JP4892677B2 - Rotating body support mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotating body support mechanism.

Conventionally, a rotational drive actuator such as a motor for rotating a wheel cuts the steering including the rotational drive unit, that is, the steering is changed by rotating both the wheel and the rotational drive unit around a vertical axis. A vehicle equipped with a rotation support mechanism has been reported (for example, see Patent Document 1). As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the rotation drive unit 1, the wheel 3, the drive unit fixing body 14, the bearing 9, the linear object 6, and the main body connection unit 15 are included.
JP 2000-159142 A

  However, the conventional rotating body support mechanism as described above has the following problems. Consider that the wheel 3 continues to rotate around the vertical axis in the same direction. One end of the linear object 6 such as the wiring of the rotation drive unit 1 is fixed to the substrate, and the other end is fixed to the rotation drive unit 1 itself. Further, the rotary drive actuator itself is fixed to the drive unit fixing body 14. Therefore, these vehicles have a problem that the twist of the linear object 6 is accumulated when the steering is changed, that is, when the direction of the wheel is changed around the vertical axis.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an infinitely rotating member such as a wheel equipped with a so-called wheel-in motor having a motor in the wheel can be further rotated infinitely about a vertical axis. To provide a mechanism capable of preventing the linear object from being broken by returning the twist of the linear object 6 one by one when trying to support, and consequently allowing the wheel module to rotate infinitely around the vertical axis. With the goal.

The rotating body support mechanism of the present invention includes a support body and a transmission mechanism. (A) a support that rotatably supports the connecting portion and the rotary drive body; and (b) when the connecting portion rotates relative to the support, the rotation angle is the same as the rotation angle of the connecting portion. transmission mechanism Ru transmitted to the rotary drive member, wherein the connecting portion, when viewed from the side opposite to the side where the transmission mechanism is present, also the rotary drive member, and the side on which the transmission mechanism is present When viewed from the opposite side, the rotation direction of the connecting portion and the rotation direction of the rotary drive body are opposite to each other .

The present invention has the following effects.
According to the rotary body supporting mechanism according to claim 1 Symbol placement of invention, the rotary body supporting mechanism, the member for infinite rotation of such wheel equipped with a so-called wheel-in motor having a wheel driving motor in the axle, further vertical axis Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric wire for driving the motor from being twisted out.

  It is possible to prevent the piping from being twisted even when a rotary drive body such as a motor is not of an electric drive type but of a fluid drive type such as pneumatic pressure or hydraulic pressure.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the rotation support mechanism of the present invention will be described.
Initially, the structure of the vehicle carrying a rotation support mechanism is demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle equipped with the rotation support mechanism of the present invention. The vehicle includes a substrate 8 and a plurality of rotation support mechanisms. There are three rotation support mechanisms. The number of rotation support mechanisms in one vehicle is not limited to three. Whether the rotation support mechanism of the present invention can be applied does not depend on the number of wheels of the vehicle.

  The substrate 8 is a plate on an equilateral triangle. The shape of the substrate 8 is not limited to a regular triangle. The substrate 8 is made of metal, plastic, wood, or the like.

The configuration of the rotation support mechanism will be described.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rotation support mechanism. The rotation support mechanism includes a main body connecting portion 8 a, a bearing 9, a bearing support 5, a rotation drive unit 1, a rotation power output shaft 2, wheels 3, bevel gears 7 a and 7 b, and a linear object 6. The main body connecting portion 8a, the bearing 9, the bearing support 5, the rotation driving portion 1, the rotational power output shaft 2, the wheels 3, the bevel gears 7a and 7b, and the linear object 6 will be described.

  The main body connecting portion 8a has a cylindrical shape. The upper end portion of the main body connecting portion 8 a is fixed to the substrate 8. A bevel gear 7a is fixed to the lower end portion of the main body connecting portion 8a.

  In FIG. 2, the bearing 9 allows rotation of the entire wheel module around the vertical axis and rotation around the horizontal axis of the rotary drive unit 1. In the entire rotation of the wheel module around the vertical axis, the inner ring of the bearing is fixed to the main body connecting portion 8 a and the outer ring of the bearing is fixed to the bearing support 5. Therefore, the bearing support mechanism 5 can rotate around the vertical axis with the main body connecting portion 8a fixed to the substrate 8 as an axis.

  The bearing support 5 serves to support a bearing that allows rotation about a vertical axis and a horizontal axis. The bearing support 5 is made of metal or plastic. The number of bearing supports 5 in one rotation support mechanism is one. The bearing support 5 is made of metal, plastic, wood or the like.

  The rotation drive unit 1 includes a rotary actuator such as a motor and a member for fixing the actuator, and the member contacts an inner ring of the bearing 9. In other words, the rotation drive unit 1 itself can rotate around the horizontal axis.

  The rotary power output shaft 2 is an output shaft of a rotary actuator such as a motor. The rotary power output shaft 2 is made of metal, plastic or the like.

  The wheel 3 is connected to the rotational power output shaft 2, and when the rotational driving unit 1 outputs the rotational driving force, the wheel 3 coupled to the rotational power output shaft 2 also starts rotating at the same speed in the same direction. The wheel 3 is made of metal, plastic, rubber, wood or the like.

The bevel gears 7a and 7b will be described.
The number of bevel gears 7a and 7b is one each. The bevel gear 7a is fixed to the lower end of the main body fixing portion 8a, and the bevel gear 7b is fixed to the right end of the rotation driving portion 1 and is engaged with each other. The gear is made of metal, plastic or the like. The number of gear teeth may be the same as each.

The linear object 6 will be described.
There are two linear objects 6. The number of the linear objects 6 is not limited to two. A linear object is an object for sending energy and a signal to a rotation drive part, and even if bundled, it always exists at least one. A linear object is comprised by the wiring, piping, etc. from a rotation drive part. That is, one end of the linear object is fixed to the rotation driving unit 1. When the rotation drive unit itself rotates, this linear object is also affected by the rotation. Further, the end opposite to the rotation drive unit 1 is fixed to the substrate 8 or the main body connection unit 8a.

Next, the principle that this rotation support mechanism loosens the twist of the linear object will be described.
First, for the sake of explanation, consider two viewpoints in FIG. One is a viewpoint (S) when the rotation support mechanism of the present invention is viewed from the wheel in FIG. 2, and the other is a viewpoint (B) when the rotation support mechanism of the present invention is viewed from the top to the bottom of FIG.

  Consider the case where the wheel 3 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the viewpoint (S). When turning off the steering wheel, the entire bearing support 5 is rotated around the main body connecting portion 8a in the clockwise direction from the viewpoint (T) in synchronization with the rotation of the wheel 3 that rotates counterclockwise from the viewpoint (S). Rotate. When the bearing support 5 rotates around the main body connecting portion 8a, the bevel gear 7b rotates clockwise from the viewpoint (S). This is because the bevel gear 7a that exists in a pair with the bevel gear 7b is fixed to the main body connecting portion 8a or the substrate 8, so that when the bevel gear 7b rotates around the vertical axis together with the bearing support 5, the viewpoint ( This is because it is forced to turn clockwise as viewed from S).

  Consider the rotation angle of the bevel gear 7b at this time. Since the number of teeth of the bevel gear 7b is the same as the number of teeth of the bevel gear 7a, the bevel gear 7b itself rotates about the horizontal axis by the angle that the bevel gear 7b revolves around the vertical axis.

  The bevel gear 7b is connected to the right end of the rotation drive unit 1 in FIG. Therefore, when turning the steering wheel, the bevel gear 7b rotates clockwise as viewed from the viewpoint (S) by the angle at which the steering wheel is turned. This means that the rotation drive unit 1 connected to the bevel gear 7b at that time also Similarly, it will rotate clockwise by the angle at which the steering is turned.

  Further, the end of the linear object 6 is fixed to the rotary drive body 1. Therefore, when the rotation drive unit rotates clockwise, the linear object 6 also rotates clockwise by the angle at which the steering is turned. As a result, the rotational drive unit 1 with one end of the linear object 6 fixed by the twist of the linear object caused by changing the steering re-twists the linear object 6 in the opposite direction to the twist. As a result, no twist is accumulated in the linear object, and the wheel module can rotate indefinitely about an axis perpendicular to the traveling surface 4.

  When attention is paid to the posture of the linear object 6 itself, for example, this means that the end of one end of the hose or the like is fixed in the vertical direction, the position and the rotation are fixed, and the shape of the entire hose is kept bent in an L shape. When rotating around the end fixed in the vertical direction, the other end extending in the horizontal direction is the same as rotating in the horizontal direction to unwind the hose being accumulated around the vertical axis. It is a phenomenon.

  Moreover, this rotation support mechanism can also take the form which arrange | positions the rotational drive part 1 in the wheel 3, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. This form has an effect of protecting the rotation drive unit from the outside world when moving in a real environment.

  From the above, according to the best mode for carrying out the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the main body connecting portion 8a, the bearing 9, the bearing support 5, the rotational drive portion 1, the rotational power output shaft 2, the wheel 3, comprising the bevel gears 7a and 7b and the linear object 6, and when the wheel 3 performs the steering operation to change the direction around the axis perpendicular to the traveling surface, the twist of the linear object can be loosened. The wheel module can rotate indefinitely about an axis perpendicular to the running surface.

  Note that the vertical axis and the horizontal axis are those in the example of FIG. 2, and the same function is achieved if the angle between the two axes is fixed at an arbitrary angle larger than 0 °. .

  The portions of the bevel gears 7a and 7b are not limited to those described in the present embodiment. In addition, machine elements such as universal joints and spring joints can be employed. In short, any means can be adopted as long as the rotation around the vertical axis and the rotation around the horizontal axis in FIG.

  Further, in the present invention, it is possible to prevent the piping from being twisted even if the rotary drive body such as a motor is not an electric drive type but a fluid drive type such as pneumatic pressure or hydraulic pressure.

  In the present invention, not only the wheel but also any rotating body can be adopted.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various other configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of implementation of the rotary body support mechanism of this invention. It is a perspective view of an example which comprises the rotating body support mechanism of this invention. It is a perspective view of an example which comprises the rotating body support mechanism of this invention. It is a perspective view of the conventional rotation support mechanism which does not have a mechanism which prevents twist of a linear thing. It is a perspective view of the conventional rotation support mechanism which does not have a mechanism which prevents twist of a linear thing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rotary drive part, 2 ... Rotation power output shaft, 3 ... Wheel, 4 ... Running surface, 5 ... Bearing support, 6 ... Linear object, 7a, 7b ... Bevel gear, 8 ... ··· PCB, 8a ··· Main body connecting portion, 9 ··· Bearing, 14 ··· Drive unit fixed body, 15 ··· Main body connecting portion

Claims (1)

A rotating body support mechanism having the following support body and transmission mechanism.
(A) A support that rotatably supports the connecting portion and the rotary drive body (b) When the connecting portion rotates relative to the support, the same rotation angle as the rotation angle of the connecting portion is transmission mechanism Ru transmitted to the rotary drive member
Here, when the connecting portion is viewed from the side opposite to the side where the transmission mechanism exists,
Further, when the rotary drive body is viewed from the side opposite to the side where the transmission mechanism exists,
The rotation direction of the connecting portion and the rotation direction of the rotary drive body are opposite to each other.

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