JPH021005Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a proximity switch that is separately equipped with a detection head. The present invention relates to a proximity switch that can be mounted at different positions relative to a base housing.

[Conventional technology]

A proximity switch usually consists of a detection coil, oscillation circuit, detection circuit, amplifier circuit, etc.
When an object to be detected approaches the detection coil, which is supplied with high-frequency current from the oscillation circuit, the oscillation state of the oscillation circuit changes, so this change is detected by the detection circuit, the switching circuit is activated, and the detection is amplified by the amplifier. configured to output a signal.

In conventional proximity switches, the detection head and base housing are generally integrated, so the detection surface is always located in one direction (usually the front side). However, recently, with the diversification of uses for proximity switches, there has been a demand for proximity switches that have detection surfaces not only on the front but also on the top and bottom or left and right sides.

However, it would be uneconomical to separately manufacture and prepare proximity switches in which the detection surface is located on the front, top, bottom, left or right side and are integrated with the base housing, and use them as needed. Not only that, but it is inevitable that there will be a significant increase in costs. For this reason, attempts have been made to manufacture the detection head and the base housing separately, connect them with a cable, position the detection surface in a desired direction, and attach the detection head to the base housing.

An example of such a proximity switch is the one described in West German Published Patent Application No. 2819782. This proximity switch has a base housing that can be separated into two parts, allowing the detection head to be fixed in different positions.The detection head has a cover member, and by using this as a socket, the whole body can be shaped into a rectangular parallelepiped. It is something that forms. Note that this socket member serves to cover and protect the detection head and does not include any electrical parts.

Further, as this type of proximity switch, there is one disclosed in West German Published Patent Application No. 2915109. This is because the detection head is equipped with 13 swallowtail-shaped sockets, which allow the detection surface to be attached to the base housing at different angles.The swallowtail-shaped sockets are installed between the detection head and the base housing. However, the space for the electrical components accommodated within the detection head is narrowed.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

Conventional proximity switches such as the one described above require a socket that occupies a relatively large area rather than a cubic detection head, which not only reduces the space for housing the electrical components, but also increases the overall size. I couldn't avoid it. In addition, the overall structure and the structure for mounting the detection head in different directions are complicated, requiring many parts and man-hours for assembly and installation of the detection head, and the conventional detection head and base housing are constructed in one piece. There were many problems, such as being considerably more expensive than proximity switches.

[Means for solving problems]

In mounting a cubic sensing head such that its sensing surface is positioned in five different directions on the base housing, the biggest problem is the handling of the cable connecting the base housing and the sensing head. It is also possible to run this cable along the side of the detection head or base housing while it is attached, but if you do this, the cable sheathing may be damaged or the cable may break due to contact with surrounding objects during use. It cannot be adopted because there is a risk of

This invention has a shape in the center of the ridge opposite to the detection surface of the cubic detection head that does not hinder the movement of the cable for connecting the detection head and the base housing when moving in the direction of the detection surface. A notch is provided on two sides, the sides are triangular, and the width is slightly larger than the diameter of the cable, and the cable is pulled out from the hole provided at the bottom of this notch and connected to the base housing. This allows the detection head to be easily attached to the base housing in different directions.

One screw is sufficient to attach the detection head to the base housing; therefore, two screws with a notch are provided.
A screw hole is provided in the center of each surface.

On the detection head installation side of the base housing, the front surface is formed into a square shape corresponding to the surface of the detection head, and a hole for inserting a screw is provided in the center of the positioning protrusion provided in the center. A base plate is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the space provided around the base plate, and the detection head is fixed to the base plate with one screw using one of the screw holes.

Furthermore, a ring-shaped spacer is further interposed between the base plate and the detection head to ensure that the detection head is fixed at a correct position with respect to the base housing and does not rotate. The outer circumferential surface of the spacer body is formed in a shape that matches the inner circumferential surface of the base plate, and a locking piece is protruded at one location on the detection head side, so that the spacer body can be attached to the base plate. By fitting, rotation relative to the base plate is prevented, and by engaging the locking piece with the notch of the detection head, rotation of the detection head is prevented, and the notch and unused screw hole are covered. to prevent dust, etc. from entering.

In this way, by connecting the detection head to the base plate via a spacer with a single screw, a proximity switch can be obtained in which the detection surface of the detection head can be easily mounted in different positions with respect to the base housing. can.

To summarize, the present invention incorporates a detection coil, etc., provides a notch in one of the edges opposite to the detection surface, and provides screw holes in the center of each of the surfaces connected to the edge. , a cubic detection head formed by inserting one end of the cable through a hole provided at the bottom of the notch, and a space provided with a rotation prevention mechanism on the front surface, and a screw is inserted in the center of the space. A housing main body comprising a base plate provided with a hole for insertion, into which the other end of the cable is inserted through the hole provided at the bottom of the space, and a cable taken out to the outside is connected to the bottom of the housing main body. A hollow space through which a cable connected between the connecting mounting portion, the detection head and the housing body is inserted, and which is formed in a shape that matches the rotation prevention mechanism of the base plate and has a locking piece protruding from the detection head side. The present invention provides a proximity switch consisting of a spacer.

[Effect]

After the spacer is combined with the base plate and the detection surface is positioned in the desired direction, the locking piece of the spacer is fitted into the notch of the detection head to integrate the detection head and spacer, and then inserted into the hole in the base plate. A screw is inserted into the screw hole of the detection head to connect them together and connect the mounting portion to the housing body.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the detection head constituting the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention. In both figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a cubic detection head, which is provided with a detection surface 2, and a detection coil, an oscillation circuit, etc. are housed inside. Reference numeral 10 denotes a notch portion with a triangular side surface provided on one of the edges 5, 6, 7, and 8 on the opposite side of the detection surface 2, and a hole 12 provided in the bottom portion 11 of the notch portion 10 has, for example, A single flexible cable 18 through which a power supply line and a signal line pass is inserted and connected to an oscillation circuit housed inside. 13 and 14 are detection head 1
The screw holes 15 and 16 provided in the center of the two surfaces 3 and 4 that are in contact with the edge 5 where the notch 10 is provided are located around the notch 10 and the screw holes 13 and 14 of the surfaces 3 and 4. This is the recess provided.

20 is a base housing, for example, a detection circuit,
It consists of a housing main body 21 containing an amplifier circuit, etc., a base plate 31 provided on the front side of the housing main body 21, and a mounting part 41 to which a cable connected to a power source and a control device is connected via a terminal part 42.
is connected to the housing body 21 by a connector.

The base plate 31 is formed into a rectangular shape corresponding to the surface of the detection head 1, and a hole 33 into which a screw is inserted is provided in the center of a protrusion 32 for positioning provided in the center.
is installed through it. Reference numeral 34 denotes a recess formed around the protrusion 32, and a large number of recesses and recesses 35, such as those of an internal gear, are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the recess. 36 is recess 3
4, the cable 18 taken in through the hole 36 is connected to an electronic circuit within the housing body 21.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a ring-shaped spacer, and its outer periphery is provided with a large number of unevenness 51 that matches the shape of the inner peripheral surface of the base plate, and on the detection head 1 side,
A locking piece 52 having a shape that matches the recesses 15 and 16 of the detection head 1 is provided in a protruding manner.

Next, examples of changes in the order of assembly of the proximity switch consisting of the above-mentioned parts and the mounting position of the detection head will be explained.

First, the cable 18 is passed through the spacer 50 and its both ends are connected to predetermined circuits of the detection head 1 and the housing body 21, respectively. At this time, the length of the cable 18 is allowed to be slightly longer.

For example, if the detection surface 2 is to be positioned at the front, the spacer 50 is used as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.
The locking piece 52 is positioned at the center of the upper surface of the base plate 31 and fitted into the recess 34 of the base plate 31, the detection surface 2 of the detection head 1 is placed in the front, the cable 18 is housed in the recess 34 of the base plate 31, and the cable 18 is placed in the recess 34 of the base plate 31. in contact with the front of the At this time, the locking piece 52 of the spacer 50 fits into the recess 15 provided on the surface 3 of the detection head 1, and the notch 1
0 and one of the screw holes 13 are closed. Next, the screw 60 is inserted into the hole 33 of the base plate 31 and screwed into the other screw hole 14 of the detection head 1 to connect them together, and the mounting part 41 is connected to the housing body 21 with a connector, so that the proximity switch is installed. Complete. In addition, if necessary, the housing body 21
After connecting the mounting portion 41 and the mounting portion 41 with a connector, they may be further fixed with screws.

Next, for example, when the detection surface 2 is positioned on the upper surface, the detection head 1 is placed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.
Turn the detection surface 2 in the direction of arrow a, position the locking piece 52 of the spacer 50 at the center of the lower surface of the base plate 31, fit it into the recess 16 of the base plate 31, and screw the screw 60 into the screw hole 13 of the detection head 1. Just enter it.

Similarly, when positioning the detection surface 2 on the bottom, right side, or left side, turn the detection head 1 in the direction of arrows b, c, or d as shown in FIG. It should be installed on 21.

In addition, in the above explanation, the mounting part 41 is connected to the housing main body 21 on which the detection head 1 is attached with a connector to integrate them. It may be removed and replaced, or the position of the detection surface 2 of the detection head 1 may be changed as desired.

In the proximity switch of the present invention configured as described above, no matter where the detection surface 2 of the detection head 1 is located, the top, bottom, left and right surfaces as a whole are on the same plane, realizing a flat unit that is easy to handle. Moreover, since the detection head 1 and the base plate 31 are connected through the spacer 50, there is no risk of rotation of the two, and accurate positions can be maintained at all times.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the recesses 15 and 16 provided around the notch 10 of the detection head 1
may be omitted, and the shape of the space portion 34 of the base plate 31 and the spacer 50 may be made into a polygon of, for example, a quadrangle or more, and furthermore, the shape of the space portion 34 of the base plate 31 and the spacer 50 may be
The outer diameter of the spacer 51 is formed to be smaller than the surface of the detection head 1, and a rotation prevention mechanism is provided on the outer periphery, so that the inner shape of the spacer 51, which is formed to have approximately the same outer shape as the surface of the detection head 1, is aligned with the outer shape of the base plate 31. It is possible to make appropriate changes without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as by forming the base plate 31 into a shape and fitting it to the outside of the base plate 31.

[Effect of idea]

As is clear from the above description, the present invention can bring about the following remarkable effects.

(1) Since the detection head is shaped like a cube, it is small and has a large space for storing electrical components inside.

(2) By making the detection head smaller, the base housing can also be made smaller, so the entire proximity switch can be made smaller and easier to handle.

(3) Since only one screw is required to attach and detach the detection head to the base housing, handling is extremely easy.

(4) With one proximity switch, the detection surface can be changed in five directions, and the overall structure is small and simple, so manufacturing and maintenance costs can be significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the detection head constituting the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention,
FIGS. 3 and 4 are partially cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the present invention, FIG. 1: detection head, 2: detection surface, 10: notch,
13, 14: Screw hole, 15, 16: Recess, 18:
cable, 20: base housing, 21: housing body, 31: base plate, 32: positioning protrusion, 33: hole, 34: recess, 35: unevenness, 41: mounting part, 50: spacer, 51: unevenness, 52: Locking piece, 60: screw.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A detection coil, etc. is built-in, and a notch is provided on one of the edges opposite to the detection surface, and a screw hole is provided in the center of the surface connected to the edge. established,
It has a cubic detection head formed by inserting one end of the cable through a hole provided at the bottom of the notch, and a space provided with a rotation prevention mechanism on the front surface,
A housing main body comprising a base plate provided with a hole for inserting a screw in the center of the space, the other end of the cable being inserted through the hole provided at the bottom of the space, and a cable taken out to the outside. a mounting portion connected to the lower part of the housing body; a cable connected between the detection head and the housing body inserted therethrough; A proximity switch comprising a hollow spacer with a protruding locking piece, the detection head being able to be attached to a housing body in different directions. (2) The proximity switch according to claim 1, wherein a recess is provided around the notch and screw hole of the detection head. (3) The proximity switch according to claim 1, wherein a mounting portion is connected to the housing body using a connector. (4) The proximity switch according to claim 1, wherein a positioning protrusion is provided on the outer periphery of a hole provided in the base plate. (5) The proximity switch according to claim 1, wherein the positioning mechanism of the base plate is polygonal or gear-shaped. (6) The proximity switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shape of the locking portion provided on the spacer is matched to the shape of the notch or recess of the detection head.