Nhk Spring Co., Ltd.

Takafumi Hirata

Ryohei Shigematsu

Yuki Hotoda

Masahiro Inaba

Shimpei Kurokawa

Soichi Nakayama

Takahiro Fujii

Hideaki Takahashi

Shinji Iino

Hiroshi Imamura

Yuki Hayakawa

Kenichi Katsube

Hiroshi Yagame

Miho Nakazono

Masahiro Oda

Kiyoshi Nakajima

Hironobu Okamura

Motoyuki Otsuka

The present invention comprises: a first bending part and a second bending part which are capable of bending elastically; a connection part which connects the first bending part and the second bending part, and which has higher bending rigidity than the first bending part and the second bending part; and a plurality of first cord-like members which are attached to the first bending part, which are inserted through the first bending part, the connection part, and the second bending part, and which are capable of bending the first bending part via tension on the second bending part side. The first cord-like members each have a plurality of divided parts which are divided in the connection part and dispersed in the circumferential direction, and which are inserted through the second bending part in this dispersed state.

Bending structural body

Provided are a bending structure and a joint function part, capable of stabilizing bending operation and simplifying a structure. An inner coiled part is located into an outer coiled part. The outer coiled part and the inner coiled part have a plurality of gaps distancing adjacent coils in an axial direction, and the coils of the inner coiled part fit between the adjacent coils of the outer coiled part while being in contact with the adjacent coils. A dimension (P) is set in a range meeting π(R)/4(N)≤P<(d)−π(R)/4(N) in which (P) is the dimension of a gap of the outer coiled part in the axial direction in a free state, (N) is the number of turns of the outer coiled part, (R) is a diameter of the outer coiled part, and (d) is a wire diameter of the wire of the inner coiled part.

Bending structure and joint function part

A bending structure includes a bending part, which has an inner coil part and an outer coil part that are elastically bendable and stretchable, and in which a corresponding winding section of the inner coil part is fit in a space between adjacent winding sections of the outer coil part. At least one of the inner coil part and the outer coil part is conductive and forms a conductive path.

Bending structure and conductive device

A joint function unit, in which a movable part is supported by a base part so as to be displaceable in an axial direction thereof, includes: a plurality of drive wires each having a fixed part fixed to the movable part on one side in the axial direction and a supported part supported by the base part on the other side in the axial direction; and an elastic body supporting the supported part of each of the plurality of drive wires on the base part, energizing the supported part with respect to the fixed part in the axial direction, and applying tension to the drive wires.

Joint function unit

The bending structural body comprises: an inner cylinder that is formed from a first inner coil part and a first outer coil part, and in which wound parts corresponding to the first inner coil part are respectively fitted to pitches between adjacent wound parts of the first outer coil part; an outer cylinder that covers at least some of the outer circumference of the inner cylinder with a space therebetween, that is formed from a second inner coil part and a second outer coil part, and in which wound parts corresponding to the second inner coil part are respectively fitted to pitches between adjacent wound parts of the second outer coil part; and drive wires and guide wires that are guided and axially inserted into the space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.

Provided is a bending structure and a joint function part, capable of ensuring sufficient flexibility and rigidity in an axial direction. The bending structure is provided with an outer coiled part formed of a wire wound in a coiled shape and an inner coiled part formed of a wire wound in a coiled shape and arranged in the outer coiled part, wherein the outer coiled part has a plurality of gaps to distance adjacent coils, and coils of the inner coiled part are provided so as to correspond to the gaps of the outer coiled part and fit between the adjacent coils while being in contact with the adjacent coils of the outer coiled part.

A bending operation mechanism comprises: an elastically bendable driving part; an elastically bendable driven part that is provided separate from the driving part; and a linking part that connects the driving part and the driven part, and tensions and bends the driven part in accordance with bending of the driving part. The driving part and the driven part each comprise an inner coil part and an outer coil part that are bendable with respect to the axial direction, and wound parts corresponding to the inner coil part are respectively fitted to pitches between adjacent wound parts of the outer coil part.

Bending operation mechanism

Provided is a flexible member that can exhibit excellent load resistance and flexibility while achieving a reduction in size. This flexible member includes: a main body part which has multiple wave washers stacked in an axial direction and joined to each other, and the main body part is able to be bent with respect to the axial direction due to elastic deformation of the wave washers; and a linking member that is elastically deformable, the linking member being provided at an end part of the main body part and being linked to other member. A deformation amount of the linking member is smaller than a deformation amount of the wave washer, when the main body part is bent.

Flexible member

A multi-shaft drive device is provided that is capable of obtaining an appropriate backlash in an enmeshed state of an output side bevel gear and an input side bevel gear. An output side bevel gear () that is biased in the direction of an input side bevel gear by a coil spring contacts a shaft support bush attached to a wall portion () in an enmeshed state with the input side bevel gear. A bias direction stroke end of the output side bevel gear () is accordingly restricted. Moreover, the wall portion () is provided to a gear holder () fixed to a device case () that supports the input side bevel gear, thereby enabling the axial direction position of the output side bevel gear () to always be positioned at a uniform position to enmesh appropriately with the input side bevel gear.

Multi-shaft drive device

The present invention obtains a multi-shaft drive device that can protect a rack and pinion from operative load input to a selector. The multi-shaft drive device is provided with: an input-side bevel gear () to which motor power is transmitted; and an output-side bevel gear () that transmits the power transmitted from the input-side bevel gear () to a movable mechanism. The multi-shaft drive device is further provided with: a selector () that connects/disconnects the meshing of the output-side bevel gear () and the input-side bevel gear (); and a rotating shaft () that causes the selector () to slide via a rack () and pinion (). Furthermore, the angle of rotation of the rotating shaft () is regulated by the end of the pinion () contacting a vertical wall (A) of a case ().

To provide a multi-shaft driving device that aims for a lightening of weight and lowering of cost as compared with conventional structures. In a structure in which, when a movable shaft () is slidably installed at an output shaft () and advances toward an input-side bevel gear (), an output-side bevel gear () of a distal end side of the movable shaft () meshes-together with the input-side bevel gear (), and the movable shaft () rotates and rotation of this movable shaft () is transmitted to the output shaft (), the movable shaft () and the output-side bevel gear () are molded integrally of resin, and the output shaft () also is formed of resin, and the movable shaft () is slidably exteriorly placed on an outer peripheral side of the output shaft ().

Output member and multi-shaft driving device

A seat operating device comprising: an operation member; a first clutch member that is connected to an adjusting mechanism, and in which is formed a first cut-out portion that opens outwardly in a rotation radial direction of the first clutch member; a second clutch member that is connected to another adjusting mechanism, and in which is formed a second cut-out portion that opens outwardly in a rotation radial direction of the second clutch member; and a switching member having a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion that are positioned at mutually opposite sides across a rotational center. When the switching member is positioned at one end of a range of movement of the switching member, the first engaging portion engages with the first cut-out portion, and, when the switching member is positioned at another end of the range of movement, the second engaging portion engages with the second cut-out portion.

Seat operating device and vehicle seat

For realizing widening of a light scanning angle and excellent durability, the optical scanning actuator includes a movable unit that supports an optical element, a plurality of leaf springs having a thin plate shape with one end portion being fixed and another end portion being attached to the movable unit, and an electromagnetic driving unit including a magnet, a yoke laminated on the magnet to form a closed magnetic circuit together with the magnet, and a coil held by the movable unit. The coil is positioned in a gap between the magnet and the yoke such that opening plane of the coil is substantially orthogonal to a laminating direction of the magnet and the yoke. The movable unit is driven by an electromagnetic force applied to the coil.

Optical scanning actuator

An object detector has a light projecting unit that projects light, a light scanning actuator that scans the light, and a light receiving unit. The light scanning actuator includes plate springs, each having a thin-plate shape and one end in a longitudinal direction thereof being fixed; a movable part attached to the other ends in the longitudinal directions of the plate springs; and an electromagnetic driving unit having a magnet that generates a magnetic flux, a yoke that forms a closed magnetic circuit with the magnet and has a part being stacked on the magnet, and a coil held by the movable part and positioned in a gap between the magnet and the yoke such that an aperture plane is substantially orthogonal to a stacking direction of the magnet and the yoke, the electromagnetic driving unit configured to drive the movable part by an electromagnetic force applied to the coil.

Object detector

An optical scanning actuator includes a leaf spring member that has a base end fixed and a tip end, a light source that is fitted to the leaf spring member, an electromagnetic driving unit that oscillates the tip end of the leaf spring member, and an optical element that is fitted to the leaf spring member and that is irradiated with light outgoing from the light source to reflect or refract the light to thereby scan the light.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Takafumi Hirata