of a lower surface and has three ball roller parts on the same circumference centered on the recessed part. The recessed part is formed recessed in a columnar shape, concentric circular grooves are provided on a bottom surface, and an upper plate magnet is provided at a center of the bottom surface. Each ball roller part includes a ball part and a bearing part. The ball part may rotate in the bearing part. The lower plate has a columnar protruding part at a center of the upper surface and has three conical recessed parts on the same circumference centered on the protruding part. The protruding part faces the center of the bottom surface of the recessed part and has a lower plate magnet, making a pair with the upper plate magnet, at the center of the upper surface. The conical recessed part is recessed in a conical shape, is formed with its side surface inclining gently, and faces the ball roller part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is used for transporting articles, and relates to a seismic isolation table for protecting against shaking caused by impact generated during curve movement or external factors during transportation.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the shortage of labor in the food service industry has become serious. In restaurants for the general public, etc., robots as described in Patent Document 1 are actively used to transport and serve dishes in order to improve work efficiency.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

[0004] When a robot transports and serves dishes, swaying may occur in the robot and thus in the transport table used by the robot to transport and serve dishes when turning a curve to move inside a restaurant or making an emergency stop to avoid an obstacle. However, Patent Document 1 does not describe seismic isolation in the transport table.

[0005] Conventionally, seismic isolation tables used for seismic isolation are invented to absorb shaking caused by earthquakes, etc. and prevent tipping over and collapse. There are seismic isolation tables for protecting large articles such as furniture, and on the other hand, seismic isolation tables for protecting relatively small articles such as artworks and antiques have also been invented and provided.

[0006] However, seismic isolation tables that are effective against shaking caused by earthquakes, etc. exhibit seismic isolation effects against vertical and horizontal shaking and have not been able to fully cope with shaking that occurs when turning a curve.

[0007] Furthermore, if the food being transported and served is a soup-based dish such as ramen or miso soup, a mechanism that can gently stop the shaking is necessary; otherwise, the soup will spill from the bowl, making it impossible to serve to the customer.

[0008] Furthermore, in the case of seismic isolation platforms that use spring-like elastic bodies and utilize the expansion and contraction of these elastic bodies for seismic isolation, the seismic isolation effect diminishes due to the deterioration of the elastic bodies over time.

[0009] Thus, the platform used by robots to transport and serve food needed to have seismic isolation capabilities, and these capabilities needed to be strong against vibrations that occur when turning curves, able to stop vibrations gradually, and be able to withstand repeated use. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a seismic isolation platform used when a robot transports and serves food, wherein the seismic isolation function is resistant to shaking that occurs when turning a curve, can stop shaking gradually, and can withstand repeated use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The seismic isolation platform according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises an upper plate and a lower plate, the upper plate having a recess in the center of its lower surface and three ball roller sections on the same circumference centered on the recess, the recess being formed as a cylindrical depression and having concentric grooves on its bottom surface and an upper plate magnet in the center of the bottom surface, the ball roller section comprising a ball section and a bearing section, the ball section being rotatable within the bearing section, the lower plate having a cylindrical convex section in the center of its upper surface and three conical recesses on the same circumference centered on the convex section, the convex section facing the center of the bottom surface of the recess and having an upper plate magnet and a lower plate magnet paired with it in the center of the upper surface, cone The recess is formed in a conical shape with gently sloping sides, and is opposite the ball roller section. In a non-oscillating state where the upper and lower plates overlap and no vibration is applied, the magnets for the upper plate and the lower plate are in a fixed position due to attraction, and the ball portion of the ball roller section is located at the bottom of the conical recess. However, in an oscillating state where vibration is applied and the magnets for the upper and lower plates separate, and the ball portion moves away from the bottom of the conical recess, a force acts on the magnets for the upper and lower plates to return to their fixed positions, and a force acts on the ball portion to return to the bottom of the conical recess due to its own weight. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the seismic isolation platform described in claim 1 of the present invention, in a non-oscillating state, the magnets for the upper plate and the magnets for the lower plate are in a fixed position due to attraction. In an oscillating state, a force acts on the magnets for the upper plate and the magnets for the lower plate to return to their fixed positions, and a force acts on the ball portion to return to the bottom of the conical recess due to its own weight. Since the three ball portions are arranged on the circumference of a circle centered on the recess, the upper plate can move in a circular motion around the center of the recess, as well as vertically and horizontally, making it resistant to shaking that occurs when turning a curve.

[0013] Furthermore, when shaking occurs and the seismic isolation platform begins to oscillate, the oscillation can be mitigated by friction between the convex portion and the groove formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion until it transitions to a non-oscillating state. In addition, the magnets for the upper plate and the lower plate attract each other, and a force acts on the ball portion to return it to the bottom of the conical concave portion due to its own weight, causing it to repeatedly move up and down the slope of the conical concave portion, thereby mitigating the oscillation of the upper plate. In particular, since the slope of the conical concave portion is gently inclined, the movement of the ball portion up and down the slope of the conical concave portion is slow, so the oscillation can be stopped gradually, and even when transporting and serving dishes such as ramen or miso soup, the soup can be transported and served without spilling from the container.

[0014] In addition, all the components used in the seismic isolation platform can withstand repeated use, so the seismic isolation effect will not diminish. Furthermore, even if any malfunction occurs, the original seismic isolation effect can be restored by replacing the parts, making repairs easy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the seismic isolation platform of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows the top plate as follows: (a) is a bottom view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a perspective view. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows the bottom plate as follows: (a) is a top view, (b) is an end view of line AA of (a), and (c) is a perspective view. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a side view of the seismic isolation platform during the oscillation state. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following description of preferred embodiments is illustrative and is not intended to limit the present invention or its applications. Hereafter, the top and bottom will be as shown in Figure 1.

[0017] An example of the shape of the seismic isolation table according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The seismic isolation table in this figure is assumed to be placed on a robot that transports and serves dishes in a restaurant or the like for the general public. Although not shown, it is assumed that the seismic isolation table is placed on a horizontal plane. Dishes and beverages are placed on the upper surface of the seismic isolation table for transportation and serving.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the seismic isolation table according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plate-shaped upper plate 11 and a lower plate 12 that overlap vertically. The upper plate 11 and the lower plate 12 are mainly formed of an acrylic resin. As shown in FIGS. 1(b), 2(a), and 2(c), a concave portion 111 is provided at the center of the lower surface 110 of the upper plate 11, and three ball roller portions 113 are provided on the circumference centered on the concave portion 111.

[0019] The concave portion 111 of the upper plate 11 is formed by hollowing out the center of the lower surface 110 of the upper plate 11 in a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(c), a magnet 112 for the upper plate is provided and hidden at the center of the bottom surface. Concentric grooves 111a are formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 111.

[0020] The ball roller portion 113 of the upper plate 11 is made of metal and includes a ball portion 113a and a bearing portion 113b. The ball portion 113a is rotatable inside the bearing portion 113b. As shown in FIGS. 2(b) and 4, when the upper plate 11 is viewed from the side, the lower part of the ball portion 113a is provided so as to be exposed. The ball roller portion 113 is located at a position opposite to the conical concave portion 123 of the lower plate 12 and is housed at the lowermost part of the conical concave portion 123 in a non-swaying state, and the gap between the upper plate 11 and the lower plate 12 is extremely small.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 3, the lower plate 12 is provided with a cylindrical convex portion 121 at the center of the upper surface 120 and three conical concave portions 123 on the circumference centered on the convex portion 121.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c), the convex portion 121 of the lower plate 12 is provided so as to protrude upward from the upper surface 120 of the lower plate 12. Also, as shown in FIG. 1(b), in the non-oscillating state, the convex portion 121 is positioned so as to face the center of the bottom surface of the concave portion 111 of the upper plate 11. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 3, the convex portion 121 has a magnet 122 for the lower plate, and the upper surface of the magnet 122 for the lower plate is exposed at the center of the upper surface of the convex portion 121. The upper surface of the magnet 122 for the lower plate is on the same plane as the upper surface of the convex portion 121. The magnet 122 for the lower plate forms a pair with the magnet 112 for the upper plate, and in the non-oscillating state, the magnet 112 for the upper plate and the magnet 122 for the lower plate are in the attracting and fixing positions. Note that the convex portion 121 is formed of a non-magnetic material except for the magnet 122 for the lower plate.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the conical concave portion 123 of the lower plate 12 is formed by the upper surface of the lower plate 12 being recessed in a conical shape, and the inclined surface is gently inclined in a cross-sectional view. The edge of the conical concave portion 123 is gently formed so as to be smooth with the upper surface 120 of the lower plate 12.

[0024] Next, the state when the seismic isolation table of the present invention transitions from the non-oscillating state to the oscillating state and from the oscillating state to the non-oscillating state will be described. In the non-oscillating state, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the ball portion 113a of the ball roller portion 113 is located at the lowermost part of the conical concave portion 123, the convex portion 121 is located directly below the center of the bottom surface of the concave portion 111, close to the center of the bottom surface, and the magnet 112 for the upper plate and the magnet 122 for the lower plate are in the attracting and fixing positions. When transitioning from the non-oscillating state to the oscillating state, due to the shaking, the magnet 112 for the upper plate and the magnet 122 for the lower plate separate. In the state where the magnet 112 for the upper plate and the magnet 122 for the lower plate are most separated, as shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 121 abuts against the side surface of the concave portion 111, and the ball portion 113a of the ball roller portion 113 is located at the edge of the conical concave portion 123. Note that when the position of the convex portion 121 changes from directly below the center of the bottom surface of the concave portion 111, it hits the groove 111a formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 111 and receives friction. The greater the shaking and the greater the movement of the upper plate 11, causing the position of the convex portion 121 to change, the more the convex portion 121 hits the groove 111a on the bottom surface of the concave portion 111 and receives friction. This friction alleviates the oscillation in the seismic isolation table.

[0025] The rebound of the convex portion 121 from the side of the concave portion 111, and / or the movement of the ball portion 113a due to its own weight, which causes the ball portion 113a to move towards the bottom of the conical concave portion 123, and in addition, the attractive movement of the upper plate magnet 112 and the lower plate magnet 122, cause a force to act on the upper plate 11 that causes it to transition from an oscillating state to a non-oscillating state. During the transition to the non-oscillating state, the force generated when the convex portion 121 rebounds from the side of the concave portion 111 causes the convex portion 121 to move in a circular motion along the side of the concave portion 111, and the attractive force of the upper plate magnet 112 and the lower plate magnet 122 causes the convex portion 121 to approach the center of the bottom surface of the concave portion 111, and the seismic isolation platform becomes non-oscillating.

[0026] Meanwhile, the ball portion 113a repeatedly moves up and down the slope of the conical recess 123 depending on the force of the shaking applied to the seismic isolation platform. Since the slope of the conical recess 123 has a gentle incline, the movement of the ball portion 113a is relatively slow, and this movement mitigates the oscillation. In addition, since there are three ball roller portions 113 each having a ball portion 113a, the movement of each ball portion 113a is balanced, and this balance allows the upper plate 11 to move in a circular motion around the convex portion 121. Then, due to the attractive force between the upper plate magnet 112 and the lower plate magnet 122, the ball portion 113a settles into the lowest part of the conical recess 123, and the seismic isolation platform becomes non-oscillating.

[0027] With the seismic isolation platform of the present invention configured in this way, in a non-oscillating state, the upper plate magnet 112 and the lower plate magnet 122 are in a fixed position due to attraction. In an oscillating state, a force acts on the upper plate magnet 112 and the lower plate magnet 122 to return to their fixed positions, and a force acts on the ball portion 113a to return to the bottom of the conical recess 123 due to its own weight. Since the three ball portions 113a are arranged on the circumference centered on the recess 111, the upper plate 11 can move in a circular motion around the recess 111 as well as vertically and horizontally, making it resistant to shaking that occurs when turning a curve.

[0028] Furthermore, when shaking occurs and the system enters a swaying state, the protrusion 121 rubs against the groove 111a formed on the bottom surface of the recess 111 until it transitions to a non-swaying state, thereby mitigating the swaying of the seismic isolation platform. The upper plate magnet 112 and the lower plate magnet 122 attract each other, and a force acts on the ball portion 113a to return to the bottom of the conical recess 123 due to its own weight, causing it to repeatedly move up and down the slope of the conical recess 123, and this up and down motion mitigates the swaying. In particular, since the slope of the conical recess 123 is gently inclined, the movement of the ball portion 113a up and down the slope of the conical recess 123 is slow, so the swaying can be stopped gradually, and even if the food being transported and served is a soup such as ramen or miso soup, the soup can be transported and served without spilling from the container.

[0029] In addition, all the components used in the seismic isolation platform of this invention can withstand repeated use, so the seismic isolation effect will not diminish. Furthermore, even if any malfunction occurs, the original seismic isolation effect can be restored by replacing the components, making repairs easy.

[0030] Furthermore, the seismic isolation platform of the present invention is flat and slim, about the same size as a typical serving tray, and has excellent design features. It does not stand out in restaurants or other establishments and does not detract from the atmosphere of the store.

[0031] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in the embodiments described above, the upper and lower plates were plate-shaped, but they may also be disc-shaped, or any other shape that does not interfere with the function of the seismic isolation platform. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 11 Top plate 110 Bottom surface 111 recess 112 Magnets for the top plate 113 Ball roller section 113a Ball section 113b Bearing section 12 Lower plate 120 Top 121 Convex part 122 Magnets for the bottom plate 123 Conical recess

Claims

[Claim 1] The device consists of an upper plate and a lower plate. The upper plate has a recess in the center of its lower surface and three ball roller sections on the same circumference centered on the recess. The recess is formed as a cylindrical depression, and has concentric grooves on its bottom surface and a magnet for the upper plate in the center of the bottom surface. The ball roller section consists of a ball section and a bearing section, with the ball section being rotatable within the bearing section. The lower plate has a cylindrical convex section in the center of its upper surface and three conical recesses on the same circumference centered on the convex section. The convex section faces the center of the bottom surface of the recesses, and has a magnet for the lower plate paired with a magnet for the upper plate in the center of its upper surface. The conical recesses are conically shaped. The seismic isolation platform is characterized in that, in a non-oscillating state where the upper and lower plates are overlapping and no shaking is applied, the magnets for the upper and lower plates are in a fixed position due to attraction, and the ball portion of the ball roller is located at the bottom of the conical recess. However, in an oscillating state where shaking is applied and the magnets for the upper and lower plates separate, and the ball portion moves away from the bottom of the conical recess, a force acts on the magnets for the upper and lower plates to return them to their fixed positions, and a force acts on the ball portion to return it to the bottom of the conical recess due to its own weight.

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