Motor with encoder

Abstract

In this motor with an encoder, in order to enable a compatibility with wiring of a plurality of types of conducting wires, a coreless motor (100) with an encoder comprises, inside a housing (10), a motor main body unit (20) including a rotating shaft (21), and an encoder unit (30) having a printed circuit board (40) that detects the rotation angle of the rotating shaft (21) and generates a signal representing the rotation angle of the rotating shaft, wherein: the printed circuit board (40) comprises a first pad row (41) in which first pads (41a) are formed side-by-side, the first pads (41a) having conducting wires (51) of a first flat cable (50) for outputting a signal to the outside connected thereto, and a second pad row (42) in which second pads (42a) are formed side-by-side, the second pads (42a) having conducting wires (61) of a second flat cable (60) connected thereto; and a width (L1) along a direction (M) in which the first pads (41a) is arranged is different from a width (L2) along the direction (M) in which the second pads (42a) are arranged.

Description

Motor with encoder

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor with an encoder.

[0002] Some motors are equipped with an encoder that is integrated with the motor body and detects the rotation angle of the rotating shaft. A motor equipped with an encoder (motor with encoder; hereinafter simply referred to as a motor) has, for example, a permanent magnet of the encoder fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor body, and is provided with a printed circuit board on which an electric circuit is formed that outputs a signal representing the rotation angle detected by a sensor element of the encoder (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-055903 Patent No. 4804843

[0004] The encoder's printed circuit board is connected to wiring for power supply, signal output, etc. The wiring is, for example, a flat cable formed by bundling multiple conductors in parallel into a flat shape. One end of the wiring is connected to a pad where each of the multiple conductors constituting the wiring is separately joined, and the other end of the wiring is connected to a connector that groups the multiple conductors together.

[0005] When a motor is used in connection with another device, the connector on the other end of the wiring is connected to a connector on the other device. However, the connector on the motor may be a different size than the connector on the other device. In this case, a conversion connector must be installed between the connector on the motor and the connector on the other device to convert the size.

[0006] Therefore, by preparing motors with wiring connected to them having large-sized connectors and motors with wiring connected to them having small-sized connectors, it becomes possible to select a motor with either size connector depending on the size of the connector to be connected, thereby eliminating the need for a conversion connector.

[0007] However, it is common for wiring with large connectors to use large diameter conductors, and for wiring with small connectors to use small diameter conductors. Note that "commonly available" means that the product is available in a state of normal distribution in the market, and does not include the situation where the product is available in a state that is not normal distribution in the market, such as by special order.

[0008] As a result, the width of the flat cable made up of bundled conductors varies depending on the size of the connector, i.e., the pitch of the conductors in the arrangement direction varies depending on the size of the connector.

[0009] The length of the pads on the printed circuit board, to which one end of the conductor wires is connected, along the direction of arrangement (hereinafter referred to as the "arrangement length") corresponds to the width of the flat cable. In other words, the pitch of the pads on the printed circuit board corresponds to the pitch of the conductor wires that make up the flat cable. Therefore, the pad arrangement length of the printed circuit board needs to be changed to accommodate wiring with connectors of different sizes.

[0010] However, preparing different printed circuit boards for wiring having different sized connectors complicates component management and increases costs.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a motor with an encoder that can accommodate wiring of a plurality of types of conductors.

[0012] The present invention is a motor with an encoder, which includes a motor main body including a rotating shaft inside a housing, and an encoder section having a printed circuit board that detects the rotation angle of the shaft in a direction along the shaft and generates a signal representing the rotation angle of the shaft, wherein the printed circuit board has a terminal row in which a plurality of terminals are arranged in a straight line to which a plurality of conductors that constitute wiring that outputs the signal to the outside are connected, and the terminal row is formed in multiple rows so that the widths along the direction in which the terminals are arranged differ from one another.

[0013] The motor with an encoder according to the present invention can accommodate wiring of a plurality of types of conductors.

[0014] 6 is a perspective view showing a coreless motor with an encoder connected to a first flat cable. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the coreless motor with an encoder shown in FIG. 1 , cut along a plane including the center C. FIG. 1 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 , showing a state in which a cap has been removed from the motor shown in FIG. 1 to which a first flat cable has been connected. FIG. 3 is a plan view taken along an arrow A in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a plan view of the printed circuit board alone in FIG. 4 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 3 , showing a state in which a cap has been removed from the motor to which a second flat cable has been connected. FIG. 6 is a plan view taken along an arrow B in FIG. 6 . FIG. 1 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 , showing a state in which a cap has been attached to the motor shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 10 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 , showing a state in which a conductor wire has been bent in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the printed circuit board (direction along the center C) in a motor in which a first flat cable has been connected to a printed circuit board. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 , cut along a plane including the center C in the motor shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 11 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 8 , showing a state in which a conductor wire has been bent in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the printed circuit board (direction along the center C) in a motor in which a second flat cable has been connected to a printed circuit board. 12 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to FIG. 2 , in which the motor shown in FIG. 11 is cut along a plane including a center C. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the motor shown in FIG. 9 , in which a connector is removed. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the motor shown in FIG. 11 , in which a connector is removed.

[0015] An embodiment of a motor with an encoder according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a coreless motor with an encoder 100 connected to a first flat cable 50, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the coreless motor with an encoder 100 shown in Fig. 1 cut along a plane including the center C. The coreless motor with an encoder 100 shown in the figure (hereinafter referred to as motor 100) is one embodiment of a motor with an encoder according to the present invention.

[0017] 3 is a perspective view equivalent to FIG. 1 showing the motor 100 shown in FIG. 1 to which the first flat cable 50 is connected with the cap 12 removed, FIG. 4 is a plan view taken along the arrow A in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the printed circuit board 40 alone in FIG. 4.

[0018] 6 is a perspective view equivalent to FIG. 3, showing the state in which the cap 13 has been removed from the motor 100 to which the second flat cable 60 is connected; FIG. 7 is a plan view taken along arrow B in FIG. 6; and FIG. 8 is a perspective view equivalent to FIG. 1, showing the state in which the cap 13 has been attached to the motor 100 shown in FIG. 6.

[0019] The overall appearance of the motor 100 of this embodiment is formed in a generally cylindrical shape as shown in Fig. 1. The motor 100 includes a motor main body 20 and an encoder 30 inside a housing 10 as shown in Fig. 2.

[0020] [Housing] The housing 10 has a motor case 11 and a cap 12 (see FIG. 1) or a cap 13 (see FIG. 8). The motor case 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a closed lower end and an open upper end, and houses the motor main body 20 inside. The motor case 11 has a cylindrical support portion 11a inside that extends along the center C. The cap 12 and the cap 13 are provided alternatively.

[0021] Specifically, cap 12 is used when a first flat cable 50 is connected to the printed circuit board 40 of the encoder unit 30, as shown in Figure 3, and cap 13 is used when a second flat cable 60 is connected to the printed circuit board 40, as shown in Figure 6.

[0022] 1, the cap 12 is disposed above the motor case 11. The cap 12 is formed on an extension of the peripheral surface of the motor case 11 and has a peripheral wall plate that covers an encoder case 31 (described later) of the encoder unit 30, and a top plate that covers a portion of a printed circuit board 40 (described later) of the encoder unit 30 and a portion of the first flat cable 50 (a portion of the conductor 51 including one end 51a connected to the printed circuit board 40). The top plate is shaped like a disk with a portion cut out, and the peripheral wall plate is shaped like a cylinder with a portion cut out, and the cutouts in the disk and cylinder form an opening 12a in the cap 12.

[0023] The opening 12a exposes a portion of the printed circuit board 40 and the encoder case 31 to the outside of the cap 12, and is formed as an area for drawing the first flat cable 50 and the conductors 26 from the inside of the cap 12 to the outside.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 8, the cap 13 is disposed above the motor case 11. The cap 13 is formed on an extension of the peripheral surface of the motor case 11 and has a peripheral wall plate that covers the encoder case 31 of the encoder unit 30, and a top plate that covers part of the printed circuit board 40 of the encoder unit 30 and part of the second flat cable 60 (the portion of the conductor 61 including one end 61a connected to the printed circuit board 40). The top plate is shaped like a disk with a portion cut out, and the peripheral wall plate is shaped like a cylinder with a portion cut out, and these notches in the disk and cylinder form an opening 13a in the cap 13.

[0025] The opening 13a exposes a portion of the printed circuit board 40 and the encoder case 31 to the outside of the cap 13, and is formed as an area for drawing the second flat cable 60 and the conductors 26 from the inside of the cap 13 to the outside.

[0026] The notch in the peripheral wall plate that forms the opening 12a of the cap 12 and the notch in the peripheral wall plate that forms the opening 13a of the cap 13 are formed to be approximately the same size (slightly wider than the width W2 of the conductor 61 of the second flat cable 60 shown in Figure 7).

[0027] On the other hand, the cutout in the top plate that forms the opening 13a of the cap 13 (see Figure 8 and Figure 14 described later) is formed larger and closer to the center C than the cutout in the top plate that forms the opening 12a of the cap 12 (see Figure 1 and Figure 13 described later).

[0028] [Motor Main Body] In this embodiment, the motor main body 20 is a brushed coreless motor. The motor main body 20 includes a rotating shaft 21, a cup coil 22, a permanent magnet 23, a commutator 24, and brushes 25.

[0029] (Rotating Shaft) The rotating shaft 21 is disposed inside the support portion 11a and extends along the center C. The rotating shaft 21 is supported near each end in the axial direction by bearings 28a, 28b. The bearings 28a, 28b form a predetermined gap between the outer peripheral surface 21a of the rotating shaft 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the support portion 11a, and support the rotating shaft 21 so that it can rotate freely around the center C. The upper end of the rotating shaft 21 protrudes upward from the upper end of the motor case 11, and the lower end of the rotating shaft 21 protrudes downward from the lower end of the motor case 11.

[0030] (Permanent Magnet) The permanent magnet 23 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support portion 11 a. Therefore, the permanent magnet 23 does not rotate. The permanent magnet 23 is disposed with a predetermined gap between its outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the motor case 11.

[0031] (Cup Coil) The cup coil 22 is formed by winding a conductor without using a core (iron core) and is cylindrical in shape extending along the center C. The cup coil 22 is disposed in a gap formed between the outer circumferential surface of the permanent magnet 23 and the inner circumferential surface of the motor case 11 so as not to come into contact with the permanent magnet 23 or the motor case 11. The upper end of the cup coil 22 in the figure is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of a mold 21b provided on the rotating shaft 21. Therefore, the cup coil 22 can rotate around the center C integrally with the rotating shaft 21.

[0032] (Commutator) The commutator 24 is provided on the rotary shaft 21 at a position above the mold 21b in the drawing. Therefore, the commutator 24 can rotate integrally with the rotary shaft 21.

[0033] (Brushes) The two brushes 25 are each fixed to a brush base (not shown). Therefore, the brushes 25 do not rotate. The brushes 25 are arranged so as to be in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the commutator 24. Each brush 25 is connected to a conductor 26 that supplies direct current (power) to the brush 25.

[0034] In the motor main body 20 configured in this manner, direct current supplied to the brushes 25 through the conductors 26 flows sequentially through the commutator 24, the cup coil 22, the commutator 24, and the brushes 25, causing the rotating shaft 21, the commutator 24, and the cup coil 22 to rotate around the center C.

[0035] [Encoder Section] Figure 3 is a perspective view equivalent to Figure 1, showing the state in which the cap 12 is removed from the motor 100 shown in Figure 1 to which the first flat cable 50 is connected, Figure 4 is a plan view taken along arrow A in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a plan view of the printed circuit board 40 alone in Figure 4.

[0036] 6 is a perspective view equivalent to FIG. 3, showing the state in which the cap 13 has been removed from the motor 100 to which the second flat cable 60 is connected; FIG. 7 is a plan view taken along arrow B in FIG. 6; and FIG. 8 is a perspective view equivalent to FIG. 1, showing the state in which the cap 13 has been attached to the motor 100 shown in FIG. 6.

[0037] The encoder unit 30 is provided in a direction along the center C of the rotating shaft 21 (upward in FIG. 2 ) of the motor main body 20. The encoder unit 30 includes an encoder case 31, a magnetic wheel 32, a magnetoresistive sensor 45 (hereinafter referred to as the MR sensor 45), a printed circuit board 40, and a first flat cable 50 (wiring) or a second flat cable 60 (wiring).

[0038] (Encoder case) The encoder case 31 is arranged to cover the opening at the upper end of the motor case 11 in Figure 2, but the rotating shaft 21 passes through it, and the upper end portion of the encoder case 31 protrudes above the mold 21b of the rotating shaft 21 in the figure.

[0039] The encoder case 31 has a disk-shaped bottom plate that covers the opening of the motor case 11 and a cylindrical peripheral wall plate that extends from the bottom plate parallel to the center C, and is formed into a cylindrical shape with a bottom as a whole. The encoder case 31 is made of a non-magnetic material such as resin. A hole is formed in the center of the bottom plate, through which the rotating shaft 21 passes. A printed circuit board 40 is disposed at the upper end of the peripheral wall plate so as to cover the upper opening of the encoder case 31. The printed circuit board 40 will be described in detail later. The upper end of the rotating shaft 21 that passes through the hole in the bottom plate and protrudes above the bottom plate is disposed in a shielded space surrounded by the bottom plate, the printed circuit board 40, and the peripheral wall plate.

[0040] (Magnetic Wheel) The magnetic wheel 32 is composed of a disk-shaped permanent magnet and a substantially annular magnet holder that holds the outer periphery of the permanent magnet. The magnetic wheel 32 is fixed to the upper end of the rotating shaft 21 that protrudes into the above-mentioned shielded space. Therefore, the magnetic wheel 32 rotates around the center C together with the rotating shaft 21.

[0041] (MR Sensor) The MR sensor 45 is disposed in the shielded space. Specifically, the MR sensor 45 is disposed on the lower surface 40b of the printed circuit board 40 (the surface facing the magnetic wheel 32) with a gap between the MR sensor 45 and the magnetic wheel 32 along the direction of the center C.

[0042] The MR sensor 45 is an example of a magnetic sensor that uses a magnetoresistive element (MR element), and detects, as a change in voltage, a change in the magnetic field that occurs when the magnetic wheel 32 rotates around the center C. An electric (electronic) circuit provided on the printed circuit board 40, which will be described later, detects the rotation angle of the magnetic wheel 32, i.e., the rotation angle of the rotating shaft 21, based on the change in voltage detected by the MR sensor 45. In other words, the magnetic wheel 32, the MR sensor 45, and the electric circuit formed on the printed circuit board 40 function as a magnetic rotary encoder that detects the rotation angle of the rotating shaft 21.

[0043] (Printed Circuit Board) The printed circuit board 40 is flat as shown in Fig. 2 and has a generally circular outline in plan view as shown in Figs. 3-5. The printed circuit board 40 is disposed such that an upper surface 40a, on which a first pad row 41 and a second pad row 42 (described later) are formed, is oriented generally perpendicular to the rotation axis 21. As shown in Fig. 5, an upper region 46 and a lower region 47 in the right half of the printed circuit board 40 in Fig. 4, which are cut out from the circular outline, are regions through which two conductors 26 pass from the bottom to the top of the printed circuit board 40 along the direction of the center C, as shown in Figs. 9 and 11 (described later).

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, the printed circuit board 40 has a smaller outer diameter than the encoder case 31 in a planar view, and therefore the diameter D1 (see Figure 5) of the approximately circular printed circuit board 40 in a planar view is smaller than the outer diameter D0 (see Figure 2) of the motor case 11.

[0045] On the upper surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 (the surface opposite to the lower surface 40b), in addition to the electric (electronic) circuit (not shown) that detects the rotation angle of the rotating shaft 21 based on the change in voltage output by the MR sensor 45 as described above, a first pad row 41 (see FIG. 5; first terminal row) in which first pads 41a are arranged, which are terminals for electrically connecting the electric (electronic) circuit to the conductor 51 (see FIG. 4) or the conductor 61 (see FIG. 7), and a second pad row 42 (see FIG. 5; second terminal row) in which second pads 42a are arranged are formed.

[0046] 5, the second pad row 42 is formed in an area of ​​the printed circuit board 40 that is near a center C in direction N (the wiring extension direction N described below) and is slightly to the left of the center C, while the first pad row 41 is formed in an area to the right of the center C in the wiring extension direction N. An electric (electronic) circuit (not shown) is formed in an area of ​​the printed circuit board 40 to the left of the second pad row 42 in the illustration, which detects the rotation angle of the rotating shaft 21 based on changes in voltage output by the MR sensor 45.

[0047] In this embodiment, the first pad row 41 includes ten first pads 41a arranged at regular intervals (e.g., 1.27 mm) on a straight line parallel to a predetermined direction M (pad arrangement direction M, described below). The ten first pads 41a of the first pad row 41 are all formed to a width L1, as shown in Fig. 5. The first pad row 41 is a terminal to which the first flat cable 50 (wiring) shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is connected.

[0048] The first flat cable 50 is a wiring that outputs to the outside a signal generated by an electric (electronic) circuit provided on the printed circuit board 40. The first flat cable 50 is formed by arranging ten conductors 51 in a single flat bundle, and the conductors 51 are spaced apart at a pitch of 1.27 mm, for example.

[0049] In the first flat cable 50, the wire width W1 (see FIG. 4 ) of the bundle of ten conductors 51 is smaller than the width L2 of the second pad row 42 and is approximately equal to the width L1 of the first pad row 41. In the first flat cable 50, the pitch between the conductors 51 is not limited to 1.27 mm, and the number of conductors 51 is not limited to 10. Furthermore, in the first flat cable 50, the pitch between the conductors 51 may be different from each other.

[0050] Therefore, when the printed circuit board 40 is arranged so that the conductors 51 extend along the upper surface 40a in a wiring extension direction N perpendicular to the pad arrangement direction M of the first pad row 41 (see Figure 4), one end 51a of each of the ten conductors 51 that make up the first flat cable 50 can be connected to each of the ten first pads 41a that make up the first pad row 41 while remaining integrated.

[0051] That is, the first pad row 41 can connect the one ends 51 a of all the conductors 51 to the respective first pads 41 a in the original state without widening the gaps between the one ends 51 a of the conductors 51 that make up the first flat cable 50. The one ends 51 a of the conductors 51 are connected to the respective first pads 41 a by, for example, soldering.

[0052] 3, a so-called 1.27 pitch connector 52, which collectively fixes the ten conductors 51, is connected to the other end 51b of each of the ten conductors 51 that make up the first flat cable 50. The 1.27 pitch connector 52 can be mated with another 1.27 pitch connector extending from an external device.

[0053] In this embodiment, the second pad row 42 includes ten second pads 42a arranged at regular intervals (e.g., 2.54 mm) on a straight line parallel to the pad arrangement direction M. The second pads 42a are larger than the first pads 41a, and the spacing between the pads is also larger than that of the first pads 41a. Therefore, the entire ten second pads 42a of the second pad row 42 have a width L2 (>L1) that is larger than the width L1, as shown in FIG. 5. The second pad row 42 is a terminal to which the second flat cable 60 (wiring) shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is connected.

[0054] The signals output from the second pad row 42 are the same as the signals output from the first pad row 41. In other words, the second pad row 42 has the same function as the first pad row 41.

[0055] Like the first flat cable 50, the second flat cable 60 is a wiring that outputs to the outside a signal generated by an electric (electronic) circuit provided on the printed circuit board 40. The second flat cable 60 is formed by arranging ten conductor wires 61 in a single flat bundle, and since the conductor wires 61 are formed to have a larger diameter than the conductor wires 51, the conductor wires 61 are spaced apart at a wider pitch than the conductor wires 51, for example, at a pitch of 2.54 mm.

[0056] In the second flat cable 60, the wire width W2 (see FIG. 7) of the bundle of ten conductors 61 is larger than the width L1 of the first pad row 41 and is approximately equal to the width L2 of the second pad row 42. In the second flat cable 60, the pitch between the conductors 61 is not limited to 2.54 mm, and the number of conductors 61 is not limited to 10. Furthermore, in the second flat cable 60, the pitch between the conductors 61 may be different from each other.

[0057] Therefore, when the printed circuit board 40 is arranged so that the conductors 61 extend along the upper surface 40a in a wiring extension direction N perpendicular to the pad arrangement direction M of the second pad row 42 (see Figure 7), one end 61a of each of the ten conductors 61 that make up the second flat cable 60 can be connected to each of the ten second pads 42a that make up the second pad row 42 while remaining integrated.

[0058] That is, the second pad row 42 can connect the one ends 61 a of all the conductor wires 61 to the respective second pads 42 a in the original state without widening the gaps between the one ends 61 a of the conductor wires 61 that make up the second flat cable 60. The one ends 61 a of the conductor wires 61 and the respective second pads 42 a can also be connected by, for example, soldering.

[0059] 6, a so-called 2.54 pitch connector 62, which collectively fixes the ten conductors 61, is connected to the other end 61b of each of the ten conductors 61 that make up the second flat cable 60. The 2.54 pitch connector 62 can be mated with another 2.54 pitch connector extending from an external device.

[0060] It should be noted that the 2.54 pitch connector 62 cannot be mated with another connector that can be mated with the 1.27 pitch connector 52, and conversely, the 1.27 pitch connector 52 cannot be mated with another connector that can be mated with the 2.54 pitch connector 62.

[0061] Therefore, if another connector extending from an external device connected to motor 100 is a 1.27 pitch connector, motor 100 will have a first flat cable 50 connected to first pad row 41 on printed circuit board 40, and if another connector extending from an external device connected to motor 100 is a 2.54 pitch connector, motor 100 will have a second flat cable 60 connected to second pad row 42 on printed circuit board 40.

[0062] Here, the first pad row 41 and the second pad row 42 are formed in an arrangement such that the directions M in which the pads are arranged (the direction in which the first pads 41a are arranged and the direction in which the second pads 42a are arranged) are parallel to each other, as shown in Figure 5.

[0063] 5, the second pad row 42 is formed closer to the center C of the roughly circular outline of the printed circuit board 40 than the first pad row 41. In other words, the second pad row 42 has a width L2 (<diameter D1) that is close to the diameter D1 of the roughly circular outline of the printed circuit board 40, and is therefore formed closer to the chord of diameter D1.

[0064] On the other hand, since the width L1 of the first pad row 41 is narrower than the width L2 of the second pad row 42, the first pad row 41 is formed at a position farther from the center C of the printed circuit board 40 than the second pad row 42. In other words, the first pad row 41 is formed at a position farther from the chord of diameter D1 than the second pad row 42.

[0065] When the first flat cable 50 is connected to the first pad row 41, one end 51a of each conductor 51 is connected to each first pad 41a so as to extend along the upper surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and in the wiring extension direction N in the opposite direction to the side on which the second pad row 42 is formed, as shown in Figure 4. In addition, one end 51a of each conductor 51 connected to each first pad 41a and the second pad row 42 are covered by a cap 12, as shown in Figure 1.

[0066] On the other hand, when the second flat cable 60 is connected to the second pad row 42, one end 61a of each conductor 61 is connected to each second pad 42a along the upper surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 as shown in FIG. 6 and extending in the wiring extension direction N toward the side where the first pad row 41 is formed as shown in FIG. 7. At this time, the first pad row 41 is covered by the second flat cable 60 connected to the second pad row 42. In this state, the first pad row 41 is covered and protected by the second flat cable 60 connected to the second pad row 42 as viewed from the direction along the center C. Furthermore, one end 61a of each conductor 61 connected to each second pad 42a is covered by a cap 13 as shown in FIG. 8.

[0067] In addition, when the first flat cable 50 is connected to the first pad row 41 or the second flat cable 60 is connected to the second pad row 42, it is preferable to cover (coat) the upper surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 with an insulating material to protect the connection between the pad rows 41, 42 and the flat cables 50, 60.

[0068] In the motor 100 configured as described above, the printed circuit board 40 of the encoder unit 30 is formed with two types of pad rows: a first pad row 41 with a width L1 and a second pad row 42 with a width L2 wider than the width L1. The first pad row 41 is formed with a width L1 corresponding to the wire width W1 of the conductor wires 51 of the first flat cable 50, and the second pad row 42 is formed with a width L2 corresponding to the wire width W2 of the conductor wires 61 of the second flat cable 60.

[0069] In other words, the first pad row 41 is formed so that the pitch of the multiple first pads 41a in the pad arrangement direction M corresponds to the pitch of the multiple conductors 51 of the first flat cable 50 in the pad arrangement direction M, and the second pad row 42 is formed so that the pitch of the multiple second pads 42a in the pad arrangement direction M corresponds to the pitch of the multiple conductors 61 of the second flat cable 60 in the pad arrangement direction M.

[0070] This allows the motor 100 to selectively connect to a common printed circuit board 40 a first flat cable 50 or a second flat cable 60 having two different sized connectors 52, 62 and different wire widths W, depending on the size of the connector of the external device to which it is connected.

[0071] In this way, the motor 100 can accommodate the first flat cable 50 and the second flat cable 60, each having two types of conductors 51, 61 with different wire diameters or widths, without the need for an intermediate conversion connector or the need to prepare a different printed circuit board for each flat cable having a different sized connector, thereby preventing the management of parts from becoming complicated and preventing costs from increasing.

[0072] [Explanation regarding the state in which the conductor wire is bent] Figure 9 is an oblique view equivalent to Figure 1 showing a state in which the conductor wire 51 is bent in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 (a direction along the center C) in a motor 100 in which a first flat cable 50 is connected to the printed circuit board 40, and Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to Figure 2, in which the motor 100 shown in Figure 9 is cut along one plane including the center C.

[0073] 11 is a perspective view equivalent to FIG. 8 showing a state in which the conductor 61 is bent in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 (a direction along the center C) in a motor 100 in which a second flat cable 60 is connected to the printed circuit board 40, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to FIG. 2 in which the motor 100 shown in FIG. 11 is cut along a plane including the center C.

[0074] 13 is a plan view of the motor 100 shown in FIG. 9 with the connector 52 removed, and FIG. 14 is a plan view of the motor 100 shown in FIG. 11 with the connector 62 removed.

[0075] 9 and 10 , with the first flat cable 50 connected to the printed circuit board 40, the conductor 51 can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the top surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 (direction along the center C) at a midpoint between one end 51a and the other end 51b. That is, as shown in Fig. 10 , the conductor 51, which is connected to the first pad row 41 along the top surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 and drawn out of the cap 12 through the opening 12a of the cap 12, is bent upward along the center C with a bending radius R1 at a midpoint exposed to the outside from the opening 12a.

[0076] 10 and 13, the conductor 51 bent upward along the center C and the conductor 26 passing through the printed circuit board 40 are contained within an area having a diameter D0 that defines the outline of the motor 100 when viewed from the direction along the center C. In other words, with the conductor 51 bent toward the center C, the area occupied by the motor 100, including the conductor 51 and the conductor 26, can be set within a cylindrical range (space) having a diameter D0 that is the sum of the outline of the housing 10 of the motor 100 and the area extending from that outline toward the center C.

[0077] Therefore, the motor 100 can occupy a compact and simple area with the conductor 51 bent toward the center C.

[0078] 11 and 12, with the second flat cable 60 connected to the printed circuit board 40, the conductor 61 can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the top surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 (direction along the center C) at a midpoint between one end 61a and the other end 61b. That is, as shown in Fig. 12, the conductor 61, which is connected to the second pad row 42 along the top surface 40a of the printed circuit board 40 and is drawn out of the cap 13 through the opening 13a of the cap 13, is bent upward in the figure along the center C with a bending radius R2 (>R1) at a midpoint exposed to the outside from the opening 13a.

[0079] At this time, since the conductor 61 has a larger wire diameter than the conductor 51, it has greater rigidity against bending than the conductor 51. Therefore, the bending radius R2 of the conductor 61 is larger than the bending radius R1 of the conductor 51.

[0080] However, the second pad 42a to which one end 61a of the conducting wire 61 is connected is formed at a position closer to the center C than the first pad 41a to which one end 51a of the conducting wire 51 is connected. Therefore, the length in the N direction from the end 61a connected to the second pad 42a to the outer contour of the motor 100 (see FIG. 12) can be ensured to be longer than the length in the N direction from the end 51a connected to the first pad 41a to the outer contour of the motor 100 (see FIG. 10).

[0081] In this way, due to the arrangement of the second pad row 42 relative to the first pad row 41, even if the bending radius R2 of the conductor 61 is larger than the bending radius R1 of the conductor 51, the conductor 61 bent upward along the center C and the conductor 26 passing through the printed circuit board 40 are contained within the area inside the diameter D0 that forms the outer contour of the motor 100 when viewed from the direction along the center C, as shown in Figures 12 and 14.

[0082] In other words, when the conductor 61 of the motor 100 is bent toward the center C, the area occupied by the motor 100, including the conductor 61 and the conductor 26, can be set within a cylindrical range (within space) of diameter D0, which is the sum of the area of ​​the outer shape of the housing 10 of the motor 100 and the area obtained by extending that outer shape toward the center C.

[0083] Therefore, when the conductor 61 of the motor 100 is bent toward the center C, the occupied area can be kept within a compact and simple shape, which contributes to making it easier to secure installation space for the motor 100 in other external equipment when the motor 100 is connected to other external equipment.

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, the cutout in the top plate of the motor 100 that forms the opening 13a of the cap 13 is larger and extends to a position closer to the center C than the cutout in the top plate that forms the opening 12a of the cap 12 shown in Figure 13.

[0085] This configuration of cap 13 relative to cap 12 can be useful for positioning the start position of the bending of conductor 61 closer to center C than the start position of the bending of conductor 51, so that the area occupied by conductor 61 bent upward along center C when the bending radius R2 of conductor 61 is greater than the bending radius R1 of conductor 51 is within the area inside diameter D0, which is the outer contour of motor 100.

[0086] In the embodiment of the motor 100, the encoder unit 30 is a magnetic rotary encoder, but in the motor with an encoder according to the present invention, the encoder unit may be any other type of rotary encoder, such as an optical rotary encoder, an electromagnetic induction rotary encoder, or a mechanical (contact) rotary encoder.

[0087] The motor 100 in the embodiment is a coreless motor, but the motor with an encoder according to the present invention is not limited to a coreless motor and may be a motor with a core (iron core), and the motor with an encoder according to the present invention may be a brushless motor.

[0088] In the motor 100 of the embodiment, two types of pad rows (first pad row 41 and second pad row 42) are formed on the same surface (top surface 40a) of the printed circuit board 40, but in the motor with encoder of the present invention, the two types of pad rows may be formed on different surfaces (top surface and bottom surface) of the printed circuit board.

[0089] In the embodiment of the motor 100, two types of pad rows (first pad row 41, second pad row 42) with different widths along the direction in which the pads (first pad 41a, second pad 42a) are arranged are formed on the printed circuit board 40 to correspond to two types of flat cables (first flat cable 50, second flat cable 60) with different wire diameters and widths, but the motor with encoder according to the present invention is not limited to this form.

[0090] That is, the motor with encoder according to the present invention may have three or more types of terminal rows formed on the printed circuit board, each having a different width along the direction in which the terminals are arranged, so as to accommodate three or more types of flat cables with different wire diameters and widths. In this case, it is preferable that the three or more types of terminal rows with different widths are arranged so that the terminals constituting each terminal row are arranged in parallel to each other. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0091] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-053518, filed with the Japan Patent Office on March 28, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A motor with an encoder, comprising: a motor body including a rotating shaft inside a housing; and an encoder having a printed circuit board that detects the rotation angle of the shaft in a direction along the shaft and generates a signal representing the rotation angle of the shaft, wherein the printed circuit board has a terminal row in which a plurality of terminals are arranged in a straight line to which a plurality of conductors that constitute wiring that outputs the signal to the outside are connected, and wherein the terminal row is formed so that the widths along the direction in which the terminals are arranged are different from each other.

2. The motor with an encoder according to claim 1, wherein the terminals in the multiple terminal rows are arranged in parallel to one another.

3. A motor with an encoder as described in claim 1, wherein the terminal row having the relatively longer width among the plurality of terminal rows is formed closer to the shaft than the terminal row having the relatively shorter width.

4. A motor with an encoder as described in claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board is arranged such that the surface on which the terminal row is formed is oriented approximately perpendicular to the axis, and the conductor is connected to the terminal row so as to follow the surface of the printed circuit board on which the terminal row is formed, and when the conductor is bent in the direction along the axis at a midpoint, the conductor is contained within the external area of ​​the casing when viewed in the direction along the axis.

5. A motor with an encoder as described in claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board has a notch formed therein that allows a conductor that supplies power to the motor main body to pass through the printed circuit board along the axial direction.

6. A motor with an encoder as described in claim 1, wherein the terminal row with a relatively shorter width among the plurality of terminal rows is arranged so that when the conductor is connected to the terminal row with a relatively longer width, it is covered by the conductor when viewed in a direction along the axis.

Images