JPH089277B2 - XY plotter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial application] The present invention relates to a drive system in which movement of a Y rail relative to an XY plotter body and movement of a pen carriage relative to the Y rail are performed by engagement of a rack rail and a pinion gear. XY plotter. In the present invention, XY
The plotter includes both the drawing machine and the cutting machine, and the pen includes both the drawing pen and the cutting pen.

[Prior Art] An XY plotter has an X-Y plotter, for example, as shown in FIG.
-While installed in the Y-axis direction of the Y plotter body 1,
There is provided a Y rail 2 that can move laterally in the X axis direction of the XY plotter body 1, and a pen carriage 3 that can slide along the Y axis direction of the Y rail 2. Y rail 2 is X
The pen carriage 3 is moved forward and backward in the X axis direction of the Y plotter book 1 and the pen carriage 3 is moved forward and backward in the Y axis direction of the XY plotter body 1 or by a combined direction of the forward and backward movements of these two axis directions. The pen 4 held at the position performs two-dimensional movement. As a result, the pen 4 shows a predetermined movement on the sheet 5 to be processed fixed on the surface of the XY plotter body 1, so that the sheet 5 to be processed can be drawn or cut as required. Has been

In the conventional XY plotter, the lateral movement of the Y rail 2 is performed by driving by belts provided inside both edges of the XY plotter 1 in the Y axis direction, and the pen carriage 3
The sliding along the Y rail 2 is performed by driving with a belt provided inside the Y rail 2. Further, the rotational drive of the drive belt of the Y rail 2 or the drive belt of the pen carriage 3 is performed by the XY plotter body 1
Drive motors are respectively arranged at at least one of the edge terminals in the Y-axis direction or at one end of the Y-rail 2 in the Y-axis direction, and the Y-rail 2 is rotated by the drive motors via the belt. The X-Y plotter book 1 is laterally moved in the X-axis direction and the Y-rail 2 of the pen carriage 3 is slid in the Y-axis direction.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional example in which the Y rail or the pen carriage is moved by the belt movement as described above, when the distance between the pulleys at both ends of the drive belt, that is, the tension span is increased, the belt is extended. Inevitable differences in flexion or elongation.
In particular, the belt stretched for laterally driving the Y rail has a large stretching span, and the above tendency occurs. At one end and the other end of the Y rail, the X-axis of the XY plotter body is extended. There is a problem in that the upper positions are different from each other.
Further, it is desirable that the laterally movable range of the Y rail or the slidable range of the pen carriage exceeds the length of the sheet to be processed in the X axis direction or the length of the sheet to be processed in the Y axis direction. Therefore, the drive motor for the lateral movement belt of the Y rail or the drive motor for the sliding belt of the pen carriage is provided outside the lateral movement range of the Y rail or outside the slidable range of the pen carriage.
As a result, as illustrated in the conventional example of FIG. 5, X
-The size of the Y plotter body 1 or the length of the Y rail 2 is substantially larger than the side length of the sheet 5 to be processed, and is applied in comparison with the target sheet 5 to be processed X- There is also a problem that the Y plotter becomes extremely large.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an X-Y
The accuracy of movement of the Y-rail that moves laterally in the X-axis direction of the plotter body is improved to improve the alignment in the Y-axis direction.
The sliding characteristics of the pen carriage have also been improved, and X-
An object of the present invention is to provide a compact XY plotter in which the size of the Y plotter body is not much larger than the size of the sheet to be processed.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is provided along the slit on the drawing back side of an XY plotter body having slits along the edges on the front and rear sides. On the rack rail, the Y rail is moved on the drawing by engaging a pinion gear attached to an insert bracket penetrating both ends of the Y rail and penetrating the slit and rotating the pinion gear. XY became like
In the plotter, the rack rail is formed on a lower surface or an upper surface of a horizontal piece of a hanging piece having a substantially L-shaped cross section integrally formed with the XY plotter body, and the insert bracket includes a Y rail A pinion gear that meshes with the rack rails that are attached to both ends of a rotating shaft that extends to both sides and penetrates the main body of the electric motor that is installed below and is fixed to a predetermined part of the insert bracket, and the hanging piece with the pinion gear. A support roll for ensuring the meshing of the pinion gear and the rack rail, and a guide roll for preventing lateral displacement of the pinion gear by contacting a predetermined vertical side surface of the hanging piece. -The first feature of the Y plotter is that the Y rail is composed of a cylindrical body having a substantially square cross section with slits provided along the longitudinal direction, and the Y rail has a predetermined surface inside. A projecting piece having a substantially L-shaped cross section formed with a hook rail is integrally formed with the Y rail along the longitudinal direction of the Y rail, and the pen carriage that moves along the Y rail is inserted through the slit to make a Y An insert bracket extending into the rail is extended, and a pinion gear fixed to a predetermined portion of the insert bracket and attached to the rotary shaft of the electric motor and meshing with the rack rail, and the projecting piece with the pinion gear. A support roll for sandwiching the pinion gear and the rack rail to ensure the meshing of the rack rail, and a guide roll for preventing the pinion gear from slipping relative to the rack rail by abutting against a predetermined portion of the inner wall of the Y rail or the projecting piece are provided. The XY plotter according to claim 1 has the second gist.

[Operation] In the XY plotter of the present invention, the advancing / retreating lateral movement of the Y rail in the X axis direction of the XY plotter body causes edge portions on both front and rear sides (both ends in the Y axis direction) of the XY plotter body. The respective pinion gears are engaged with the rack rails installed along the rails, and synchronous rotation drive of each pinion gear is performed. That is, pinion gears are attached to both ends of the rotation shaft of the electric motor, and both the pinion gears can be synchronously rotated by rotationally driving the electric motor. Therefore, if the Y rail and each pinion gear are engaged so that the Y rail keeps a right angle with respect to each rack rail at both ends at the beginning,
After that, the forward / backward movement of the Y-rail in the X-axis direction of the X-Y plotter main body can be performed while keeping the pinion gear provided on the Y-rail synchronously and always accurately and parallel to the Y-axis. Further, since the electric motor is provided between the both pinion gears below the Y rail and moves together with the Y rail, it is not necessary to provide a special installation place on the end side of the XY plotter body. That much XY
The plotter can be miniaturized. Further, support brackets and guide rolls are provided on the insert brackets vertically provided at both ends of the Y rail to ensure the meshing of the rack rail with the pinion gear and prevent lateral displacement of the pinion gear. Has become. Therefore, the Y rail can be moved accurately and smoothly.

Further, the movement of the Y-rail of the pen carriage in the Y-axis direction is also performed by rotation of a pinion gear that engages with a rack rail provided in the Y-rail. It is mounted on the rotating shaft of an electric motor that moves with a pen carriage mounted on an insert bracket that extends into the rail. Therefore, the rotational drive of the pinion gear is also performed by the electric motor with excellent responsiveness. Further, this insert bracket is also provided with a support roll and a guide roll to enable accurate and smooth movement of the pen carriage.

[Advantages of the Invention] According to the configuration of the present invention, the movement mechanism when the Y rail laterally moves in the X axis direction of the XY plotter body is driven by the engagement of the rack rail and the pinion gear. (A) Countermeasures such as the deflection of the drive mechanism, small errors between each other at the time of operation, and backlash due to inertia at the time of starting or stopping, which are often seen when driving through a flexible body such as a belt. Since it is not necessary at all, high-precision drawing or cutting is possible. (B) The Y-rail motor is attached to the Y-rail within the length of the Y-rail in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, X
-For the length of the Y plotter in the X-axis direction, it suffices if the sum of the span of the Y rail that moves forward and backward and the width of the pen stocker is substantially added. An XY plotter with a compact shape can be obtained, which contributes to the industry through cost reduction.

In addition, since the support rolls and guide rolls are provided to ensure the meshing of the pinion gears and the rack rails and to prevent the pinion gears from swaying and shifting, the Y rails move accurately and smoothly. . Furthermore, Y
By using the rack rail and pinion gear for the movement mechanism of the pen carriage that moves along the rail,
The rail length can be shortened, and the pen carriage can be moved accurately and smoothly.

[Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the XY plotter 10 of the present invention.
In most of the upper surface, the sheet to be processed attaching portion 15 is formed, and the pen stocker 16 and the operation panel 17 are also provided on the side of the upper surface. The XY plotter main body 11 of the XY plotter 10 is provided with a detachable main body end plate 11 'at one end thereof, preferably on the opposite side to the side where the pen stocker 16 is provided, and upward. Has a Y rail 12 installed along the Y axis direction of the XY plotter body 11.
The Y-rail 12 is made of a cylindrical body having a substantially square cross section with slits provided along the longitudinal direction,
Above the XY plotter body 11, the XY plotter main body 11 is allowed to move laterally in the X-axis direction, and a pen carriage 13 including a pen holder 14 is provided. It is slidable in the axial direction, in other words, in the Y-axis direction of the XY plotter body 11. A Y rail end plate 12 ′ is provided at at least one end of the Y rail 12 and is attachable to and detachable from the Y rail 12.

In the XY plotter 10 of the present invention, the movement of the Y rail 12 with respect to the XY plotter body 11 is shown in FIG. 2 or 3, and the movement of the pen carriage 13 with respect to the Y rail 12 is shown in FIG. Rack rail 22 as shown in
Alternatively, the rotation and the driving are performed by the engagement between 32 and the pinion gear 23 or 33. As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the movement of the Y rail 12 is performed by the XY plotter main body 11
A pinion gear 23 that is substantially integrated with the Y rail 12 is engaged with a rack rail 22 that is integrally formed with the Y rail 12. The pinion gear 23 is rotationally driven by an electric motor 26 (operation panel). The wiring from 17 to the motor 26 is omitted in the figure.). That is, the XY plotter body 11
Slits 20 parallel to each other on both edges in the Y-axis direction
The insert brackets 21 are provided at the bottoms of both ends of the Y-rail 12 so as to extend inside the XY plotter body 11 through the parallel slits 20. Further, inside the XY plotter body 11, rack rails 22 are provided along the respective slits 20 of the two rows. In this embodiment, not only the sheet mounting portion 15 but also the rack rails 22 at both edges are integrally formed with the XY plotter body 11 by a synthetic resin material. That is, the rack rail 22 is formed on the lower surface of a horizontal piece of a long hanging piece having an L-shaped cross section which is integrally formed with the XY plotter body 11.

Each insert bracket 21 coupled to the Y rail 12 has a support roll 24 in addition to the pinion gear 23.
And the guide roll 25 is attached. The pinion gear 23 is an electric motor 26 supported by the insert bracket 21.
Drive shaft 27, which is driven directly or indirectly through a speed reducer to rotate and drive the pinion gear 23, extends to the opposite side of the electric motor 26 and synchronizes with the pinion gear 23 engaged with the rack rail 22 on the other side. It is rotating. The support roll 24 and the pinion gear 23 are located on the rear side of the rack rail 22, and the support roll 24 supports the Y rail 12 and assists the smooth engagement between the pinion gear 23 and the rack rail 22. Each guide roll 25 corresponds to each rack rail
It is in contact with the side end surface of 22 and suppresses the fine movement of the Y-rail 12 itself of the XY plotter body 11 in the Y-axis direction. The Y-rail 12 on which the insert roll 21 having the support roll 24, the guide rail 25, the pinion gear 23, the electric motor 26, and the drive shaft 27, which have the above-described functions, is hung is
By removing the main body end plate 11 ′ of the XY plotter main body 11, the rack rail 22 and the pinion gear 23 are removed from the end surface.
It is possible to assemble very easily while engaging and.

The movement of the pen carriage 13 which moves in the length direction of the Y rail 12 also includes the rack rail 32 and the insert bracket 31 which are integrally provided on the Y rail 12 as shown in FIG.
Pinion gear 33 provided on the pen carriage 13 via
The rotation of the pinion gear 33 is performed based on the engagement with the. The insert bracket 31 connected to the pen carriage 13 is introduced into the inside of the Y rail 12 through a slit formed in the lower portion of the Y rail 12. The pinion gear 33 and the support roll 34 attached to the insert bracket 31 are different from the rack rail 32 in the Y rail.
It has the same function as the case of 12 moves. Pinion gear 33
Via drive shaft 37, also insert bracket
It is directly or indirectly rotationally driven by an electric motor 36 attached to 31. The two guide rolls 35 mounted on both sides of the insert bracket 31 are in contact with the inner surface of the side plate of the Y rail 12 and the end surface of the bottom plate, and maintain a minute gap between the Y rail 12 and the pen carriage 13. Even when the pen carriage 13 is assembled to the Y rail 12, the Y rail end plate 12 ′ of the Y rail 12 is detached, so that the rack rail 32 and the pinion gear 33 are engaged with each other from the end surface of the Y rail 12 very easily. Can be assembled.

The rack rail and the pinion gear are engaged with each other, and the relative movement based on the rotational drive of the pinion gear has a higher movement accuracy than the movement method using a flexible body such as a belt, for example, even a rigid body can be reversible. It can occupy less space than the combined system of a rotary worm and a feed piece. Further, it goes without saying that means for preventing rattling due to backlash, such as making the teeth of the rack rail double teeth, is also included in the scope of the claims of the present invention as an effective modified example.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 4 are explanatory views of a specific embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part showing an example of a Y rail moving mechanism, and FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a lateral cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an example of a pen carriage moving mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a conventional example. 1 …… Plotter main body 2 …… Y rail 3 …… Pen carriage 4 …… Pen 5 …… Processed sheet 11 …… XY plotter main body 11 ′ …… Main body end plate 12 …… Y rail 12 ′ …… Y Rail end plate 13 …… Pen carriage 14 …… Pen holder 15 …… Processed sheet mounting part 16 …… Pen stocker 17 …… Operation panel 20 …… Slit 21,31 …… Insert bracket 22,32 …… Rack rail 23, 33 …… Pinion gear 24,34 …… Support roll 25,35 …… Guide roll 26,36 …… Motor 27,37 …… Drive shaft

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A rack rail provided along the slits on the rear surface side of the drawing of an XY plotter body having slits along the front and rear sides, and the slits provided vertically on both ends of the Y rail. An XY plotter in which the Y rail is moved on the drawing by engaging a pinion gear attached to a penetrating insert bracket and rotating the pinion gear. Formed on the lower surface or the upper surface of the horizontal piece of the hanging piece having a substantially L-shaped cross section integrally formed with the XY plotter body, and the insert bracket includes Y
A pinion gear that meshes with the rack rails installed at both ends of a rotating shaft that extends through the main body of the electric motor that is installed below the rail and that is fixed to a predetermined part of the insert bracket, and this pinion gear A support roll for ensuring the meshing of the pinion gear and the rack rail, and a guide roll for preventing lateral displacement of the pinion gear by being brought into contact with a predetermined vertical side surface of the hanging piece are provided. An XY plotter that features 2. A Y-rail is a cylindrical body having a substantially quadrangular cross section with slits provided along the longitudinal direction, and a Y-shaped projection having a substantially L-shaped cross section having a rack rail formed on a predetermined surface is formed inside the Y rail. An insert bracket that is formed integrally with the Y rail along the longitudinal direction of the rail and that extends along the Y rail and extends into the Y rail through the slit is provided. The pinion gear fixed to a predetermined part of the insert bracket and attached to the rotating shaft of the electric motor and meshing with the rack rail, and the pinion gear sandwiches the projecting piece to ensure the meshing of the pinion gear and the rack rail. To prevent the pinion gear from slipping relative to the rack rail by contacting a predetermined portion of the inner wall of the Y rail or the projecting piece of the Y rail. X-Y plotter of claim 1, wherein the guide roll is provided for.