Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshitaka Hada

Takatoshi Morimitsu

Yoshihiro Okuda

Shiyogo Nakamura

An extension-retraction device in which: each of an outer strip member and an inner strip member includes one or more engaging portions; a tubular inner guide member and a cylindrical member are included, the inner guide member including a groove portion, and the cylindrical member being made up in a cylindrical shape so as to conform to an outer peripheral surface of the inner guide member and helically guiding each of the inner strip member and the outer strip member between an inner periphery of the cylindrical shape and an outer periphery of the inner guide member; and the cylindrical member is provided with a friction reducing portion that reduces friction at each of a location in which the inner periphery of the cylindrical member contacts the outer strip member and a location in which the inner periphery of the cylindrical member contacts the inner strip member.

Extension-retraction device

A telescopic device includes an expandable tubular structure and an inner-side guide member disposed inside the tubular structure. The tubular structure includes an outer belt and an inner belt. The outer belt and the inner belt each have a plurality of first protrusions and holes arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction. The inner-side guide member has a first spiral groove extending along the plurality of first protrusions. When the inner-side guide member rotates in one direction, the outer belt and the inner belt are sent out, so that they are spirally wound while being engaged with each other, and the tubular structure extends. The first spiral groove has a body and an end portion extending from the body toward the root of the inner-side guide member. The distance between the end portion of the first spiral groove and the main part of the first spiral groove is small.

Telescopic device

To provide an extension/contraction mechanism that can lessen increase stress imposed on belts. An extension/contraction mechanism according to the present disclosure includes a telescopic extension/contraction part, in which the extension/contraction mechanism includes a first drive source connected to a screw shaft in such a way that it can transmit a drive force, a first belt holder that accommodates a second belt in such a way that the second belt can be sent out to the screw shaft or the second belt can be wound-up from the screw shaft, a second belt holder that accommodates a first belt in such a way that the first belt can be wound-up from the screw shaft, and a first belt holder drive part and a second belt holder drive part. The first and second belt holder drive parts rotate the first and second belt holders independently of the rotation of the screw shaft, respectively.

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Toyota, Japan

Yoshitaka Hada