阅读说明：本技术 绝对式编码器 (Absolute encoder ) 是由 斋藤胜典 根岸央树 长田靖夫 佐藤德和 于 2020-03-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种适于进行小型化的绝对式编码器。绝对式编码器具备：随主轴的旋转而旋转的第1驱动齿轮；与第1驱动齿轮啮合的第1从动齿轮,其中心轴与第1驱动齿轮的中心轴正交；及与第1从动齿轮同轴设置并随第1从动齿轮的旋转而旋转的第2驱动齿轮。绝对式编码器具备：设置在副轴齿轮(5A)上的永磁铁(8),该副轴齿轮(5A)上形成有与第2驱动齿轮啮合的蜗轮部(52e),其中心轴与第1从动齿轮的中心轴正交；及设置在副轴齿轮(5A)上的树脂片(5A1),其可防止永磁铁(8)从副轴齿轮(5A)沿轴方向脱落。(Provided is an absolute encoder suitable for miniaturization. An absolute encoder is provided with: a1 st driving gear rotating with the rotation of the main shaft; a1 st driven gear meshed with the 1 st driving gear, wherein the central axis of the 1 st driven gear is orthogonal to the central axis of the 1 st driving gear; and a2 nd driving gear which is provided coaxially with the 1 st driven gear and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the 1 st driven gear. An absolute encoder is provided with: a permanent magnet (8) provided on a counter gear (5A), the counter gear (5A) having a worm gear portion (52e) formed thereon, which meshes with the 2 nd drive gear, and having a central axis orthogonal to the central axis of the 1 st driven gear; and a resin sheet (5A1) provided on the counter gear (5A) and capable of preventing the permanent magnet (8) from coming off the counter gear (5A) in the axial direction.)

1. An absolute encoder includes:

a1 st driving gear rotating with the rotation of the main shaft;

a1 st driven gear meshed with the 1 st driving gear, wherein the central axis of the 1 st driven gear is orthogonal to the central axis of the 1 st driving gear;

a2 nd driving gear which is provided coaxially with the 1 st driven gear and rotates with the rotation of the 1 st driven gear;

a2 nd driven gear meshed with the 2 nd driving gear, wherein the central axis of the 2 nd driven gear is orthogonal to the central axis of the 1 st driven gear;

a magnet provided on the cylindrical member on which the 2 nd driven gear is formed; and

and a drop-off preventing member provided on the cylindrical member, the drop-off preventing member preventing the magnet from dropping off from the cylindrical member in the axial direction.

2. An absolute encoder according to claim 1,

the cylindrical member includes an annular portion surrounding an outer peripheral surface of the magnet,

the drop-off prevention member has a plate-like member that faces an end surface of the magnet in the axial direction, and the plate-like member can close an opening formed in the annular portion.

3. An absolute encoder according to claim 1,

the cylindrical member includes an annular portion surrounding an outer peripheral surface of the magnet,

the falling-off preventing member has a protrusion-shaped member facing an end surface of the magnet in the axial direction,

the protrusion-shaped member extends from the annular portion toward a radial center of the annular portion.

4. An absolute encoder according to claim 1,

the cylindrical member includes an annular portion having a space in which the magnet is disposed,

an annular cylindrical portion is provided between an inner peripheral surface of the annular portion and an outer peripheral surface of the magnet, an adhesive is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the outer peripheral surface of the magnet,

the falling-off preventing member has the cylindrical portion and the adhesive.

5. An absolute encoder according to claim 1,

the cylindrical member includes:

a cylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape and facing a1 st end surface in an axial direction of the magnet; and

an annular portion facing a2 nd end surface opposite to the 1 st end surface of the magnet, the cylindrical portion being fitted inside the annular portion,

wherein the drop-off preventing member has the cylindrical portion and the annular portion that sandwich the magnet in an axial direction.

6. An absolute encoder according to claim 1,

the cylindrical member includes an annular portion surrounding an outer peripheral surface of the magnet,

a recessed portion recessed from a center of the annular portion in a radial direction toward an outer side in the radial direction is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the annular portion,

the concave part is internally provided with an adhesive attached to the peripheral surface of the magnet,

the falling-off prevention member has the recess and the adhesive.

7. An absolute encoder according to claim 1,

the cylindrical member includes:

a1 st annular portion opposed to a1 st end surface in an axial direction of the magnet;

a bowl-shaped 2 nd annular part having a bottom part facing a2 nd end surface opposite to the 1 st end surface of the magnet; and

a bearing provided on the opposite side of the 1 st annular portion from the magnet side,

wherein the drop-off preventing member has the 1 st annular portion and the bearing that sandwich the magnet in the axial direction via the 2 nd annular portion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an Absolute encoder (Absolute encoder).

Background

A rotary encoder for detecting a position or an angle of a movable element in various control mechanisms is well known in the related art. Such an encoder includes an incremental encoder for detecting a relative position or angle and an absolute encoder for detecting an absolute position or angle. For example, patent document 1 discloses an absolute rotary encoder including a plurality of magnetic encoder units for detecting the angular positions of a main shaft and a sub shaft by magnetism, and capable of measuring the absolute position of the main shaft based on the detection result.

[ citation documents ]

[ patent documents ]

[ patent document 1] (Japanese) laid-open patent application publication No. 2013-245872

Disclosure of Invention

[ problem to be solved ]

In the absolute encoder described in patent document 1, a magnetism generating element (magnet) is provided at one end of the counter shaft, and magnetism generated from the magnetism generating element can be detected by a magnetism detecting element. In this case, the magnetic detection element may not be able to detect an appropriate angular position of the main shaft when the center of the magnetic generation element, the center of the sub shaft, and the center of the magnetic detection element are misaligned, or when the rotations of the magnetic generation element and the sub shaft are out of synchronization.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an absolute encoder capable of more reliably holding a magnet.

[ solution ]

An absolute encoder according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a1 st driving gear rotating with the rotation of the main shaft; a1 st driven gear meshed with the 1 st driving gear, wherein the central axis of the 1 st driven gear is orthogonal to the central axis of the 1 st driving gear; and a2 nd driving gear which is provided coaxially with the 1 st driven gear and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the 1 st driven gear. An absolute encoder is provided with: a2 nd driven gear meshed with the 2 nd driving gear, wherein the central axis of the 2 nd driven gear is orthogonal to the central axis of the 1 st driven gear; a magnet provided on the cylindrical member, the cylindrical member being provided with a2 nd driven gear; and a drop-off prevention member provided on the cylindrical member, the drop-off prevention member being capable of preventing the magnet from dropping off from the cylindrical member in the axial direction.

[ advantageous effects ]

The absolute encoder of the present invention has an effect of more reliably holding the magnet.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is mounted on a motor 200.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the cover 116 is removed from the case portion 115 shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the absolute encoder 100-1 shown in fig. 2 with the substrate 120 and the substrate mounting screws 122 removed.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the substrate 120.

[ FIG. 5 ] A plan view of the absolute encoder 100-1 shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-1 cut along a plane parallel to the X-Z plane and passing through the center of the motor shaft 201. Here, the 2 nd counter gear 138 and the magnetic sensor 90 are shown.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-1 cut along a plane perpendicular to the center line of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 and passing through the center of the 1 st counter gear 105.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-1 viewed from substantially the right side, in a state where the absolute encoder 100-1 is cut along a plane passing through the center of the 2 nd counter gear 138 and the center of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 and being parallel to the Z-axis direction.

Fig. 9 shows a functional arrangement of a microcomputer 121 provided in an absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which an absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention is mounted on a motor 200.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where case 15 and mounting screws 16 are removed from absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the substrate 20 and the substrate mounting screws 13 are removed from the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where the motor 200 and the screw 14 are removed from a perspective view showing a state where the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 12 is attached to the motor 200.

Fig. 14 is a plan view of the main base 10, the intermediate gear 2, and the like shown in fig. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in FIG. 14, taken along a plane passing through the center of the idler gear 2 and parallel to the X-Y plane.

Fig. 16 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a state where the bearing 3 shown in fig. 15 is removed from the intermediate gear 2.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 11 cut along a plane passing through the center of the spindle gear 1 shown in fig. 14 and perpendicular to the center line of the idler gear 2. Here, the substrate 20 and the magnetic sensor 40 are not formed in a cross-section.

[ FIG. 18 ] A cross-sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in FIG. 11, taken along a plane passing through the center of the counter gear 5 shown in FIG. 15 and perpendicular to the center line of the counter gear 2. Here, the substrate 20 and the magnetic sensor 50 are not cut out.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing a state where the intermediate gear 2 is removed from the plurality of members shown in fig. 12.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a state where the screw 12 is removed from the wall portion 70 shown in fig. 19, a state where the plate spring 11 is removed from the screw 12, and a wall portion 70 provided with a plate spring attachment surface 10e facing the plate spring 11. Here, the motor 200 and the spindle gear 1 are not shown.

Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 11 cut along a plane parallel to the Z-axis direction and passing through the center of the substrate positioning pin 10g and the center of the substrate positioning pin 10j shown in fig. 14. Here, the magnetic sensor 40 is not sectioned.

FIG. 22 is a view of the substrate 20 shown in FIG. 11 as viewed from the lower surface 20-1 side.

Fig. 23 is a view when the motor 200 is removed from the state of fig. 10 and is viewed from the lower surface 10-2 side of the main base 10.

[ FIG. 24 ] an oblique view of the case portion 15 shown in FIG. 10.

Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view of absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 10 cut along a plane parallel to the Z-axis direction and passing through the center of substrate positioning pin 10g and the center of substrate positioning pin 10j shown in fig. 12. Here, the motor 200 and the spindle gear 1 are not sectioned.

Fig. 26 is an exploded perspective view of the permanent magnet 8, the magnet holder 6, the counter gear 5, and the bearing 7 shown in fig. 18.

Fig. 27 is an exploded perspective view of the permanent magnet 9, the spindle gear 1, and the motor shaft 201 shown in fig. 17.

Fig. 28 is a conceptual diagram of a waveform (a) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) by the magnetic sensor 40, a waveform (B) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) by the magnetic sensor 50, and a magnetic disturbance waveform (C) obtained by detecting a state where a part of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 overlaps the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 as leakage magnetic flux by the magnetic sensor 40.

Fig. 29 is a conceptual diagram of a waveform (a) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) by the magnetic sensor 50, a waveform (B) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) by the magnetic sensor 40, and a magnetic disturbance waveform (C) obtained by detecting a state where a part of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 overlaps the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 as leakage magnetic flux by the magnetic sensor 50.

Fig. 30 is a functional layout diagram of a microcomputer 21 provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 31 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5A provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 1 of embodiment 2.

[ FIG. 32 ] A sectional view of the counter gear 5A shown in FIG. 31.

Fig. 33 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5B provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 2 of embodiment 2.

[ FIG. 34 ] A cross-sectional view of the counter gear 5B shown in FIG. 33.

Fig. 35 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5C provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 3 of embodiment 2.

[ FIG. 36 ] A cross-sectional view of a counter gear 5C shown in FIG. 35.

Fig. 37 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5D provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to a 4 th modification of embodiment 2.

[ FIG. 38 ] A cross-sectional view of a counter gear 5D shown in FIG. 37.

Fig. 39 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a counter gear 5E provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to the 5 th modification of embodiment 2.

[ FIG. 40 ] A cross-sectional perspective view of a resin gear portion provided in a counter gear 5E shown in FIG. 39.

Fig. 41 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5F provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 6 of embodiment 2.

[ FIG. 42 ] A cross-sectional view of a counter gear 5F shown in FIG. 41.

[ FIG. 43 ] is a schematic view of a permanent magnet 9A applicable to absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 according to embodiments 1 and 2.

FIG. 44 is a schematic view of a permanent magnet 9B applicable to absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 according to embodiments 1 and 2.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the structure of an absolute encoder according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

< embodiment 1 >

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is mounted on a motor 200. Hereinafter, the description will be given based on an XYZ rectangular coordinate system. The X-axis direction corresponds to the horizontal left-right direction, the Y-axis direction corresponds to the horizontal front-back direction, and the Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical up-down direction. The Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction are orthogonal to the X-axis direction, respectively. The X-axis direction is referred to as a left direction or a right direction, the Y-axis direction is referred to as a front direction or a rear direction, and the Z-axis direction is referred to as an up direction or a down direction. In fig. 1, a state viewed from above in the Z-axis direction is referred to as a plan view, a state viewed from the front in the Y-axis direction is referred to as a front view, and a state viewed from the left and right in the X-axis direction is referred to as a side view. Such a direction representation is not limited to the use posture of the absolute encoder 100-1, and the absolute encoder 100-1 can be used in any posture. Note that the tooth shape is omitted in the drawings.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the cover 116 is removed from the housing portion 115 shown in fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the substrate 120 and the substrate mounting screws 122 are removed from the absolute encoder 100-1 shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the substrate 120. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the absolute encoder 100-1 shown in fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-1 in a state where it is cut along a plane passing through the center of the motor shaft 201 and parallel to the X-Z plane. Here, the 2 nd counter gear 138 and the magnetic sensor 90 are shown. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-1 cut along a plane perpendicular to the center line of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 and passing through the center of the 1 st counter gear 105. In fig. 7, the case 115 and the lid 116 are not described. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-1 viewed from substantially the right side, in a state where the absolute encoder 100-1 is cut along a plane passing through the center of the 2 nd counter gear 138 and the center of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 and being parallel to the Z-axis direction. In fig. 8, the descriptions of the case portion 115 and the lid portion 116 are omitted.

The structure of the absolute encoder 100-1 will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 8. The absolute encoder 100-1 is an absolute encoder that determines and outputs the rotation amount of the main shaft of the motor 200 by a plurality of rotations. For example, the motor 200 may be a stepping motor or a DC brushless motor. For example, the motor 200 may be used as a drive source for driving a robot for industrial use or the like via a speed reduction mechanism such as a wave gear device. The motor shaft 201 of the motor 200 protrudes from both sides of the motor 200 in the Z-axis direction. The absolute encoder 100-1 outputs the rotation amount of the motor shaft 201 as a digital signal. The motor shaft 201 is an example of a spindle.

The absolute encoder 100-1 is provided at an end of the motor 200 in the Z-axis direction. The shape of the absolute encoder 100-1 is not particularly limited, and in the embodiment, the absolute encoder 100-1 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and has a rectangular shape that is thin and elongated in an extending direction along a main axis (hereinafter, referred to as an axial direction in embodiment 1, the axial direction is a direction parallel to the Z-axis direction) in a front view and a side view. That is, the absolute encoder 100-1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat in the Z-axis direction.

The absolute encoder 100-1 includes a hollow rectangular tubular case 115 that houses the internal structure thereof. The housing portion 115 includes a plurality of (e.g., 4) outer wall portions 115a, 115b, 115c, and 115d that surround at least the spindle and the intermediate rotor. A lid 116 is fixed to the end portions of the outer wall portion 115a, the outer wall portion 115b, the outer wall portion 115c, and the outer wall portion 115d of the case portion 115. The cover 116 is a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and being thin in the axial direction.

The outer wall portion 115a, the outer wall portion 115b, the outer wall portion 115c, and the outer wall portion 115d are connected in this order. The outer wall portion 115a and the outer wall portion 115c are arranged in parallel with each other. The outer wall portions 115b and 115d straddle the side end portions of the outer wall portions 115a and 115c and are arranged in parallel to each other. In this example, the outer wall portions 115a and 115c extend in the X-axis direction in a plan view, and the outer wall portions 115b and 115d extend in the Y-axis direction in a plan view.

The absolute encoder 100-1 includes a main base 110, a case 115, a cover 116, a substrate 120, a plate spring 111, and a plurality of screws 164. The main base 110 is a base that supports the rotary bodies and the gears. The main base 110 includes a base 110a, a plurality (e.g., 4) of struts 141, a shaft 106, a shaft 134, and a shaft 139.

The base portion 110a of the main base portion 110 is a plate-like portion of the absolute encoder 100-1 facing the motor 200 side, and extends in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The hollow rectangular cylindrical case portion 115 is fixed to the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110 by a plurality of (e.g., 3) screws 164.

The support 141 provided on the main base 110 is a substantially cylindrical portion protruding from the base 110a in the axial direction and in the direction away from the motor 200, and supports the substrate 120. The substrate 120 is fixed to the protruding end of the support 141 by a substrate mounting screw 122. Fig. 2 shows a case where the substrate 120 is provided so as to cover the inside of the encoder. The substrate 120 is a plate-shaped printed wiring board having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view and being thin in the axial direction. The magnetic sensor 50, the magnetic sensor 40, the magnetic sensor 90, and a microcomputer (microcomputer) 121 are mainly mounted on the substrate 120.

The absolute encoder 100-1 includes a main shaft gear 101, a worm gear (worm gear) 101c, a worm gear (worm) 102a, a1 st idler gear 102, a1 st worm gear 102b, a worm gear 105a, a1 st counter gear 105, a2 nd worm gear 102h, and a worm gear 133 a. The absolute encoder 100-1 includes a2 nd intermediate gear 133, a 4 th drive gear 133d, a 4 th driven gear 138a, a2 nd counter gear 138, a permanent magnet 8, a permanent magnet 9, a permanent magnet 17, a magnetic sensor 50, a magnetic sensor 40, a magnetic sensor 90, and a microcomputer 121.

The main shaft gear 101 rotates with the rotation of the motor shaft 201, and transmits the rotation of the motor shaft 201 to the worm gear portion 101 c. As shown in fig. 6, the spindle gear 101 includes a1 st cylindrical portion 101a fitted to the outer periphery of the motor shaft 201, a disk portion 101b formed with a worm gear portion 101c, and a magnet holding portion 101d holding the permanent magnet 9. The magnet holding portion 101d has a cylindrical concave shape provided at the center of the disk portion 101b and the upper end surface of the 1 st cylindrical portion 101 a. The 1 st cylindrical portion 101a, the disk portion 101b, and the magnet holding portion 101d are integrally formed so that the center axes thereof substantially coincide with each other. The spindle gear 101 may be formed of various materials such as a resin material and a metal material. The main shaft gear 101 may be formed of Polyacetal (Polyacetal) resin, for example.

The worm gear portion 101c is an example of the 1 st drive gear that drives the worm gear portion 102 a. In particular, the worm gear portion 101c is a worm gear having 1 number of bars formed on the outer periphery of the disk portion 101 b. The rotation axis of the worm gear portion 101c extends in the axial direction of the motor shaft 201.

As shown in fig. 5, the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is a gear portion that transmits the rotation of the spindle gear 101 to the worm wheel portion 105a and the 2 nd intermediate gear 133. The 1 st idler gear 102 is axially supported by a shaft 104 around a rotation axis La extending substantially parallel to the base 110 a. The 1 st idler gear 102 is a substantially cylindrical member extending in the direction of the rotation axis La thereof. The 1 st intermediate gear 102 includes a base portion 102c, a1 st cylindrical portion 102d forming the worm gear portion 102a, a2 nd cylindrical portion 102e forming the 1 st worm gear portion 102b, and a3 rd cylindrical portion 102f forming the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h, and has a through hole formed therein, through which the shaft 104 is inserted (inserted). The shaft 104 is inserted into holes formed in the support portion 110b and the support portion 110c provided in the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110, whereby the 1 st intermediate gear 102 can be axially supported. Further, grooves are provided near both ends of the shaft 104 protruding outward from the support portions 110b and 110c, and a stopper ring 107 and a stopper ring 108 for stopping the shaft 104 from coming off are fitted in the grooves, whereby the shaft 104 can be prevented from coming off.

The outer wall portion 115a is provided on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 on the opposite side of the motor shaft 201. The outer wall portion 115c is provided in parallel with the outer wall portion 115a on the side of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 on which the motor shaft 201 is disposed. The 1 st idler gear 102 may be configured such that the rotation axis La thereof faces in any direction. The rotation axis La of the 1 st idler gear 102 may be disposed to be inclined in a range of 5 ° to 30 ° in a plan view with respect to an extending direction of the outer wall portion 115a disposed on the opposite side of the 1 st idler gear 102 from the motor shaft 201. In the example of fig. 5, the rotation axis La of the 1 st idler gear 102 is inclined by 20 ° with respect to the extending direction of the outer wall portion 115 a. In other words, the shell portion 115 includes an outer wall portion 115a extending in a direction inclined by a range of 5 ° to 30 ° with respect to the rotation axis La of the 1 st idler gear 102 in a plan view. In the example of fig. 5, the inclination Ds between the extending direction of the outer wall portion 115a and the rotation axis La of the 1 st idler gear 102 is set to 20 °.

In embodiment 1, the base portion 102c of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 has a cylindrical shape, and the 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd cylindrical portions 102d, 102e, and 102f have cylindrical shapes having a larger diameter than the base portion 102 c. Further, a through-hole is formed at the center of the 1 st intermediate gear 102. The base portion 102c, the 1 st tube portion 102d, the 2 nd tube portion 102e, the 3 rd tube portion 102f, and the through-hole are integrally formed so that the center axes thereof substantially coincide with each other. The 2 nd, 1 st and 3 rd tubular portions 102e, 102d, 102f are arranged in this order at positions separated from each other. The 1 st intermediate gear 102 may be formed of various materials such as a resin material, a metal material, and the like. In embodiment 1, the 1 st intermediate gear 102 may be formed of polyacetal resin.

The support portion 110b and the support portion 110c are each a protruding member protruding from the base portion 110a in the Z-axis positive direction by cutting and raising a part of the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110, and are formed with a hole into which the shaft 104 of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is inserted. Further, grooves are formed near both ends of the shaft 104 extending from the support portions 110b and 110c, and a stopper ring 107 and a stopper ring 108 for stopping the shaft 104 from coming off are fitted in the grooves, thereby preventing the shaft 104 from coming off. With such a configuration, the 1 st intermediate gear 102 can be rotatably supported about the rotation axis La.

The plate spring 111 is explained. In the 1 st intermediate gear 102, the 1 st worm gear portion 102b and the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h drive the respective worm gears, and a reaction force acts in the axial direction Td of the 1 st intermediate gear 102, so that the position of the axial direction Td can be changed. Therefore, embodiment 1 is provided with a plate spring 111 for applying a biasing force to the 1 st intermediate gear 102. The plate spring 111 applies a biasing force in the direction of the rotation axis La of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 to the 1 st intermediate gear 102, thereby suppressing positional variation in the axial direction Td. The plate spring 111 includes a mounting portion 111b mounted on the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110 and a sliding portion 111a extending from the mounting portion 111b and contacting the hemispherical protrusion 102 g. The mounting portion 111b and the sliding portion 111a are formed of a thin plate-like spring material, and the root of the sliding portion 111a is bent at substantially right angle to the mounting portion 111b in the middle. As described above, the plate spring 111 is directly pressed against the hemispherical projection 102g of the 1 st intermediate gear 102, and thereby the 1 st intermediate gear 102 can be biased in the axial direction Td. Further, the sliding portion 102i of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 can be slid while being abutted against the supporting portion 110c of the main base portion 110. Accordingly, the variation in the position of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 in the axial direction Td can be suppressed.

In embodiment 1, the direction of the reaction force received by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 from the worm wheel portion 105a of the 1 st counter gear 105 by the rotation of the 1 st worm gear portion 102b meshed with the worm wheel portion 105a of the 1 st counter gear 105 is set to be opposite to the direction of the reaction force received by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 from the worm wheel portion 133a of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 by the rotation of the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h meshed with the worm wheel portion 133a of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133. That is, the tooth shapes of the respective worm gears are set so that the components of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 in the axial direction Td of the respective reaction forces are in opposite directions to each other. Specifically, the direction of inclination of the teeth in each worm gear is set to be opposite to the direction of the component in the axial direction Td of the reaction force applied to the 1 st intermediate gear 102. In this case, the combined reaction force in the axial direction Td is smaller than that in the case where the direction of the component in the axial direction Td of the reaction force received by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 from each worm gear is the same, and the biasing force of the plate spring 111 can be made smaller. Accordingly, the rotation resistance of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is reduced, and smooth rotation is possible.

This method is effective when the sliding resistance caused by the engagement between the worm gear portion 101c of the main shaft gear 101 and the worm gear portion 102a of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is small and the force in the axial direction Td imparted to the 1 st intermediate gear 102 by the rotation of the main shaft gear 101 is smaller than the reaction force received by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 from the worm gear portion 105a of the 1 st counter gear 105 and the worm gear portion 133a of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133, but is effective when the sliding resistance caused by the engagement between the worm gear portion 101c of the main shaft gear 101 and the worm gear portion 102a of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is large.

In fig. 5, when the main shaft gear 101 rotates rightward, a force acts on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 rightward with respect to the axial direction Td due to a sliding resistance caused by the engagement between the worm gear portion 101c of the main shaft gear 101 and the worm gear portion 102a of the 1 st intermediate gear 102, and the 1 st intermediate gear 102 attempts to move rightward. At this time, when the setting is made such that the forces in the axial direction Td generated by the worm gears at both ends of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 cancel each other out by the above-described method, the force in the right direction acting on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 becomes relatively large due to the sliding resistance caused by the engagement between the worm gear portion 101c of the main shaft gear 101 and the worm gear portion 102a of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 as described above. In order to resist the force in the right direction acting on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 and prevent the 1 st intermediate gear 102 from moving in the right direction, the pressing force of the plate spring 111 needs to be increased. Accordingly, the sliding resistance between the sliding portion 111a of the plate spring 111 and the hemispherical protrusion 102g of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 that is pressed in contact with the sliding portion 111a and the sliding resistance between the sliding portion 102i located at the opposite end of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 of the hemispherical protrusion 102g and the support portion 110c increase, and the rotational resistance of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 increases.

When the main shaft gear 101 rotates rightward, both the direction of the reaction force received from the worm wheel portion 105a of the 1 st counter gear 105 by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 due to the rotation of the 1 st worm gear portion 102b meshed with the worm wheel portion 105a of the 1 st counter gear 105 and the direction of the reaction force received from the worm wheel portion 133a of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 due to the rotation of the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h meshed with the worm wheel portion 133a of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 are set to be forces in directions in which the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is intended to move leftward with respect to the axial direction Td, and thus, the force acting in the right direction on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 can be reduced by the sliding resistance caused by the meshing of the worm gear portion 101c of the main shaft gear 101 and the worm wheel portion 102a of the 1 st intermediate gear 102. This reduces the biasing force applied to the 1 st intermediate gear 102 by the plate spring 111. Therefore, the rotation resistance of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is reduced, and smooth rotation is possible.

On the other hand, when the main shaft gear 101 rotates left, a force to the left with respect to the axial direction Td acts on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 due to a sliding resistance caused by the engagement between the worm gear portion 101c of the main shaft gear 101 and the worm gear portion 102a of the 1 st intermediate gear 102, and the 1 st intermediate gear 102 attempts to move to the left. At this time, the reaction forces received by 1 st worm gear portion 102b and 2 nd worm gear portion 102h located at both ends of 1 st intermediate gear 102 are forces to move 1 st intermediate gear 102 rightward. Therefore, in this case, the force acting in the left direction on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 can be reduced. Since the biasing force applied to the 1 st intermediate gear 102 by the plate spring 111 is always a force in the left direction with respect to the axial direction Td, the force in the left direction acting on the 1 st intermediate gear 102 due to the meshing of the gears at the 3 positions becomes small, and accordingly, the total force in the left direction applied to the 1 st intermediate gear 102 also becomes small. Therefore, the rotational resistance caused by the sliding between the sliding portion 102i at the left end in the drawing of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 and the support portion 110c provided on the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110 can be made small.

In fig. 5, the worm gear 102a is an example of the 1 st driven gear that meshes with the worm gear 101c of the spindle gear 101. The worm gear portion 102a is a worm gear having 20 teeth formed on the outer periphery of the 1 st cylinder portion 102 d. The worm gear portion 101c and the worm gear portion 102a constitute a1 st worm gear shift mechanism. The rotation axis of the worm gear portion 102a extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the motor shaft 201.

When the number of worm gear portions 101c of the main shaft gear 101 is 1 and the number of teeth of the worm gear portion 102a of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is 20, the reduction ratio is 20. That is, when the spindle gear 101 rotates 20 times, the 1 st intermediate gear 102 rotates 20 ÷ 1 times.

The 1 st worm gear part 102b is an example of a2 nd drive gear that drives the worm gear part 105a, and is a gear part of the 1 st intermediate gear 102. Specifically, the 1 st worm gear portion 102b is a worm gear having 5 teeth formed on the outer periphery of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 102 e. The rotation axis of the 1 st worm gear portion 102b extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the motor shaft 201.

In fig. 5 and 7, the 1 st counter gear 105 is decelerated by the rotation of the motor shaft 201 and rotates integrally with the permanent magnet 8. The 1 st counter gear 105 is a member having a substantially circular shape in plan view, which includes a cylindrical bearing portion 105b supported by a shaft 106 projecting substantially perpendicularly from a base portion 110a of the main base portion 110, a disk portion 105c formed with a worm wheel portion 105a, and a holding portion 105d holding the permanent magnet 8.

In fig. 7, the disk portion 105c has a disk shape extending in the radial direction from the outer periphery of the bearing portion 105 b. In embodiment 1, the disk portion 105c is provided at a position close to the end of the bearing portion 105b distant from the base portion 110 a. The holding portion 105d has a cylindrical concave shape provided on an end surface of the disk portion 105c that is distant from the base portion 110a in the axial direction. The bearing portion 105b, the disk portion 105c, and the holding portion 105d are integrally formed so that the center axes thereof are substantially aligned. The 1 st counter gear 105 may be formed of various materials such as a resin material, a metal material, and the like. In embodiment 1, the 1 st counter gear 105 may be formed of polyacetal resin.

The worm gear portion 105a is an example of a2 nd driven gear that meshes with the 1 st worm gear portion 102 b. Specifically, the worm wheel portion 105a is a gear having 25 teeth formed on the outer periphery of the disk portion 105 c. The 1 st worm gear portion 102b and the worm gear portion 105a constitute a2 nd worm gear speed change mechanism. The rotation axis of the worm gear portion 105a extends in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the motor shaft 201.

When the number of the 1 st worm gear portions 102b of the 1 st idler gear 102 is 5 and the number of the worm gear portions 105a of the 1 st counter gear 105 is 25, the reduction ratio is 5. That is, when the 1 st intermediate gear 102 makes 5 rotations, the 1 st counter gear 105 makes 1 rotation. Therefore, when the main shaft gear 101 rotates 100 times, the 1 st intermediate gear 102 rotates 100 ÷ 20 times by 5 times, and the 1 st counter gear 105 rotates 5 ÷ 5 times by 1 time. Since the 1 st counter gear 105 rotates integrally with the permanent magnet 8, the permanent magnet 8 rotates 1 time when the main gear 101 rotates 100 times. That is, the magnetic sensor 50 can determine the rotation amount of the spindle gear 101 rotated 100 times.

In the absolute encoder 100-1 configured as described above, the rotation amount of the spindle gear 101 can be determined. For example, when the main shaft gear 101 makes 1 rotation, the 1 st counter gear 105 and the permanent magnet 8 make 1/100 rotations, that is, make 3.6 ° rotations. For this reason, if the rotation angle of the 1 st counter gear 105 is 3.6 ° or less, the main shaft gear 101 may be determined to be a rotation amount within 1 rotation.

In fig. 5, the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h is an example of the 3 rd drive gear that drives the worm gear portion 133a, and is a gear portion of the 1 st idler gear 102. Specifically, the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h is a worm gear having 1 number of teeth formed on the outer periphery of the 3 rd cylindrical portion 102 f. The rotation axis of the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the motor shaft 201.

In fig. 5, the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 is a disk-shaped gear portion that rotates with the rotation of the motor shaft 201, reduces the speed of the rotation of the motor shaft 201, and transmits the rotation to the 2 nd counter gear 138. The 2 nd intermediate gear 133 is disposed between the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h and the 4 th driven gear portion 138a provided on the 2 nd counter gear 138. The 4 th driven gear portion 138a meshes with the 4 th drive gear portion 133 d. The 2 nd intermediate gear 133 has a worm gear portion 133a meshing with the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h of the 3 rd drive gear and a 4 th drive gear portion 133d driving the 4 th driven gear portion 138 a. The 2 nd intermediate gear 133 may be formed of, for example, polyacetal resin. The 2 nd intermediate gear 133 is a member having a substantially circular shape in a plan view. The 2 nd intermediate gear 133 includes a bearing portion 133b axially supported by the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110 and an extension portion 133c formed with a worm wheel portion 133 a.

In fig. 5, by providing the 2 nd intermediate gear 133, the 2 nd counter gear 138 described later can be disposed at a position apart from the 2 nd worm gear portion 102h, that is, at a distance equivalent to the 2 nd intermediate gear 133, that is, between the 2 nd counter gear 138 and the 2 nd worm gear portion 102 h. Therefore, the influence of the leakage flux between the permanent magnets 9 and 17 can be reduced by increasing the distance therebetween. Further, by providing the 2 nd intermediate gear 133, the range in which the reduction ratio can be set can be expanded by the 2 nd intermediate gear 133, and thus the degree of freedom in design can be increased.

In fig. 8, the protruding portion 133c has a disk shape protruding in the radial direction from the outer periphery of the bearing portion 133 b. In embodiment 1, the protruding portion 133c is provided near the end of the bearing portion 133b that is far from the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110. The 4 th drive gear portion 133d is formed on the outer periphery of the bearing portion 133b in a region closer to the base portion 110a than the projecting portion 133 c. The bearing portion 133b and the extension portion 133c are integrally formed so that the center axes thereof substantially coincide with each other.

The worm gear portion 133a is a gear portion of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 meshing with the 2 nd worm gear portion 102 h. Specifically, the worm wheel portion 133a is a worm wheel having 30 teeth formed on the outer periphery of the protruding portion 133 c. The 2 nd worm gear portion 102h and the worm gear portion 133a constitute a3 rd worm gear shifting mechanism. The rotation axis of the worm gear portion 133a extends in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the motor shaft 201.

When the number of the 2 nd worm gear parts 102h of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is 1 and the number of the worm gear parts 133a of the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 is 30, the reduction ratio is 30. That is, if the 1 st intermediate gear 102 makes 30 rotations, the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 makes 1 rotation. Therefore, when the spindle gear 101 rotates 600 times, the 1 st intermediate gear 102 rotates 600 ÷ 20 ÷ 30 times, and the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 rotates 30 ÷ 1 time.

The 4 th driving gear portion 133d is a transmission element for driving the 4 th driven gear portion 138 a. The 4 th drive gear portion 133d is provided on the opposite side of the main shaft gear 101 from the 1 st counter gear 105 side, and rotates with the rotation of the worm gear portion 133 a. The 4 th drive gear portion 133d is a spur gear having 24 teeth formed on the outer periphery of the bearing portion 133 b.

In fig. 8, the 2 nd counter gear 138 is a gear portion having a circular shape in a plan view, which rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor shaft 201, reduces the speed of the rotation of the motor shaft 201, and transmits the rotation to the permanent magnet 17. The 2 nd counter gear 138 is axially supported around a rotation axis extending substantially perpendicularly from the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110. The 2 nd counter gear 138 includes a bearing portion 138b supported by the base portion 110a of the main base portion 110, an extension portion 138c formed with the 4 th driven gear portion 138a, and a magnet holding portion 138d holding the permanent magnet 17. The bearing 138b has a cylindrical shape surrounding a shaft 139 protruding from the base 110a of the main base 110 with a gap therebetween.

The protruding portion 138c has a disk shape protruding in the radial direction from the outer periphery of the bearing portion 138 b. In embodiment 1, the extension 138 is provided at a position close to the base 110a of the main base 110 of the bearing 138 b. The magnet holding portion 138d has a cylindrical recessed portion shape provided on an end surface of the bearing portion 138b axially distant from the base portion 110 a. The bearing 138b, the extension 138c, and the magnet holding portion 138d are integrally formed so that their central axes are substantially aligned. The 2 nd counter gear 138 may be formed of various materials of a resin material, a metal material, and the like. In embodiment 1, the 2 nd counter gear 138 may be formed of polyacetal resin.

The 4 th driven gear portion 138a is a transmission element driven by the 4 th driving gear portion 133 d. The 4 th driven gear portion 138a and the 4 th drive gear portion 133d constitute a speed reduction mechanism. Specifically, the 4 th driven gear portion 138a is a spur gear having 40 teeth formed on the outer periphery of the protruding portion 138 c.

When the number of teeth of the 4 th drive gear portion 133d is 24 and the number of teeth of the 4 th driven gear portion 138a is 40, the reduction ratio is 40/24-5/3. When the spindle gear 101 rotates 1000 times, the 1 st intermediate gear 102 rotates 1000 ÷ 20 ═ 50 times, and the 2 nd intermediate gear 133 rotates 50 ÷ 30 ═ 5/3 times. The 2 nd counter gear 138 makes 1 rotation of 5/3 ÷ 5/3. Since the 2 nd counter gear 138 rotates integrally with the permanent magnet 17, the permanent magnet 17 rotates 1 time when the main gear 101 rotates 1000 times. That is, the magnetic sensor 90 can determine the rotation amount of 1000 rotations of the spindle gear 101.

In fig. 5 to 8, the permanent magnet 9 is the 1 st permanent magnet, the permanent magnet 8 is the 2 nd permanent magnet, and the permanent magnet 17 is the 3 rd permanent magnet. Each of the permanent magnets 8, 9, and 17 (hereinafter referred to as each permanent magnet) has a substantially cylindrical shape that is flat in the axial direction. Each permanent magnet is formed of a magnetic material such as ferrite or Nd (neodymium) -Fe (iron) -B (boron). Each permanent magnet may be, for example, a rubber magnet or a bonded magnet containing a resin binder. Each permanent magnet is provided with a magnetic pole. The magnetization direction of each permanent magnet is not particularly limited, and in embodiment 1, as shown in fig. 43 and 44, the magnetic pole of 2 poles is provided on the end face of each permanent magnet facing the magnetic sensor. The magnetic flux density distribution in the rotational direction of each permanent magnet may have a trapezoidal waveform, or may have a sinusoidal waveform or a rectangular waveform.

A part or the whole of each permanent magnet is housed in a recess formed at an end of each rotating body, and is fixed by, for example, bonding, forging, Press-fitting (Press-fit), or the like. The permanent magnet 8 is fixed by adhesion to the holding portion 105d of the 1 st counter gear 105. The permanent magnet 9 is bonded and fixed to the magnet holding portion 101d of the spindle gear 101. The permanent magnet 17 is bonded and fixed to the magnet holding portion 138d of the 2 nd counter gear 138.

If the distance between the permanent magnets is short, the detection error of the magnetic sensor becomes large due to the influence of the leakage magnetic flux of the magnets adjacent to each other. Therefore, in the example of fig. 5, the permanent magnet 9 and the permanent magnet 8 are arranged on the line of sight Lm inclined with respect to the outer wall portion 115a of the case portion 115 so as to be spaced from each other in a plan view. The line of sight Lm is a virtual line connecting the permanent magnet 8 and the permanent magnet 9. The permanent magnet 9 and the permanent magnet 17 are arranged apart from each other on a line of sight Ln inclined with respect to the outer wall portion 115a of the case portion 115. The line of sight Ln is equal to a virtual line connecting the permanent magnet 17 and the permanent magnet 9. In embodiment 1, since the lines of sight Lm and Ln are provided so as to be inclined with respect to the outer wall portion 115a, the distance between the permanent magnets can be made longer as compared with the case where the lines of sight Lm and Ln are parallel to the outer wall portion 115 a.

The magnetic sensor 50, the magnetic sensor 40, and the magnetic sensor 90 (hereinafter referred to as magnetic sensors) are sensors that detect absolute rotation angles in the range of 0 ° to 360 ° corresponding to 1 rotation of each rotating body. Each magnetic sensor outputs a signal (for example, a digital signal) based on the detected rotation angle to the microcomputer 121. Each magnetic sensor can output the same rotation angle as before the energization is stopped even when the energization is temporarily stopped and then is performed again. For this purpose, the power supply may be configured without a backup power supply.

As shown in fig. 4, the magnetic sensors are fixed to the same plane on the surface of the base 110a side of the main base 110 of the substrate 120 by means of soldering, bonding, or the like. The magnetic sensor 40 is fixed to the base plate 120 so as to be positioned facing the end face of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the spindle gear 101 with a predetermined gap. The magnetic sensor 40 is a1 st angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the spindle gear 101 in accordance with a change in magnetic flux generated from the permanent magnet 9. The magnetic sensor 50 is fixed to the base plate 120 so as to be positioned facing the end surface of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the 1 st counter gear 105 with a certain gap. The magnetic sensor 50 is a2 nd angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the 1 st counter gear 105 according to a change in magnetic flux generated from the permanent magnet 8. The magnetic sensor 90 is fixed to the base plate 120 so as to be positioned facing the end surface of the permanent magnet 17 provided on the 2 nd counter gear 138 with a predetermined gap. The magnetic sensor 90 is a3 rd angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the 2 nd counter gear 138 corresponding to a change in magnetic flux generated from the permanent magnet 17.

Each magnetic sensor may use a magnetic angle sensor with a relatively high resolution. The magnetic angle sensors are disposed to face each other with a predetermined gap in the axial direction of the respective rotating bodies from the end faces of the respective permanent magnets including the magnetic poles, and are capable of determining the rotation angles of the facing rotating bodies based on the rotations of the magnetic poles and outputting digital signals. For example, the magnetic angle sensor includes a detection element that detects a magnetic pole and an arithmetic circuit that outputs a digital signal based on an output of the detection element. The detection element may include, for example, a plurality of (e.g., 4) hall elements, gmr (giant magnetic resistance) elements, and the like magnetic field sensing elements.

The arithmetic circuit may be configured to determine the rotation angle by table processing by using a lookup table as a Key (Key) which is a difference or a ratio between outputs of the plurality of detection elements, for example. The detection element and the arithmetic circuit may be integrated on one IC chip. The IC chip may be embedded in a resin having a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape. Each magnetic sensor can output an angle signal, which is a digital signal corresponding to the detected rotation angle of each rotating body, to the microcomputer 121 via a wiring member not shown. For example, each magnetic sensor may output the rotation angle of each rotating body as a digital signal of a plurality of bits (for example, 7 bits).

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the functional arrangement of the microcomputer 121 provided in the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The microcomputer 121 is fixed to the surface of the base 110a side of the main base 110 of the board 120 by soldering, bonding, or the like. The microcomputer 121 is configured by a CPU, and is capable of acquiring digital signals indicating the rotation angles output from the magnetic sensor 40, the magnetic sensor 50, and the magnetic sensor 90, respectively, and calculating the rotation amount of the spindle gear 101. Each block of the microcomputer 121 shown in fig. 9 represents a Function (Function) realized by the CPU of the microcomputer 121 by executing a Program (Program). Each block of the microcomputer 121 can be realized by an element or a mechanical device including a cpu (central processing unit) of the computer from a hardware point of view, and can be realized by a computer program or the like from a software point of view, and here, a functional block realized by cooperation of hardware and software is depicted. Accordingly, those skilled in the art who review this specification will appreciate that these functional blocks can be implemented in a wide variety of ways, and by a combination of hardware and software.

The microcomputer 121 includes a rotation angle acquisition unit 121p, a rotation angle acquisition unit 121q, a rotation angle acquisition unit 121r, a table processing unit 121b, a rotation amount determination unit 121c, and an output unit 121 e. The rotation angle acquisition unit 121q acquires a rotation angle Aq, which is angle information indicating the rotation angle of the spindle gear 101, from the signal output from the magnetic sensor 40. The rotation angle acquisition unit 121p acquires a rotation angle Ap, which is angle information indicating the rotation angle of the 1 st counter gear 105, from the signal output from the magnetic sensor 50. The rotation angle acquisition unit 121r acquires a rotation angle Ar that is angle information indicating the rotation angle of the 2 nd counter gear 138 detected by the magnetic sensor 90.

The table processing unit 121b can specify the rotation number of the spindle gear 101 corresponding to the acquired rotation angle Ap by referring to the 1 st correspondence table in which the rotation angle Ap and the rotation number of the spindle gear 101 corresponding to the rotation angle Ap are stored. The table processing unit 121b can specify the rotation number of the spindle gear 101 corresponding to the acquired rotation angle Ar by referring to the 2 nd correspondence table in which the rotation angle Ar and the rotation number of the spindle gear 101 corresponding to the rotation angle Ar are stored.

The rotation amount determining unit 121c can determine the 1 st rotation amount of the plurality of rotations of the spindle gear 101 based on the rotation number of the spindle gear 101 determined by the table processing unit 121b and the acquired rotation angle Aq. The output unit 121e converts the rotation amount of the plurality of rotations of the spindle gear 101 determined by the rotation amount determining unit 121c into information indicating the rotation amount, and outputs the information.

The operation and effect of the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 configured as described above will be described below.

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 is an absolute encoder that determines the amount of rotation of a plurality of rotations of a motor shaft 201, and includes a worm gear portion 101c that rotates with the rotation of the motor shaft 201, a worm gear portion 102a that meshes with the worm gear portion 101c, a1 st worm gear portion 102b that rotates with the rotation of the worm gear portion 102a, a worm gear portion 105a that meshes with the 1 st worm gear portion 102b, a1 st counter gear 105 that rotates with the rotation of the worm gear portion 105a, a permanent magnet 8 that rotates integrally with the 1 st counter gear 105, and a magnetic sensor 50 that detects the rotation angle of the permanent magnet 8. With this configuration, the amount of rotation of the motor shaft 201 in the plurality of rotations can be determined based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 50. Further, since the absolute encoder 100-1 is provided with the 1 st worm gear shift mechanism including the worm gear portion 101c and the worm gear portion 102a meshing with the worm gear portion 101c, and the 2 nd worm gear shift mechanism including the 1 st worm gear portion 102b and the worm gear portion 105a meshing with the 1 st worm gear portion 102b, the absolute encoder 100-1 can be thinned by constituting a curved transmission path.

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 is an absolute encoder for determining the amount of rotation of a plurality of rotations of a motor shaft 201, and includes a1 st intermediate gear 102 that rotates at a1 st reduction gear ratio in accordance with the rotation of the motor shaft 201, a1 st counter gear 105 that rotates at a2 nd reduction gear ratio in accordance with the rotation of the 1 st intermediate gear 102, a permanent magnet 8 that rotates integrally with the 1 st counter gear 105, and a magnetic sensor 50 that detects the rotation angle of the permanent magnet 8, wherein the rotation axis of the motor shaft 201 is located at a position skewed with respect to the rotation axis of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 and is set to be parallel to the rotation axis of the 1 st counter gear 105. With this configuration, the amount of rotation of the motor shaft 201 in the plurality of rotations can be determined based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 50. Since the rotation axis of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is located at a skew position with respect to the rotation axes of the motor shaft 201 and the 1 st counter gear 105 and is orthogonal in a front view, the absolute encoder 100-1 can be thinned by constituting a curved transmission path.

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 is an absolute encoder that determines the rotation amount of a plurality of rotations of a motor shaft 201, and includes a speed reduction mechanism that includes a1 st worm gear mechanism and rotates a permanent magnet 8 in accordance with the rotation of the motor shaft 201, and a magnetic sensor 50 that detects the rotation angle of the permanent magnet 8 from the magnetic pole of the permanent magnet 8, and the rotation axis of the motor shaft 201 is set to be parallel to the rotation axis of the permanent magnet 8. With this configuration, the amount of rotation of the motor shaft 201 in the plurality of rotations can be determined based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 50. Since the 1 st worm gear mechanism is provided and the rotation axis of the motor shaft 201 and the rotation axis of the permanent magnet 8 are set in parallel, the absolute encoder 100-1 can be thinned by constituting a curved transmission path.

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 includes a magnetic sensor 40 that detects the rotation angle of the motor shaft 201. With this configuration, the rotation angle of the motor shaft 201 can be determined based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 40. The absolute encoder 100-1 can improve the resolution (resolution) of the rotation angle of the motor shaft 201 that can be determined, as compared with the case where the magnetic sensor 40 is not provided.

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 includes a2 nd worm gear 102h that rotates with rotation of the worm gear 102a, a worm gear 133a that meshes with the 2 nd worm gear 102h, a2 nd counter gear 138 that rotates with rotation of the worm gear 133a, a permanent magnet 17 that rotates integrally with the 2 nd counter gear 138, and a magnetic sensor 90 that detects a rotation angle of the permanent magnet 17. With this configuration, the amount of rotation of the motor shaft 201 in the plurality of rotations can be determined based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 90. The absolute encoder 100-1 can increase the range of the rotation amount of the motor shaft 201 that can be determined, as compared with the case where the magnetic sensor 90 is not provided.

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 includes a1 st intermediate gear 102 provided with a1 st worm gear part 102b and a2 nd worm gear part 102h, and a direction of a reaction force received by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 due to rotation of the 1 st worm gear part 102b is set to be opposite to a direction of a reaction force received by the 1 st intermediate gear 102 due to rotation of the 2 nd worm gear part 102 h. With this configuration, the resultant reaction force of the two reaction forces can be reduced as compared with the case where the directions of the reaction forces are the same.

In the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1, the outer diameter of the worm gear 102a is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the worm gear 101 c. With this configuration, the thickness can be easily reduced as compared with the case where the outer diameter of the worm wheel 102a is large.

Here, for example, when the main shaft gear 101 and the 1 st counter gear 105 are disposed adjacent to each other, a part of the magnetic flux generated by each of the permanent magnets 8 and 9 affects a magnetic sensor that does not correspond to the permanent magnets 8 and 9, that is, so-called magnetic interference, which will be described below.

Fig. 28 is a diagram showing a concept of a waveform (a) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) by the magnetic sensor 40, a waveform (B) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) by the magnetic sensor 50, and a magnetic disturbance waveform obtained by detecting a state in which a part of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 overlaps with the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 as a leakage magnetic flux by the magnetic sensor 40. The vertical axis represents magnetic flux, and the horizontal axis represents the rotation angle of the spindle gear 101. As described above, the magnetic sensor 40 desirably detects the waveform of (a), but when magnetic interference occurs, the waveform becomes the waveform shown in (C), and thus an accurate waveform cannot be detected.

Similarly, fig. 29 is a diagram showing the concept of a waveform (a) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) by the magnetic sensor 50, a waveform (B) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) by the magnetic sensor 40, and a magnetic disturbance waveform (C) obtained by detecting a state where a part of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 overlaps the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 as leakage magnetic flux by the magnetic sensor 50. The vertical axis represents magnetic flux, and the horizontal axis represents the rotation angle of the 1 st counter gear 105. As described above, the magnetic sensor 50 desirably detects the waveform of (a), but when magnetic interference occurs, the waveform becomes the waveform shown in (C), and thus an accurate waveform cannot be detected. Further, the main shaft gear 101 and the 2 nd counter gear 138 may also generate magnetic interference, as in fig. 29 (C).

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 includes a housing portion 115 including an outer wall portion 115a disposed on the opposite side of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 from the motor shaft 201, and the rotation axis La of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is inclined by 20 ° with respect to the extending direction of the outer wall portion 115a in plan view. With this configuration, the inclination of the arrangement line of the permanent magnets with respect to the outer wall portion 115a can be increased as compared with the case where the rotation axis La of the 1 st intermediate gear 102 is not inclined. Therefore, the distance between the permanent magnets can be increased. By increasing the distance between the permanent magnets in this way, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of magnetic interference in which a part of the magnetic flux generated by each of the permanent magnets 8, 9, and 17 affects the magnetic sensor that does not correspond to the permanent magnet 8, 9, and 17. For example, it is possible to reduce the interference of a part of the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 9 provided in the main shaft gear 101 as the leakage magnetic flux with respect to the magnetic sensor 50 provided for detecting the change of the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 8 provided in the 1 st counter gear 105. Further, it is possible to reduce the disturbance of the magnetic sensor 40 provided to detect the change of the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 9, which is originally an object, by a part of the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 8 provided to the 1 st counter gear 105 as the leakage magnetic flux. For this reason, the influence of the leakage flux of the adjacent magnet can be reduced.

In the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1, the base 110a of the main base 110, which is a plate-like member made of a magnetic material such as iron, is provided between the 2 nd angle sensor and the motor 200 or between the 3 rd angle sensor and the motor 200. That is, the base portion 110a can function as a magnetic shield against the magnetic flux leaking from the motor 200. Therefore, the magnetic flux leaking from the motor 200 hardly reaches the magnetic sensor 40 and the like. As a result, as compared with the case where the base portion 110a is made of, for example, a non-magnetic material such as aluminum having a low magnetic permeability, it is possible to suppress a decrease in detection accuracy when the magnetic sensor detects the rotation angle or the rotation amount of the gear.

< embodiment 2 >

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention is mounted on a motor 200. Hereinafter, the description will be made based on the XYZ rectangular coordinate system as in embodiment 1. The X-axis direction corresponds to the horizontal left-right direction, the Y-axis direction corresponds to the horizontal front-back direction, and the Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical up-down direction. The Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction are orthogonal to the X-axis direction, respectively. The X-axis direction may be referred to as a left direction or a right direction, the Y-axis direction may be referred to as a front direction or a rear direction, and the Z-axis direction may be referred to as an upper direction or a lower direction. In fig. 10, a state viewed from above in the Z-axis direction is referred to as a plan view, a state viewed from the front in the Y-axis direction is referred to as a front view, and a state viewed from the left and right in the X-axis direction is referred to as a side view. Such a direction representation is not limited to the use posture of the absolute encoder 100-2, and the absolute encoder 100-2 may be used in any posture. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a part provided inside the case 15 of the absolute encoder 100-2. Note that the tooth shape is omitted in the drawings.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the case portion 15 and the mounting screws 16 are removed from the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 10. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a plurality of components provided on the lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the substrate 20 and the substrate mounting screws 13 are removed from the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where the motor 200 and the screw 14 are removed from a perspective view showing a state where the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 12 is attached to the motor 200. Fig. 14 is a plan view of the main base 10, the intermediate gear 2, and the like shown in fig. 13. Fig. 14 shows a configuration of a main part of the plurality of parts provided in the absolute encoder 100-2. Fig. 15 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 14 cut along a plane passing through the center of the idler gear 2 and parallel to the X-Y plane.

Fig. 16 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the bearing 3 shown in fig. 15 in a state removed from the intermediate gear 2. In fig. 16, in order to easily understand the arrangement relationship between the bearing 3 and the press-fitting portion 2d formed on the counter gear 2, the bearing 3 and the press-fitting portion 2d of the counter gear 2 are separated from each other. In fig. 16, the bearing 3 is separated from the wall portion 80 in order to easily understand the arrangement relationship between the bearing 3 and the wall portion 80 provided in the base portion 60 of the main base portion 10.

Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 11 cut along a plane passing through the center of the spindle gear 1 shown in fig. 14 and perpendicular to the center line of the idler gear 2. Here, the substrate 20 and the magnetic sensor 40 are not formed in a cross-section. Fig. 17 shows a state of mounting the permanent magnet 9 to the spindle gear 1 and a state of mounting the spindle gear 1 to the motor shaft 201. Fig. 17 also shows a state in which the worm gear portion 1d of the main shaft gear 1 and the worm gear portion 2a of the intermediate gear 2 are engaged with each other. As can be seen from fig. 17, the upper surface 9a of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the spindle gear 1 is located at a position spaced apart from the magnetic sensor 40 in the Z-axis direction by a predetermined distance.

Fig. 18 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 11 cut along a plane passing through the center of the counter gear 5 shown in fig. 15 and perpendicular to the center line of the counter gear 2. Here, the substrate 20 and the magnetic sensor 50 are not cut out. Fig. 18 shows a state in which the worm wheel portion 5a and the worm gear portion 2b are engaged with each other. Fig. 18 also shows a state in which the shaft portion 6b of the magnet holder 6 is held by the 2 bearings 7 and a state in which the permanent magnets 8 to 6 are held. Fig. 18 also shows a state in which the radially outer surface of the head portion 6c provided on the magnet holder 6 is separated from the addendum circle of the worm gear portion 2 b. As is clear from fig. 18, the surface 8a of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the magnet holder 6 is located at a predetermined distance in the Z-axis direction from the magnetic sensor 50. Fig. 18 also shows a sectional shape of the bearing seat portion 10d of the main base portion 10.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing a state where the intermediate gear 2 among the plurality of members shown in fig. 12 is removed. Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a state where the screw 12 is removed from the wall portion 70 shown in fig. 19, a state where the leaf spring 11 is removed after the screw 12 is removed, and the wall portion 70 provided with the leaf spring attachment surface 10e facing the leaf spring 11. Here, the motor 200 and the spindle gear 1 are not performed.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 11 cut along a plane that passes through the center of the substrate positioning pin 10g and the center of the substrate positioning pin 10j shown in fig. 14 and is parallel to the Z-axis direction. Here, the magnetic sensor 40 is not sectioned.

Fig. 22 is a view of the substrate 20 shown in fig. 11, as viewed from the lower surface 20-1 side. Fig. 23 is a view when the motor 200 is detached from the state of fig. 10 and is viewed from the lower surface 10-2 side of the main base 10. The lower surface 10-2 of the main base 10 is a surface on the side opposite to the upper surface side of the main base 10 shown in fig. 20. The lower surface 10-2 of the main base 10 is also a surface facing the motor 200. Fig. 24 is an oblique view of the shell portion 15 shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 25 is a sectional view of the absolute encoder 100-2 shown in fig. 10 cut along a plane passing through the centers of the substrate positioning pins 10g and 10j shown in fig. 12 and parallel to the Z-axis direction. Here, the motor 200, the spindle gear 1, and the magnetic sensor 40 are not cross-sectioned. Fig. 25 shows a state in which the claw 15a provided in the case portion 15 is interlocked (engaged) with the recess 10aa provided in the main base portion 10, and a state in which the claw 15b provided in the case portion 15 is interlocked with the recess 10ab provided in the main base portion 10. Fig. 26 is an exploded perspective view of the permanent magnet 8, the magnet holder 6, the counter gear 5, and the bearing 7 shown in fig. 18. Fig. 27 is an exploded perspective view of the permanent magnet 9, the spindle gear 1, and the motor shaft 201 shown in fig. 17.

The structure of the absolute encoder 100-2 will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 10 to 27. The absolute encoder 100-2 includes a main shaft gear 1, an intermediate gear 2, a bearing 3, a shaft 4, a counter gear 5, a magnet holder 6, a bearing 7, a permanent magnet 8, a permanent magnet 9, a main base 10, a plate spring 11, a screw 12, a board mounting screw 13, a screw 14, a housing 15, a mounting screw 16, a board 20, a microcomputer 21, a bidirectional actuator 22, a linear actuator 23, a connector 24, a magnetic sensor 40, and a magnetic sensor 50.

The motor 200 is, for example, a stepping motor, a DC brushless motor, or the like. The motor 200 can be used as a drive source for driving a robot for industrial use or the like via a speed reduction mechanism such as a wave gear device, for example. The motor 200 includes a motor shaft 201. As shown in fig. 17, one end of the motor shaft 201 protrudes from the housing 202 of the motor 200 in the Z-axis positive direction. As shown in fig. 10, the other end of the motor shaft 201 protrudes from the housing 202 of the motor 200 in the Z-axis negative direction. The motor shaft 201 is an example of a main shaft.

The external shape of the motor 200 in plan view is, for example, a square shape. The lengths of the 4 sides constituting the outer shape of the motor 200 are, for example, 25mm, respectively. The 1 st side of the 4 sides constituting the outer shape of the motor 200 and the 2 nd side parallel to the 1 st side are parallel to each other with the Y axis. Further, the 3 rd side adjacent to the 1 st side and the 4 th side parallel to the 3 rd side among the 4 sides are parallel to each other with the X axis. Further, the absolute encoder 100-2 provided in the motor 200 is 25mm long in a plan view in accordance with the outer shape of the motor 200 having a side of 25 mm.

Next, a plurality of components included in the absolute encoder 100-2 will be described.

As shown in fig. 17, the spindle gear 1 is a cylindrical member provided coaxially with the motor shaft 201. The spindle gear 1 includes a1 st cylindrical portion 1a having a cylindrical shape, and a2 nd cylindrical portion 1b having a cylindrical shape provided coaxially with the 1 st cylindrical portion 1a on the positive Z-axis direction side of the 1 st cylindrical portion 1 a. The spindle gear 1 further includes a communicating portion 1c that connects the 1 st cylindrical portion 1a and the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1b provided on the inside in the radial direction of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1b, and a worm gear portion 1d provided on the outside in the radial direction of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1 b. By forming the communication portion 1c in this way, the communication portion 1c can function as an escape path for air when the spindle gear 1 is press-fitted to the motor shaft 201. The communicating portion 1c has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the 1 st cylindrical portion 1a and the inner diameter of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1 b. A space surrounded by a bottom surface 1e, which is an end surface of the communication portion 1c in the Z-axis negative direction, and an inner circumferential surface of the 1 st cylindrical portion 1a is a press-fit portion 1f for fixing the spindle gear 1 to an end portion of the motor shaft 201. The press-fit portion 1f is a recessed portion recessed from the end portion on the Z-axis negative direction side of the 1 st cylindrical portion 1a toward the Z-axis positive direction side. After the press-fitting portion 1f press-fits the motor shaft 201, the spindle gear 1 can rotate integrally with the motor shaft 201. The worm gear portion 1d is a gear portion of the spindle gear 1.

A space surrounded by the bottom surface 1g, which is the end surface of the communication portion 1c in the positive Z-axis direction, and the inner circumferential surface of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1b is a magnet holding portion 1h for fixing the permanent magnet 9. The magnet holding portion 1h is a recessed portion recessed from the end of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1b on the positive Z-axis direction side toward the negative Z-axis direction side. The magnet holding portion 1h is press-fitted with the permanent magnet 9. The permanent magnet 9 in which the magnet holding portion 1h is press-fitted has an outer peripheral surface in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1b, and a lower surface 9b in contact with the bottom surface 1 g. This makes it possible to perform positioning in the axial direction of the permanent magnet 9 and also in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction. The axial direction of the permanent magnet 9 is the same as the central axis direction of the motor shaft 201.

As shown in fig. 13 to 15 and 17, the worm gear portion 1d is formed of a helical tooth portion, and meshes with the worm wheel portion 2a of the idler gear 2. The worm gear portion 2a is a gear portion of the intermediate gear 2. In fig. 17, the shape of the tooth portion is not shown. The worm gear portion 1d may be formed of polyacetal resin, for example. The worm gear portion 1d is an example of the 1 st drive gear.

As shown in fig. 13 to 16 and the like, the intermediate gear 2 is axially supported by the shaft 4 on the upper surface of the main base 10. The central axis of the intermediate gear 2 is parallel to the X-Y plane. Further, the central axis of the intermediate gear 2 is not parallel to both the X axis and the Y axis in a plan view. That is, the central axis direction of the idler gear 2 is inclined to the extending direction of the X-axis and the Y-axis. The central axis direction of the intermediate gear 2 is inclined with respect to the extending direction of the X axis and the Y axis, which means that the central axis of the intermediate gear 2 extends obliquely with respect to the four sides of the main base 10. As shown in fig. 13 and 14, the four sides of the main base 10 are constituted by a1 st side 301 parallel to the Y-Z plane, a2 nd side 302 parallel to the 1 st side 301, a3 rd side 303 parallel to the X-Z plane and adjacent to the 1 st side 301, and a 4 th side 304 parallel to the 3 rd side 303. The 1 st side 301 is a side provided on the X-axis positive direction side of the main base 10. The 2 nd side 302 is a side provided on the X-axis negative direction side of the main base 10. The 3 rd side 303 is a side provided on the Y-axis positive direction side of the main base 10. The 4 th side 304 is a side provided on the Y-axis negative direction side of the main base 10.

The absolute encoder 100-2 is matched to the size of the motor 200 having a side of 25mm, for example, in a plan view. Therefore, the intermediate gears 2 arranged in parallel in the X-Y plane are provided so as to extend obliquely with respect to the four sides of the main base 10, whereby the size of the absolute encoder 100-2 in the horizontal direction can be reduced. The horizontal direction is equal to a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the motor shaft 201 and also equal to a direction parallel to the X-Y plane.

As shown in fig. 12 to 16, the idler gear 2 includes a worm gear portion 2a, a worm gear portion 2b, a bearing portion 2c, a press-fitting portion 2d, a sliding portion 2e, a bottom surface 2f, and a through hole 2 g. The intermediate gear 2 is a cylindrical member having a shaft 4 inserted through a through hole 2g passing along the central axis. The through-hole 2g is a space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate gear 2. The intermediate gear 2 is an integrally molded member made of metal, resin, or the like, and may be formed of polyacetal resin, for example.

The worm gear portion 2a is a gear with which the worm gear portion 1d of the spindle gear 1 meshes. The worm gear portion 2a is an example of the 1 st driven gear, and is a gear portion of the idler gear 2. The worm gear portion 2a is provided at a position closer to the center in the axial direction of the idler gear 2. The worm wheel 2a is formed of a plurality of teeth provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion of the intermediate gear 2.

The outer diameter of the worm gear portion 2a is smaller than the outer diameter of the worm gear portion 1 d. Since the central axis of the worm wheel 2a is parallel to the upper surface of the main base 10, the absolute encoder 100-2 can be downsized in the Z-axis direction (height direction) by reducing the outer diameter of the worm wheel 2 a.

The worm gear portion 2b is formed of a helical gear portion, and is provided coaxially with and adjacent to the worm gear portion 2 a. Further, the worm gear portion 2b is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion of the idler gear 2. The rotational force of the intermediate gear 2 can be transmitted to the counter gear 5 by the worm gear portion 2b meshing with the worm gear portion 5a provided on the counter gear 5. The worm gear portion 2b is an example of the 2 nd drive gear, and is a gear portion of the idler gear 2. The worm gear portion 5a is a gear portion of the counter gear 5. The center line of the worm wheel portion 5a and the center line of the worm gear portion 2b are perpendicular to the center line of the worm wheel portion 5a and orthogonal to each other when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the center line of the worm gear portion 2 b.

In order to make the absolute encoder 100-2 smaller in the Z-axis direction (height direction), the outer diameter of the worm gear portion 2b is set to a small value within a possible range.

As shown in fig. 15, a bearing portion 2c is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate gear 2 on the inner side in the radial direction on the opposite side of the intermediate gear 2 from the press-fitting portion 2d side, that is, on the sliding portion 2e side of the intermediate gear 2. The shaft 4 is slidably inserted through the bearing portion 2c, and the intermediate gear 2 is rotatably supported by the shaft 4.

The press-fit portion 2d is a recessed portion recessed from an end surface of the intermediate gear 2 toward the center of the intermediate gear 2 in the axial direction Td inside the worm gear portion 2b, and communicates with the through-hole 2 g. The press-fit portion 2d may be considered as a portion in which the opening diameter of the end of the through-hole 2g is increased. The outer race 3a of the bearing 3 is press-fitted into the press-fitting portion 2d and fixed.

As shown in fig. 13 to 15, 19, 20, and the like, the sliding portion 2e of the intermediate gear 2 is provided on one end side of the intermediate gear 2, that is, on the opposite side of the worm gear portion 2b in the axial direction Td of the intermediate gear 2. The sliding portion 2e of the intermediate gear 2 abuts against the sliding portion 11a of the plate spring 11. The plate spring 11 is an example of an elastic member, and is made of metal, for example. The sliding portion 11a of the plate spring 11 is constituted by 2 branches branched from the base portion 11d of the plate spring 11. The base portion 11d of the leaf spring 11 is a plate-like member provided between the mounting portion 11b and the sliding portion 11a in the entire leaf spring 11.

Gaps larger than the diameter of the shaft 4 are formed between 2 branches constituting the sliding portion 11a of the plate spring 11. Therefore, the mounting portion 11b of the leaf spring 11 is fixed to the leaf spring mounting surface 10e disposed on the wall portion 72 of the main base 10 by the screw 12 so that 2 branches straddle the shaft 4 without contacting the shaft 4.

The sliding portion 11a of the plate spring 11 is disposed at a position facing the sliding portion 2e of the intermediate gear 2 after the intermediate gear 2 is mounted. The sliding portion 2e of the intermediate gear 2 is pressed by the sliding portion 11a of the plate spring 11 while being in contact therewith, and is biased along the central axis of the shaft 4 in a direction from the one end 4a side of the shaft 4 toward the other end 4b side of the shaft 4. When the intermediate gear 2 rotates in this state, the sliding portion 2e of the intermediate gear 2 slides while coming into contact with the sliding portion 11a of the plate spring 11.

The bottom surface 2f of the intermediate gear 2 is located beside the press-fitting portion 2d and abuts with the side surface 3c of the outer race 3a of the bearing 3. The outer race 3a is press-fitted into the press-fitting portion 2d until the side surface 3c of the outer race 3a comes into contact with the bottom surface 2 f.

The through-hole 2g of the intermediate gear 2 is arranged coaxially with the shaft 4, penetrating from the bearing portion 2c toward the press-fitting portion 2d along the central axis of the intermediate gear 2. Since the inner diameter of the through-hole 2g is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 4, a space can be secured between the through-hole 2g and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 4.

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the bearing 3 includes an outer ring 3a, an inner ring 3b, a side surface 3c, and a side surface 3 d. The side surface 3c of the bearing 3 is a side surface of the outer ring 3a in the axial direction Td of the shaft 4 indicated by an arrow in fig. 18, and the side surface 3d of the bearing 3 is a side surface of the inner ring 3b in that direction. In the embodiment of the present invention, the (center) axis direction of the intermediate gear 2 or the shaft 4 is denoted as Td.

The outer race 3a of the bearing 3 is press-fitted and fixed to the press-fitting portion 2d, and the side surface 3c is fixed in contact with the bottom surface 2 f. The shaft 4 is inserted inside the inner race 3 b. As shown in fig. 15, the side surface 3d of the inner ring 3b abuts against the abutment surface 10c of the wall portion 80 of the main base portion 10. The abutment surface 10c defines the position of the intermediate gear 2 in the axial direction Td. As described above, since the intermediate gear 2 is biased by the plate spring 11 in the axial direction Td from the one end 4a of the shaft 4 toward the other end 4b of the shaft 4, the side surface 3c of the outer race 3a of the bearing 3 contacting the bottom surface 2f of the intermediate gear 2 is also biased in the same direction. Accordingly, the inner ring 3b of the bearing 3 is also biased in the same direction, so that the side surface 3d of the inner ring 3b of the bearing 3 can abut against the abutting surface 10c of the wall portion 80. As a result, the applied force can be transmitted to the contact surface 10c of the wall portion 80, and the intermediate gear 2 can be stably supported in the axial direction Td of the shaft 4. The details of the force applied will be described later.

The outer race 3a of the bearing 3 is provided to be freely rotatable with respect to the inner race 3 b. For this purpose, the intermediate gear 2 is rotatably supported by the shaft 4 at 2 positions of the bearing portion 2c and the bearing 3 of the intermediate gear 2 shown in fig. 15. The shaft 4 may be formed of, for example, stainless steel.

As shown in fig. 15, the wall portions 70 and 80 are an example of a holding portion that can rotatably hold the intermediate gear 2 via the shaft 4. The wall portion 80 is integrally provided on the upper surface of the base portion 60 in a pair with the wall portion 70, and extends from the upper surface of the base portion 60 in the Z-axis positive direction. The wall portion 80 is provided in a region on a side closer to the 2 nd side 302 than the center in the X-axis direction and a side closer to the 3 rd side 303 than the center in the Y-axis direction in the entire upper surface of the base portion 60 in plan view. Further, the wall portion 80 is also provided at a position near the 2 nd side 302 in this region and near the center in the Y-axis direction. The wall portion 70, the wall portion 80, and the shaft 4 function as holding portions for rotatably holding the intermediate gear 2. The shaft 4 is a columnar member having one end 4a and the other end 4 b. The other end 4b of the shaft 4 is press-fitted into a hole 10b formed in the wall portion 80 of the main base portion 10, and is fixed. On the other hand, the one end 4a of the shaft 4 may be inserted into the hole 10a formed in the wall portion 70 and positioned, and it is not necessary to press-fit the one end 4a of the shaft 4 into the hole 10 a. Thus, by inserting the one end 4a of the shaft 4 into the hole 10a instead of press-fitting, the shaft 4 can be easily mounted as compared with the case where the one end 4a of the shaft 4 is press-fitted into the hole 10 a.

As shown in fig. 14 and the like, in the absolute encoder 100-2, the counter gear 5 is provided on the opposite side of the counter gear 2 from the main shaft gear 1 side. For example, the counter gear 5 is disposed in a region near a corner of the main base 10 among regions surrounded by four sides of the main base 10. The corner is, for example, a portion where the 2 nd side 302 and the 3 rd side 303 intersect as shown in fig. 17. In this way, the counter gear 5 and the main shaft gear 1 can be arranged to sandwich the idler gear 2 by utilizing a limited area on the main base 10. Accordingly, the distance from the counter gear 5 to the main shaft gear 1 can be enlarged as compared with the case where the counter gear 5 and the main shaft gear 1 are disposed adjacent to each other without sandwiching the idler gear 2.

The magnetic sensor 40 detects a change in magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 9 due to the rotation of the permanent magnet 9 rotating together with the spindle gear 1, and thereby detects the rotation angle of the corresponding spindle gear 1. On the other hand, the magnetic sensor 50 can detect the rotation angle of the corresponding counter gear 5 by detecting a change in magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 8 due to the rotation of the permanent magnet 8 rotating together with the counter gear 5.

Here, for example, when the main shaft gear 1 and the counter shaft gear 5 are disposed adjacent to each other, a part of the magnetic flux generated by each of the permanent magnets 8 and 9 affects a magnetic sensor that does not correspond to the permanent magnets 8 and 9, that is, so-called magnetic interference, which will be described below.

Fig. 28 is a conceptual diagram of a waveform (a) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the main shaft gear 1 by the magnetic sensor 40 when the main shaft gear 1 rotates, a waveform (B) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the counter shaft gear 5 by the magnetic sensor 50, and a magnetic interference waveform (C) obtained by detecting a state where a part of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 overlaps with the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 as leakage magnetic flux by the magnetic sensor 40. The vertical axis represents magnetic flux, and the horizontal axis represents the rotation angle of the spindle gear 1. As described above, the magnetic sensor 40 is expected to detect the waveform of (a), but when magnetic interference occurs, the waveform becomes the waveform shown in (C), and thus an accurate waveform cannot be detected.

Similarly, fig. 29 is a conceptual diagram of a waveform (a) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 provided on the counter gear 5 by the magnetic sensor 50 when the main shaft gear 1 rotates, a waveform (B) obtained by detecting the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 provided on the main shaft gear 1 by the magnetic sensor 40, and a magnetic interference waveform (C) obtained by detecting a state where a part of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 9 overlaps with the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 as a leakage magnetic flux by the magnetic sensor 50. The vertical axis represents magnetic flux, and the horizontal axis represents the rotation angle of the counter gear 5. As described above, the magnetic sensor 50 is expected to detect the waveform of (a), but if magnetic interference occurs, the waveform becomes the waveform shown in (C), and thus accurate waveform detection cannot be performed.

Therefore, according to the absolute encoder 100-2 of embodiment 2, since the main shaft gear 1 and the permanent magnet 9, and the counter shaft gear 5 and the permanent magnet 8 are disposed at a distance from each other with the counter gear 2 interposed therebetween, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of magnetic interference in which a part of the magnetic flux generated by each of the permanent magnets 8 and 9 affects the magnetic sensor that does not correspond to the permanent magnet 8 and the permanent magnet 9. For example, it is possible to reduce interference generated by the magnetic sensor 50 provided for detecting a change in magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 8 provided on the counter gear 5, which is an original object, by a part of the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 9 provided on the main shaft gear 1 as leakage magnetic flux. Further, it is possible to reduce the disturbance of the magnetic sensor 40 provided for detecting the change in the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 9, which is originally intended to be caused by a part of the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 8 provided on the counter gear 5 as the leakage magnetic flux.

As described above, according to the absolute encoder 100-2 of embodiment 2, it is possible to prevent a reduction in the detection accuracy of the rotation angle or the amount of rotation of the counter gear 5 by the magnetic sensor 50 while relatively reducing the size of the absolute encoder 100-2 in a plan view. Further, according to the absolute type encoder 100-2, it is also possible not only to relatively reduce the size of the absolute type encoder 100-2 in a plan view, but also to prevent a decrease in the detection accuracy of the rotation angle or the amount of rotation of the spindle gear 1 caused by the magnetic sensor 40.

As shown in fig. 18, the counter gear 5 is a cylindrical member that is fixed by being press-fitted to the shaft portion 6b of the magnet holder 6. The counter gear 5 has a worm gear portion 5a and a through hole 5 b. The counter gear 5 is a member integrally molded from metal or resin, and may be formed from polyacetal resin, for example.

The worm gear portion 5a is a gear with which the worm gear portion 2b meshes. The worm gear portion 5a is an example of the 2 nd driven gear. The worm gear portion 5a is formed of a plurality of teeth provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion of the counter gear 5. In fig. 13, the rotation force of the intermediate gear 2 is transmitted to the counter gear 5 via the worm gear portion 2b and the worm wheel portion 5a by the rotation of the intermediate gear 2.

The through-hole 5b is a hole that penetrates along the central axis of the cylindrical counter gear 5. After the shaft portion 6b of the magnet holder 6 is press-fitted into the through hole 5b, the counter gear 5 and the magnet holder 6 can rotate integrally.

As shown in fig. 18 and 26, the magnet holder 6 includes a magnet holding portion 6a, a shaft portion 6b, and a head portion 6 c. The magnet holder 6 is integrally molded from metal or resin, and may be formed from nonmagnetic stainless steel, for example.

The outer rings 7a of the 2 bearings 7 are press-fitted to the inner peripheral surface 10dc of the bearing seat portion 10d formed on the main base portion 10. Note that the 2 bearings 7 each have an outer ring 7a and an inner ring 7 b.

The shaft portion 6b of the magnet holder 6 is a columnar member and is press-fitted into the through hole 5b of the counter gear 5, and the lower portion of the shaft portion 6b is inserted into the inner ring 7b of the 2 bearings 7. Therefore, the magnet holder 6 can be axially supported by the main base 10 via the 2 bearings 7, and can be rotated integrally with the counter gear 5.

Further, the upper end of the magnet holder 6 may be provided with a head 6 c. The head 6c is a bottomed cylindrical member. The head portion 6c may be formed with a magnet holding portion 6 a. The magnet holding portion 6a is a recessed portion recessed downward from the upper end surface of the head portion 6 c. The outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8 disposed in the magnet holding portion 6a is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the head portion 6 c. Accordingly, the permanent magnet 8 can be fixed to the magnet holding portion 6a of the head portion 6 c.

The shaft portion 6b of the magnet holder 6 is axially supported by the 2 bearings 7 disposed on the bearing seat portion 10d formed on the main base 10, and the inclination of the magnet holder 6 can be prevented. Therefore, if the 2 bearings 7 are disposed as far apart from each other as possible in the axial direction of the shaft portion 6b, an effect of further preventing the magnet holder 6 from being inclined can be expected.

As shown in fig. 18, the upper portion 10db of the bearing seat portion 10d is an upper region of the bearing seat portion 10d in the Z-axis direction in the entirety of the bearing seat portion 10 d. Inside the upper portion 10db of the bearing housing portion 10d, 1 bearing 7 is provided. The lower portion 10da of the bearing seat portion 10d is a lower region of the bearing seat portion 10d in the Z-axis direction in the entire bearing seat portion 10 d. Inside the lower portion 10da of the bearing holder portion 10d, 1 bearing 7 is provided.

As shown in fig. 18, a cutout 202a is provided in a part of the housing 202 of the motor 200. The notch 202a is a recessed portion recessed toward the Z-axis negative direction side. Since the lower portion 10da of the bearing holder portion 10d is provided in the main base portion 10 so as to protrude, the notch portion 202a is provided in the frame 202 of the motor 200, thereby preventing interference with each other. The lower portion 10da of the bearing seat portion 10d is a lower region of the bearing seat portion 10d in the Z-axis direction in the entirety of the bearing seat portion 10 d. Inside the lower portion 10da of the bearing holder portion 10d, 1 bearing 7 is provided. By providing the notch 202a in the housing 202 of the motor 200 in this way, the distance in the Z-axis direction between the 2 bearings 7 can be set apart as compared with the case where the notch 202a is not provided. Further, an upper portion 10db of the bearing seat portion 10d is an upper region of the bearing seat portion 10d in the Z-axis direction in the entirety of the bearing seat portion 10 d.

If the bearing 7 is provided at a position closer to the magnet holding portion 6a and the permanent magnet 8 in the axial direction of the shaft portion 6b of the magnet holder 6, axial vibration during rotation of the magnet holder 6 and the permanent magnet 8 can be reduced. On the other hand, since the outer diameter of the upper portion 10db of the bearing holder portion 10d is close to the intermediate gear 2, the bearing 7 can be disposed at a position closer to the magnet holding portion 6a and the permanent magnet 8 while avoiding interference with the addendum circle of the intermediate gear 2 by forming a slope on the upper portion 10db of the bearing holder portion 10 d.

The magnetic sensor 40 detects a change in magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 9 due to the rotation of the permanent magnet 9 rotating together with the spindle gear 1, and thereby detects the rotation angle of the corresponding spindle gear 1. On the other hand, the magnetic sensor 50 can detect the rotation angle of the corresponding counter gear 5 by detecting a change in magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 8 due to the rotation of the permanent magnet 8 rotating together with the counter gear 5.

As shown in fig. 18 and 26, the permanent magnet 8 has a surface 8 a. The permanent magnet 8 is substantially cylindrical, and a central axis MC1 of the permanent magnet 8 (an axis indicating the center of the permanent magnet 8 or an axis passing through the center of the boundary of the magnetic poles) coincides with a central axis HC1 of the magnet holder 6, a central axis GC1 of the counter gear 5, and a central axis BC of the bearing 7. The surface 8a of the permanent magnet 8 is spaced apart from and faces the surface 50a of the magnetic sensor 50. Thus, the rotation angle or the amount of rotation can be detected with higher accuracy by keeping the center axes aligned.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 26, 2 magnetic poles (N/S) of the permanent magnet 8 are formed adjacent to each other in a plane (X-Y plane) perpendicular to the center axis MC1 of the permanent magnet 8. That is, it is preferable that the center of rotation of the permanent magnet 8 and the center of the boundary of the magnetic pole be aligned on the center axis MC 1. This can further improve the detection accuracy of the rotation angle or the rotation amount.

As shown in fig. 17 and 27, the permanent magnet 9 is a substantially cylindrical permanent magnet that is press-fitted inside the magnet holding portion 1h of the spindle gear 1, and has an upper surface 9a and a lower surface 9 b. The upper surface 9a is spaced apart from and faces the surface 40a of the magnetic sensor 40. The lower surface 9b is in contact with the bottom surface 1g of the magnet holding portion 1h of the spindle gear 1, and can define a position in the direction of the central axis GC2 (a position in the Z-axis direction) of the spindle gear 1. The center axis MC2 of the permanent magnet 9 (an axis indicating the center of the permanent magnet 9 or an axis passing through the center of the boundary of the magnetic poles) coincides with the center axis GC2 of the spindle gear 1 and the center axis RC of the motor shaft 201. Thus, the rotation angle or the amount of rotation can be detected with higher accuracy by keeping the center axes aligned.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 27, it is preferable that the 2 magnetic poles (N/S) of the permanent magnet 9 are formed adjacent to each other in a plane (X-Y plane) perpendicular to the center axis MC2 of the permanent magnet 9. This can further improve the detection accuracy of the rotation angle or the rotation amount.

The permanent magnet 8 and the permanent magnet 9 may be formed of a ferrite system, Nd (neodymium) -Fe (iron) -B (boron) system, or other magnetic material, respectively. The permanent magnets 8 and 9 may be, for example, rubber magnets or bonded magnets each including a resin adhesive.

Fig. 22 shows a plurality of through holes, that is, positioning holes 20a, positioning holes 20b, holes 20c, holes 20d, and holes 20e, formed in the substrate 20. The shape of the wall surface forming the positioning hole 20a is, for example, circular. The wall surface forming the positioning hole 20b is, for example, elliptical in shape. The hole 20c, the hole 20d, and the hole 20e are through-holes for fixing the substrate 20 to the main base 10 by the substrate mounting screws 13 shown in fig. 11, respectively. The wall surfaces forming the holes 20c, 20d, and 20e are, for example, circular in shape. The diameters of the wall surfaces forming the hole 20c, the hole 20d, and the hole 20e are respectively larger than the diameter of the male screw portion of the board mounting screw 13 and smaller than the diameter of the head portion of the board mounting screw 13.

As shown in fig. 12 to 15, 19 to 21, and the like, the main base portion 10 includes a hole 10a, a hole 10b, an abutment surface 10c, a bearing seat portion 10d, a leaf spring attachment surface 10e, a base portion 60, a wall portion 70, a wall portion 80, an opening portion 10-1, and a screw hole 10 f. The main base 10 has a substrate positioning pin 10g, a substrate positioning pin 10j, a tip portion 10h, a tip portion 10k, a post 10m, a post 10q, a post 10s, a screw hole 10u, a screw hole 10v, and a screw hole 10 w. Substrate positioning pins 10g, substrate positioning pins 10j, columns 10m, columns 10q, and columns 10s are examples of columnar members. A stepped portion (stepped portion) 10i is formed between a tip portion 10h of the substrate positioning pin 10g extending in the Z-axis direction from the main base portion 10 and a base portion 10g1 of the substrate positioning pin 10 g. When the front end portion 10h of the substrate positioning pin 10g is inserted into the positioning hole 20a formed in the substrate 20, a gap may be formed between the lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20 and the stepped portion 10 i. Similarly, a stepped portion 10l is formed between the tip portion 10k of the board positioning pin 10j extending in the Z-axis direction from the main base portion 10 and the base portion 10j1 of the board positioning pin 10 j. When the front end portion 10k of the substrate positioning pin 10j is inserted into the positioning hole 20b formed in the substrate 20, a gap may be formed between the lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20 and the stepped portion 10 l. In this way, when 2 substrate positioning pins 10g and 10j are used, the position of the substrate 20 in the direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction can be defined. However, since the step portion 10i, the step portion 10l, and the substrate 20 form a gap therebetween, the position of the substrate 20 in the Z-axis direction is not limited by the 2 substrate positioning pins 10g and 10 j.

The base portion 60 of the main base portion 10 is, for example, an integrally molded aluminum die-cast member, and is a substantially square plate-like member in a plan view. The base 60 is an example of a plate portion. The base 60 is mounted on the upper surface of the motor 200.

The opening 10-1 shown in fig. 12 penetrates the base 60 in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction). The spindle gear 1 is inserted through the opening 10-1. Opening 10-1 is an example of the 1 st through hole.

As shown in fig. 13, 14, 19, 20, and the like, wall portion 70 includes wall portion 71 and wall portion 72. The wall portion 70 has a function of supporting the shaft 4 and fixing the plate spring 11. The wall portion 71 is integrally provided on the upper surface of the base portion 60, and extends from the base portion 60 in the Z-axis positive direction. The wall portion 70 is provided in a region closer to the 1 st side 301 than the center in the X-axis direction and closer to the 4 th side 304 than the center in the Y-axis direction, in the entire upper surface of the base portion 60 in plan view. The wall portion 71 has a mounting surface 10ad located on the positive X-axis direction side and a screw hole 10ae penetrating in the X-axis direction. As shown in fig. 10, 23, and 24, the mounting screw 16 is inserted into the hole 15d of the housing portion 15 and tightened to the screw hole 10ae, whereby the inner surface of the housing portion 15 can be fixed by abutting against the mounting surface 10ad of the wall portion 71.

As shown in fig. 14, the wall portion 72 is provided in a region toward the 1 st side 301 from the center in the X axis direction and toward the 3 rd side 303 from the center in the Y axis direction, in the entire upper surface of the base portion 60 in a plan view. Wall portion 72 is connected to wall portion 71 and extends from wall portion 71 toward the center of 3 rd side 303. The end of the wall portion 72 on the 3 rd side 303 side is connected to the column 10 s. The column 10s connected to the wall portion 72 is provided at a position near the center of the main base portion 10 in the X-axis direction and at a position near the 3 rd side 303 of the main base portion 10. Thus, wall portion 72 extends from wall portion 71 toward column 10 s. That is, the wall portions 72 extend in oblique directions with respect to the X axis and the Y axis, respectively, in a plan view.

As shown in fig. 20, the screw 12 is inserted through a hole 11c formed in the mounting portion 11b of the leaf spring 11, and is screwed to a screw hole 10f formed in the wall portion 72 of the main base portion 10. Accordingly, the mounting portion 11b of the leaf spring 11 can abut against the leaf spring mounting surface 10e formed on the wall portion 72, whereby the leaf spring 11 can be fixed to the wall portion 72. The wall portion 72 functions as a fixing portion for fixing the plate spring 11. At this time, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, the sliding portion 11a of the leaf spring 11 abuts against the sliding portion 2e of the intermediate gear 2 into which the shaft 4 is inserted.

The mounting angle θ shown in fig. 15 will be explained. Since the worm gear portion 1d of the spindle gear 1 is engaged with the worm wheel portion 2a, the 1 st thrust is generated in the intermediate gear 2 in a direction from the other end 4b of the shaft 4 toward the one end 4a of the shaft 4 or in a direction from the one end 4a of the shaft 4 toward the other end 4b of the shaft 4 in accordance with the rotation of the worm gear portion 1d of the spindle gear 1. Further, the 2 nd thrust is generated in the direction from the other end 4b of the shaft 4 toward the one end 4a of the shaft 4 or in the direction from the one end 4a of the shaft 4 toward the other end 4b of the shaft 4 in the intermediate gear 2 by the engagement of the worm gear portion 2b with the worm gear portion 5a of the counter gear 5. In this way, even when the 1 st thrust and the 2 nd thrust are generated, in order to accurately transmit the rotation amount of the worm gear portion 1d of the main shaft gear 1 to the worm gear portion 5a of the counter gear 5, it is necessary to suppress the movement of the intermediate gear 2 in the axial direction Td toward the shaft 4. The plate spring 11 biases the intermediate gear 2 in a direction from one end 4a of the shaft 4 toward the other end 4b of the shaft 4. The value of the biasing force generated by the plate spring 11 is set to be higher than the resultant force of the 1 st thrust and the 2 nd thrust in the direction from the other end 4b of the shaft 4 toward the one end 4a of the shaft 4.

In fig. 15, the mounting angle θ is equal to the angle formed by the base portion 11d of the leaf spring 11 fixed to the wall portion 72 of the main base portion 10 and the side surface 73 on the side of the idler gear 2 on which the surface of the hole 10a of the wall portion 72 into which the one end 4a of the shaft 4 is inserted is formed, in the state where the idler gear 2 is not inserted into the shaft 4. In the present embodiment, the side surface 73 and the shaft 4 are orthogonal to each other, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The attachment angle θ can be set to an angle at which the sliding portion 11a of the plate spring 11 abuts against the sliding portion 2e of the intermediate gear 2 when the intermediate gear 2 is attached to the shaft 4, and the plate spring 11 is bent by a predetermined amount, thereby appropriately applying a biasing force in the axial direction Td of the shaft 4 to the intermediate gear 2. Therefore, by biasing the intermediate gear 2 in the direction from the one end 4a side of the shaft 4 toward the other end 4b side of the shaft 4 by the plate spring 11, the movement of the intermediate gear 2 due to the resultant force of the 1 st thrust and the 2 nd thrust in the direction from the other end 4b of the shaft 4 toward the one end 4a of the shaft 4 can be suppressed. As a result, the reduction in the rotational accuracy of the counter gear 5 can be prevented. The greater the value of the biasing force, the greater the sliding resistance when the intermediate gear 2 rotates as shown in fig. 15. Therefore, it is preferable to set the mounting angle θ to an appropriate value so that a sufficient biasing force can be generated to minimize the sliding resistance when the intermediate gear 2 rotates and to suppress the movement of the intermediate gear 2 due to the thrust force. In this manner, in order to set the mounting angle θ to an appropriate value, it is necessary to improve the surface accuracy of the leaf spring mounting surface 10e for mounting the leaf spring 11, and it is also necessary to reduce the error of the mounting angle of the wall portion 70 to the base portion 60.

In the absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2, since the main base portion 10 is formed by aluminum die casting, for example, as compared with a case where the base portion 60 and the wall portion 70 which are separately manufactured are combined with each other by sheet metal, an error in the attachment angle of the wall portion 70 to the base portion 60 can be made smaller, and the surface accuracy of the leaf spring attachment surface 10e can be made higher. As a result, the error in the attachment angle θ of the leaf spring 11 to the wall portion 72 is reduced, and the management of the biasing force can be facilitated.

As shown in fig. 19, the main base 10 can be fixed by inserting 3 screws 14 through 3 holes formed in the main base 10 and tightening the screws to screw holes formed in the motor 200. Screw holes 10v, 10u, and 10w are formed on the Z-axis positive end sides of the columns 10q, 10m, and 10s extending from the main base 10 in the Z-axis positive direction, respectively. The board mounting screws 13 inserted through the holes 20c, 20e, and 20d formed in the board 20 shown in fig. 11 are screwed into the screw holes 10v, 10u, and 10w, respectively. Accordingly, the upper end surfaces 10r, 10p, and 10t of the pillars 10q, 10m, and 10s can be in contact with the lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20 shown in fig. 21. The lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20 is a surface facing the main base 10 out of 2 substrate surfaces in the Z-axis direction of the substrate 20. As a result, the position of the substrate 20 in the Z-axis direction can be defined.

As shown in fig. 10, 23 to 25, and the like, the case portion 15 includes an upper surface portion 15-1, a1 st side surface portion 15A, a2 nd side surface portion 15B, a3 rd side surface portion 15C, and a 4 th side surface portion 15D, and is a box-shaped member having an opening formed in one surface thereof. The housing portion 15 is made of, for example, resin, and is integrally molded. The upper surface portion 15-1 corresponds to the bottom of the box-shaped member. The upper surface portion 15-1 is a surface facing the upper surface 20-2 of the substrate 20 shown in fig. 11. The upper surface 20-2 of the substrate 20 is a substrate surface on the opposite side of the lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20. The 1 st side surface 15A is a plate-like member extending in the Z-axis negative direction from the side on the X-axis positive side of the upper surface 15-1. The 2 nd side surface 15B is a plate-like member extending in the Z-axis negative direction from the side portion on the X-axis negative direction side of the upper surface 15-1. The 3 rd side surface part 15C is a plate-like member extending in the Z-axis negative direction from the side part on the Y-axis negative direction side of the upper surface part 15-1. The 4 th side surface 15D is a plate-like member extending in the Z-axis negative direction from the side on the Y-axis positive side of the upper surface 15-1. The shape of the case portion 15 in plan view is a rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the motor 200 in plan view. The space inside the housing 15 accommodates a plurality of components included in the absolute encoder 100-2.

As shown in fig. 24, the housing portion 15 has claws 15a, claws 15b, claws 15c, holes 15d, recesses 15e, recesses 15f, recesses 15g, a connector housing portion 15h, and an opening portion 15 i. The claws 15a are provided near the ends of the 4 th side surface part 15D in the Z-axis negative direction. The claws 15a extend in the Y-axis negative direction from the 4 th side surface part 15D so as to face the 3 rd side surface part 15C. The claw 15a interlocks with a concave portion 10aa provided on the main base 10 shown in fig. 23. The claws 15b are provided near the ends of the 3 rd side surface part 15C in the Z-axis negative direction. The claws 15b extend from the 3 rd side surface part 15C in the positive Y-axis direction so as to face the 4 th side surface part 15D. The claws 15b interlock with the recesses 10ab provided on the main base 10 shown in fig. 23. The claws 15c are provided near the ends of the 2 nd side surface part 15B in the Z-axis negative direction. The claw 15c extends in the X-axis negative direction from the 2 nd side surface part 15B so as to face the 1 st side surface part 15A. The claw 15c interlocks with a concave portion 10ac provided on the main base 10 shown in fig. 23.

The recesses 15e, 15f, and 15g shown in fig. 24 are recessed portions formed so that a part of the upper surface 5-1 of the housing portion 15 is recessed in the positive Z-axis direction in order to avoid interference with the heads of the 3 board mounting screws 13 shown in fig. 11.

The connector housing portion 15h is a recessed portion formed so that a part of the upper surface 5-1 of the housing portion 15 is recessed in the Z-axis positive direction in order to cover the connector 24 shown in fig. 11. The shape of the bottom surface of the connector housing portion 15h in plan view is rectangular. The connector housing 15h is provided in a region of the upper surface 5-1 closer to the 1 st side surface 15A than the center in the X axis direction and closer to the center in the Y axis direction. Further, a connector housing portion 15h is provided at a portion close to the 1 st side face 15A in this area.

The opening 15i is formed between the bottom surface of the connector housing portion 15h and the 1 st side surface portion 15A. The connector 24 shown in fig. 11 is disposed so as to face the bottom surface of the connector housing portion 15 h. The connector 24 is, for example, a female type connector, and a male type connector provided at one end of the connector 24 to which external wiring can be inserted. The male connector can be inserted into the connector 24 disposed on the connector housing portion 15h through the opening portion 15i shown in fig. 24. Accordingly, the conductive terminal provided on the connector 24 can be electrically connected to the conductive terminal of the male connector provided on one end of the external wiring. As a result, the connector 24 and an external device connected to the other end of the external wiring can be electrically connected, and thus, signals can be transmitted between the absolute encoder 100-2 and the external device.

Further, by disposing the connector housing portion 15h at a position close to the 1 st side face portion 15A, as shown in fig. 11, the position of the connector 24 when viewed in plan is equal to the position of the connector 400 when the motor 200 is viewed in plan. By configuring the absolute encoder 100-2 in this way, the pull-out position of the external wiring electrically connected to the conductive pins provided on the connector 24 can be made closer to the pull-out position of the external wiring electrically connected to the conductive pins provided on the connector 400. Therefore, these external wires can be bundled into 1 bundle in the vicinity of the absolute encoder 100-2 and the motor 200, and thus the wiring group thus bundled can be easily pulled around to an external device.

As shown in fig. 22, a magnetic sensor 40, a magnetic sensor 50, a microcomputer 21, a bidirectional driver 22, and a linear driver 23 may be provided on the lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20. The lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20 is a mounting surface of the magnetic sensor 40 and the magnetic sensor 50. As described above, the upper end surface 10r of the pillar 10q, the upper end surface 10p of the pillar 10m, and the upper end surface 10t of the pillar 10s are in contact with the lower surface 20-1 of the substrate 20. As shown in fig. 13, the columns 10q, 10m, and 10s are provided on the main base 10 in such a manner that the difference in the intervals between the main base 10 in a plan view is small. For example, the column 10q is provided near the center of the main base 10 in the Y axis direction near the 2 nd side 302. Column 10q is integrated with wall 80. The post 10m is disposed near the corner where the 1 st edge 301 and the 4 th edge 304 meet. The column 10s is provided near the center of the main base 10 in the X-axis direction and near the 3 rd side 303. The column 10s is integrated with the wall portion 70 and the substrate positioning pin 10 g. By providing the pillars 10q, 10m, and 10s in this way, the positions of the magnetic sensors 40 and 50 provided on the substrate 20 in the Z-axis direction can be accurately defined. Note that, if the pillars 10q, 10m, and 10s are formed at positions separated as far as possible in the X-Y plane direction on the main base portion 10, the position of the substrate 20 can be held more stably.

In the absolute encoder 100-2 of embodiment 2, the main base 10 can be formed by die casting. Therefore, for example, the positional accuracy between the respective members can be improved as compared with a case where the base portion 60 of the main base portion 10 is made of sheet metal and assembled with the column 10q, the column 10m, the column 10s, the substrate positioning pin 10g, the substrate positioning pin 10j, the wall portion 70, the wall portion 80, and the like that are separately made. In addition, the absolute encoder 100-2 can be simplified in structure by reducing the number of parts to be manufactured, so that the assembly can be easily performed, the manufacturing time can be shortened, and the reliability of the absolute encoder 100-2 can be improved.

The magnetic sensor 40 is an example of a spindle angle sensor. The magnetic sensor 40 is disposed directly above the permanent magnet 9 at a predetermined interval. The magnetic sensor 40 can detect and specify the rotation angle of the corresponding spindle gear 1 by detecting the change in the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 9 due to the rotation of the permanent magnet 9 rotating together with the spindle gear 1, and can output angle information indicating the specified rotation angle as a digital signal.

The magnetic sensor 50 is an example of an angle sensor. The counter gear 5 is a rotary body that rotates in accordance with rotation of the worm gear portion 5a, which is the 2 nd driven gear. The magnetic sensor 50 is disposed directly above the permanent magnet 8 at a predetermined interval. The magnetic sensor 50 can detect and specify the rotation angle of the corresponding counter gear 5 by detecting the change in the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 8 caused by the rotation of the permanent magnet 8 rotating together with the counter gear 5, and can output angle information indicating the specified rotation angle as a digital signal.

The magnetic sensor 40 and the magnetic sensor 50 each include, for example, a detection element that detects a change in magnetic flux and an arithmetic circuit that outputs a digital signal indicating a rotation angle based on an output of the detection element. The detection element may be a combination of a plurality of magnetic field sensing elements such as a hall element, a gmr (giant Magneto resistive) element, and the like. The number of magnetic field-inducing elements is for example 4.

When the number of the worm gear portions 1d of the main shaft gear 1 is 4 and the number of the teeth of the worm gear portion 2a of the idler gear 2 is 20, the reduction ratio is 5. That is, when the main shaft gear 1 makes 5 rotations, the intermediate gear 2 makes 1 rotation. When the number of the worm gear portions 2b of the idler gear 2 is 1 and the number of the teeth of the worm gear portion 5a of the counter gear 5 is 18, the reduction ratio is 18. That is, when the intermediate gear 2 makes 18 rotations, the counter gear 5 makes 1 rotation. Therefore, if the main shaft gear 1 rotates 90 times, the intermediate gear 2 rotates 90 ÷ 5 ÷ 18 times, and the counter gear 5 rotates 18 ÷ 18 times by 1 time.

The main shaft gear 1 and the counter shaft gear 5 are provided with a permanent magnet 9 and a permanent magnet 8, respectively, which rotate integrally. Therefore, the rotation amount of the motor shaft 201 can be determined by detecting the rotation angles of the main shaft gear 1 and the counter shaft gear 5 by the magnetic sensor 40 and the magnetic sensor 50 corresponding thereto, respectively. If the main shaft gear 1 makes 1 rotation, the counter shaft gear 5 makes 1/90 rotations, i.e., makes 4 ° rotations. Therefore, when the rotation angle of the counter gear 5 is less than 4 degrees, the rotation amount of the main shaft gear 1 is less than 1 rotation, and when the rotation angle of the counter gear 5 is 4 degrees or more and less than 8 degrees, the rotation amount of the main shaft gear 1 is 1 rotation or more and less than 2 rotations. In this way, in the absolute encoder 100-2, the number of rotations of the main shaft gear 1 can be determined according to the rotation angle of the counter gear 5. In particular, in the absolute encoder 100-2, the number of rotations of the spindle gear 1 can be determined even if the spindle gear 1 rotates a plurality of times by using the reduction gear ratios of the worm gear 1d and the worm gear 2a and the reduction gear ratios of the worm gear 2b and the worm gear 5 a.

The microcomputer 21, the bidirectional driver 22, the linear driver 23, and the connector 24 are mounted on the substrate 20. The microcomputer 21, the bidirectional driver 22, the linear driver 23, and the connector 24 are electrically connected by pattern wiring on the substrate 20.

The microcomputer 21 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and calculates the rotation amount of the spindle gear 1 by acquiring digital signals indicating the rotation angles output from the magnetic sensor 40 and the magnetic sensor 50, respectively.

The bi-directional driver 22 may be in bi-directional communication with an external device connected to the connector 24. The bidirectional driver 22 can convert data of an operation signal or the like into a differential signal and communicate with an external device. The linear driver 23 may convert the data representing the rotation amount into a differential signal and output the differential signal to an external device connected to the connector 24 in real time. The connector 24 is connected with a connector of an external device.

Fig. 30 is a diagram showing the functional arrangement of the microcomputer 21 provided in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. Each block of the microcomputer 21 shown in fig. 30 represents a Function (Function) realized by the CPU of the microcomputer 21 by executing a program.

The microcomputer 21 includes a rotation angle acquisition unit 21p, a rotation angle acquisition unit 21q, a table processing unit 21b, a rotation amount determination unit 21c, and an output unit 21 e. The rotation angle acquisition unit 21q acquires the rotation angle Aq of the spindle gear 1 based on the signal output from the magnetic sensor 40. The rotation angle Aq is angle information indicating the rotation angle of the spindle gear 1. The rotation angle acquisition unit 21p acquires the rotation angle Ap of the counter gear 5 based on the signal output from the magnetic sensor 50. The rotation angle Ap is angle information indicating the rotation angle of the counter gear 5. The table processing unit 21b can specify the rotation number of the spindle gear 1 corresponding to the acquired rotation angle Ap by referring to a correspondence table that stores the rotation angle Ap and the rotation number of the spindle gear 1 corresponding to the rotation angle Ap. The rotation amount determining unit 21c may determine the rotation amount of the multiple rotations of the spindle gear 1 based on the rotation number of the spindle gear 1 determined by the table processing unit 21b and the acquired rotation angle Aq. The output unit 21e can convert the determined rotation amount of the plurality of rotations of the spindle gear 1 into information indicating the rotation amount and output the information.

As described above, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2, as shown in fig. 14 and the like, the counter gear 5 is provided on the side of the counter gear 2 opposite to the side of the main shaft gear 1, so that the occurrence of magnetic interference that affects the magnetic sensors that do not correspond to the permanent magnets 8 and 9 can be reduced. Thus, in the absolute encoder 100-2, the absolute encoder 100-2 can be made relatively small in size in a plan view by adopting a structure that can reduce the occurrence of magnetic interference. Therefore, not only can the absolute encoder 100-2 be downsized, but also the detection accuracy can be prevented from being lowered by the magnetic fluxes of the magnetic sensor 40 and the magnetic sensor 50, respectively.

In the absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2, the intermediate gear 2 arranged in parallel with the upper surface of the main base 10 extends obliquely with respect to the four sides of the main base 10, and the main shaft gear 1 and the counter gear 5 are provided on the opposite side of the intermediate gear 2 from each other with respect to the intermediate gear 2. Therefore, the main shaft gear 1, the intermediate gear 2, and the counter gear 5 can be arranged in a partially narrow region of the entire upper surface of the main base 10, and the absolute encoder 100-2 can be reduced in size with respect to the horizontal direction.

In addition, in the absolute encoder 100-2 of embodiment 2, the outer diameter of the worm wheel portion 2a and the outer diameter of the worm wheel portion 2b are set to a small value within a possible range. Accordingly, the dimension of the absolute encoder 100-2 in the Z-axis direction (height direction) can be reduced.

As described above, according to the absolute encoder 100-2 of embodiment 2, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the detection accuracy of the rotation amount of the spindle gear 1 and to reduce the dimension in the Z-axis direction and the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction.

In the absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2, the intermediate gear 2 is axially supported, that is, rotatably supported, by the shaft 4 fixed to or inserted into each of the wall portions 80 and 72, but the method of supporting the intermediate gear 2 is not limited thereto as long as the intermediate gear 2 can be axially supported.

For example, the absolute encoder 100-2 may be configured such that one end 4a of the shaft 4 is inserted into a hole 10a formed in the wall portion 72, and the other end 4b of the shaft 4 is press-fitted and fixed into a hole 10b formed in the wall portion 80. The absolute encoder 100-2 may be configured such that the outer ring 3a of the bearing 3 is press-fitted and fixed to a press-fitting portion 2d formed in the counter gear 2, and the shaft 4 is press-fitted and fixed to the inner ring 3b of the bearing 3. Accordingly, the movement of the intermediate gear 2 fixed to the shaft 4 in the axial direction Td can be restricted. When the absolute encoder 100-2 is configured in this manner, the intermediate gear 2 can be axially supported by the shaft 4. Further, the movement in the axial direction Td of the shaft 4 is restricted by the wall portion 72 and the wall portion 80, and the movement in the axial direction of the idler gear 2 is also restricted by the inner race 3b of the bearing 3 fixed to the shaft 4. Therefore, the plate spring 11 is not required.

In addition, the absolute encoder 100-2 may be configured such that, for example, the shaft 4 is supported by a bearing not shown provided on at least one of the wall portion 72 and the wall portion 80 in a state where the intermediate gear 2 is fixed to the shaft 4, without using the bearing 3 shown in fig. 15.

When the outer race of the bearing, not shown, is fixed to wall portion 72 or wall portion 80 and one end 4a or the other end 4b of shaft 4 is inserted into the inner race, intermediate gear 2 is fixed to shaft 4 and shaft 4 is axially supported by the bearing, not shown, so that shaft 4 and intermediate gear 2 can rotate integrally. In this case, the shaft 4 is not fixed to the inner race of the bearing, but only the inner race is inserted, so that the shaft 4 can move in the shaft direction Td together with the intermediate gear 2. For this reason, it is necessary to provide the plate spring 11 for biasing the intermediate gear 2 in the axial direction Td so as to define the position.

Alternatively, the outer race of the bearing, not shown, may be fixed to wall portion 72 or wall portion 80, and the inner race, not shown, may be press-fitted into one end 4a or the other end 4b of shaft 4. At this time, the movement of the intermediate gear 2 fixed to the shaft 4 in the shaft direction Td can be restricted. Therefore, the intermediate gear 2 fixed to the shaft 4 is rotatably supported by a bearing not shown in the figure, and the movement of the shaft 4 in the shaft direction Td is restricted, so that the movement of the intermediate gear 2 in the shaft direction Td is also restricted. Therefore, the plate spring 11 does not need to be provided.

As shown in fig. 17, the magnetic sensor 40 originally detects and specifies the rotation angle of the spindle gear 1 by detecting a change in magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 9 rotating together with the spindle gear 1. As shown in fig. 18, the magnetic sensor 50 detects a change in magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 8 rotating together with the counter gear 5, thereby detecting and determining the rotation angle of the counter gear 5. As described above, the absolute encoder 100-2 according to embodiment 2 has a structure that can reduce the occurrence of magnetic interference, and thus can reduce the influence of the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 8 on the magnetic sensor 40. Further, the influence of the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 9 on the magnetic sensor 50 can be reduced. That is, the reduction in the detection accuracy of the rotation due to the mutual magnetic interference of the main shaft gear 1 and the counter shaft gear 5 can be prevented.

Fig. 10 shows a state in which the absolute encoder 100-2 is attached to a motor 200, and a permanent magnet and a coil for driving are built in the motor 200. Therefore, the motor 200 generates magnetic flux even when the motor shaft 201 does not rotate. Further, when a drive signal is externally applied to the motor 200 to rotate the motor shaft 201, the generated magnetic flux further increases. For this reason, the magnetic flux generated by the motor 200 may adversely affect the magnetic sensor 40 and the magnetic sensor 50 provided inside the absolute encoder 100-2, and may cause a reduction in detection accuracy. In the case where there is such an influence of the unnecessary magnetic flux from the motor 200, if the main base 10 is formed using a ferromagnetic material such as iron, the influence of the magnetic flux from the motor 200 can be reduced.

Fig. 31 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5A provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 1 of embodiment 2. Fig. 32 is a sectional view of the counter gear 5A shown in fig. 31. The counter gear 5A is a cylindrical member formed with a worm gear portion 52e as a2 nd driven gear. The worm gear 52e corresponds to the worm gear 5a described above and is a2 nd driven gear. The counter gear 5A includes a resin sheet 5A1 and a resin gear portion 5A 2. The resin sheet 5a1 and the resin gear portion 5a2 may be formed of polyacetal resin, for example. The resin gear portion 5a2 is an annular portion surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8.

The resin sheet 5a1 is a plate-like member that closes (blocks) the opening formed in the resin gear portion 5a2 so as to face the end face of the permanent magnet 8 in the axial direction. The resin sheet 5a1 includes a circular plate-shaped cover portion 5a11 that closes the opening, and a pair of flange portions 5a12 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cover portion 5a 11. The collar portion 5a12 is provided on a parting line CL on the outer peripheral portion of the cap portion 5a 11. The dividing line CL is a straight line that is orthogonal to the central axis AX of the counter gear 5A and intersects 2 points of the outer peripheral portion of the lid portion 5A 11. Hereinafter, the central axis AX may be simply referred to as a central axis. The pair of flanges 5a12 are projections extending radially from the outer peripheral portion of the lid portion 5a11 toward the central axis. The radial direction is the direction indicated by the arrow D1 in fig. 32.

The resin gear portion 5a2 is a cylindrical member having a cavity formed radially inward. The radially inner cavity is a space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the resin gear portion 5a2 which gradually changes in the central axis direction. The central axis direction is a direction indicated by an arrow D2 in fig. 32, and is sometimes referred to as an axial direction.

The resin gear portion 5a2 includes a1 st annular portion 51, a2 nd annular portion 52, and a3 rd annular portion 53 provided coaxially with the shaft portion 6 b. The 1 st annular portion 51, the 2 nd annular portion 52, and the 3 rd annular portion 53 are arranged in the order of the 1 st annular portion 51, the 2 nd annular portion 52, and the 3 rd annular portion 53 in the axial direction.

The 1 st annular portion 51 includes a groove portion 51a into which the pair of flanges 5a12 are fitted, and a1 st inner circumferential surface 51b having a1 st inner diameter facing the outer circumferential surface of the permanent magnet 8. The 1 st annular portion 51 includes a2 nd inner peripheral surface 51c of a2 nd inner diameter larger than the 1 st inner diameter, which faces the outer peripheral surface of the resin sheet 5a1, and a1 st stepped portion 51d provided at a boundary portion between the 1 st inner peripheral surface 51b and the 2 nd inner peripheral surface 51 c. The groove 51a is a portion formed such that a part of an axial end surface of the 1 st annular portion 51 is recessed in a protruding manner from the 1 st annular portion 51 toward the 2 nd annular portion 52. The 1 st annular portion 51 is provided with 2 groove portions 51 a. The number of the groove 51a and the collar 5a12 is not limited to 2, and may be 3 or more. The 1 st inner circumferential surface 51b is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the central axis, and is formed so as to have a1 st inner diameter that decreases from the 1 st annular portion 51 toward the 2 nd annular portion 52. By providing the 1 st inner peripheral surface 51b inclined in this way, when the permanent magnet 8 is mounted to the space surrounded by the 3 rd inner peripheral surface 52b of the 2 nd annular portion 52, the 1 st stepped portion 51d hardly interferes with the permanent magnet 8, and the permanent magnet 8 can be easily mounted. The outer peripheral surface of the resin sheet 5a1 contacts the 2 nd inner peripheral surface 51 c. The axial end face of the resin sheet 5a1 contacts the 1 st step 51 d.

The 2 nd annular portion 52 includes a cylindrical portion 52a provided coaxially with the shaft portion 6b and a3 rd inner peripheral surface 52b having a3 rd inner diameter facing the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8. The 2 nd annular portion 52 includes a 4 th inner peripheral surface 52c having a 4 th inner diameter smaller than the 3 rd inner diameter and opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 6b, a2 nd stepped portion 52d provided at a boundary portion between the 3 rd inner peripheral surface 52b and the 4 th inner peripheral surface 52c, and a worm wheel portion 52e provided outside the cylindrical portion 52a in the radial direction and serving as a gear portion of the counter gear 5A.

The height from the resin sheet 5a1 to the 2 nd step portion 52d is preferably equal to or less than the height of the permanent magnet 8 in the axial direction. With this configuration, the permanent magnet 8 can be sandwiched between the 2 nd step portion 52d and the resin sheet 5a 1. The permanent magnet 8 is sandwiched between the 2 nd stepped portion 52d and the resin sheet 5a1, and means that the 1 st end surface 81 in the axial direction of the permanent magnet 8 is in contact with the 2 nd stepped portion 52d, and the 2 nd end surface 82 opposite to the 1 st end surface 81 in the axial direction of the permanent magnet 8 is in contact with the end surface in the axial direction of the resin sheet 5a 1.

A gap is provided between the 3 rd inner peripheral surface 52b of the 2 nd annular portion 52 and the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8. The gap is preferably set such that the angular error of the magnetic sensor 50 with respect to the change in the center offset value is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value when the permanent magnet 8 is attached to the space surrounded by the 3 rd inner peripheral surface 52b of the resin gear portion 5a 2. The center offset value is equal to a deviation from the center of the magnetic flux detection area of the magnetic sensor 50 to the center of the permanent magnet 8 in the radial direction when the permanent magnet 8 is viewed from the axial direction. In terms of the angular error, it is equal to the angular difference between the actual rotation angle of the counter gear 5A and the rotation angle detected by the magnetic sensor 50. Since the permanent magnet 8 does not need to be press-fitted, the mounting operation of the permanent magnet 8 to the counter gear 5A is relatively easy, and the breakage of the permanent magnet 8 due to the press-fitting to the resin gear portion 5A2 can also be suppressed. Even when configured in this way, the resin sheet 5a1 functions as a falling-off prevention member for the permanent magnet 8, and therefore the permanent magnet 8 does not fall off the resin gear portion 5a2 during the operation (operation) of the absolute encoder 100-2.

The 3 rd annular portion 53 includes a 5 th inner peripheral surface 53a facing the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 6b and having an inner diameter equal to the 4 th inner diameter. The 3 rd annular portion 53 has an end surface 53b that abuts against the base portion 60 of the main base portion 10.

The shaft portion 6b may be fixed to the base portion 60 of the main base 10 by caulking, press fitting, or the like, and the counter gear 5A is rotatably supported with respect to the shaft portion 6 b.

Next, the permanent magnet 8 is attached to the space surrounded by the 3 rd inner peripheral surface 52b of the resin gear portion 5a 2. After the permanent magnet 8 is attached, the resin sheet 5a1 is provided on the 1 st step 51d of the resin gear portion 5a2 so as to cover the permanent magnet 8. At this time, the flange portion 5a12 of the resin sheet 5a1 is fitted into the groove portion 51 a. Since the resin sheets 5a1 and the 1 st annular part 51 are made of resin materials, the surfaces facing each other may have insufficient strength when they are bonded with an adhesive, and may be welded by laser welding, heat welding, or the like. Accordingly, the resin sheets 5a1 fixed to the resin gear portion 5a2 function as a separation preventing member for the permanent magnets 8. In the case where the permanent magnet 8 is fixed by press-fitting to the resin gear portion 5a2, there are cases where the friction between the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8 and the resin gear portion 5a2 is reduced by an error in manufacturing the permanent magnet 8 or the like, and the holding force of the resin gear portion 5a2 for holding the permanent magnet 8 cannot be sufficiently obtained. In contrast, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 1, the resin sheets 5A1 function as the falling-off preventing members for the permanent magnets 8, and therefore, even when sufficient holding force for holding the permanent magnets 8 by the resin gear portion 5A2 cannot be obtained, the permanent magnets 8 can be fixed to the counter gear 5A without applying an adhesive to the counter gear 5A.

Further, since the resin sheet 5a1 can function as a drop-off preventing member for the permanent magnet 8, it is not necessary to press-fit the permanent magnet 8 to the resin gear portion 5a 2. For this reason, the breakage of the permanent magnet 8 caused by the press-fitting to the resin gear portion 5a2 can be suppressed.

Fig. 33 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5B provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 2 of embodiment 2. Fig. 34 is a sectional view of the counter gear 5B shown in fig. 33. The resin gear portion 5a2 of the counter gear 5B is provided with a plurality of protrusions 51 e. The projection 51e is a projection-shaped member extending from the resin gear portion 5a2, which is an annular portion, toward the radial center of the resin gear portion 5a2 so as to face the axial end face of the permanent magnet 8. In the absolute encoder 100-2 of modification 2, the same reference numerals are given to parts having the same configuration as in modification 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

The plurality of protrusions 51e are provided integrally with the 1 st annular portion 51. Fig. 33 shows 4 protrusions 51 e. The 4 projecting portions 51e are arranged at intervals in the rotational direction of the resin gear portion 5a2 so that the intervals (distances) between the projecting portions 51e adjacent to each other in the rotational direction are equal. The direction of rotation is the direction indicated by the arrow D3 in fig. 33, and is the same as the direction in which the counter gear 5B rotates. The number of the protrusions 51e is not limited to 4, and may be less than 4 or more than 4 as long as the permanent magnet 8 provided in the resin gear portion 5a2 is prevented from coming off the resin gear portion 5a 2.

The height from the surface of the projection 51e facing the permanent magnet 8 to the 2 nd step portion 52d is preferably equal to or less than the height in the axial direction of the permanent magnet 8. With such a configuration, the permanent magnet 8 can be sandwiched between the 2 nd step portion 52d and the projection 51 e. The permanent magnet 8 is sandwiched between the 2 nd stepped portion 52d and the projection 51e, and means that the 1 st end surface 81 of the permanent magnet 8 is in contact with the 2 nd stepped portion 52d, and the 2 nd end surface 82 of the permanent magnet 8 is in contact with the surface of the opposing permanent magnet 8 of the projection 51 e.

In the counter gear 5B, for example, a projection 51e shown in fig. 33 and 34 can be formed by pressing and deforming a projection-shaped member extending in the axial direction from the 1 st annular portion 51 with a caulking tool or the like. That is, the projection 51e may be formed to extend in the radial direction from the 1 st annular portion 51. The projection 51e pressed by a caulking tool or the like functions as a falling-off prevention member for the permanent magnet 8 by being pressed against the 2 nd end surface 82 of the permanent magnet 8. Therefore, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 2, the permanent magnet 8 can be fixed without applying an adhesive to the counter gear 5B, as in modification 1.

In addition, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 2, it is not necessary to provide a member such as the resin sheet 5a1 shown in fig. 32. Therefore, as compared with the case where the resin sheet 5a1 and the resin gear portion 5a2 are separately manufactured and then combined, the manufacture of a plurality of components constituting the counter gear 5B can be facilitated, and the assembly time of the counter gear 5B can be shortened.

Fig. 35 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5C provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 3 of embodiment 2. Fig. 36 is a sectional view of the counter gear 5C shown in fig. 35. The resin gear portion 5a2 of the counter gear 5C uses the intermediate cylindrical portion 170 instead of the resin sheet 5a1 shown in fig. 31 and 32. In the absolute encoder 100-2 of modification 3, the same reference numerals are given to parts having the same configuration as in modification 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

The intermediate cylindrical portion 170 is formed in a cylindrical shape by using a non-magnetic metal material such as aluminum or copper. The intermediate cylindrical portion 170 is an annular cylindrical portion provided between the inner circumferential surface of the resin gear portion 5a2 and the outer circumferential surface of the permanent magnet 8. The intermediate cylindrical portion 170 may be fitted inside the 1 st annular portion 51 and the 2 nd annular portion 52 of the resin gear portion 5a2 by insert molding or press fitting, for example. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 170a of the intermediate cylindrical portion 170 can be fixed to the resin gear portion 5a 2.

The permanent magnet 8 is provided in a space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface 170b of the intermediate cylindrical portion 170. A gap is provided between the outer diameter of the permanent magnet 8 and the inner diameter of the intermediate cylindrical portion 170, and the gap is preferably set such that the angle error of the magnetic sensor 50 with respect to the change in the center offset value is equal to or less than a predetermined value when the permanent magnet 8 is attached to the space surrounded by the inner circumferential surface 170b of the intermediate cylindrical portion 170.

An adhesive 117 for fixing the permanent magnet 8 to the intermediate cylindrical portion 170 is provided between the inner circumferential surface 170b of the intermediate cylindrical portion 170 and the permanent magnet 8. The adhesive 117 may be any adhesive as long as it can bond the permanent magnet 8 to the intermediate cylindrical portion 170, and may be, for example, an epoxy adhesive, an acrylic adhesive, or the like. In the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 3, the permanent magnet 8 can be fixed to the inner circumferential surface 170b of the metal intermediate cylindrical portion 170 by using the adhesive 117. That is, the intermediate cylindrical portion 170 and the adhesive can function as a separation preventing member for the permanent magnet 8, whereby the permanent magnet 8 can be fixed to the counter gear 5C.

In addition, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to the modification 3, the intermediate cylindrical portion 170 may be embedded in the resin gear portion 5a2 by insert molding or press fitting. Therefore, as compared with the case where the resin sheet 5a1 and the resin gear portion 5a2 are combined as shown in fig. 32, the mounting operation of the permanent magnets 8 is relatively easy, and the time required for assembling the counter gear 5C can be shortened.

Fig. 37 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5D provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 4 of embodiment 2. Fig. 38 is a sectional view of the counter gear 5D shown in fig. 37. The resin gear portion 5a2 of the counter gear 5D includes an annular portion 124 and a cylindrical portion 125. The annular portion 124 and the cylindrical portion 125 may be formed of polyacetal resin, for example. In the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 4, the same reference numerals are given to parts having the same configuration as in modification 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

The annular portion 124 includes a1 st inner circumferential surface 124a having a1 st inner diameter in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 125, a2 nd inner circumferential surface 124b having a2 nd inner diameter smaller than the 1 st inner diameter, and a1 st stepped portion 124c provided at a boundary portion between the 1 st inner circumferential surface 124a and the 2 nd inner circumferential surface 124b and facing an end 125c in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 125. The annular portion 124 further includes a3 rd inner peripheral surface 124d having a3 rd inner diameter smaller than the 2 nd inner diameter. The annular portion 124 further includes a2 nd stepped portion 124e provided at a boundary portion between the 2 nd inner peripheral surface 124b and the 3 rd inner peripheral surface 124D and facing the 2 nd end surface 82 of the permanent magnet 8, and a worm gear portion 124f provided on the radially outer side of the annular portion 124 and serving as a gear portion of the counter gear 5D. The 1 st inner diameter of the 1 st inner circumferential surface 124a is set smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 125.

A gap is provided between the 2 nd inner peripheral surface 124b of the annular portion 124 and the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8, and the gap is set such that an angle error of the magnetic sensor 50 with respect to a change in the center offset value is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value when the permanent magnet 8 is attached to the space surrounded by the 2 nd inner peripheral surface 124b of the resin gear portion 5a 2.

The height from the 1 st step 124c to the 2 nd step 124e of the annular portion 124 is preferably equal to or less than the height in the axial direction of the permanent magnet 8. With such a configuration, the permanent magnet 8 can be sandwiched between the 2 nd step 124e and the cylindrical portion 125. The permanent magnet 8 is sandwiched between the 2 nd step portion 124e and the cylindrical portion 125, and means that the 1 st end surface 81 of the permanent magnet 8 is in contact with the end portion 125c of the cylindrical portion 125, and the 2 nd end surface 82 of the permanent magnet 8 is in contact with the 2 nd step portion 124e of the annular portion 124.

When the counter gear 5D is attached to the shaft portion 6b, first, the permanent magnet 8 is attached to the space surrounded by the 2 nd inner peripheral surface 124b of the annular portion 124, and then, the cylindrical portion 125 may be fitted in a press-fit manner. At this time, the annular portion 124 is press-fitted in the axial direction until the end 125c of the cylindrical portion 125 comes into contact with the 1 st step 124 c. Accordingly, the permanent magnet 8 can be sandwiched between the annular portion 124 and the cylindrical portion 125.

In this way, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to the 4 th modification example, the permanent magnet 8 can be sandwiched by the cylindrical portion 125 facing the 1 st end surface 81 in the axial direction of the permanent magnet 8 and the annular portion 124 facing the 2 nd end surface 82 of the permanent magnet 8 and having the cylindrical portion 125 fitted inside. Therefore, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 4, the annular portion 124 and the cylindrical portion 125 can function as a separation preventing member for the permanent magnet 8. Therefore, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to the modification 4, the permanent magnet 8 can be fixed to the counter gear 5D without applying an adhesive to the counter gear 5D. The 2 nd step 124e shown in fig. 38 may be formed by deforming an annular member extending in the axial direction from the annular portion 124 with a caulking tool or the like, for example, as in the case of the protrusion 51e shown in fig. 34.

Fig. 39 is a cross-sectional oblique view of a counter gear 5E provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 5 of embodiment 2. Fig. 40 is a cross-sectional oblique view of the resin gear portion 5a2 included in the counter gear 5E shown in fig. 39. The inner peripheral surface 128 of the resin gear portion 5a2 is provided with a recess 126 as a depressed portion for fixing the permanent magnet 8. The recessed portion 126 is a recessed portion formed so as to be recessed radially outward from the center of the resin gear portion 5a2 in the radial direction. For example, a plurality of recesses 126 may be provided in the rotational direction of the resin gear portion 5a 2. At this time, the plurality of recesses 126 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in such a manner that intervals (distances) between the recesses 126 adjacent in the rotation direction are equal. Adhesive 127 is disposed in each of the plurality of recesses 126. The adhesive 127 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8. The counter gear 5E is characterized in that the recess 126 is provided and the adhesive 127 is provided in the recess 126. For this reason, the configurations other than these features are the same as those of the resin gear portion 5a2 shown in fig. 36, for example.

When the counter gear 5E is assembled, first, the adhesive 127 is filled into the plurality of recesses 126. At this time, adhesive 127 is filled from bottom 126a of recess 126 to boundary 126b between inner peripheral surface 128 of resin gear portion 5a2 and recess 126. Then, before the filled adhesive 127 is cured, the permanent magnet 8 is attached to the space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface 128 of the resin gear portion 5a 2. At this time, the adhesive 127 adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8. Thereafter, the permanent magnet 8 is formed with a projection fitted into the recess 126 of the resin gear portion 5a2 by curing the adhesive 127. The projection has a shape that projects from the outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 8 toward the bottom 126a of the recess 126 of the resin gear portion 5a 2.

In the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 5, the concave portion 126 and the adhesive 127 formed on the inner peripheral surface 128 of the resin gear portion 5a2 function as a separation preventing member for the permanent magnet 8. Accordingly, even when the adhesive agent 127 is less likely to adhere to the resin gear portion 5a2 because the resin gear portion 5a2 is made of polyacetal resin, the permanent magnet 8 can be fixed to the counter gear 5E.

In addition, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 5, since it is not necessary to provide a separation preventing member such as the resin sheet 5a1 shown in fig. 31, the protrusion 51e shown in fig. 33, the intermediate cylindrical portion 170 shown in fig. 35, and the cylindrical portion 125 shown in fig. 38, the manufacturing cost of the absolute encoder 100-2 can be reduced.

Fig. 41 is a perspective view of a counter gear 5F provided in an absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 6 of embodiment 2. Fig. 42 is a sectional view of the counter gear 5F shown in fig. 41. The resin gear portion 5a3 of the counter gear 5F includes a bowl-shaped annular portion 54 having a top portion 54b in which an opening 54a is formed, an annular cylindrical body 55, and a bearing 56. The cylindrical body 55 is a1 st annular portion facing the 1 st end surface 81 in the axial direction of the permanent magnet 8. The annular portion 54 is the 2 nd annular portion. The annular portion 54 may be formed of polyacetal resin, for example. The permanent magnet 8, the cylindrical body 55, and the bearing 56 are provided in a space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 54. The permanent magnet 8, the cylindrical body 55, and the bearing 56 are arranged in this order from the top 54b side of the annular portion 54 to the permanent magnet 8, the cylindrical body 55, and the bearing 56. The counter gear 5F is characterized in that the permanent magnet 8 is pressed toward the top 54b of the annular portion 54 by using the bearing 56 and the cylinder 55. The shaft 143 shown in fig. 42 is fixed to the main base 10 of the base 60 shown in fig. 32 and the like. The inner race 56b of the bearing 56 is fixed to the end of the shaft 143 by press fitting. The inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 54 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer ring 56a of the bearing 56. Here, the value of "only a little smaller" means a value at which the bearing 56 can be press-fitted to the annular portion 54.

The outer diameter of the cylinder 55 is larger than the inner diameter of the outer ring 56a of the bearing 56 and smaller than the outer diameter of the outer ring 56 a. The inner diameter of the cylinder 55 is larger than the outer diameter of the inner race 56b of the bearing 56. For this reason, the cylindrical body 55 adjacent in the axial direction of the bearing 56 is not in contact with the inner ring 56b of the bearing 56, and is in contact with the outer ring 56a of the bearing 56. This prevents abrasion of the cylindrical body 55 due to contact between the cylindrical body 55 and the inner ring 56b of the bearing 56 during rotation.

When the counter gear 5F is assembled, first, the permanent magnet 8 is attached to the space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 54, and then the cylindrical body 55 is attached. On the other hand, an end portion of the shaft 143 is fitted into the inner race 56b of the bearing 56 by press fitting. The assembly of the bearing 56 and the shaft 143, into which the shaft 143 is fitted, is fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 54 by press fitting. At this time, the bearing 56 is press-fitted in the axial direction until it comes into contact with the cylindrical body 55. Accordingly, the permanent magnet 8 can be held between the annular portion 54, the top portion 54b, and the cylindrical body 55. By using the cylindrical body 55, the distance from the bearing 56 to the permanent magnet 8 can be increased. Further, since the cylindrical body 55 is made of a non-magnetic metal material such as aluminum or copper, a resin material, or the like, it is possible to suppress disturbance of the flow of the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 8, as compared with a case where the bearing 56 is configured to directly contact the permanent magnet 8. The step of assembling the counter gear 5F is not limited to this, and for example, the permanent magnet 8, the cylindrical body 55, and the bearing 56 may be fitted into a space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 54, and then the end portion of the shaft 143 may be fitted into the inner ring 56b of the bearing 56 by press fitting. In this manner, in the absolute encoder 100-2 according to modification 6, the annular portion 54 and the bearing 56 that sandwich the permanent magnet 8 in the axial direction via the cylindrical body 55 can constitute the drop-off prevention member.

In the top portion 54b of the annular portion 54, when the annular portion 54 is viewed in the axial direction, the opening 54a is formed around the central axis in the top portion 54 b. The shape of the opening 54a is, for example, a combination of a curved surface 54b1 with a1 st radius of curvature and a curved surface 54b2 with a2 nd radius of curvature smaller than the 1 st radius of curvature. By providing the opening 54a having such a shape, for example, the opening 54a can form a1 st region of a true circle around the central axis and a2 nd region formed outside the 1 st region in the radial direction. By applying an adhesive to the permanent magnet 8 provided so as to block the 2 nd region, the adhesive can be cured in a state of being attached to the permanent magnet 8. The cured adhesive can be bonded to the wall surface forming the 2 nd region (the curved surface 54b2 having the 2 nd radius of curvature), and thus can function as a rotation stopper for the permanent magnet 8. By providing the opening 54a and then applying the adhesive, the permanent magnet 8 can more reliably rotate together with the counter gear 5F. For example, even when the pressing force of the cylindrical body 55 on the permanent magnet 8 in the axial direction is smaller than a predetermined value, the deviation of the rotation angle of the permanent magnet 8 from the rotation angle of the worm wheel 52e provided on the annular portion 54 can be suppressed, and thus the decrease in the detection accuracy of the magnetic sensor 50 in detecting the rotation angle or the rotation amount of the counter gear 5F can be suppressed.

The 1 st counter gear 105 of the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 may be configured to be the same as any one of the counter gears 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, and 5F according to the 1 st to 6 th modifications. The 2 nd counter gear 138 of the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 may be configured to be the same as any one of the counter gears 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, and 5F according to the 1 st to 6 th modifications. By configuring the absolute encoder 100-1 in this way, the permanent magnet 17 can be more reliably fixed to the 1 st counter gear 105 and the 2 nd counter gear 138.

Embodiments 1 and 2 describe a magnet falling prevention structure that can prevent the permanent magnets from falling off from the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5), the 2 nd counter gear 138, and the like when the fixation by the adhesive material cannot be satisfactorily obtained. The reason why the magnet falling prevention structure is adopted not in the main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) but in the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5), the 2 nd counter gear 138, and the like is as follows. Since the number of rotations of main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) is reduced in 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) and the like, the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) and the like have a larger allowable error than main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) in consideration of the allowable error of the detection angle of each angle sensor. Therefore, the allowable amount of axial misalignment of the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) and the like is higher than that of the main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1). The axial misalignment is, for example, a state in which the central axis of the permanent magnet 8 is separated from the detection element of the magnetic sensor 50 corresponding to the permanent magnet 8 when the permanent magnet 8 is viewed in a plan view. The allowable amount of axial misalignment is an amount of axial misalignment within a range in which the magnetic sensor 50 and the like can detect magnetic flux and output appropriate angle signals even when the amount of axial misalignment increases. In this way, in the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) or the like having a high tolerance for shaft misalignment, even when the permanent magnet 8 is not press-fitted and attached, the angle error of the magnetic sensor 50 or the like that changes with respect to the center offset value can be controlled to be equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. Therefore, by adopting the magnet falling prevention structure for the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) or the like, not only the increase of the error of the rotation angle detected by the magnetic sensor 50 or the like can be suppressed, but also the breakage of the permanent magnet 8 or the like due to press-fitting can be suppressed. Therefore, in embodiments 1 and 2, the magnet falling prevention structure is adopted not in the main shaft gear 101 (main shaft gear 1) but in the 1 st counter gear 105 (counter gear 5) and the like.

Fig. 43 is a schematic view of a permanent magnet 9A applicable to absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 according to embodiments 1 and 2. Fig. 44 is a schematic view of the permanent magnet 9B applicable to the absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 according to embodiments 1 and 2. Fig. 43 shows a permanent magnet 9A of the 1 st configuration example. In the permanent magnet 9A, a1 st magnetic pole portion N of a1 st polarity and a2 nd magnetic pole portion S of a2 nd polarity different from the 1 st polarity are arranged in a radial direction D1 of the permanent magnet 9A. Fig. 44 shows a permanent magnet 9B of the configuration example 2. In the permanent magnet 9, the 1 st magnetic pole part N and the 2 nd magnetic pole part S are arranged in the left half of the figure along the figure axial direction D2 of the permanent magnet 9B with the center of the permanent magnet 9B as a boundary, and on the other hand, in the right half of the figure, the 1 st magnetic pole part N and the 2 nd magnetic pole part S are arranged in the figure axial direction D2 of the permanent magnet 9 in a direction upside down from the left half. The arrow "DM" shown in fig. 43 and 44 indicates the magnetization direction.

Both the permanent magnet 9A and the permanent magnet 9B can be used as the permanent magnet 9 of the absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 according to embodiments 1 and 2. However, in the permanent magnet 9B, the magnetic field formed by the plurality of magnetic lines of force is distributed more widely in the axial direction D2 than the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet 9A. In contrast, in the permanent magnet 9A, the magnetic field formed by the plurality of magnetic lines of force is distributed more widely in the radial direction D1 than the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet 9B. Therefore, when the permanent magnet 9A is used in the absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 according to embodiments 1 and 2, magnetic interference in which the magnetic flux affects other magnetic sensors as described above is likely to occur due to the magnetic field generated widely in the radial direction outside of the permanent magnet 9A.

In the absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 according to the modifications of embodiments 1 and 2, when the permanent magnet 9B is used as the permanent magnet 9, the leakage magnetic flux generated from the permanent magnet 9 flows into the magnetic sensor 50 less than when the permanent magnet 9A is used. In addition, when the permanent magnet 9B is used as the permanent magnet 8, the leakage magnetic flux generated from the permanent magnet 8 flows into the magnetic sensor 40 less than when the permanent magnet 9A is used. As a result, the reduction in the detection accuracy of the rotation angle or the rotation amount of the counter gear 5 or the main shaft gear 1 can be reduced. Further, by reducing the decrease in the detection accuracy of the rotation angle or the rotation amount, further miniaturization of the absolute encoders 100-1 and 100-2 can be achieved.

The absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 is configured such that the central axes of the permanent magnet 8 and the magnet holder 6 are aligned with each other in the same manner as the permanent magnet 8 and the magnet holder 6 shown in fig. 26. In addition, the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 is configured such that the central axes of the permanent magnet 17 and the second counter gear 138 are aligned with each other in the same manner as the permanent magnet 8 and the magnet holder 6 shown in fig. 26. Further, the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 is also configured such that the respective central axes of the permanent magnet 9 and the spindle gear 1 are aligned with each other in the same manner as the permanent magnet 9 and the spindle gear 1 shown in fig. 27. With this configuration, the absolute encoder 100-1 according to embodiment 1 can detect the rotation angle or the rotation amount with higher accuracy.

The configuration shown in the above embodiment is merely an example of the contents of the present invention, and may be combined with other known techniques, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or modified within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

The present application claims priority of japanese patent application No. 2019-066046, which is applied on 29/3/2019, and the contents of the japanese patent application are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[ description of reference numerals ]

1 main shaft gear, 1a 1 st cylindrical portion, 1B 2 nd cylindrical portion, 1C communication portion, 1D worm gear portion, 1E bottom surface, 1F press-fit portion, 1g bottom surface, 1h magnet holding portion, 2 intermediate gear, 2a worm gear portion, 2B worm gear portion, 2C bearing portion, 2D press-fit portion, 2E sliding portion, 2F bottom surface, 2g through hole, 3 bearing, 3a outer ring, 3B inner ring, 3C side surface, 3D side surface, 4 shaft, 4a one end, 4B other end, 5 countershaft gear, 5-1 upper surface, 5A countershaft gear, 5A1 resin sheet, 5A11 cover portion, 5A12 blade portion, 5A2 resin gear portion, 5A3 resin gear portion, 5B countershaft gear, 5C countershaft gear, 5D countershaft gear, 5E countershaft gear, 5F countershaft gear, 5A worm gear portion, 5B magnet holder through hole, 6a magnet holder, 6B shaft portion, 6c head portion, 7 bearing, 7a outer race, 7B inner race, 8 permanent magnet, 8a surface, 9 permanent magnet, 9A permanent magnet, 9B permanent magnet, 9A upper surface, 9B lower surface, 10 main base portion, 10-1 opening portion, 10-2 lower surface, 10a hole, 10aa recess, 10ab recess, 10ac recess, 10ad mounting surface, 10ae screw hole, 10B hole, 10c abutting surface, 10d bearing seat portion, 10da lower portion, 10db upper portion, 10dc inner peripheral surface, 10e plate spring mounting surface, 10f screw hole, 10g substrate positioning pin, 10g1 base portion, 10h front end portion, 10i stepped portion, 10j substrate positioning pin, 10j1 base portion, 10k front end portion, 10l stepped portion, 10m post, 10p upper end surface, 10q post, 10r upper end surface, 10s post, 10t upper end surface, 10u screw hole, 10v screw hole, 10w screw hole, 11 plate spring, 11a sliding part, 11B mounting part, 11C hole, 11D base, 12 screw, 13 substrate mounting screw, 14 screw, 15 shell part, 15-1 upper surface part, 15A 1 st side surface part, 15B 2 nd side surface part, 15C 3 rd side surface part, 15D 4 th side surface part, 15A claw, 15B claw, 15C claw, 15D hole, 15e recess, 15f recess, 15g recess, 15h connector shell part, 15i opening part, 16 mounting screw, 17 permanent magnet, 20 substrate, 20-1 lower surface, 20-2 upper surface, 20a positioning hole, 20B positioning hole, 20C hole, 20D hole, 20e hole, 21B meter processing part, 21C rotation amount determining part, 21e output part, 21p acquisition part, 21q rotation angle acquisition part, 22 bidirectional actuator, 23 linear actuator, 24 connector, 40 magnetic sensor, 40a surface, 50 magnetic sensor, 50a surface, 51 1 st annular part, 51a groove part, 51b 1 st inner circumferential surface, 51c 2 nd inner circumferential surface, 51d 1 st step part, 51e protrusion part, 52 nd 2 nd annular part, 52a cylindrical part, 52b 3 rd inner circumferential surface, 52c 4 th inner circumferential surface, 52d 2 nd step part, 52e worm gear part, 53 rd 3 annular part, 53a 5 th inner circumferential surface, 54 annular part, 54a opening part, 54b top part, 54b1 curved surface, 54b2 curved surface, 55 cylinder, 56 bearing, 56a outer ring, 56b inner ring, 60 base part, 70 wall part, 71 wall part, 72 wall part, 73 side surface, 80 wall part, 81 st 1 end surface, 82 nd 2 nd end surface, 90 magnetic sensor, 100-1 absolute encoder, 100-2 absolute encoder, 101 spindle gear, 101a 1 st cylindrical part, 101b disk part, 101c worm gear part, 101d magnet holding part, 102 1 st intermediate gear, 102a worm gear portion, 102b 1 st worm gear portion, 102c base portion, 102d 1 st cylinder portion, 102e 2 nd cylinder portion, 102f 3 rd cylinder portion, 102g hemispherical protrusion, 102h 2 nd worm gear portion, 102i sliding portion, 104 shaft, 105 st 1 st counter shaft gear, 105a worm gear portion, 105b bearing portion, 105c disk portion, 105d holding portion, 106 shaft, 107 stopper ring, 108 stopper ring, 110 main base portion, 110a base portion, 110b supporting portion, 110c supporting portion, 111 plate spring, 111a sliding portion, 111b mounting portion, 115 shell portion, 115a outer wall portion, 115b outer wall portion, 115c outer wall portion, 115d outer wall portion, 116 cap portion, 117 adhesive, 120 base plate, 121b table processing portion, 121c rotation amount determining portion, 121e output portion, 121p rotation angle acquiring portion, 121q rotation angle acquiring portion, 121r rotation angle acquiring portion, 122 base plate mounting screw, 124 ring portion, 124a 1 st inner peripheral surface, 124b 2 nd inner peripheral surface, 124c 1 st stepped portion, 124d 3 rd inner peripheral surface, 124e 2 nd stepped portion, 124f worm gear portion, 125 cylindrical portion, 125c end portion, 126 concave portion, 126a bottom portion, 126b boundary portion, 127 adhesive, 128 inner peripheral surface, 133 nd 2 intermediate gear, 133a worm gear portion, 133b bearing portion, 133c extending portion, 133d 4 th drive gear portion, 134 shaft, 138 nd counter gear, 138a 4 th driven gear portion, 138b bearing portion, 138c extending portion, 138d magnet holding portion, 139 shaft, 141 strut, 143 shaft, 164 screw, 170 intermediate cylindrical portion, 170a outer peripheral surface, 170b inner peripheral surface, 200 motor, 201 motor shaft, 202 frame, 202a notch portion, 301 1 st edge, 302 nd 2 nd edge, 303 rd edge, 304 th edge, 4 th edge, 400 connector.