EP1870000B1 - Movable body drive unit and automatic drawer device using the same - Google Patents
Movable body drive unit and automatic drawer device using the same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1870000B1 EP1870000B1 EP06728716.9A EP06728716A EP1870000B1 EP 1870000 B1 EP1870000 B1 EP 1870000B1 EP 06728716 A EP06728716 A EP 06728716A EP 1870000 B1 EP1870000 B1 EP 1870000B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- drawer
- obstruction
- movable body
- retreating
- conveyance roller
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
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- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 claims 2
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- 241000282472 Canis lupus familiaris Species 0.000 description 8
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 7
- 230000006378 damage Effects 0.000 description 6
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- 208000027418 Wounds and injury Diseases 0.000 description 2
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 208000012260 Accidental injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 229920006311 Urethane elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 1
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Images
Classifications
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
- A47B88/00—Drawers for tables, cabinets or like furniture; Guides for drawers
- A47B88/40—Sliding drawers; Slides or guides therefor
- A47B88/453—Actuated drawers
- A47B88/457—Actuated drawers operated by electrically-powered actuation means
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
- E05F15/00—Power-operated mechanisms for wings
- E05F15/60—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators
- E05F15/603—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors
- E05F15/632—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings
- E05F15/635—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings operated by push-pull mechanisms, e.g. flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
- E05F15/00—Power-operated mechanisms for wings
- E05F15/60—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators
- E05F15/603—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors
- E05F15/632—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings
- E05F15/635—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings operated by push-pull mechanisms, e.g. flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements
- E05F15/641—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings operated by push-pull mechanisms, e.g. flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements operated by friction wheels
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/20—Brakes; Disengaging means; Holders; Stops; Valves; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/214—Disengaging means
- E05Y2201/216—Clutches
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/20—Brakes; Disengaging means; Holders; Stops; Valves; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/23—Actuation thereof
- E05Y2201/246—Actuation thereof by auxiliary motors, magnets, springs or weights
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/40—Motors; Magnets; Springs; Weights; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/46—Magnets
- E05Y2201/462—Electromagnets
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/60—Suspension or transmission members; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/622—Suspension or transmission members elements
- E05Y2201/674—Friction wheels
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2900/00—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof
- E05Y2900/20—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for furniture, e.g. cabinets
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a movable body drive unit provided between a pair of members making relative reciprocating movement in a predetermined direction such as sliding doors of fittings and drawers of an article of furniture and adapted to cause those members to advance and retreat relative to each other, and an automatic drawer device using the same, according to the preamble portions of claims 1 and 9.
- a device which opens and closes a movable member such as a drawer of an article of furniture or of a built-in kitchen ( JP 2003-189955 A , JP 2003-334120 A , etc.). More specifically, a movable member such as a drawer is arranged so as to be freely retractable with respect to a fixed frame body such as an article of furniture, and the movable member is equipped with a rack extending in the direction in which the rack advances and retreats. On the other hand, a gear that is in mesh with the rack is provided on the fixed frame body, and through rotation of the gear upon switch operation by a user, the drawer is caused to advance or retreat according to the rotating direction of the gear.
- a grip of the drawer grasped by the user is equipped with a measuring device for detecting a direction and a magnitude of a force applied thereto. Further, the gear is rotated upon an output signal from the measuring device, making it possible to automatically open and close the drawer.
- Document GB 2374521 A discloses a movable body drive unit and an automatic drawer device according to the preamble of claims 1 and 9.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a movable body drive unit for causing a movable member such as a drawer to advance and retreat along a predetermined advancing/retreating route, in which, even in a case where there exists an obstacle in the advancing/retreating route of the movable member, the movable member is caused to immediately stop its advancing/retreating movement upon collision with the obstacle to thereby prevent damage of the obstacle and the movable member itself and secure a sufficient level of safety for the user and the like.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic drawer device for opening and closing a drawer by using the movable body drive unit, in which when the drawer comes into contact with an obstacle, the advancement/retreating of the drawer is immediately stopped to thereby prevent damage of the obstacle and the drawer itself and secure a sufficient level of safety for the user and the like.
- the present invention relates to a movable body drive unit mounted to a second member supported so as to be capable of making relative reciprocating movement relative to a first member and adapted to cause the second member to advance and retreat relative to the first member.
- the movable body drive unit causes the second member to advance and retreat relative to the first member, so it is possible for the first member to be on a fixed side, with the movable body drive unit advancing and retreating together with the second member, or for the second member to be on the fixed side, with the movable body drive unit causing solely the first member to advance and retreat with respect to the second member.
- the movable body drive unit includes: a conveyance roller held in press contact with a traveling surface provided on the first member; a drive means for rotating the conveyance roller in a normal direction or a reverse direction; a user input means for giving the drive means a command to cause the second member to advance or retreat; a control means for generating a drive signal for the drive means in response to an input signal of the user input means; and an obstruction detection means which makes a judgment as to whether there has been generated any obstruction to relative advancement/retreating of the first member and the second member, and which, upon determining there is an obstruction, gives the control means a command to stop the drive means.
- the obstruction detection means detects it.
- a command is given to the control means to stop the drive means.
- the drive means is stopped irrespective of the input signal of the user input means, and the rotation of the conveyance roller stops, thus stopping the movement of the second member with respect to the first member.
- the first member is a fixed frame body of an article of furniture or the like and in which the second member is a drawer retractable to the fixed frame body, if a finger is inadvertently caught between the drawer and the fixed frame body, this does not lead to serious injury since the drawer stops immediately.
- the obstruction detection means it is only necessary for the obstruction detection means to be capable of judging whether there has been generated an obstruction to relative advancing and retreating of the first member and the second member.
- a speed detection means for detecting an advancing/retreating speed of the second member with respect to the first member, when it is judged from an output signal of the speed detection means that the advancing/retreating speed of the second member has been markedly reduced, it is determined that there is an obstruction.
- the speed detection means it is possible for the speed detection means to be, for example, a rotary encoder rotating according to the advancing/retreating amount of the second member or a linear encoder for reading a magnetic scale attached to the first member as the second member moves.
- the drive means is an electric motor
- another example of the obstruction detection means may be one which detects generation of an obstruction from fluctuations in the value of an electric current flowing through the motor.
- the obstruction detection means judges an obstacle to be present and gives the control means a command to stop the drive means
- the first member or the second member stops in a state in which it abuts against the obstacle
- the operation of removing the obstacle is rather hard to perform.
- a finger is caught between the fixed frame body being the first member and the drawer being the second member
- this state will be allowed to continue, resulting in an unexpected injury.
- the obstruction detection means judges the obstacle to be present and the drive means stops, it is desirable to separate the first member or the second member immediately from the obstacle after the stopping.
- taking the trouble to perform control to reverse the conveyance roller in order to separate the first member or the second member from the obstacle will result in a rather complicated construction of the control portion generating the drive signal of the drive means.
- an absorption/repulsion means which absorbs at least a part of torque transmitted from the drive means to the conveyance roller from the point in time when the first member or the second member abuts against the obstacle and is locked in its movement until the point in time when the drive means is stopped, and which, as the drive means stops, separates the first member or the second member from the obstacle by using a reaction force of the absorbed torque. It is possible to realize the absorption/repulsion means, for example, by covering the surface of the conveyance roller with a soft and elastic layer or by providing an elastic joint in the power transmission route from the drive means to the conveyance roller.
- the electromagnetic clutch cuts off the connection between the conveyance roller and the drive means while the drive means is at rest, the user can move the first member relative to the second member through manual operation without having to use the movable body drive unit of the present invention, thereby helping to achieve an improvement in terms of convenience.
- the movable body drive unit of the present invention constructed as described above, it is possible to easily form an automatic drawer device that can open and close various drawers of built-in kitchens, articles of furniture, or the like through switch operation. Further, in such an automatic drawer device, when there exists an obstacle hindering the drawer opening/closing operation, the opening/closing operation is automatically stopped, making it possible to prevent damage of the obstacle or the drawer itself and to avoid trouble such as catching of the user's finger.
- Figs. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a side sectional view, respectively, of an automatic drawer device 1 equipped with a movable body drive unit according to the present invention.
- the automatic drawer device 1 includes a fixed frame body 2 formed in a box shape, a drawer 3 drawn into and out of the fixed frame body 2 in the horizontal direction as seen in the drawing, and a movable body drive unit 10 for causing the drawer 3 to advance and retreat with respect to the fixed frame body 2, the movable body drive unit 10 causing the drawer 3 to advance and retreat through switch operation.
- the drawer 3 is supported by the fixed frame body 2 through the intermediation of a pair of slide devices 4a, 4b.
- the slide devices 4a, 4b for example, have outer rails fixed to the fixed frame body 2, inner rails fixed to the drawer 3, and a large number of balls rolling between those rails while bearing load, making it possible to cause the drawer 3 to freely advance and retreat with respect to the fixed frame body 2 with a very small force.
- the slide devices 4a, 4b it is possible to select and use a well-known slide device construction as appropriate.
- the movable body drive unit 10 has a conveyance roller 11 fixed to a back plate 3a of the drawer 3 and traveling on a bottom plate 2a of the fixed frame body 2.
- the conveyance roller 11 By rotating the conveyance roller 11, the movable body drive unit 10 runs of its own accord on the bottom plate 2a of the fixed frame body 2 together with the drawer 3.
- a roughened skidproof sheet 12 is attached to the traveling region of the bottom plate 2a for the conveyance roller 11.
- a power cord 13 extends from a back plate 2b of the fixed frame body 2 to the movable body drive unit 10, making it possible to supply electricity to the movable body drive unit 10.
- a curled cord is used, which expands and contracts as the drawer 3 is opened and closed.
- a switch panel 14 as the user input means; by operating the switch panel 14, an operational command is given to the movable body drive unit 10.
- the switch panel 14 may be one equipped with pushbutton switches respectively corresponding to the operations of opening, closing and stopping the drawer 3, or one which allows operational input according to the number of times by which a pushbutton switch is depressed.
- the switch panel 14 may be mounted to the front plate 3b of the drawer 3; according to the arrangement of the drawer 3 to be operated, it may be provided on the fixed frame body 2 side instead on the drawer 3 (movable body) side. Further, the switch panel 14 may be formed as a foot switch allowing operation with tiptoes. In the case of a foot switch, it is possible for the user to open the drawer 3 even when the user is holding with both hands the article to be accommodated in the drawer 3, which leads to superiority in convenience.
- Fig. 3 is a front sectional view of an example of the movable body drive unit 10.
- the unit 10 is equipped with a casing 15 fixed to the back plate 3a of the drawer 3, the conveyance roller 11 supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the casing 15, an electric motor 16 fixed to the casing 15 and serving as a drive means, a gear row 17 including a plurality of gears 17a, 17b, 17c and adapted to transmit the rotational output of the electric motor 16 to the conveyance roller 11, and an electromagnetic clutch 18 provided between the electric motor 16 and the gear row 17.
- the electric motor 16 and the gear row 17 are connected, making it possible to transmit the torque of the electric motor 16 to the conveyance roller 11.
- the electric motor 16 a DC motor is used; by changing the direction in which voltage is applied to the electric motor 16, the rotating direction of the electric motor 16 is reversed, making it possible to switch the rotating direction of the conveyance roller 11.
- the reason for thus providing the electromagnetic clutch 18 in the power transmission route from the electric motor 16 to the conveyance roller 11 is to lighten the operational feel when the user opens/closes the drawer 3 through manual operation without using the movable body drive unit 10. If the electromagnetic clutch 18 is not provided and the electric motor 16 and the conveyance roller 17 are directly connected through the gear row 17, opening/closing the drawer 3 manually without energizing the electric motor 16 would cause the conveyance roller 11 to rotate the electric motor 16, thereby making the operational feel in opening/closing the drawer 3 rather heavy.
- a soft and elastic layer 19 formed of urethane rubber or the like is provided on the surface of the conveyance roller 11.
- the soft and elastic layer 19 is slightly crushed, thereby preventing slippage between the conveyance roller 11 and the bottom plate 2a.
- the rotation of the conveyance roller 11 is directly supported by the casing 15, it is also possible to provide a saddle plate supported by the casing 15 through the intermediation of a spring, supporting the conveyance roller 11 by this saddle plate.
- the movable body drive unit 10 has, on the front and rear sides in the moving direction of the drawer, a pair of position switches 20a, 20b for detecting the end positions in the advancement and retreating of the drawer 3, that is, the state in which the drawer 3 has been completely accommodated in the fixed frame body 2 and the state in which it has been completed drawn out of the fixed frame body 2.
- Fig. 4 shows those position switches in detail.
- Movable blocks 21a, 21b are respectively provided on the front surfaces of actuators of the position switches 20a, 20b, and the movable blocks 21a, 21b are retained so as to be vertically movable with respect to the casing 15.
- switch dogs 22a, 22b are fixed to the bottom plate 2a of the fixed frame body 2 in correspondence with both ends of the advancing/retreating stroke of the drawer 3.
- the movable block 21a runs onto the switch dog 22a
- the movable block 21b runs onto the switch dog 22b.
- the movable block 21a is pushed up, and the actuator of the position switch 20a is depressed, whereby the output signal of the position switch 20a undergoes a change. That is, when the drawer 3 attains one of the two ends of the advancing/retreating stroke, the output signal of the position switch 20a or 20b undergoes a change, and it is possible to judge which of the terminal positions the drawer 3 has reached.
- the movable body drive unit 10 is provided with a speed detection means 5 for detecting the moving speed of the drawer 3.
- the speed detection means 5 includes a detection roller 50 rotatably supported by the casing 15, and a rotary encoder 51 adapted to output a signal corresponding to the rotating speed of the detection roller 50.
- the rotary encoder 51 includes a transmission type photo sensor 52 in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are opposed to each other across a detection space 52a, and a disc dog 53 inserted into the detection space 52 and intercepting the optical path between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, with the disc dog 53 being fixed to a rotation shaft 50a of the detection roller 50.
- the disc dog 53 has a large number of slits 53a arranged radially at equal intervals; each time one of the slits 53a passes the detection space 52a of the photo sensor 52, an optical path is formed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, and the output signal of the photo sensor 52 undergoes a change.
- the detection roller 50 runs on the bottom plate 2a of the fixed frame body 2, and the output signal of the photo sensor 52 is turned on/off at a speed corresponding to the rotating speed of the detection roller 50.
- the detection roller 50 In the speed detection means 5, it is not necessary to provide the detection roller 50; from the viewpoint of detecting the advancing/retreating speed of the drawer 3 with respect to the fixed frame body 2, it is also possible to fix the disc dog 53 directly to the rotation shaft of the conveyance roller 11. It should be noted, however, that rotational torque for causing the drawer 3 to advance and retreat is input to the conveyance roller 11 from the electric motor 16, and that there is a risk of the conveyance roller 11 undergoing slippage with respect to the bottom plate 2a of the fixed frame body 2. Thus, from the viewpoint of more correctly grasping the moving speed of the drawer 3, it is desirable to provide the detection roller 50 separately from the conveyance roller 11 as described above, fixing the disc dog 53 to the detection roller 50.
- the detection roller 50 in order to prevent slippage of the detection roller 50 with respect to the bottom plate 2a, it is desirable to cover the surface of the detection roller 50 with a material of high friction coefficient such as rubber.
- a material of high friction coefficient such as rubber.
- the rotary encoder 51 is used as the speed detection means 5, it is possible to obtain a similar output signal by using a linear encoder.
- a linear scale having physical marks arranged at equal intervals is attached to the bottom plate 2a of the fixed frame body 2, and the marks of the linear scale is read by a reading head fixed to the casing 15 as the drawer 3 moves.
- Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a control system of the movable body drive unit 10.
- a control portion 6 is equipped with an LSI serving as a microcomputer; it controls the rotation of the electric motor 16 and controls the operation of the electromagnetic clutch 18 in response the output signals from the switch panel 14, the position switches 20a, 20b, and the rotary encoder 51.
- the control portion 6 is supplied with power from a power source 7 through the power cord 13.
- the control portion 6 When the opening or closing of the drawer 3 is input from the switch panel 14, the control portion 6 applies a voltage according to the direction of the input to the electric motor 16 to rotate the electric motor 16, and applies a voltage also to the electromagnetic clutch 18 to connect the electric motor 16 and the gear row 17. As a result, the conveyance roller 11 of the movable body drive unit 10 rotates, and the drawer 3 moves with respect to the fixed frame body 2.
- the control portion 6 stops the application of voltage to the electric motor 16, and then also stops the application of voltage to the electromagnetic clutch 18 to separate the electric motor 16 and the gear row 17 from each other.
- the conveyance roller 11 stops its rotation, and the advancement/retreating of the drawer with respect to the fixed frame body 2 is stopped, making it possible from this onward to cause the drawer 3 to advance and retreat through manual operation.
- the control portion 6 can ascertain whether the drawer 3 is in the open state or the closed state. Therefore, if, for example, a opening command is input from the switch panel 14 although the drawer is in the open state, no voltage is applied to the electric motor 16 and the electromagnetic clutch 18, and they are kept at rest. This also applies to the case in which a closing command is input from the switch panel 14 although the drawer is in the closed state.
- the control portion 6 counts the number of output signals from the rotary encoder 51 per unit time; when the count value becomes not more than a predetermined value, the application of voltage to the electric motor 16 and the electromagnetic clutch 18 is stopped regardless of the input from the switch panel 14.
- the rotary encoder 51 outputs pulse signals at a speed corresponding to the moving speed of the drawer 3, so if the number of output signals from the rotary encoder 51 per unit time has become not more than a predetermined value, it means that the moving speed of the drawer 3 has been reduced to an extreme degree, and trouble is to be expected, such as locking of the drawer 3 by an obstacle.
- the application of voltage to the electric motor 16 and the electromagnetic clutch 18 is immediately stopped, and the rotation of the conveyance roller 11 is stopped. That is, in the movable body drive unit 10, the obstruction detection means, which is a constituent feature of the present invention, is formed by the speed detection means 5 and the control portion 6.
- Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the control procedures related to the stopping of the conveyance roller 11; while the control portion 6 is applying voltage to the electric motor 16, those procedures are always executed irrespective of the moving direction of the drawer 3.
- the input signal of the rotary encoder 51 is first checked, thereby checking whether or not the moving speed of the drawer 3 has been reduced to a level not higher than a predetermined speed (ST1).
- This predetermined speed is set relatively low with leeway with respect to the moving speed of the drawer 3 generated through rotation of the conveyance roller 11.
- the judgment as to whether the moving speed has been reduced to a level not higher than the predetermined speed is made by counting the number of output signals of the rotary encoder 51 per unit time as described above and by checking whether the count number has become smaller than a predetermined value or not.
- the drawer 3 in the movable body drive unit 10, when the movement of the drawer 3 is forcibly locked by an obstacle, and the driving of the electric motor 16 is stopped upon detection of this locking, the drawer 3 is automatically separated from the obstacle with which it has been in contact. Thus, it is possible to instantaneously cancel the state in which the drawer 3 is in contact with the obstacle, and there is no need for the user him/herself to manually retract the drawer 3 to remove the obstacle, thus achieving an improvement in terms of operability. Further, even when the user inadvertently gets his finger caught between the fixed frame body 2 and the drawer 3, the drawer 3 automatically retreats immediately after the stopping of the electric motor 16, so it is possible to instantaneously cancel the state in which the finger is caught, thus making it possible to prevent an accidental injury.
- the soft and elastic layer 19 covering the surface of the conveyance roller 11 constitutes the absorption/repulsion means of the present invention.
- the retracting amount of the drawer 3 depends upon the amount of strain generated in the soft and elastic layer 19. For example, when the thickness of the soft and elastic layer 19 is increased, the amount of strain generated by the soft and elastic layer 19 is so much the larger, so the retracting amount of the drawer 3 when the strain is released is increased.
- this absorption/repulsion means is not always restricted to the soft and elastic layer 19 covering the conveyance roller 11.
- a speed detection means such as the rotary encoder 51 is used to detect the state in which the movement of the drawer 3 is locked by an obstacle against which it abuts
- Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a control system used in this case. An ampere meter 8 is provided between the control portion 6 and the electric motor 16, and the output signal of the ampere meter 8 is compared with a predetermined value at the control portion 6. When the drawer abuts an obstacle, the torque of the electric motor increases, and the value of electric current flowing through the electric motor increase in accordance therewith.
- the control portion 6 decides that the drawer 3 has abutted an obstacle, and stops the application of voltage to the electric motor 16 and the electromagnetic clutch 18. With this construction also, it is possible to detect whether the drawer has abutted an obstacle or not.
- the movable body drive unit of the present invention is applied to an automatic drawer
- the movable body drive unit is also applicable to various other conveying devices; by being fixed to the object to be conveyed, it allows the object to attain linear self-propelling motion.
- the movable body drive unit has been described as applied to an automatic drawer device.
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Description
- The present invention relates to a movable body drive unit provided between a pair of members making relative reciprocating movement in a predetermined direction such as sliding doors of fittings and drawers of an article of furniture and adapted to cause those members to advance and retreat relative to each other, and an automatic drawer device using the same, according to the preamble portions of
claims 1 and 9. - There has conventionally been proposed a device which opens and closes a movable member such as a drawer of an article of furniture or of a built-in kitchen (
JP 2003-189955 A JP 2003-334120 A - Patent Document 1:
JP 2003-189955 A - Patent Document 2:
JP 2003-334120 A - Document
GB 2374521 A claims 1 and 9. - However, if, in a case in which there exists an obstacle in an advancing/retreating route of the drawer, the user does not notice it and performs switch operation, the drawer, which advances or retreats irrespective of the presence of the obstacle, will collide with the obstacle, and there is a fear of the obstacle being damaged by being pushed down or the like. Further, there is a danger of the user or some other person having his finger inadvertently caught between the fixed frame body and the drawer, which means consideration for safety is rather insufficient.
- The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a movable body drive unit for causing a movable member such as a drawer to advance and retreat along a predetermined advancing/retreating route, in which, even in a case where there exists an obstacle in the advancing/retreating route of the movable member, the movable member is caused to immediately stop its advancing/retreating movement upon collision with the obstacle to thereby prevent damage of the obstacle and the movable member itself and secure a sufficient level of safety for the user and the like.
- The object is solved by the subject matter of
independent claims 1 and 9. - Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic drawer device for opening and closing a drawer by using the movable body drive unit, in which when the drawer comes into contact with an obstacle, the advancement/retreating of the drawer is immediately stopped to thereby prevent damage of the obstacle and the drawer itself and secure a sufficient level of safety for the user and the like.
- That is, the present invention relates to a movable body drive unit mounted to a second member supported so as to be capable of making relative reciprocating movement relative to a first member and adapted to cause the second member to advance and retreat relative to the first member. Here, the movable body drive unit causes the second member to advance and retreat relative to the first member, so it is possible for the first member to be on a fixed side, with the movable body drive unit advancing and retreating together with the second member, or for the second member to be on the fixed side, with the movable body drive unit causing solely the first member to advance and retreat with respect to the second member.
- Further, the movable body drive unit includes: a conveyance roller held in press contact with a traveling surface provided on the first member; a drive means for rotating the conveyance roller in a normal direction or a reverse direction; a user input means for giving the drive means a command to cause the second member to advance or retreat; a control means for generating a drive signal for the drive means in response to an input signal of the user input means; and an obstruction detection means which makes a judgment as to whether there has been generated any obstruction to relative advancement/retreating of the first member and the second member, and which, upon determining there is an obstruction, gives the control means a command to stop the drive means.
- For example, in the case in which the first member is on the fixed side and in which the second member advances and retreats with respect to the first member together with the movable body drive unit, when there is an obstacle in a route for the second member, and advancement of the second member is thereby hindered, the obstruction detection means detects it. When it is determined that there is an obstruction, a command is given to the control means to stop the drive means. As a result, the drive means is stopped irrespective of the input signal of the user input means, and the rotation of the conveyance roller stops, thus stopping the movement of the second member with respect to the first member. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage of those members due to contact of the second member with the obstacle. Further, in the case in which the first member is a fixed frame body of an article of furniture or the like and in which the second member is a drawer retractable to the fixed frame body, if a finger is inadvertently caught between the drawer and the fixed frame body, this does not lead to serious injury since the drawer stops immediately.
- Here, it is only necessary for the obstruction detection means to be capable of judging whether there has been generated an obstruction to relative advancing and retreating of the first member and the second member. For example, in a case in which there is provided a speed detection means for detecting an advancing/retreating speed of the second member with respect to the first member, when it is judged from an output signal of the speed detection means that the advancing/retreating speed of the second member has been markedly reduced, it is determined that there is an obstruction. In this case, it is possible for the speed detection means to be, for example, a rotary encoder rotating according to the advancing/retreating amount of the second member or a linear encoder for reading a magnetic scale attached to the first member as the second member moves. It is possible to ascertain the advancing/retreating speed of the second member from an output signal from such an encoder. When the drive means is an electric motor, another example of the obstruction detection means may be one which detects generation of an obstruction from fluctuations in the value of an electric current flowing through the motor. Further, as a still another example of the obstruction detection means, it is possible to provide pressure sensors on the front and rear sides in the advancing/retreating direction of the second member in order to directly detect contact with an obstacle, judging the presence/absence of an obstacle from a change in an output signal from the pressure sensors.
- On the other hand, when the obstruction detection means judges an obstacle to be present and gives the control means a command to stop the drive means, if the first member or the second member stops in a state in which it abuts against the obstacle, the operation of removing the obstacle is rather hard to perform. In particular, in a case in which a finger is caught between the fixed frame body being the first member and the drawer being the second member, when the movement of the drawer is stopped with the finger caught, this state will be allowed to continue, resulting in an unexpected injury. Thus, to facilitate the operation of removing the obstacle, when the obstruction detection means judges the obstacle to be present and the drive means stops, it is desirable to separate the first member or the second member immediately from the obstacle after the stopping. However, taking the trouble to perform control to reverse the conveyance roller in order to separate the first member or the second member from the obstacle will result in a rather complicated construction of the control portion generating the drive signal of the drive means.
- Thus, from this point of view, it is desirable to provide an absorption/repulsion means which absorbs at least a part of torque transmitted from the drive means to the conveyance roller from the point in time when the first member or the second member abuts against the obstacle and is locked in its movement until the point in time when the drive means is stopped, and which, as the drive means stops, separates the first member or the second member from the obstacle by using a reaction force of the absorbed torque. It is possible to realize the absorption/repulsion means, for example, by covering the surface of the conveyance roller with a soft and elastic layer or by providing an elastic joint in the power transmission route from the drive means to the conveyance roller. Due to the provision of such an absorption/repulsionmeans, when the drive means is stopped by a command from the obstruction detection means after the first member or the second member abuts against an obstacle to be locked in its motion, the torque absorbed by the absorption/repulsion means is released as a reaction force, so the first member or the second member that has abutted against the obstacle slightly retreats so as to be separated from the obstacle. As a result, it is possible to cancel the state in which the first member or the second member abuts against the obstacle without having to perform any special control on the drive means, so in a case in which, for example, a finger is caught, the finger can be released immediately.
- Further, in the case in which the first member or the second member is thus caused to retreat from the obstacle by the reaction force generated by the absorption/repulsion means, it is desirable to provide an electromagnetic clutch in the transmission route for the rotational power from the drive means to the conveyance roller, the control means separating the conveyance roller from the drive means upon the stopping of the drive means. In this construction, it is possible to mitigate the drag load with respect to the reverse rotation of the conveyance roller, making it possible to smoothly effect retraction of the first member or the second member from the obstacle by the absorption/repulsion means.
- In addition, when the electromagnetic clutch cuts off the connection between the conveyance roller and the drive means while the drive means is at rest, the user can move the first member relative to the second member through manual operation without having to use the movable body drive unit of the present invention, thereby helping to achieve an improvement in terms of convenience.
- By using the movable body drive unit of the present invention constructed as described above, it is possible to easily form an automatic drawer device that can open and close various drawers of built-in kitchens, articles of furniture, or the like through switch operation. Further, in such an automatic drawer device, when there exists an obstacle hindering the drawer opening/closing operation, the opening/closing operation is automatically stopped, making it possible to prevent damage of the obstacle or the drawer itself and to avoid trouble such as catching of the user's finger.
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Fig. 1 is a plan view of an example of an automatic drawer device equipped with a movable body drive unit according to the present invention. -
Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the automatic drawer device shown inFig. 1 . -
Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view of the movable body drive unit. -
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a construction of a position switch mounted to the movable body drive unit. -
Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an example of a speed detection means mounted to the movable body drive unit. -
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a rotary encoder of the speed detection means shown inFig. 5 . -
Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a control system of the movable body drive unit. -
Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing drawer stop control procedures. -
Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing another example of the control system of the movable body drive unit. - 1 ··· automatic drawer device, 2 ··· fixed frame body, 3 ··· drawer, 5 ··· speed detection means, 11 conveyance roller, 14 ··· switch panel, 16 ··· electric motor, 17 ··· gear row, 18 ··· electromagnetic clutch, 19 ... soft and elastic layer, 51 ··· rotary encoder
- In the following, a movable body drive unit according to the present invention and an automatic drawer device using the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Figs. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a side sectional view, respectively, of anautomatic drawer device 1 equipped with a movable body drive unit according to the present invention. Theautomatic drawer device 1 includes a fixedframe body 2 formed in a box shape, adrawer 3 drawn into and out of the fixedframe body 2 in the horizontal direction as seen in the drawing, and a movablebody drive unit 10 for causing thedrawer 3 to advance and retreat with respect to the fixedframe body 2, the movablebody drive unit 10 causing thedrawer 3 to advance and retreat through switch operation. - The
drawer 3 is supported by the fixedframe body 2 through the intermediation of a pair ofslide devices slide devices frame body 2, inner rails fixed to thedrawer 3, and a large number of balls rolling between those rails while bearing load, making it possible to cause thedrawer 3 to freely advance and retreat with respect to the fixedframe body 2 with a very small force. Regarding theslide devices - On the other hand, the movable
body drive unit 10 has aconveyance roller 11 fixed to aback plate 3a of thedrawer 3 and traveling on abottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2. By rotating theconveyance roller 11, the movablebody drive unit 10 runs of its own accord on thebottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2 together with thedrawer 3. In order to prevent slippage of theconveyance roller 11 with respect to thebottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2, a roughenedskidproof sheet 12 is attached to the traveling region of thebottom plate 2a for theconveyance roller 11. - Further, a
power cord 13 extends from aback plate 2b of the fixedframe body 2 to the movablebody drive unit 10, making it possible to supply electricity to the movablebody drive unit 10. As thepower cord 13, a curled cord is used, which expands and contracts as thedrawer 3 is opened and closed. Further, on afront plate 3b of thedrawer 3, there is provided aswitch panel 14 as the user input means; by operating theswitch panel 14, an operational command is given to the movablebody drive unit 10. Theswitch panel 14 may be one equipped with pushbutton switches respectively corresponding to the operations of opening, closing and stopping thedrawer 3, or one which allows operational input according to the number of times by which a pushbutton switch is depressed. Further, it is not necessary for theswitch panel 14 to be mounted to thefront plate 3b of thedrawer 3; according to the arrangement of thedrawer 3 to be operated, it may be provided on the fixedframe body 2 side instead on the drawer 3 (movable body) side. Further, theswitch panel 14 may be formed as a foot switch allowing operation with tiptoes. In the case of a foot switch, it is possible for the user to open thedrawer 3 even when the user is holding with both hands the article to be accommodated in thedrawer 3, which leads to superiority in convenience. -
Fig. 3 is a front sectional view of an example of the movablebody drive unit 10. Theunit 10 is equipped with acasing 15 fixed to theback plate 3a of thedrawer 3, theconveyance roller 11 supported so as to be rotatable with respect to thecasing 15, anelectric motor 16 fixed to thecasing 15 and serving as a drive means, agear row 17 including a plurality ofgears electric motor 16 to theconveyance roller 11, and an electromagnetic clutch 18 provided between theelectric motor 16 and thegear row 17. By energizing the electromagnetic clutch 18, theelectric motor 16 and thegear row 17 are connected, making it possible to transmit the torque of theelectric motor 16 to theconveyance roller 11. As theelectric motor 16, a DC motor is used; by changing the direction in which voltage is applied to theelectric motor 16, the rotating direction of theelectric motor 16 is reversed, making it possible to switch the rotating direction of theconveyance roller 11. - The reason for thus providing the electromagnetic clutch 18 in the power transmission route from the
electric motor 16 to theconveyance roller 11 is to lighten the operational feel when the user opens/closes thedrawer 3 through manual operation without using the movablebody drive unit 10. If theelectromagnetic clutch 18 is not provided and theelectric motor 16 and theconveyance roller 17 are directly connected through thegear row 17, opening/closing thedrawer 3 manually without energizing theelectric motor 16 would cause theconveyance roller 11 to rotate theelectric motor 16, thereby making the operational feel in opening/closing thedrawer 3 rather heavy. - A soft and
elastic layer 19 formed of urethane rubber or the like is provided on the surface of theconveyance roller 11. When theconveyance roller 11 is pressed against thebottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2, the soft andelastic layer 19 is slightly crushed, thereby preventing slippage between theconveyance roller 11 and thebottom plate 2a. While inFig. 3 the rotation of theconveyance roller 11 is directly supported by thecasing 15, it is also possible to provide a saddle plate supported by thecasing 15 through the intermediation of a spring, supporting theconveyance roller 11 by this saddle plate. That is, with the construction using the saddle plate, even when theconveyance roller 11 is tilted with respect to thebottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2, it is possible to reliably bring theconveyance roller 11 into contact with thebottom plate 2a through expansion and contraction of the spring, making it possible to more reliably prevent slippage between theconveyance roller 11 and thebottom plate 2a. - Further, the movable
body drive unit 10 has, on the front and rear sides in the moving direction of the drawer, a pair ofposition switches drawer 3, that is, the state in which thedrawer 3 has been completely accommodated in the fixedframe body 2 and the state in which it has been completed drawn out of the fixedframe body 2.Fig. 4 shows those position switches in detail.Movable blocks movable blocks casing 15. On the other hand,switch dogs bottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2 in correspondence with both ends of the advancing/retreating stroke of thedrawer 3. When thedrawer 3 is completely closed, themovable block 21a runs onto theswitch dog 22a, and when thedrawer 3 is completely opened, themovable block 21b runs onto theswitch dog 22b. With this construction, when thedrawer 3 is drawn out of the fixedframe body 2 and attains the opening terminal position, themovable block 21b is pushed up, and the actuator of theposition switch 20b is depressed, whereby the output signal of theposition switch 20b undergoes a change. Further, also when thedrawer 3 is accommodated in the fixedframe body 2 and attains the completely closed state, themovable block 21a is pushed up, and the actuator of theposition switch 20a is depressed, whereby the output signal of theposition switch 20a undergoes a change. That is, when thedrawer 3 attains one of the two ends of the advancing/retreating stroke, the output signal of theposition switch drawer 3 has reached. - Further, the movable
body drive unit 10 is provided with a speed detection means 5 for detecting the moving speed of thedrawer 3. As shown inFig. 5 , the speed detection means 5 includes adetection roller 50 rotatably supported by thecasing 15, and arotary encoder 51 adapted to output a signal corresponding to the rotating speed of thedetection roller 50. Further, therotary encoder 51 includes a transmissiontype photo sensor 52 in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are opposed to each other across adetection space 52a, and adisc dog 53 inserted into thedetection space 52 and intercepting the optical path between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, with thedisc dog 53 being fixed to arotation shaft 50a of thedetection roller 50. As shown inFig. 6 , thedisc dog 53 has a large number ofslits 53a arranged radially at equal intervals; each time one of theslits 53a passes thedetection space 52a of thephoto sensor 52, an optical path is formed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, and the output signal of thephoto sensor 52 undergoes a change. Thus, when thedrawer 3 is caused to advance or retreat with respect to the fixedframe body 2, thedetection roller 50 runs on thebottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2, and the output signal of thephoto sensor 52 is turned on/off at a speed corresponding to the rotating speed of thedetection roller 50. - In the speed detection means 5, it is not necessary to provide the
detection roller 50; from the viewpoint of detecting the advancing/retreating speed of thedrawer 3 with respect to the fixedframe body 2, it is also possible to fix thedisc dog 53 directly to the rotation shaft of theconveyance roller 11. It should be noted, however, that rotational torque for causing thedrawer 3 to advance and retreat is input to theconveyance roller 11 from theelectric motor 16, and that there is a risk of theconveyance roller 11 undergoing slippage with respect to thebottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2. Thus, from the viewpoint of more correctly grasping the moving speed of thedrawer 3, it is desirable to provide thedetection roller 50 separately from theconveyance roller 11 as described above, fixing thedisc dog 53 to thedetection roller 50. Further, in order to prevent slippage of thedetection roller 50 with respect to thebottom plate 2a, it is desirable to cover the surface of thedetection roller 50 with a material of high friction coefficient such as rubber. Further, while in the movablebody drive unit 10 ofFig. 3 therotary encoder 51 is used as the speed detection means 5, it is possible to obtain a similar output signal by using a linear encoder. In this case, a linear scale having physical marks arranged at equal intervals is attached to thebottom plate 2a of the fixedframe body 2, and the marks of the linear scale is read by a reading head fixed to thecasing 15 as thedrawer 3 moves. -
Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a control system of the movablebody drive unit 10. In the drawing, acontrol portion 6 is equipped with an LSI serving as a microcomputer; it controls the rotation of theelectric motor 16 and controls the operation of the electromagnetic clutch 18 in response the output signals from theswitch panel 14, the position switches 20a, 20b, and therotary encoder 51. Thecontrol portion 6 is supplied with power from apower source 7 through thepower cord 13. - When the opening or closing of the
drawer 3 is input from theswitch panel 14, thecontrol portion 6 applies a voltage according to the direction of the input to theelectric motor 16 to rotate theelectric motor 16, and applies a voltage also to the electromagnetic clutch 18 to connect theelectric motor 16 and thegear row 17. As a result, theconveyance roller 11 of the movablebody drive unit 10 rotates, and thedrawer 3 moves with respect to the fixedframe body 2. When the stopping of thedrawer 3 is input from theswitch panel 14, thecontrol portion 6 stops the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16, and then also stops the application of voltage to the electromagnetic clutch 18 to separate theelectric motor 16 and thegear row 17 from each other. As a result, theconveyance roller 11 stops its rotation, and the advancement/retreating of the drawer with respect to the fixedframe body 2 is stopped, making it possible from this onward to cause thedrawer 3 to advance and retreat through manual operation. By checking the input signals of the pair ofposition switches control portion 6 can ascertain whether thedrawer 3 is in the open state or the closed state. Therefore, if, for example, a opening command is input from theswitch panel 14 although the drawer is in the open state, no voltage is applied to theelectric motor 16 and the electromagnetic clutch 18, and they are kept at rest. This also applies to the case in which a closing command is input from theswitch panel 14 although the drawer is in the closed state. - On the other hand, the
control portion 6 counts the number of output signals from therotary encoder 51 per unit time; when the count value becomes not more than a predetermined value, the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 and theelectromagnetic clutch 18 is stopped regardless of the input from theswitch panel 14. Therotary encoder 51 outputs pulse signals at a speed corresponding to the moving speed of thedrawer 3, so if the number of output signals from therotary encoder 51 per unit time has become not more than a predetermined value, it means that the moving speed of thedrawer 3 has been reduced to an extreme degree, and trouble is to be expected, such as locking of thedrawer 3 by an obstacle. Thus, in this case, the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 and theelectromagnetic clutch 18 is immediately stopped, and the rotation of theconveyance roller 11 is stopped. That is, in the movablebody drive unit 10, the obstruction detection means, which is a constituent feature of the present invention, is formed by the speed detection means 5 and thecontrol portion 6. -
Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the control procedures related to the stopping of theconveyance roller 11; while thecontrol portion 6 is applying voltage to theelectric motor 16, those procedures are always executed irrespective of the moving direction of thedrawer 3. When the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 is started, the input signal of therotary encoder 51 is first checked, thereby checking whether or not the moving speed of thedrawer 3 has been reduced to a level not higher than a predetermined speed (ST1). This predetermined speed is set relatively low with leeway with respect to the moving speed of thedrawer 3 generated through rotation of theconveyance roller 11. The judgment as to whether the moving speed has been reduced to a level not higher than the predetermined speed is made by counting the number of output signals of therotary encoder 51 per unit time as described above and by checking whether the count number has become smaller than a predetermined value or not. - When it is determined from the checking result in ST1 that the moving speed of the
drawer 3 is not higher than the predetermined speed, it is to be expected that the drawer has come into contact with an obstacle. Therefore, the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 is immediately stopped, and then the application of voltage to the electromagnetic clutch is stopped (ST3). This causes thedrawer 3 to stop. - On the other hand, when it is determined that the moving speed of the
drawer 3 has not been reduced to a level lower than the predetermined speed, it is checked whether the output signal of theposition switch drawer 3 has moved to the terminal end of the open position or the closed position. Accordingly, in this case also, the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 is immediately stopped, and then the application of voltage to theelectromagnetic clutch 18 is stopped (ST3). Further, upon stopping of thedrawer 3, the control procedures are completed. - As described with reference to the flowchart of
Fig. 8 , when the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 is stopped upon abutting of thedrawer 3 against an obstacle, theconveyance roller 11 stops its rotation, so thedrawer 3 naturally stops with respect to the fixed frame body. However, in the case in which the movablebody drive unit 10 shown inFig. 3 is used, when the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 and to theelectromagnetic clutch 18 is stopped, with the movement of thedrawer 3 being locked by an obstacle, thedrawer 3 moves slightly in a direction reverse to the direction in which it has thus far moved, and is automatically separated from the obstacle. This is due to the fact that the surface of theconveyance roller 11 is covered with the soft andelastic layer 19 and that a part of the torque transmitted from theelectric motor 16 to theconveyance roller 11 is accumulated as strain from the moment when the movement of thedrawer 3 is locked by the obstacle until the moment when theelectric motor 16 stops. When the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 and theelectromagnetic clutch 18 is stopped, theconveyance roller 11 becomes capable of freely rotating. Therefore, the strain accumulated in the soft andelastic layer 19 is released as a reaction force, and a slight rotational force in a direction reverse to that in which it has thus far rotated is applied to theconveyance roller 11. As a result, thedrawer 3 is automatically retracted away from the obstacle. - Thus, in the movable
body drive unit 10, when the movement of thedrawer 3 is forcibly locked by an obstacle, and the driving of theelectric motor 16 is stopped upon detection of this locking, thedrawer 3 is automatically separated from the obstacle with which it has been in contact. Thus, it is possible to instantaneously cancel the state in which thedrawer 3 is in contact with the obstacle, and there is no need for the user him/herself to manually retract thedrawer 3 to remove the obstacle, thus achieving an improvement in terms of operability. Further, even when the user inadvertently gets his finger caught between the fixedframe body 2 and thedrawer 3, thedrawer 3 automatically retreats immediately after the stopping of theelectric motor 16, so it is possible to instantaneously cancel the state in which the finger is caught, thus making it possible to prevent an accidental injury. - That is, in the movable
body drive unit 10 shown inFig. 3 , the soft andelastic layer 19 covering the surface of theconveyance roller 11 constitutes the absorption/repulsion means of the present invention. In this case, the retracting amount of thedrawer 3 depends upon the amount of strain generated in the soft andelastic layer 19. For example, when the thickness of the soft andelastic layer 19 is increased, the amount of strain generated by the soft andelastic layer 19 is so much the larger, so the retracting amount of thedrawer 3 when the strain is released is increased. Further, this absorption/repulsion means is not always restricted to the soft andelastic layer 19 covering theconveyance roller 11. For example, it is also possible to provide an elastic joint between thegear 17c and theconveyance roller 11, absorbing a part of the torque of theelectric motor 16 through elastic deformation of the elastic joint when the drawer is locked by an obstacle. - While in the example described above a speed detection means such as the
rotary encoder 51 is used to detect the state in which the movement of thedrawer 3 is locked by an obstacle against which it abuts, it is also possible, for example, to ascertain the presence/absence of an obstacle from fluctuations in the value of electric current flowing during the driving of theelectric motor 16.Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a control system used in this case. Anampere meter 8 is provided between thecontrol portion 6 and theelectric motor 16, and the output signal of theampere meter 8 is compared with a predetermined value at thecontrol portion 6. When the drawer abuts an obstacle, the torque of the electric motor increases, and the value of electric current flowing through the electric motor increase in accordance therewith. As a result, when the output signal of theampere member 8 becomes larger than a predetermined value, thecontrol portion 6 decides that thedrawer 3 has abutted an obstacle, and stops the application of voltage to theelectric motor 16 and theelectromagnetic clutch 18. With this construction also, it is possible to detect whether the drawer has abutted an obstacle or not. - While in the above description the movable body drive unit of the present invention is applied to an automatic drawer, the movable body drive unit is also applicable to various other conveying devices; by being fixed to the object to be conveyed, it allows the object to attain linear self-propelling motion. Thus, it is only by way of example that the movable body drive unit has been described as applied to an automatic drawer device.
Claims (17)
- A movable body drive unit (10), which is mounted to a second member (3) supported so as to be capable of freely reciprocating relative to a first member (2), and which causes the second member (3) to advance and retreat relative to the first member (2), comprising:a conveyance roller (11) held in press contact with a traveling surface provided on the first member (2);a drive means (16, 17) for rotating the conveyance roller (11) in a normal direction or a reverse direction;a user input means (14) for giving the drive means (16, 17) a command to cause the second member (3) to advance or retreat;a control means (6) for generating a drive signal for the drive means (16, 17) in response to an input signal of the user input means (14); andan obstruction detection means (5, 6) which makes a judgment as to whether there has been generated any obstruction to relative advancement/retreating of the first member (2) and the second member (3), and which, upon determining there is an obstruction, gives the control means (6) a command to stop the drive means (16, 17) upon determining there is an obstruction,characterized Inan absorption/repulsion means (19) which absorbs at least a part of torque transmitted from the drive means (16, 17) to the conveyance roller (11) from the moment when an obstruction to the relative advancement/retreating of the first member (2) and the second member (3) is generated until the moment when the drive means (16, 17) stops, and which, as the drive means (16, 17) stops, separates the first member (2) or the second member (3) from an obstacle by using a reaction force of the torque absorbed.
- A movable body drive unit according to Claim 1, wherein the obstruction detection means (5, 6) has a speed detection means (5) for detecting an advancing/retreating speed of the second member (3), and judges whether there is any obstruction to advancement/retreating of the second member (3) from an output signal of the speed detection means (5).
- A movable body drive unit according to Claim 2, wherein the speed detection means (5) comprises a rotary encoder (51) adapted to rotate according to an advancing/treating amount of the second member (3).
- A movable body drive unit according to Claim 1, wherein the obstruction detection means (6) has an ampere meter for measuring an electric current value of the drive means (16), and judges whether there is any obstruction to advancement/retreating of the second member (3) from a measurement value of the ampere meter.
- A movable body drive unit according to Claim 1, wherein the absorption/repulsion means (19) comprises a soft and elastic layer covering a surface of the conveyance roller (11).
- A movable body drive unit according to Claim 1,
wherein the drive means is composed of a motor (16) and a gear row (17) transmitting rotational power from the motor (16) to the conveyance roller (11), and
wherein the control means (6) cuts off electricity supply to the motor (16) when the drive means is to be stopped. - A movable body drive unit according to Claim 6,
wherein the gear row (17) includes an electromagnetic clutch (18), and
wherein the electromagnetic clutch (18) cuts off power transmission through the gear row (17) when the drive means is to be stopped. - A movable body drive unit according to Claim 6,
wherein at both ends of an advancing/retreating stroke of the second member (3) with respect to the first member (2), there are provided position switches (20a, 20b) for detecting reaching of the second member (3), and
wherein the control means (6) cuts off electricity supply to the motor (16) in response an output signal of each of the position switches (20a, 20b). - An automatic drawer device, comprising:a fixed frame body (2);a drawer (3) capable of freely advancing and retreating with respect to the fixed frame body (2); anda movable body drive unit (10) fixed to one of the fixed frame body (2) and the drawer (3) and causing the drawer (3) to advance and retreat with respect to the fixed frame body (2),wherein the movable body drive unit (10) is equipped with:a conveyance roller (11) causing the drawer (3) to move;a drive means (16, 17) rotating the conveyance roller (11) in a normal direction or a reverse direction;a user input means (14) for giving the drive means (16, 17) a command to cause the drawer (3) to advance or retreat;a control means (6) for generating a drive signal for the drive means (16, 17) in response to an input signal of the user input means (14); andan obstruction detection means (5, 6) which makes a judgment as to whether there is any obstruction to advancement/retreating of the drawer (3), and which, upon determining there is an obstruction, gives the control means (6) a command to stop the drive means (16, 17),characterized Inan absorption/repulsion means (19) which absorbs at least a part of torque transmitted from the drive means (16) to the conveyance roller (11) from the moment when an obstruction to advancement/retreating of the drawer (3) is generated until the moment when the drive means (16) stops, and which, as the drive means (16) stops, separates the drawer (3) from an obstacle by using a reaction force of the torque absorbed.
- An automatic drawer device according to Claim 9, wherein the obstruction detection means (5, 6) has a speed detection means (5) for detecting an advancing/retreating speed of the drawer (3), and judges whether there is any obstruction to advancement/retreating of the drawer (3) from an output signal of the speed detection means (5).
- An automatic drawer device according to Claim 9, wherein the speed detection means (5) comprises a rotary encoder (51) adapted to rotate according to an advancing/treating amount of drawer (3).
- An automatic drawer device according to Claim 9, wherein the obstruction detection means (5, 6) has an ampere meter for measuring an electric current value of the drive means (16), and judges whether there is any obstruction to advancement/retreating of the drawer (3) from a measurement value of the ampere meter.
- An automatic drawer device according to Claim 9, wherein the absorption/repulsion means (19) comprises a soft and elastic layer covering a surface of the conveyance roller (11).
- An automatic drawer device according to Claim 9,
wherein the drive means is composed of a motor (16) and a gear row (17) transmitting rotational power from the motor (16) to the conveyance roller (11), and
wherein the control means (6) cuts off electricity supply to the motor (16) when the drive means is to be stopped. - An automatic drawer device according to Claim 14,
wherein the gear row (17) includes an electromagnetic clutch (18), and
wherein the electromagnetic clutch (18) cuts off power transmission through the gear row (17) when the drive means (16) is to be stopped. - An automatic drawer device according to Claim 14,
wherein at both ends of an advancing/retreating stroke of the drawer (3), there are provided position switches (20a, 20b) for detecting reaching of the drawer (3), and wherein the control means (6) cuts off electricity supply to the motor (16) in response to an output signal of each of the position switches (20a, 20b). - An automatic drawer device according to Claim 9, wherein the user input means (14) comprises a foot switch provided on a front surface of the drawer in correspondence with feet of a user.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2005101396 | 2005-03-31 | ||
PCT/JP2006/304347 WO2006112189A1 (en) | 2005-03-31 | 2006-03-07 | Movable body drive unit and automatic drawer device using the same |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1870000A1 EP1870000A1 (en) | 2007-12-26 |
EP1870000A4 EP1870000A4 (en) | 2012-06-06 |
EP1870000B1 true EP1870000B1 (en) | 2014-01-01 |
Family
ID=37114923
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP06728716.9A Expired - Fee Related EP1870000B1 (en) | 2005-03-31 | 2006-03-07 | Movable body drive unit and automatic drawer device using the same |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1870000B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5059606B2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006112189A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4988483B2 (en) * | 2007-09-06 | 2012-08-01 | 日立アプライアンス株式会社 | Pull-out equipment |
DE202009001324U1 (en) * | 2009-02-04 | 2010-06-24 | Paul Hettich Gmbh & Co. Kg | Ejection unit and furniture |
US8434837B2 (en) * | 2009-07-08 | 2013-05-07 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
AT510549B1 (en) * | 2011-02-21 | 2012-05-15 | Blum Gmbh Julius | FURNITURE DRIVE |
FR2972478B1 (en) * | 2011-03-07 | 2019-04-26 | Christian Chorin | MOTORIZED DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING A MOBILE STRUCTURE, SUCH AS A PORTAL OR THE LIKE |
DE202012009450U1 (en) * | 2012-10-01 | 2014-01-07 | Hetal-Werke Franz Hettich Gmbh & Co. Kg | Moving device for a movable furniture part |
CN210374267U (en) | 2019-06-11 | 2020-04-21 | 青岛海尔电冰箱有限公司 | Refrigerator with a door |
DE102020114911A1 (en) * | 2020-06-04 | 2021-12-09 | ambigence GmbH & Co. KG | Furniture component with a furniture fitting and a motor for the movable connection of two furniture parts |
KR102554412B1 (en) * | 2021-10-06 | 2023-07-11 | 네이버랩스 주식회사 | Delivery robot |
AT526799A1 (en) * | 2022-12-23 | 2024-07-15 | Blum Gmbh Julius | Processing unit-based method for moving a movable furniture part |
Family Cites Families (19)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS59152085U (en) * | 1983-03-31 | 1984-10-12 | 扶桑電機工業株式会社 | door opening/closing device |
JPH031747U (en) * | 1989-05-31 | 1991-01-09 | ||
DE9113223U1 (en) * | 1991-10-24 | 1991-12-05 | Karl Baisch GmbH, 7056 Weinstadt | Furniture |
JP2709254B2 (en) * | 1993-03-10 | 1998-02-04 | 富士通テン株式会社 | cabinet |
JP3001747U (en) * | 1994-03-04 | 1994-09-06 | 小堀設計株式会社 | Drawer retractor |
JPH09221958A (en) * | 1996-02-20 | 1997-08-26 | Tachikawa Blind Mfg Co Ltd | Driving control device of panel |
EP0875177A3 (en) * | 1997-05-01 | 2000-08-02 | Peka-Metall Ag | Opening- and closing mechanism for a drawer of a furniture element |
JPH1194455A (en) * | 1997-09-17 | 1999-04-09 | Sankyo Seiki Mfg Co Ltd | Casing and refrigerator having automatic drawer |
JP4337086B2 (en) * | 1999-07-19 | 2009-09-30 | 日本ビクター株式会社 | optical disk |
JP3576482B2 (en) * | 2000-11-29 | 2004-10-13 | 日産車体株式会社 | Automatic sliding door control device |
GB0107495D0 (en) | 2001-03-23 | 2001-05-16 | Alpha Ind Ltd | Drawer assist mechanism |
AT413631B (en) | 2001-12-27 | 2006-04-15 | Blum Gmbh Julius | ARRANGEMENT WITH A MOVABLE FURNITURE, WITH A DRIVE UNIT AND WITH A CONTROL DEVICE |
AT413632B (en) | 2001-12-27 | 2006-04-15 | Blum Gmbh Julius | MOVABLE FURNITURE |
AT500362B1 (en) * | 2002-06-27 | 2007-01-15 | Blum Gmbh Julius | ARRANGEMENT WITH A MOVABLE FURNITURE AND WITH A DRIVE UNIT |
JP3678419B2 (en) * | 2003-02-19 | 2005-08-03 | 松下電工株式会社 | Pull-out device for drawer and cabinet using the same |
JP4188255B2 (en) * | 2004-01-30 | 2008-11-26 | Thk株式会社 | Mobile drive unit |
JP4188254B2 (en) * | 2004-01-30 | 2008-11-26 | Thk株式会社 | Automatic drawer |
AT414004B (en) * | 2004-02-19 | 2006-08-15 | Blum Gmbh Julius | FURNITURE |
JP2005237766A (en) * | 2004-02-27 | 2005-09-08 | Shinano Kenshi Co Ltd | Drawer part driving device |
-
2006
- 2006-03-07 WO PCT/JP2006/304347 patent/WO2006112189A1/en active Application Filing
- 2006-03-07 EP EP06728716.9A patent/EP1870000B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2006-03-07 JP JP2007521122A patent/JP5059606B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2006112189A1 (en) | 2006-10-26 |
JPWO2006112189A1 (en) | 2008-12-04 |
EP1870000A4 (en) | 2012-06-06 |
EP1870000A1 (en) | 2007-12-26 |
JP5059606B2 (en) | 2012-10-24 |
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