Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Multiple controlling elements for single controlled element
Patent
1996-03-04
1998-09-01
Marmor, Charles A.
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Multiple controlling elements for single controlled element
74 8915, 74 89, 403170, 403362, 901 16, B25J 902
Patent
active
057995435
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator structural body comprising a combination of actuators actuatable under a fluid pressure or by motors in a line for conveying a workpiece or the like, the actuators or support members which support the actuators being connectable or detachable by joint members.
2. Discussion of the Background
Actuators have heretofore been employed as a device for attracting workpieces with a suction pad or a device for gripping and conveying workpieces with a mechanical hand or a chuck. Such an actuator is mounted on support members at a given position thereon, and moves a movable body comprising a table with a drive source such as a servomotor, a stepping motor, or the like through a drive mechanism such as a ball screw, a timing belt, or the like. As the movable body moves, an attracting and gripping means coupled to the movable body also moves to convey a workpiece attracted by the attracting and gripping means to a desired position.
According to the above conventional art, if an actuator is mounted on support members or the like which are assembled, then the support members have to be disassembled and reconstructed again when the actuator is adjusted positionally or replaced. Such a procedure is tedious and time-consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An actuator structural body according to the present invention has an actuator and a columnar member which are shaped as columnar bodies and have T-shaped grooves defined in outer side surfaces thereof, and a joint means for joining the columnar bodies by fitting in the T-shaped grooves. When the actuator is to be positionally adjusted after the actuator and the columnar member are assembled, it is only necessary to remove the joint means, move the actuator, and join the actuator and the columnar member to each other with the joint means. The actuator comprises a first induction motor and a second induction motor, its size is smaller than if it were composed of a single motor, and no motor projects from an outer side surface of the columnar member, which can thus be reduced in size.
The joint means may comprise an engaging member having a shank inserted in a through hole defined in the columnar member and a head engaging in the T-shaped groove. A tightening member is threaded, from outside, into a threaded hole communicating with the through hole, and pressed into a recess in the shank to fix the columnar member to the columnar body. The condition in which the columnar member is fixed to the columnar body can easily be varied by turning the tightening member from outside. Alternatively, the tightening member and the shank of the engaging member may have respective bevel gears, and the tightening member may be turned to press the head of the engaging member into the T-shaped groove. The through hole of the columnar member may be used to house wires or as a fluid passage for simplifying a wire or fluid passage arrangement leading to the actuator. A cylinder may be disposed in the actuator, and a pulley body may house a moving pulley mounted on the distal end of a piston rod of the cylinder. A fixed pulley may be disposed on an actuator body at a stroke end of the cylinder, and a wire may be trained around the moving pulley and the fixed pulley so as to extend from the actuator body at the stroke end of the cylinder toward a mobile member. When the cylinder is actuated to displace the piston rod, the movable body is displaced an interval which is twice the interval by which the piston rod is displaced. As a result, the stroke of the piston rod may be reduced, and hence the actuator may be reduced in size.
Furthermore, a fixed pulley may also be disposed on the actuator body remotely from the stroke end of cylinder, and an adjusting pulley may be disposed in the pulley box. Another wire may be trained around the adjusting pulley and the fixed pulley so as to extend from the actuator body remotely from the stroke end of cylinder to the movable member. When the movable member is displ
REFERENCES:
patent: 3612585 (1971-10-01), Mayr
patent: 3894232 (1975-07-01), Laspesa
patent: 4652170 (1987-03-01), Lew
patent: 5265972 (1993-11-01), Bahr
patent: 5277512 (1994-01-01), Dwillies
patent: 5340247 (1994-08-01), Cuneo et al.
Nagai Shigekazu
Saitoh Akio
Sugano Koji
Suzuki Masahiko
Grabow Troy
Marmor Charles A.
SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
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