Interlocking chain
The interlocking chain design equalizes contact areas and distances between link groups, enhancing load-bearing capacity and driving force efficiency by alternating thicknesses and pin hole configurations, addressing the limitations of conventional chains.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-26
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing engaging chains fail to maximize load-bearing capacity in the compression direction and driving force per unit of occupied space due to unequal load-bearing capacity between link plates of different groups, particularly when both tensile and compressive loads are applied via pins.
An interlocking chain design with alternating connection of link plates of different thicknesses and pin hole configurations, ensuring equal contact areas and distances between link groups to enhance load-bearing capacity and driving force efficiency.
The design achieves equal load-bearing capacity between link groups, maximizing driving force per unit space by equalizing contact areas and preventing damage from large curvature or extension, while allowing curved movement trajectories.
Smart Images
Figure 0007879471000001 
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Figure 0007879471000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
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[0001] The present invention relates to an engaging chain having at least a pair of chain members capable of moving forward and backward, wherein the paired chain members mesh with each other and integrate as they move in the advancing direction, while the chain members disengage from each other and branch as they move in the retracting direction from the integrated meshed state.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, as an engaging chain used in a movable body moving device or the like, a plurality of pairs of chain members capable of moving forward and backward mesh with each other and integrate as they move in the advancing direction, while they disengage from each other and branch as they move in the retracting direction from the integrated meshed state. Also, in order to have high load-bearing performance in the compression direction and increase the driving force per unit occupied space, an engaging chain is known in which link plates of a first link group (outer link plates and intermediate plates: (outer plates and middle plates)) and link plates of a second link group (inner link plates (inner plates)) are arranged in a large number without gaps in the chain width direction and are connected so as to be bendable (see Patent Document 1, etc.). <000The meshing chain known in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which plates and sprockets mesh to drive, so load is transmitted between plates and does not put a load on the pins. However, it has not taken into consideration chains in which both tensile and compressive loads are generated when the driving force is applied via pins, as in the present invention. Although it has high load-bearing capacity in the compression direction and increases the driving force per occupied space, there is a problem that even if there is still margin in the load-bearing capacity between the link plates of the first link group and the link plates of the second link group, the load-bearing capacity between the link plates of the second link group is the upper limit because the number of link plates in the non-guide row is small due to the alternating arrangement of link plates of the first link group.
[0005] The present invention aims to solve these problems by providing an interlocking chain that has high load-bearing capacity in the compression direction and can maximize the driving force per unit of occupied space. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The present invention relates to an interlocking chain having at least one pair of chain members that can move forward and backward, wherein the pair of chain members interlock and integrate with each other as they move in the direction of travel, and disengage and branch from each other as they move in the direction of retreat from that integrated interlocked state, wherein the chain members are rotatably connected by connecting pins inserted through the pin holes, with each of the pair of link plates having a pair of pin holes aligned in the direction of forward and backward movement, and the pin holes of one of the pair of pin holes overlap with the other pin hole of the pair of pin holes of the other link plate adjacent in the direction of forward and backward movement, and when one of the pair of chain members is designated as the first chain member and the other as the second chain member, the first chain member and the front The link plate of the second chain member comprises a pair of outer plates in the width direction having a front and rear pair of pin holes, a middle plate disposed between the pair of outer plates in the width direction and having a front and rear pair of pin holes, and a plurality of inner plates having a front and rear pair of pin holes. The first chain member and the second chain member are alternately connected in the chain forward and backward movement direction by the connecting pins to a first link group consisting of the outer plates and the middle plate, and a second link group consisting of the inner plates. The sum of the contact areas of the contact surfaces that come into contact when the first link group of the first chain member and the first link group of the second chain member mesh together is equal to the sum of the contact areas of the contact surfaces that come into contact when the second link group of the first chain member and the second link group of the second chain member mesh together. Furthermore, the thickness of the middle plate and the thickness of the inner plate are different. This solves the aforementioned problem. [Effects of the Invention]
[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, the total contact area of the end faces of the first outer plate and the first middle plate that contact the second outer plate and the second middle plate when they are meshed is equal to the total contact area of the end faces of the first inner plate that contact the second inner plate when they are meshed. This makes it possible to make the load-bearing capacity of the link plates of the first link group equal to that of the link plates of the second link group, resulting in high load-bearing capacity in the compression direction and maximizing the driving force per occupied space.
[0008] Also, This makes it possible to equalize the total contact area without changing the side view shape of the contacting end faces. This claim 2 According to the configuration described above, the first distance between a pair of pin holes in the first link plate is smaller than the second distance between a pair of pin holes in the second link plate, thereby enabling forward and backward movement along a curved movement trajectory with a predetermined curvature corresponding to the curved shape. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0009] [Figure 1] A perspective view of the meshing chain during unwinding according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A perspective view of Figure 1 from a different angle. [Figure 3] An enlarged front view with some parts near the drive unit removed (Figure 1). [Figure 4] An enlarged perspective view of the drive unit near the drive mechanism shown in Figure 1, with some parts removed. [Figure 5] A perspective view from the second chain member side, showing the state after removing some of the link plates from the interlocking chain. [Figure 6] A perspective view from the first chain member side, showing the state after removing some of the link plates from the interlocking chain. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing the distance between the pin holes and the edge of the link plate. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing the thickness of the link plate. [Figure 9]An exaggerated diagram illustrating the bending deformation of the meshing chain.
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In this specification, "direction of forward and backward movement" and "width direction" refer to the direction in which the chain extends and the direction of the central axis of the connecting pin perpendicular to it, as shown in Figure 8. Furthermore, in this specification, "front and back" refers to the "front and back" in the "direction of movement forward and backward." [Examples]
[0011] An interlocking chain 100 and a movable body movement mechanism that moves a movable body using the interlocking chain 100, according to one embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. The movable body movement mechanism includes an interlocking chain 100 that can move back and forth along the direction of forward and backward movement, a drive unit 200 fixedly positioned at the base end of the interlocking chain 100, and a movable body 108 connected to the tip end of the interlocking chain 100 via a joint link 107. The interlocking chain 100 has a pair of first chain members 101 and second chain members 105 that can interlock with each other. The interlocking chain 100 is configured such that the pair of chain members, the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105, interlock and integrate with each other as they move in the direction of travel, while simultaneously disengaging and branching from this integrated interlocking state as the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 move in the direction of retreat.
[0012] As shown in FIG. 6, the first chain member 101 includes a pair of first outer plates 110 in the width direction having a pair of pin holes in the front and rear, a first middle plate 120 disposed between the pair of first outer plates 110 in the width direction and having a pair of pin holes in the front and rear, and a plurality of first inner plates 130 having a pair of pin holes in the front and rear. A first link group composed of the first outer plate 110 and the first middle plate 120 and a second link group composed of the first inner plate 130 are alternately bent in the chain forward and backward movement direction by a connecting pin 102 and connected. The connecting pin 102 is provided so as to project outward in the width direction on both sides.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 5, the second chain member 105 includes a pair of second outer plates 150 in the width direction having a pair of pin holes in the front and rear, a second middle plate 160 disposed between the pair of second outer plates 150 in the width direction and having a pair of pin holes in the front and rear, and a plurality of second inner plates 170 having a pair of pin holes in the front and rear. A first link group composed of the second outer plate 150 and the second middle plate 160 and a second link group composed of the second inner plate 170 are alternately bent in the chain forward and backward movement direction by a connecting pin 106 and connected. The connecting pin 106 is provided so as to project outward in the width direction on both sides. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the first outer plate 110, the first middle plate 120, the first inner plate 130 of the first chain member 101 and the second outer plate 150, the second middle plate 160, the second inner plate 170 of the second chain member 105 are each composed of two link plates stacked to ensure the thickness in the width direction at each meshing portion between the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105. Two first middle plates 120, second middle plates 160 and three first inner plates 130, second inner plates 170 are alternately arranged in the width direction. Each link plate may be composed of two or more stacked plates, or may be composed of a single thick link plate.
[0014] The drive unit 200 includes a pin guide 240 disposed on both sides of the meshing chain 100 and provided with guide grooves 241 for guiding the connecting pins 102 and 106, a second guide 230 for guiding the edge of the second chain member 105 opposite to the first chain member 101, a first guide 220 for guiding the edge of the first chain member 101 opposite to the second chain member 105, and a drive sprocket 210 that engages with and drives the connecting pin 102. The drive sprocket 210 that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions meshes with the connecting pin 102 of the first chain member 101. When the drive sprocket 210 is rotationally driven in both forward and reverse directions by a motor (not shown), the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 accommodated in the accommodating portion (not shown) are guided by the guide grooves 241, mesh with each other, and are fed out as an integrated meshing chain 100. Or, in the reverse drive, the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 are separated in the drive unit 200 and are respectively accommodated in their accommodating portions, so that the movable body 108 is configured to move in the forward and backward movement directions. The drive sprocket 210 is arranged to mesh with the portions protruding from both ends in the width direction of the connecting pin 102 of the first chain member 101 in a section where the first chain member 101 moves along a bent trajectory in order to mesh with the second chain member 105.
[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, a first distance P1 between a pair of pin holes in the first outer plate 110, the first middle plate 120, and the first inner plate 130 of the first chain member 101 is set smaller than a second distance P2 between a pair of pin holes in the second outer plate 150, the second middle plate 160, and the second inner plate 170 of the second chain member 105. This enables the meshing chain 100 to have a shape curved toward the first chain member 101 when the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 mesh, and makes it possible to move the movable body 108 forward and backward along a curved trajectory.
[0016] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance W1 from the edge of the first outer plate 110 of the first chain member 101 on the side opposite to the second chain member 105 to the center of the pin hole is set to be larger than the distance W2 from the edge of the second outer plate 150 of the second chain member 105 on the side opposite to the first chain member 101 to the center of the pin hole. The relationship between the first middle plate 120, the first inner plate 130 and the second middle plate 160, the second inner plate 170 is the same. By this, even when a locally extremely large tensile force occurs near the end of the curved section as shown in FIG. 9, by improving the load-bearing performance of the first chain member 101 against the tensile force, damage to the first chain member 101 can be prevented even by large curvature or long extension.
[0017] Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the sum of the thicknesses Dg1, Dg4 of the first outer plate 110 of the guide row of the first chain member 101 and the thicknesses Dg2, Dg3 of the first middle plate 120 is configured to be equal to the sum of the thicknesses Di1, Di2, Di3 of the first inner plate 130 of the non-guide row. Also, in this embodiment, it is configured such that Dg1 = Dg2 = Dg3 = Dg4 < Di1 = Di2 = Di3. The relationship of the thicknesses of the second outer plate 150, the second middle plate 160, and the second inner plate 170 of the second chain member 105 is the same. As a result, the total contact area of the contact surfaces where the first outer plate and the first middle plate contact the second outer plate and the second middle plate during meshing is equal to the total contact area of the contact surfaces where the first inner plate contacts the second inner plate during meshing, and the load-bearing performance between the link plates of the first link group of the inner chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 and the load-bearing performance between the link plates of the second link group can be made equal, having high load-bearing performance in the compression direction, and the driving force per occupied space can be increased to the maximum.
[0018] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 7, the first chain member 101 is formed such that when it interlocks with the second chain member 105 and becomes integrated, the edge opposite to the second chain member 105 forms a continuous arc shape when viewed from the side, and the second chain member 105 is formed such that when it interlocks with the first chain member 101 and becomes integrated, the edge opposite to the first chain member 101 forms a continuous arc shape when viewed from the side. This allows guide members and the like to be positioned on the inside and outside of the curved shape, which can always contact and support the meshing chain at a predetermined contact length. By reducing the bending deformation of the meshing chain 100, the generation of extremely large localized tensile forces can be suppressed, and damage to the link plates of the meshing chain 100 can be prevented even with large bending or long payouts.
[0019] In conventional meshing chains consisting of link plates and connecting pins, the structure drives the chain by meshing the link plates and sprockets, so the load is transmitted between the link plates and does not put a load on the pins. In this invention, the total contact area of the contact surfaces that come into contact when the first group of links of the first chain member and the first group of links of the second chain member mesh is equal to the total contact area of the contact surfaces that come into contact when the second group of links of the first chain member and the second group of links of the second chain member mesh. This prevents the increase in surface pressure that occurs when the contact area between the pins and link plates is narrow in a meshing chain to which driving force is applied via pins.
[0020] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. In the above embodiment, the pitches of the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 are different so that when they mesh, they form a curved shape towards the first chain member 101. However, the pitches of the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 may be the same so that when they mesh, they form a straight shape. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the drive sprocket 210 is positioned to engage with the connecting pin 102 of the first chain member 101 in the section where the first chain member 101 moves along a curved trajectory to engage with the second chain member 105. However, the drive sprocket 210 may also be positioned to engage with the connecting pin 102 in the section where the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105 are engaged. Furthermore, the drive sprocket 210 may be provided in two locations such as to engage with the connecting pin 106 of the second chain member 105, or to engage with both the first chain member 101 and the second chain member 105. [Explanation of symbols]
[0021] 100 ··· Interlocking chain 101, 501 ··· First chain member 102... Connecting pin (of the first chain member) 105, 505... Second chain component 106... Connecting pin (of the second chain member) 107, 507 ··· Joint Link 108, 508... Movable body 110 ··· First outer plate 120 ··· 1st Middle Plate 130 ··· 1st inner plate 150 ··· Second outer plate 160 ··· 2nd Middle Plate 170 ··· Second inner plate 200, 600 ··· Drive unit 210 ··· Drive sprocket 220 ··· First Guide 230 ··· Second Guide 240... Pin Guide 241 ··· Guide groove
Claims
1. An interlocking chain having at least one pair of chain members that can move forward and backward, wherein the pair of chain members interlock and become one when they move in the direction of travel, and disengage and branch out when they move in the direction of retreat from that integrated interlocked state, The chain member is rotatably connected by connecting pins inserted through the pin holes, with each of the link plates having a pair of pin holes aligned in the direction of forward and backward movement, arranged in series such that one pin hole in the pair of pin holes overlaps with the other pin hole in the pair of pin holes of the other link plate adjacent in the direction of forward and backward movement. When one of the pair of chain members is designated as the first chain member and the other as the second chain member, The link plates of the first chain member and the second chain member each have a pair of outer plates in the width direction having a front and rear pair of pin holes, a middle plate positioned between the pair of outer plates in the width direction and having a front and rear pair of pin holes, and a plurality of inner plates having a front and rear pair of pin holes. The first chain member and the second chain member are alternately connected in the chain's forward and backward movement direction by the connecting pins, with a first link group consisting of the outer plate and the middle plate and a second link group consisting of the inner plate. The sum of the contact areas of the contact surfaces that come into contact when the first link group of the first chain member and the first link group of the second chain member mesh together is equal to the sum of the contact areas of the contact surfaces that come into contact when the second link group of the first chain member and the second link group of the second chain member mesh together. A meshing chain characterized in that the thickness of the middle plate and the thickness of the inner plate are different.
2. The meshing chain according to claim 1, characterized in that when the link plate in the first chain member is designated as the first link plate and the link plate in the second chain member is designated as the second link plate, the first distance between a pair of pin holes in the first link plate is smaller than the second distance between a pair of pin holes in the second link plate.