JPH0221722Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a mechanism for remotely operating a cover that is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable to open and close.

[Background of the idea]

Conventionally, electric drive means have generally been used to remotely open and close a cover that is pivotably supported so that it can be rotated to open and close.

In order to make the above-mentioned driving means compact and to make its operation quiet, it is conceivable to use a shape memory alloy as the driving member, and to open and close the cover by deformation of the shape memory alloy as a result of temperature changes.

In this case, as a simple structure for freely controlling the temperature of the shape memory alloy, a method can be considered in which the shape memory alloy is heated by energization and then cooled by cooling. According to this method, a drive section made of, for example, a shape memory alloy is constructed, and the drive section is made up of a spring made of a shape memory alloy that contracts when a certain temperature is reached, and a spring made of a shape memory alloy that expands when a certain temperature is reached. arranged coaxially, one end of both springs is fixed to the opening/closing mechanism holding member,
It is conceivable that the other end is connected to the arm, and that an electric circuit is connected to each spring so that each spring can be individually energized, so that each spring is brought to the above-mentioned constant temperature by energization. This configuration was invented by the present inventor and is currently being applied for by the present applicant (Japanese Patent Application No. 58-242134,
60-135342). As a result of repeated tests and research aimed at putting the opening/closing mechanism of the above configuration into practical use, the inventor discovered the following technical problems.

(i) When opening and closing the cover using a shape memory alloy, the shape memory alloy member has its own heat capacity, so when it is heated, the temperature rises relatively rapidly, but it It will take some time to cool down. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a means for rapidly opening and closing the door by assisting the closing operation using the shape memory alloy member.

(ii) It is desirable that, including the above-mentioned auxiliary rapid opening/closing means, no power is consumed to maintain the cover in the open or closed state, and that the open or closed state is reliably maintained.

[Purpose of invention]

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention was devised to solve the problems (i) and (ii) above, and its purpose is to create a small and lightweight opening/closing mechanism using shape memory alloy. The object of the present invention is to provide an opening/closing mechanism that is capable of rapid opening/closing operations without sacrificing its advantages of simplicity, and that can reliably maintain open and closed states without consuming power.

[Summary of the idea]

In order to achieve the above object, the opening/closing mechanism of the present invention includes a cover pivoted on a bracket so as to be rotatable in opening and closing, a drive arm fixed to the cover,
An opening/closing mechanism is provided with a drive member made of a shape memory alloy that rotates the arm reciprocally, and has a structure in which the drive arm is rotated reciprocally by the drive member to open and close the cover. A torsion coil spring 1 made of a shape memory alloy and a torsion coil spring 2 not made of a shape memory alloy are provided to open and close the legs, and the coiled portions of these torsion coil springs are attached to a shaft 8 that pivotally supports the cover 3. The torsion coil spring 1 made of shape memory alloy opens and closes the cover 3 at a predetermined temperature. The torsion coil spring 2, which is not made of a shape memory alloy, is always biased in the direction of closing the cover 3, and means for heating the torsion coil spring 1 made of the shape memory alloy is provided, 4, and a permanent magnet 7 is connected to the drive arm, so that when the cover 3 is closed, the electromagnet and the permanent magnet are separated, and when the cover 3 is opened, the above-mentioned It is characterized by having a structure in which an electromagnet and a permanent magnet are in contact with each other so that the electromagnet is attracted by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet, and a means is provided for energizing the electromagnet so that the electromagnet and the permanent magnet are repelled. .

[Example of idea]

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Figures 1 to 3 are principle explanatory diagrams of one embodiment of the opening/closing mechanism of the present invention, and Figures 4 to 7 are external views of an automobile headlamp equipped with the opening/closing mechanism of the above embodiment. .

As shown in FIG. 1, torsion coil springs 1 and 2 are constructed. The torsion coil spring 1 is made of a shape memory alloy, and is configured to expand both legs when heated to a certain temperature. The torsion coil spring 2 is made of spring steel and is shaped so that both legs are opened at approximately 90 degrees in the free state.

Reference numeral 3 in the figure denotes a louver-shaped cover, which is supported by a shaft 8 on the bracket 4 so as to be rotatable in opening and closing. An electromagnet 6 is fixed to the bracket 4.

In FIG. 1, the bracket 4, shaft 8, and electromagnet 6 are fixed members, and the others are movable members. In this figure, in order to express that the bracket 4 is a fixed member, its supporting portion is marked with parallel diagonal lines.

The drive arm 3a is fixed to the cover 3 described above.
The distal end of the driving arm 3a is connected by a connecting arm 5. 9 is a connecting pin. As a result, the drive arm 3a, the bracket 4, and the connecting arm 5
form a parallelogram linkage.

The coil portions of the torsion coil springs 1 and 2 are fitted onto the shafts 8 and 8, respectively, and their legs are engaged with the drive arm 3a and the bracket 4, respectively. An energizing means (not shown) is provided for heating the torsion coil spring (made of shape memory alloy) 1.

The torsion coil spring (made of spring steel) 2 is attached with both legs closed rather than in a free state,
The cover 3 is biased in the closing direction (counterclockwise in the figure).

The aforementioned torsion coil spring (made of shape memory alloy) 1
At room temperature, both legs are closed and the cover 3 is closed.

A permanent magnet 7 is fixed to the connecting arm 5.
The permanent magnet 7 is installed in such a way that it comes into contact with the electromagnet 6 when the cover 3 is opened, as shown in FIG.

When the torsion coil spring 1 is energized in the state shown in FIG. 1, the torsion coil spring (made of shape memory alloy) is heated and its temperature rises, opening both legs, which causes the cover 3 to open as shown in FIG. be opened. FIG. 3 is an external view of this state viewed in the direction of the arrow.

At this time, the permanent magnet 7 is magnetically attracted to the iron core of the electromagnet 6. Therefore, even if the torsion coil spring 1 is de-energized, the cover 3 remains open due to the attraction force of the permanent magnet 7.

Torsional coil spring 1 while holding the open state
(made of shape memory alloy) is allowed to cool and tries to close the legs, biasing the cover 3 in the direction of closing, and the torsion coil spring 2 (made of spring steel) closes the cover 3 due to its spring elasticity. However, the open state of the cover 3 is maintained by the attraction force of the permanent magnet 7.

When the cover 3 is opened in such a state, when the electromagnet 6 is energized by an energizing means (not shown) and excited so that the contact poles of the permanent magnet 7 and the electromagnet 6 have the same polarity, a repulsive force is generated. Therefore, the two poles are separated. Therefore, the cover 3 is quickly closed by the biasing force of the torsion coil springs 1 and 2, and is restored to the state shown in FIG.

In order for the embodiment to achieve the above-mentioned effects,
What is necessary for the torsion coil springs 1 and 2 described above is that the torsion coil spring 1 made of a shape memory alloy applies force in the opening/closing direction to the cover 3 at a predetermined temperature, and that the torsion coil spring 2 not made of a shape memory alloy always applies a force in the opening/closing direction to the cover 3. This means that a force is applied in the closing direction.

In the embodiment described above, one torsion coil spring 1 or one torsion coil spring 2 was arranged for each of the two shafts 8 that pivotally supported the two covers 3, but when implementing the present invention, The number and installation location of these torsion coil springs 1 and 2 are not limited to these. For example, the torsion coil spring 1 and the torsion coil spring 2 may be arranged on the same shaft 8, and the coiled portion thereof may be attached to the shaft 8. It can also be fitted externally.

FIG. 4 is a front view of one embodiment of the automobile headlamp provided with the cover 3 of this embodiment in a closed state;
The figures are a side view of the closed state, FIG. 6 is a front view of the open state, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the open state.

Figure 8 is a side view of an embodiment in which the opening/closing mechanism according to the present invention is applied to an air conditioner cover, Figure 9 is a tail lamp, Figure 10 is a rear window blind of a car, and Figure 11 is a similar example. FIG. 12 is a side view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a front grill of an automobile, and similarly to a ventilation opening of a house.

[Effect of idea]

As detailed above, according to the opening/closing mechanism of the present invention, the advantages of using a shape memory alloy as a drive member, such as small size, light weight, and simplicity, can be achieved without sacrificing the advantages.
It has excellent practical effects in that it is capable of rapid opening and closing operations and can reliably maintain the open and closed states without consuming power.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 shows the cover in a closed state, and FIG.
The figure also shows the opened state, and FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a front view in a closed state of an embodiment of an automobile headlamp provided with the cover 3 of this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a side view in the same closed state, and FIG.
The figure is a front view of the open state, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the open state. Figure 8 is a side view of an embodiment in which the opening/closing mechanism according to the present invention is applied to an air conditioner cover, Figure 9 is a tail lamp, Figure 10 is a rear window blind of a car, and Figure 11 is a similar example. FIG. 12 is a side view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a front grill of an automobile, and similarly to a ventilation opening of a house. 1... Torsional coil spring made of shape memory alloy, 2
...Spring steel torsional coil spring, 3...Cover, 3a...Drive arm, 4...Bracket, 5
...Connection arm, 6...Electromagnet, 7...Permanent magnet.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A cover that is pivotally supported on a bracket so as to be rotatable to open and close, a drive arm fixed to the cover, and a drive member made of a shape memory alloy that rotates the arm back and forth. In the opening/closing mechanism in which the drive arm is reciprocally rotated by the drive member to open and close the cover, a torsion coil spring 1 made of a shape memory alloy is configured to open and close the legs when a certain temperature is reached.
and a torsion coil spring 2 which is not made of shape memory alloy, and the coiled portion of these torsion coil springs is fitted onto the shaft 8 which pivotally supports the cover 3, and
The legs of these torsion coil springs 1 and 2 are respectively engaged with the drive arm 5 and the bracket 4, and the torsion coil spring 1 made of shape memory alloy acts in the direction of opening and closing the cover 3 at a predetermined temperature, thereby changing the shape. The torsion coil spring 2, which is not made of a memory alloy, has a structure that always acts in the direction of closing the cover 3, and means is provided to heat the torsion coil spring 1, which is made of the shape memory alloy, and the electromagnet 6 is fixed to the bracket 4. A permanent magnet 7 is connected to the drive arm, so that when the cover 3 is closed, the electromagnet and the permanent magnet are separated from each other, and when the cover 3 is opened, the electromagnet and the permanent magnet are in contact with each other and the permanent magnet is closed. An opening/closing mechanism characterized by having a structure in which an electromagnet is attracted by the magnetic attraction force of the magnet, and provided with means for energizing the electromagnet so that the electromagnet and a permanent magnet repel each other.