Machine element or mechanism – Mechanical movements – Reciprocating or oscillating to or from alternating rotary
Patent
1994-03-04
1996-03-19
Herrmann, Allan D.
Machine element or mechanism
Mechanical movements
Reciprocating or oscillating to or from alternating rotary
744248R, 108 20, 108143, 384 50, F16H 2522
Patent
active
054995477
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an actuator, and more specifically to an actuator wherein the actuator drive source and a further drive shaft used for a slider are coupled to one another with high accuracy.
BACKGROUND ART
Slider actuators, as well as other actuators for industrial, medical or public use applications for effecting controls such as linear and rotational movement control, force control, position control, pattern control, phase-plane profile control, non-linear control, compliance control, etc. using rotatable drive sources [such as a rotatable electric motor, a fluid-pressure rotatable motor (using air, hydraulic pressure, water pressure or the like), a fuel engine, a biological-organism principle motor (a flagellum motor)] or the like generally include a coupling or connecting means intended for coupling the drive source to a means for effecting linear or rotational movement.
Further, electrical, fluidic, chemical-substance and biochemical drive sources are generally united into a work module in a compact manner, with the actuator bodies or actuators being aggregated together with control drivers used for the drive sources and power sources (such as a generator, a compressor, a vacuum pump, a fuel battery, or a biological energy or chemical energy source). A CIM and FA system, or Virtual Reality/Artificial Reality system is used to attempt to construct a modular distributed/integrated system for the CIM and FA system, with the Virtual Reality/Artificial Reality system being incorporated therein. Further, the individual actuators include control, distribution and intelligent control devices (such as a sequencer having a communicating and radio-communication exchanging means), a power system (e.g., electrical, fluid, fuel, chemical energy substance and biological energy substance sources) and a signal system, all of which are incorporated in an arrangement for the respective modules, a bus system and actuators.
In the individual actuators referred to above, however, the coupling between a slider drive source and a drive shaft thereof cannot be easily performed with high accuracy. It is also difficult to make reduce the size of each actuator, since the interconnection between the drive source and the slider drive shaft are performed by coupling.
Further, a problem arises in that a distortion occur at each actuator body, depending on the guide structure of the slider.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to minimize the need for adjustment and maintenance of a coupling means as much as possible. Further, another object of the present invention is to provide an actuator capable of improving the dynamic and static characteristics of a connecting means or the like by reducing the weight, noise, produced dust, and generated heat thereof, and thereby converting biochemical energy into kinetic energy with high efficiency.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention is characterized in that a feed screw shaft for converting the rotational motion of a motor into a linear motion is provided to displace a slider. The feed screw shaft has ball-screw splines formed over its entirety, and is constructed such that the center of rotation of the feed screw shaft is brought into alignment with the center of rotation of the motor and a bearing thereof, by fitting balls or strings into the ball-screw splines.
The present invention is also characterized in that the motor and the feed screw shaft are accommodated within a frame forming an outer frame.
The present invention is further characterized in that the frame has a groove-like opening defined therein, and direct-acting guides are provided in the vicinity of the opening.
The present invention is still further characterized in that grooves are provided on both sides of each of the direct-acting guides, and guides for guiding the slider are inserted into the grooves respectively.
The present invention is still further characterized in that the slider is slidably moved along the guide
REFERENCES:
patent: 4598238 (1986-07-01), Scarhno
patent: 4693131 (1987-09-01), Teramachi
patent: 4916963 (1990-04-01), Takei
patent: 4934202 (1990-06-01), Hikita et al.
Nagai Shigekazu
Saitoh Akio
Sugiyama Toru
Herrmann Allan D.
SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
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