Wire driving device and object moving apparatus comprising same

Abstract

This wire driving device comprises: a worm wheel (5) which has an outer-circumferential-side gear part (52) on the circumferential surface and which rotates by rotational driving force applied to the outer-circumferential-side gear part (52); and a drum (3) which has a rotary axis (O) coinciding with a rotary axis (O) of the worm wheel (5), is connected to the worm wheel (5) so as to rotate together with the worm wheel (5), and has a wire wound around the circumferential surface. A recessed accommodation part (53) is formed on an inner circumferential side of a facing surface facing the drum (3) in the worm wheel (5). The whole facing surface facing the worm wheel (5) in the drum (3) is accommodated in the accommodation part (53). With such a structure, it is possible to provide a wire driving device which realizes reduction in the thickness thereof and which improves the degree of freedom of layout.

Description

Wire drive device and object moving device equipped with same

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire driving device and an object moving device including the same.

[0002] Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2005-103563) relates to a technology for driving a driven object connected to the tip end of a wire by unwinding and rewinding the wire, and discloses a technology in which a fitting portion provided on a drum is fitted into a fitting hole in a worm wheel to transmit the rotational force of the worm wheel to the drum. Specifically, the technology discloses a technology including a drive mechanism in which a reduction mechanism including a worm and a worm wheel and a drum coaxially coupled to the worm wheel are housed in the same housing, a closing cable having one end fixed to the drum and the other end connected to a carrier plate via a reversing pulley, an opening cable having one end fixed to the drum and the other end directly connected to the carrier plate, and an electric motor having an armature mechanically coupled to the worm and connectable to the drive mechanism.

[0003] As a result, according to the technology of Patent Document 1, the reduction mechanism consisting of a worm and a worm wheel and the drum coaxially connected to the worm wheel are housed in the same housing, thereby realizing a thinner drive mechanism that improves layout freedom.

[0004] JP 2009-041310 A

[0005] However, in order to improve the degree of freedom in the layout of the drive mechanism relative to the mounting target, there is room for improvement in that it is necessary to further reduce the thickness of the device in addition to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1. In particular, when the drive mechanism is used in a window regulator that raises and lowers the window glass of a vehicle, there has been a demand for a thinner device due to the recent restrictions on the mounting space for the window regulator inside the vehicle door.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a wire-driven device that has been made thinner to improve layout freedom, and an object movement device including the same.

[0007] A wire driving device according to one aspect of the present invention drives a driven object connected to the tip end of a wire by winding and unwinding the wire, and includes: a worm wheel having a gear portion on its peripheral surface and rotating by a rotational driving force applied to the gear portion; and a drum having a rotation axis coinciding with the rotation axis of the worm wheel, connected to the worm wheel so as to rotate together with the worm wheel, and having the wire wound around its peripheral surface; a concave accommodating portion formed on the inner peripheral side of the opposing surface of the worm wheel that faces the drum, and the entire opposing surface of the drum that faces the worm wheel is accommodated in the accommodating portion.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wire-driven device that has been made thinner to improve the degree of freedom in layout, and an object movement device including the same.

[0009] Fig. 1 is an example of an overall perspective view of an object movement device; Fig. 2 is an example of an AA line cross-sectional view of a wire drive device; Fig. 3 is an example of an exploded perspective view of a wire drive device; Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an engagement state between a drum housing and a wheel housing;

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the expressions "upper surface," "upper direction," "lower surface," "lower direction," and "vertical direction" are used, and the drum housing 2 (see FIG. 3 below) side is defined as the upper side, and the wheel housing 6 (see FIG. 3 below) side is defined as the lower side along the rotation axis O (see FIGS. 2 to 4 below) of the drum 3 described below. Note that the above definitions of "up" and "down" are provided merely for the convenience of explanation.

[0011] (Object moving device 100) As shown in Fig. 1, the object moving device 100 includes a wire driving device 1 that unwinds and winds wires 81, 82, a moving member 104 to which one ends of the two wires 81 are connected, a guide rail 105 that guides the moving member 104, and a direction changing member 106 provided at the end of the guide rail 105. As shown in Fig. 2, the wire driving device 1 in the object moving device 100 is configured so that a portion of the thickness of the drum 3 and a portion of the thickness of the worm wheel 5 overlap in a direction parallel to the rotation axis O (the up-down direction in Fig. 2), thereby achieving a thin design. The configuration that achieves this thin design will be described later.

[0012] The object movement device 100 moves the moving member 104 via the wires 81 and 82, and by moving the moving member 104, operates the driven object. The driven object operated by the object movement device 100 is not particularly limited as long as it is operated by the movement of the moving member 104. The driven object may be the moving member 104 itself, or may be something that is operated directly or indirectly by the movement of the moving member 104. If the object movement device 100 is a window regulator, the driven object may be, for example, a window glass of a vehicle. The driven object may also be a sunroof, trunk door, hatchback, curtain, sliding door, or the like of a vehicle. Note that the driven object is not limited to application to vehicles, and may also be applied to ships, houses, and various types of equipment.

[0013] 1 shows a case where the object movement device 100 is a window regulator that raises and lowers, for example, a window glass (not shown) of a vehicle. In the object movement device 100, the window glass is attached to a moving member 104, and the wires 81 and 82 are driven to raise and lower the window glass attached to the moving member 104.

[0014] (Wire drive device 1) As shown in Fig. 2, the wire drive device 1 has a drum housing 2, a drum 3, a waterproof cover 4, a worm wheel 5, and a wheel housing 6. The drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 are fastened together to form a housing having an internal space, and the drum 3, waterproof cover 4, and worm wheel 5 are housed in the internal space.

[0015] (Wheel Housing 6) As shown in FIG. 3 , the wheel housing 6 has a cylindrical container 61 with an open top. A side wall 61A of the container 61 is formed with a motor mounting portion 611 to which a drive motor (not shown) is mounted, and a gear exposure portion 612 through which a worm gear provided on the rotary drive shaft of the drive motor is exposed to the internal space. The side wall 61A of the container 61 also has an attachment portion 613 disposed at one location and engagement portions 614, 614 disposed at two locations. A fastening member 7 that fastens the drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 is attached to the attachment portion 613. The engagement portions 614, 614 engage with the engagement claws 213, 213 of the drum housing 2 as the wheel housing 6 and the drum housing 2 rotate relative to each other about the rotation axis O.

[0016] Furthermore, the side wall 61A of the housing 61 has an upper edge portion 615, which is an upper region including the upper end, and a side portion 616, which is a lower region from the upper edge portion 615 to the lower end. The upper edge portion 615 is formed with a larger diameter than the side portion 616. An extension portion 617 is formed between the upper edge portion 615 and the side portion 616, extending from the upper end of the side portion 616 to the lower end of the upper edge portion 615 in the circumferential direction. The extension portion 617 and the upper edge portion 615 are configured to abut the peripheral edge of the waterproof cover 4 in an airtight manner. In addition, the upper edge portion 615 of the housing 61 is formed with cover engagement portions 618, 618 that enable engagement with the waterproof cover 4 in the vertical and rotational directions. The cover engagement portions 618, 618 are arranged symmetrically around the rotation axis O.

[0017] Furthermore, the upper edge portion 615 of the housing body 61 has a stepped portion 6151 in which the vertical length (height) of a portion of the housing body 61 is set longer (higher) than that of the other portion. When the outer peripheral packing member 41 of the waterproof cover 4 is in close contact with the upper edge portion 615, the stepped portion 6151 of the housing body 61 acts as an interference body in the rotational direction around the rotation axis O of the worm wheel 5 and the drum 3, thereby preventing the waterproof cover 4 from rotating together with the worm wheel 5 and the drum 3 when they rotate. Furthermore, a convex portion 62 is disposed at the center of the wheel housing 6. The convex portion 62 is molded integrally with the wheel housing 6 to reduce the number of parts. The convex portion 62 is formed in a cylindrical shape protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom wall 61B of the wheel housing 6, and its central axis is aligned with the rotation axis O. The upper surface of the convex portion 62 is set to be located between the upper end of the extension portion 617 and the upper end of the upper edge portion 615.

[0018] (Worm wheel 5) A worm wheel 5 is rotatably provided in the wheel housing 6. In this embodiment, the worm wheel 5 is a two-stage gear and has an inner gear portion 51 and an outer gear portion 52. The inner gear portion 51 is provided on the upper side of the worm wheel 5. The inner gear portion 51 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the central axis of the inner gear portion 51 coincides with the rotation axis O. An annular support portion 54 having a central axis coincident with the rotation axis O is formed on the upper surface of the inner gear portion 51.

[0019] A gear having a vertical gear groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper region of the inner gear portion 51. The inner gear portion 51 is formed so that its upper region is located above the upper end of the convex portion 62 of the wheel housing 6 and its lower region is located in a region extending from the upper end to the lower end of the convex portion 62 of the wheel housing 6. A fitting hole 511 with an open lower surface is formed inside the inner gear portion 51. The central axis of the fitting hole 511 coincides with the rotation axis O. The fitting hole 511 is rotatably fitted into the convex portion 62 of the wheel housing 6.

[0020] An outer gear portion 52 is disposed below the worm wheel 5. The outer gear portion 52 is disposed at a vertical position corresponding to a lower region of the inner gear portion 51 and radially outward of the inner gear portion 51. The outer gear portion 52 is circular in top view, and the central axis of the outer gear portion 52 coincides with the rotation axis O. A gear having a gear groove inclined in the vertical direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer gear portion 52. The gear of the outer gear portion 52 meshes with a worm gear (not shown) exposed from a gear exposure portion 612 of the wheel housing 6. As a result, the worm wheel 5 is rotatable in forward and reverse directions about the rotation axis O by transmitting the rotational driving force of a drive motor (not shown) to the outer gear portion 52.

[0021] A concave accommodation portion 53 with an open top is formed between the inner gear portion 51 and the outer gear portion 52. Specifically, in the radial direction of the rotation axis O, a concave accommodation portion is provided in an annular shape between the lower end region of the inner gear portion 51 and the gear of the outer gear portion 52. The accommodation portion 53 is configured so that the entire lower surface of the waterproof cover 4 and the entire lower surface of the drum 3 overlap with the worm wheel 5 in part in the up-down direction.

[0022] (Waterproof Cover 4) A waterproof cover 4 is provided on the upper surface of the worm wheel 5. The waterproof cover 4 is disposed between the worm wheel 5 and the drum 3, with its peripheral edge sandwiched between the wheel housing 6 and the drum housing 2, and is configured to separate the space on the wheel housing 6 side and the space on the drum housing 2 side in a liquid-tight state. As a result, even if water droplets or moisture enter from the outside when the drum 3 unwinds or unwinds the wires 81, 82, the waterproof cover 4 separates the space on the wheel housing 6 side and the space on the drum housing 2 side in a liquid-tight state. This prevents water droplets or moisture from moving from the space on the wheel housing 6 side to the space on the drum housing 2 side, making it possible to protect the device that applies rotational driving force to the worm wheel 5 from water or moisture.

[0023] Specifically, the waterproof cover 4 includes an outer-periphery packing member 41 formed in close contact with the upper edge portion 615 and the stepped portion 6151 of the wheel housing 6, an inner-periphery packing member 42 formed in close contact with a lower region of the inner-periphery gear portion 51 of the worm wheel 5, and a packing support member 43 that supports the outer-periphery packing member 41 and the inner-periphery packing member 42 at their outer and inner peripheries and is spaced apart from the worm wheel 5. The packing support member 43 has an outer-periphery region located above the outer-periphery gear portion 52 of the worm wheel 5 and an inner-periphery region formed in a concave shape in vertical cross section that is concave downward. That is, the packing support member 43 has an annular recess 44 whose inner periphery region is surrounded by the outer periphery region. As a result, the recess 44 in the inner periphery region is received in the receiving portion 53 of the worm wheel 5, so that the waterproof cover 4 overlaps the worm wheel 5 in the up-down direction.

[0024] (Drum 3) The drum 3 is disposed above the waterproof cover 4. The drum 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The outer diameter of the drum 3 is set to be smaller than the inner circumferential region of the waterproof cover 4. The entire lower portion of the drum 3 is housed in a recess 44, which is the inner circumferential region of the waterproof cover 4. In this embodiment, at least an area of ​​the lower portion of the drum 3 where the wire grooves 32 are not provided is housed in the recess 44. As a result, the entire lower portion of the drum 3 is housed in the recess 44 of the waterproof cover 4, and the recess 44 of the waterproof cover 4 is housed in the housing portion 53 of the worm wheel 5, so that the drum 3 overlaps the worm wheel 5 in the vertical direction. The reduction in the vertical thickness due to the overlapping portions of the drum 3, waterproof cover 4, and worm wheel 5 allows the wire drive device 1 to be made thinner.

[0025] A fitting hole 31 is formed in the center of the drum 3, penetrating it in the vertical direction. In other words, the drum 3 has the fitting hole 31 as a hollow fitting portion with open axial end faces. The opening diameter of the upper surface of the fitting hole 31 is set to be smaller than the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole 31, which slides against the convex portion 62, and the support portion 54 of the worm wheel 5 is rotatably fitted into the opening of the upper surface. The center axes of the support portion 54 of the worm wheel 5 and the fitting hole 31 are aligned with the rotation axis O. As a result, the support portion 54 of the worm wheel 5 rotatably supports the upper surface of the drum 3.

[0026] Furthermore, the inner peripheral gear portion 51 of the worm wheel 5 disposed below the drum 3 is fitted into the fitting hole 31 of the drum 3. A gear having a vertical gear groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole 31 excluding the upper surface portion. As described above, a gear having a vertical gear groove is also formed on the inner peripheral gear portion 51 of the worm wheel 5. The drum 3 and the worm wheel 5 are rotatable together about the rotation axis O by meshing the gear of the fitting hole 31 of the drum 3 with the gear of the inner peripheral gear portion 51 of the worm wheel 5.

[0027] A wire groove 32 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 3. The wire groove 32 is formed in a spiral shape from the top to a predetermined region on the bottom of the outer peripheral surface of the drum 3. The region in the wire groove 32 where the wires 81, 82 are wound and not wound up or fed out is called an excess winding portion. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper and lower ends of the wire groove 32 are connected to wire fixing portions 33a, 33b (see FIG. 3) formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the drum 3, respectively. One end of one wire 81 is fixed to the wire fixing portion 33a on the upper surface of the drum 3. Furthermore, one end of the other wire 82 is fixed to the wire fixing portion 33b on the lower surface of the drum 3.

[0028] As a result, the wires 81, 82 are wound in opposite directions from the upper and lower surfaces of the drum 3, and are pulled out from the center of the excess windings so that they can be connected to a drive target (not shown). As a result, when the drum 3 rotates forward, it operates to unwind one wire 81 and wind up the other wire 82, thereby moving the drive target to one side (e.g., toward the wire driving device 1). On the other hand, when the drum 3 rotates reversely, it operates to wind up one wire 81 and unwind the other wire 82, thereby moving the drive target to the other side (e.g., away from the wire driving device 1).

[0029] The lower end of the drum 3 is accommodated in a recess 44, which is an inner peripheral region of the waterproof cover 4. As a result, the drum 3 is vertically overlapped with the worm wheel 5 by having its lower end accommodated in the accommodation portion 53 of the worm wheel 5. The lower end of the drum 3 is also spaced apart from the waterproof cover 4. This prevents the waterproof cover 4 from exerting frictional force that would hinder rotation of the drum 3 when the drum 3 rotates. Note that the lower end of the drum 3 accommodated in the recess 44 may be accommodated to an extent that does not interfere with winding or unwinding of the wires 81, 82 onto or from the drum 3. For example, a region of the lower region of the drum 3 that does not have the wire groove 32, or a region that does not have the wire groove 32 and the excess winding portion, may be accommodated in the recess 44.

[0030] As described above, the wire driving device 1 includes the worm wheel 5 having the outer peripheral gear portion 52 (gear portion) on its peripheral surface and rotating due to the rotational driving force applied to the outer peripheral gear portion 52, and the drum 3 having the fitting hole 31 whose rotation axis O coincides with the rotation axis O of the worm wheel 5, connected to the worm wheel 5 by meshing of the gears so as to rotate together with the worm wheel 5, and having the wires 81, 82 wound around its peripheral surface. The worm wheel 5 has a recessed accommodation portion 53 formed on the inner peripheral side of the facing surface (upper surface) facing the drum 3, and the entire facing surface (lower surface) of the drum 3 facing the worm wheel 5 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 53. Note that the entire region of the drum 3 from the facing surface (lower surface) facing the worm wheel 5 to the extra winding portion may be accommodated in the accommodation portion 53.

[0031] As a result, the vertical thickness of the drum 3 and the vertical thickness of the worm wheel 5 are factors in the device thickness in the direction of the rotation axis O of the wire drive device 1. However, because the entire surface of the drum 3 facing the worm wheel 5 is housed in the housing 53 for the worm wheel 5, the thickness of the drum 3 and the thickness of the worm wheel 5 partially overlap in the direction of the rotation axis O. Therefore, the device thickness in the vertical direction of the wire drive device 1 is the sum of the thicknesses of the drum 3 and the worm wheel 5 minus the thickness of any of the overlapping portions. Therefore, the device thickness can be thinner than when the drum 3 and the worm wheel 5 are simply arranged facing each other at a distance. As a result, the wire drive device 1 can be made thinner, improving layout flexibility. In this embodiment, a structure in which the waterproof cover 4 is used between the drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 has been described, but the waterproof cover 4 is not necessary. In this case, the lower end of the drum 3 is accommodated in the worm wheel accommodating portion 53, and the area of ​​the lower end of the drum 3 accommodated in the worm wheel accommodating portion 53 can be the same area as when a waterproof cover is used.

[0032] When the wire driving device 1 is used in a window regulator, increasing the number of teeth on the worm wheel can increase the reduction ratio and therefore the rotational torque. This allows the diameter of the drum that rotates integrally with the worm wheel to be larger than usual, ensuring the winding length of the wire groove. In other words, the number of windings of wire around the drum can be reduced, allowing the drum to be made thinner. This allows the wire driving device 1 to be made even thinner.

[0033] (Drum Housing 2) The drum 3 is housed in the drum housing 2. The drum housing 2 has a cylindrical housing body 21 that is open at the bottom. The housing body 21 has outlets 215, 216 that correspond to the wires 81, 82 wound around the drum 3, respectively. A cylindrical protrusion 211 (see FIG. 2) that protrudes downward is formed in the center of the bottom surface of the top wall 21A of the housing body 21. The protrusion 211 is rotatably fitted into an annular hole formed by the annular support portion 54 of the worm wheel 5.

[0034] The side wall 21B of the accommodating body 21 presses the peripheral edge of the waterproof cover 4 and the outer peripheral packing member 41 toward the wheel housing 6. In addition, the side wall 21B of the accommodating body 21 is formed with an attachment portion 212, engaging claw portions 213, 213, and an attachment hole 214. The attachment portion 212 and the engaging claw portions 213, 213 are arranged to correspond to the attachment portion 613 and engaging portions 614, 614 of the wheel housing 6. As shown in FIG. 4 , the engaging claw portions 213, 213 of the drum housing 2 have a claw support portion 2131 extending in the rotational direction about the rotation axis O, and a claw portion 2132 formed at the tip of the claw support portion 2131 and protruding toward the outer periphery of the drum housing 2. On the other hand, the engagement portion 614 of the wheel housing 6 has a claw support portion 6141 formed in the opposite direction to the claw support portion 2121 of the drum housing 2, and a claw portion 6142 formed at the tip of the claw support portion 6141 and protruding toward the inner circumference of the drum housing 2. When the drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 are joined, the claw portion 2132 of the engagement claw portion 213 and the claw portion 6142 of the engagement portion 614 are positioned to be able to abut against each other, thereby forming an engagement mechanism that engages with each other by rotating the drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 relative to each other about the rotation axis O. A fixing member such as a bolt (not shown) is attached to the mounting hole 214. The fixing member fixes the wire drive device 1 to an attachment object such as a vehicle body.

[0035] (Summary) The wire driving device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above. The wire driving device 1 according to the above-described embodiment mainly includes the following configuration.

[0036] (1) A wire driving device 1 that drives a driven object connected to the tip end of wires 81, 82 by winding and unwinding the wires, comprising: a worm wheel 5 that has a gear portion (outer peripheral gear portion 52) on its peripheral surface and rotates by a rotational driving force applied to the gear portion; and a drum 3 that has a rotation axis O that coincides with the rotation axis O of the worm wheel 5, is connected to the worm wheel 5 so as to rotate together with the worm wheel 5, and has the wires 81, 82 wound around its peripheral surface, wherein a concave accommodating portion 53 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the opposing surface of the worm wheel 5 that faces the drum 3, and the entire opposing surface of the drum 3 that faces the worm wheel 5 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 53.

[0037] According to the wire driving device 1 described above in (1), the drum 3 and the worm wheel 5 are disposed opposite each other with their rotational axes aligned, and as the drum 3 rotates together with the worm wheel 5, the wires 81, 82 wound around the drum 3 are unwound and rewound, thereby driving a driven object connected to the distal ends of the wires 81, 82. In the wire driving device 1 operating with this structure, the thickness of the drum 3 and the thickness of the worm wheel 5 are factors in the device thickness in the direction parallel to the rotational axis O. However, because the entire surface of the drum 3 facing the worm wheel 5 is housed in the housing portion 53 of the worm wheel 5, a portion of the thickness of the drum 3 and the thickness of the worm wheel 5 overlap in the direction parallel to the rotational axis O. Therefore, the device thickness of the wire driving device 1 is the sum of the thicknesses of the drum 3 and the worm wheel 5 minus the thickness of any of the overlapping portions, and therefore the device thickness can be thinner than when the drum 3 and the worm wheel 5 are simply disposed opposite each other with a space between them. As a result, the wire driving device 1 can be made thinner, which improves the degree of freedom in layout.

[0038] (2) The wire driving device 1 described in (1) above includes: a wheel housing 6 that accommodates the worm wheel 5; a drum housing 2 that accommodates the drum 3; and a waterproof cover 4 that is disposed between the drum 3 and the worm wheel 5, has a peripheral edge sandwiched between the wheel housing 6 and the drum housing 2, and separates the space on the wheel housing 6 side and the space on the drum housing 2 side into a liquid-tight state, wherein the waterproof cover 4 has a recess 44 formed on its inner circumferential side, and the recess is accommodated in the accommodation portion 53 of the worm wheel 5 and accommodates the entire opposing surface of the drum 3.

[0039] According to the configuration (2) above, even if water droplets or moisture enter from the outside when the drum 3 unwinds or unwinds the wires 81, 82, the waterproof cover 4 separates the space on the wheel housing 6 side from the space on the drum housing 2 side in a liquid-tight state, thereby preventing the water droplets or moisture from moving from the space on the drum housing 2 side to the space on the wheel housing 6 side. This prevents the device that applies rotational driving force to the worm wheel 5 from being affected by water or moisture. Even when the waterproof cover 4 is provided in this manner, a recess is formed on the inner periphery of the waterproof cover 4, and this recess is housed in the housing for the worm wheel 5 and houses the entire opposing surface of the drum 3. This reduces the thickness of the overlapping portion between the drum 3 and the worm wheel 5.

[0040] (3) The worm wheel 5 has a hollow rotating shaft (fitting hole 511) with an open bottom, which protrudes from the bottom surface of the wheel housing 6 side toward the drum housing 2 side in the center surrounded by the accommodating portion 53; the drum 3 has a hollow fitting portion (fitting hole 31) with open axial end surfaces, and is connected to the worm wheel 5 by fitting the rotating shaft (inner peripheral gear portion 51) into the fitting portion; the drum housing 2 rotatably supports the upper end of the rotating shaft of the worm wheel 5; the wheel housing 6 has a convex portion 62 integrally molded in the center, which is inserted into the rotating shaft (fitting hole 511) of the worm wheel 5, and the worm wheel 5 is rotatably supported by the convex portion 62.

[0041] According to the above configuration (3), a mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force of the worm wheel 5 to the drum 3 can be configured with a small number of parts.

[0042] (4) A wire groove 32 along which the wires 81, 82 are aligned is formed on the outer periphery of the drum 3, and the wire groove 32 has an excess winding portion around which the wires 81, 82 that are not led out to the outside are wound, and at least a part of the excess winding portion in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 3 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 53 of the worm wheel 5. The wire driving device 1 described in (1) or (2) above.

[0043] According to the configuration (4) above, even if the drum 3 is provided with an extra winding portion, the thickness of the wire driving device 1 can be made thin.

[0044] (5) The wire driving device 1 according to (1) or (2) above includes a wheel housing 6 that accommodates the worm wheel 5, and a drum housing 2 that accommodates the drum 3, wherein the wheel housing 6 and the drum housing 2 have a single mounting portion 613 to which a fastening member 7 is attached, and an engagement mechanism (engagement claw portion 213, engagement portion 614) that engages with the drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 by rotating them relative to each other around the rotation axis O as the center of rotation.

[0045] According to the configuration (5) above, the drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 can be easily fastened together by screwing the fastening member 7 into one mounting portion 613 and rotating the drum housing 2 and the wheel housing 6 relative to the rotation axis O to engage the engagement mechanism.

[0046] The wire driving device 1 according to the present invention may be configured with only the configuration described in (1) above, or may be configured by any combination of the configuration described in (1) above and any of the configurations described in any of (2) to (5) above, as long as consistency can be achieved. When combining the configuration described in (1) above with the configurations described in any of (2) to (5) above, as long as consistency can be achieved, all or part of the configuration described in (1) above can be combined with all or part of the configuration described in one or more of the wire driving devices 1 described in (2) to (5) above. When combining all or part of the configuration described in (1) above with part of the configuration described in one or more of the wire driving devices 1 described in (2) to (5), the combination can be made arbitrarily without restriction, as long as consistency can be achieved.

[0047] (6) An object moving device 100 including the wire driving device 1 according to any one of (1) to (5) above.

[0048] According to the configuration (6) above, the wire driving device 1 can provide a thin object moving device 100.

[0049] As described above, within the scope of the concept of the present invention, those skilled in the art may conceive of various modifications and alterations. Therefore, it is understood that such modifications and alterations fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, even if a person skilled in the art appropriately adds or deletes components or modifies the design of the above-described embodiment, or adds or omits steps or modifies conditions, such modifications are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they maintain the gist of the present invention.

[0050] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 wire drive device 2 drum housing 3 drum 3 4 waterproof cover 5 worm wheel 6 wheel housing 7 fastening member 21 container 21A upper wall 21B side wall 32 wire groove 41 outer peripheral side packing member 42 inner peripheral side packing member 43 packing support member 44 container portion 53 recess 61 container 100 object moving device 211 protrusion 212 attachment portion 213 engaging claw portion

Claims

1. A wire driving device that drives a driven object connected to the tip of a wire by winding and unwinding the wire, comprising: a worm wheel having a gear portion on its peripheral surface and rotated by a rotational driving force applied to the gear portion; and a drum having an axis of rotation coinciding with the axis of rotation of the worm wheel, connected to the worm wheel so as to rotate together with the worm wheel, and having the wire wound around its peripheral surface, wherein a concave storage portion is formed on the inner peripheral side of the facing surface of the worm wheel that faces the drum, and the entire facing surface of the drum that faces the worm wheel is housed in the storage portion.

2. A wire driving device as described in claim 1, comprising: a wheel housing that accommodates the worm wheel; a drum housing that accommodates the drum; and a waterproof cover that is disposed between the drum and the worm wheel, the peripheral edge of which is sandwiched between the wheel housing and the drum housing, and which divides the space on the wheel housing side and the space on the drum housing side into a liquid-tight state, wherein the waterproof cover has a recess formed on its inner peripheral side, the recess being accommodated in the accommodation portion of the worm wheel and accommodating the entire opposing surface of the drum.

3. The wire driving device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the worm wheel has a hollow rotating shaft with an open bottom, which protrudes from the bottom surface of the wheel housing side towards the drum housing side at its central portion surrounded by the accommodating portion, the drum has a hollow fitting portion with open axial end surfaces and is connected to the worm wheel by fitting the rotating shaft into the fitting portion, the drum housing rotatably supports an upper end of the rotating shaft of the worm wheel, the wheel housing has a convex portion integrally molded in the central portion and which is inserted onto the rotating shaft of the worm wheel, and the worm wheel is rotatably supported by the convex portion.

4. A wire driving device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein a wire groove is formed on the outer periphery of the drum along which the wire is aligned, the wire groove has an excess winding portion around which the wire that is not led out to the outside is wound, and at least a portion of the excess winding portion in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the drum is accommodated in the accommodation portion of the worm wheel.

5. A wire driving device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, comprising: a wheel housing which accommodates the worm wheel; and a drum housing which accommodates the drum, wherein the wheel housing and the drum housing have a single mounting portion to which a fastening member is attached, and an engagement mechanism which engages the drum housing and the wheel housing by rotating them relatively around the rotation axis.

6. An object moving device comprising the wire drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

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