CN118973723A - Test rig, hedge trimmer and electric actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention aims to improve the power saving performance of a device with a motor. A vibration testing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a vibration table for mounting the excited object; an electric actuator for exciting the vibration table in a predetermined direction; and a controller for controlling the electric actuator. The electric actuator includes: a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation; and a driving device which is supplied with power from a power source and supplies driving power for exciting the vibration table at a desired amplitude and frequency to the motor under the control of the controller. The driving device includes a power regeneration converter for regenerating power, which is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, from among the power regenerated from the motor to the power supply when the vibration table is excited at a desired amplitude and frequency.

Description

Test rig, hedge trimmer and electric actuator

Technical Field

The invention relates to a testing device, a hedge trimmer and an electric actuator.

Background Art

Generally speaking, mechanical products and parts are subjected to repeated loads during transportation and use. Objects subjected to repeated loads may break due to fatigue or change in shape and characteristics. Therefore, when developing mechanical products and parts, it is best to apply repeated loads to samples (test pieces) to observe their behavior.

A vibration test device is used for this purpose. The prior art uses a vibration test device including a hydraulic actuator. However, the hydraulic vibration test device has problems caused by the hydraulic actuator (for example, low energy efficiency; the need to set up large-scale hydraulic supply equipment such as oil tanks and hydraulic piping; the need to regularly replace a large amount of hydraulic oil; the pollution of the working environment and soil due to hydraulic oil leakage, etc.), and it is required to be improved. Recently, it has been proposed to use a servo motor to replace the hydraulic actuator (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[Prior art literature]

[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2009/011433

Summary of the invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

Although the servo motor type vibration test device can suppress power consumption compared with the hydraulic type vibration test device, there is still room for improvement in power consumption when the rotation direction of the servo motor is switched in a short cycle, as described in Patent Document 1. This problem is not limited to the vibration test device, but also occurs in various devices where the motor is repeatedly driven back and forth.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to improve the power saving performance of a device having a motor.

Technical solutions to solve problems

One aspect of the present invention provides a vibration testing device, comprising: a vibration table, on which an excited object is mounted; an electric actuator, which excites the vibration table in a specified direction; and a controller, which controls the electric actuator; the electric actuator comprises: a motor, which can switch between forward and reverse rotation; and a drive device, which is supplied with power by a power supply and, under the control of the controller, supplies driving power for exciting the vibration table with a desired amplitude and frequency to the motor; the drive device comprises a power regeneration converter, which, when exciting the vibration table with a desired amplitude and frequency, regenerates the power regenerated from the motor, the power that is not consumed by accelerating the motor, to the power supply.

Effects of the Invention

When one embodiment of the present invention is used, the power saving performance of a device having a motor can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a vibration testing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the first actuator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first actuator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the table and the third actuator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the table and the third actuator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a power feeding system according to the first embodiment.

Figure 9 (a) is a driving waveform of one cycle of the servo motor of the first embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a curve diagram showing the number of revolutions [rpm] of the servo motor in the first half of one cycle of the servo motor, (c) is a curve diagram showing the number of revolutions of the servo motor in the second half of one cycle of the servo motor, (d) is a curve diagram showing the torque [Nm] of the servo motor in the first half of one cycle of the servo motor, and (e) is a curve diagram showing the torque of the servo motor in the second half of one cycle of the servo motor.

FIG. 10 is a diagram comparing the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention and a conventional motor.

FIG. 11 is an external view of a tire testing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an external view of a tire testing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a torque generating device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system according to the second embodiment.

15 is a side view of a torsion testing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a first driving unit according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system according to the third embodiment.

18 is a side view of a tension and compression testing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a front view of a tension and compression testing device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a collision simulation test device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

22 is a perspective view showing the structure of a test portion and a belt mechanism of a collision simulation test device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an electric actuator according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of an electric actuator according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a side view of a connecting rod according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a side view of a crank axle according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a side view showing the basic structure of a uniformity and dynamic balance composite testing device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a diagram schematically showing a method of rotationally driving the spindle in the sixth embodiment.

29 is a front view of a measuring unit of a balance measurement device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

30 is a side view of a measuring unit of the balance measurement device according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a hedge trimmer according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a side view of a hedge trimmer according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a plan view of a hedge trimmer according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system of an electric actuator according to a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system of an electric actuator according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system of an electric actuator according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

37 is a side view of a hedge trimmer according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 38 is a plan view of a hedge trimmer according to a twelfth embodiment.

FIG. 39 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the schematic configuration of the power feeding system of the electric actuator.

FIG. 40 is a block diagram showing another variation of the schematic configuration of the feed system of the electric actuator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, the same or corresponding constituent elements are annotated with the same or corresponding symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In addition, in each figure, when multiple items with the same number are displayed, the number is not annotated for all of these multiple displays, but the number is appropriately omitted for some of these multiple displays.

(First Embodiment)

FIG1 is a top view of a vibration test device (excitation device) 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The vibration test device 1000 according to this embodiment is an energy-saving test system having an energy-saving motor system, which has a plurality of motors as prime movers and is an energy-saving motor system that consumes less power than the existing system and can be operated. The vibration test device 1000 fixes the workpiece of the vibration test object on a workbench 1100, and uses the first, second, and third actuators 1200, 1300, and 1400 to excite the workbench 1100 and the workpiece thereon in three orthogonal axis directions. The workpiece is an object to be excited, and the workbench 1100 is an example of a vibration table on which the object to be excited is mounted. In the following description, the direction in which the first actuator 1200 excites the worktable 1100 (the up-down direction in FIG. 1) is defined as the X-axis direction, the direction in which the second actuator 1300 excites the worktable 1100 (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the direction in which the third actuator 1400 excites the worktable, that is, the vertical direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1) is defined as the Z-axis direction. In addition, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are horizontal directions orthogonal to each other.

The first actuator 1200, the second actuator 1300, and the third actuator 1400 are electric actuators for exciting the vibration table 1100 in a predetermined direction, and each has a servo motor 150 (150X, 150Y, 150Z). The servo motor 150 is, for example, an ultra-low inertia high-output AC servo motor, and is a motor that can switch between forward and reverse rotation. By using the ultra-low inertia and high-output servo motor 150, reciprocating drive (forward, reverse and reverse drive) can be repeatedly performed at a high frequency of more than 100 Hz.

The first, second and third actuators 1200, 1300 and 1400 are respectively configured such that a motor and a power transmission member are mounted on substrates 1202, 1302 and 1402. The substrates 1202, 1302 and 1402 are fixed to the device base 1002 by bolts (not shown).

Next, the structure of the first actuator 1200 is described. FIG. 2 is a side view of the first actuator 1200 related to the first embodiment of the present invention, viewed in the Y-axis direction (from the right side to the left side in FIG. 1). In addition, FIG. 3 is a top view of the first actuator 1200. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a portion is shown in a cross-sectional view in order to show the internal structure. In addition, in the following description, the direction along the X-axis from the first actuator 1200 toward the workbench 1100 is defined as the "X-axis positive direction", and the direction along the X-axis from the workbench 1100 toward the first actuator is defined as the "X-axis negative direction".

As shown in FIG2 , a frame 1222 consisting of a plurality of beams 1222a and a top plate 1222b fixed to each other by welding or the like (welding, brazing, adhesion (bonding), screwing, riveting and other fixing methods. The same shall apply hereinafter) is fixed to a base plate 1202 by welding or the like. In addition, a bottom plate 1242 of a support mechanism 1240 for supporting a drive mechanism 1210 for vibrating the workbench 1100 ( FIG1 ) and a connecting mechanism 1230 for transmitting the vibrating motion of the drive mechanism 1210 to the workbench 1100 is fixed to the top plate 1222b of the frame 1222 via bolts not shown.

The driving mechanism 1210 includes a servo motor 150X, a coupling 1260, a bearing 1216, a ball screw 1218, and a ball nut 1219. The coupling 1260 connects the driving shaft 150a of the servo motor 150X and the ball screw 1218. In addition, the bearing 1216 is supported by a bearing support plate 1244 fixed to the bottom plate 1242 of the support mechanism 1240 by welding or the like, and rotatably supports the ball screw 1218. The ball nut 1219 is supported by the bearing support plate 1244 so as not to move around its axis, and is meshed with the ball screw 1218. Therefore, when the servo motor 150X is driven, the ball screw rotates, and the ball nut 1219 moves forward and backward in the axial direction (i.e., the X-axis direction). The movement of the ball nut 1219 is transmitted to the worktable 1100 via the connection mechanism 1230, so that the worktable 1100 is driven in the X-axis direction. Then, in order to switch the rotation direction of the servo motor 150X in a short period, the worktable 1100 can be vibrated in the X-axis direction with a desired amplitude and period by controlling the servo motor 150X.

A motor support plate 1246 is fixed vertically by welding or the like on the upper surface of the bottom plate 1242 of the support mechanism 1240. A servo motor 150X is cantilever-supported on one surface (the surface on the negative side of the X-axis) of the motor support plate 1246 so that the drive shaft 150a is perpendicular to the motor support plate 1246. An opening 1246a is provided on the motor support plate 1246, and the drive shaft 150a of the servo motor 150X passes through the opening 1246a and is connected to the ball screw 1218 on the other surface of the motor support plate 1246.

Since the servo motor 150X is cantilevered on the motor support plate 1246, a large bending stress is applied to the motor support plate 1246, especially in the fixed portion with the bottom plate 1242. In order to alleviate this bending stress, a rib 1248 is provided between the bottom plate 1242 and the motor support plate 1246.

The bearing portion 1216 has a pair of bearings (for example, a pair of angular contact ball bearings 1216a and 1216b combined in a frontal combination. The bearing 1216a is on the negative direction side of the X-axis, and the bearing 1216b is on the positive direction side of the X-axis.) The bearings 1216a and 1216b are accommodated in the hollow portion of the bearing support plate 1244. A bearing pressing plate 1216c is provided on one side of the bearing 1216b (the surface on the positive direction side of the X-axis), and the bearing pressing plate 1216c is fixed to the bearing support plate 1244 by using a bolt 1216d, and the bearing 1216b is pressed in the negative direction of the X-axis. In addition, in the ball screw 1218, a screw portion 1218a is formed on the cylindrical surface adjacent to the negative direction side of the X-axis of the bearing portion 1216. A collar 1217 having a female thread formed on the inner circumference can be installed in the screw portion 1218a. By rotating the ring 1217 against the ball screw 1218 and moving in the positive direction of the X axis, the bearing 1216a is pressed in the positive direction of the X axis. In this way, since the bearings 1216a and 1216b are pressed in the direction of approaching each other, the two are closely fitted to each other and a suitable preload is given to the bearings 1216a and 1216b.

Next, the structure of the connection mechanism 1230 is described. The connection mechanism 1230 has: a direct-acting portion 1232, a pair of Y-axis rails 1234, a pair of Z-axis rails 1235, an intermediate stage 1231, a pair of X-axis rails 1237, a pair of X-axis sliding blocks 1233 (carriages), and a sliding block mounting component 1238. In addition, a guide-type circulating linear bearing (hereinafter referred to as a "linear guide") is formed by the X-axis rail 1237 and one or more X-axis sliding blocks 1233. Similarly, a linear guide is formed by the Y-axis rail 1234 and one or more Y-axis sliding blocks 1231a, and a Z-axis rail 1235 and one or more Z-axis sliding blocks 1231b. The "sliding block (runner block)" is also called a "carriage (carriage/carriage)", which can engage (engage/engage) with the rail while traveling in the extension direction of the rail.

The direct-acting part 1232 is fixed to the ball nut 1219. In addition, a pair of Y-axis rails 1234 are rails extending together in the Y-axis direction, and are fixed in parallel in the vertical direction at the end of the direct-acting part 1232 on the positive direction side of the X-axis. In addition, a pair of Z-axis rails 1235 are rails extending together in the Z-axis direction, and are fixed in parallel in the Y-axis direction at the end of the workbench 1100 on the negative direction side of the X-axis. The intermediate stage 1231 is constructed such that the Y-axis sliding blocks 1231a engaged with each of the Y-axis rails 1234 are sliders provided on the surface on the negative direction side of the X-axis, and the Z-axis sliding blocks 1231b engaged with each of the Z-axis rails 1235 are sliders provided on the surface on the positive direction side of the X-axis, and are slidable relative to both the Y-axis rails 1234 and the Z-axis rails 1235.

That is, the intermediate stage 1231 can slide in the Z-axis direction with respect to the worktable 1100, and can slide in the Y-axis direction with respect to the direct-acting portion 1232. Therefore, the direct-acting portion 1232 can slide in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction with respect to the worktable 1100. Therefore, even if the worktable 1100 is excited in the Y-axis direction and/or the Z-axis direction by other actuators 1300 and/or 1400, the direct-acting portion 1232 will not be displaced. That is, the bending stress generated by the displacement of the worktable 1100 in the Y-axis direction and/or the Z-axis direction will not be applied to the ball screw 1218, the bearing portion 1216, the coupling 1260, etc.

A pair of X-axis rails 1237 are rails extending together in the X-axis direction, and are fixed in parallel in the Y-axis direction on the bottom plate 1242 of the support mechanism 1240. The X-axis slide block 1233 is engaged with each of the X-axis rails 1237 and can slide along the X-axis rails 1237. The slide block mounting member 1238 is a member fixed to the bottom surface of the direct-acting portion 1232 in a manner extending toward both sides in the Y-axis direction, and the X-axis slide block 1233 is fixed to the bottom of the slide block mounting member 1238. In this way, the direct-acting portion 1232 slides on the X-axis rails 1237 via the slide block mounting member 1238 and the X-axis slide block 1233, thereby being able to move only in the X-axis direction.

Thus, since the movement direction of the linear motion part 1232 is limited to the X-axis direction, when the servo motor 150X is driven to rotate the ball screw 1218, the linear motion part 1232 and the worktable 1100 connected to the linear motion part 1232 move forward and backward in the X-axis direction.

In addition, a control block 1236 is provided on the bottom plate 1242 of the support mechanism 1240 so as to sandwich the X-axis sliding block 1233 from both sides in the X-axis direction. The control block 1236 is used to limit the moving range of the direct-acting portion 1232. That is, when the servo motor 150X is driven to make the direct-acting portion 1232 continue to move toward the positive direction of the X-axis, the control block 1236 arranged on the positive direction side of the X-axis contacts the sliding block mounting member 1238, and the direct-acting portion 1232 cannot move in the positive direction of the X-axis. Similarly, when the direct-acting portion 1232 is made to continue to move toward the negative direction of the X-axis, the control block 1236 arranged on the negative direction side of the X-axis contacts the sliding block mounting member 1238, and the direct-acting portion 1232 cannot move in the negative direction of the X-axis.

The first actuator 1200 and the second actuator 1300 described above have the same structure except that the installation directions are different (the X-axis and the Y-axis are switched). Therefore, the detailed description of the second actuator 1300 is omitted.

Next, the structure of the third actuator 1400 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described. FIG. 4 is a side view of the workbench 1100 and the third actuator 1400 as viewed from the X-axis direction (from the bottom to the top in FIG. 4 ). This side view is also a part of which is shown in a cross-sectional view in order to show the internal structure. In addition, FIG. 5 is a side view of the workbench 1100 and the third actuator 1400 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the Y-axis direction (from the left side to the right side in FIG. 1 ). FIG. 5 is a part of which is shown in a cross-sectional view in order to show the internal structure. In addition, in the following description, the direction along the Y-axis from the second actuator 1300 toward the workbench 1100 is defined as the positive direction of the Y-axis, and the direction along the Y-axis from the workbench 1100 toward the second actuator 1300 is defined as the negative direction of the Y-axis.

As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, a frame 1422 is provided on the base plate 1402, which is composed of a plurality of beams 1422a extending in the vertical direction and a top plate 1422b arranged in a manner to cover the plurality of beams 1422a from above. The lower end of each beam 1422a is fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 1402 by welding or the like, and the upper end is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 1422b by welding or the like. In addition, the bearing support plate 1442 of the support mechanism 1440 is fixed to the top plate 1422b of the frame 1422 via bolts not shown. The bearing support plate 1442 is a member for supporting, for example, a driving mechanism 1410 for vibrating the workbench 1100 (Fig. 1) in the up and down directions, and a connecting mechanism 1430 for transmitting the vibrating motion of the driving mechanism 1410 to the workbench.

The driving mechanism 1410 includes: a servo motor 150Z, a coupling 1460, a bearing 1416, a ball screw 1418 and a ball nut 1419. The coupling 1460 connects the driving shaft 150a of the servo motor 150Z and the ball screw 1418. In addition, the bearing 1416 is fixed to the bearing support plate 1442 and rotatably supports the ball screw 1418. The ball nut 1419 is supported by the bearing support plate 1442 so as not to move around its axis and is engaged with the ball screw 1418. Therefore, when the servo motor 150Z is driven, the ball screw rotates and the ball nut 1419 moves forward and backward in the direction of its axis (i.e., the Z-axis direction). The movement of the ball nut 1419 is transmitted to the workbench 1100 via the connecting mechanism 1430, and the workbench 1100 is driven in the Z-axis direction. Then, in order to switch the rotation direction of the servo motor 150Z in a short period, the worktable 1100 can be vibrated in the Z-axis direction (up and down direction) with a desired amplitude and period by controlling the servo motor 150Z.

A motor support plate 1446 extending in the horizontal direction (XY plane) is fixed from the lower side of the bearing support plate 1442 of the support mechanism 1440 via two connecting plates 1443. The servo motor 150Z is suspended and fixed below the motor support plate 1446. An opening 1446a is provided on the motor support plate 1446, and a drive shaft 150a of the servo motor 150Z passes through the opening 1446a and is connected to the ball screw 1418 on the upper side of the motor support plate 1446.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the dimension of the servo motor 150Z in the axial direction (up and down direction, Z-axis direction) is larger than the height of the frame 1422, most of the servo motor 150Z is arranged at a position lower than the substrate 1402. Therefore, a hollow portion 1002a for accommodating the servo motor 150Z is provided in the device base 1002. In addition, an opening 1402a for passing the servo motor 150Z is provided in the substrate 1402.

The bearing portion 1416 is provided so as to penetrate the bearing support plate 1442. In addition, since the structure of the bearing portion 1416 is the same as the bearing portion 1216 (FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) in the first actuator 1200, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the structure of the connection mechanism 1430 is described. The connection mechanism 1430 includes a movable frame (movable frame/movable frame) 1432, a pair of X-axis rails 1434, a pair of Y-axis rails 1435, a plurality of intermediate stages 1431, two pairs of Z-axis rails 1437, and two pairs of Z-axis slide blocks 1433.

The movable frame 1432 includes: a frame portion 1432a fixed to the ball nut 1419; a top plate 1432b fixed to the upper end of the frame portion 1432a; and side walls 1432c extending downward from both edges of the top plate 1432b in the X-axis direction and fixed. A pair of Y-axis rails 1435 are rails extending together in the Y-axis direction and are fixed in parallel in the X-axis direction on the top plate 1432b of the movable frame 1432. In addition, a pair of X-axis rails 1434 are rails extending together in the X-axis direction and are fixed in parallel in the Y-axis direction on the bottom of the workbench 1100. The intermediate stage 1431 is a slider having an X-axis slide block 1431a engaged with the X-axis rail 1434 disposed at the upper portion and a Y-axis slide block 1431b engaged with each of the Y-axis rails 1435 disposed at the lower portion, and is configured to slide both the X-axis rail 1434 and the Y-axis rail 1435. In addition, the intermediate stage 1431 is disposed one by one at each position where the X-axis rail 1434 and the Y-axis rail 1435 intersect. Since two X-axis rails 1434 and two Y-axis rails 1435 are disposed respectively, the X-axis rail 1434 and the Y-axis rail 1435 intersect at four locations. Therefore, four intermediate stages 1431 are used in this embodiment.

In this way, each intermediate stage 1431 can slide in the X-axis direction with respect to the worktable 1100, and can slide in the Y-axis direction with respect to the movable frame 1432. That is, the movable frame 1432 can slide in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction with respect to the worktable 1100. Therefore, even if the worktable 1100 is excited in the X-axis direction and/or the Y-axis direction by the other first actuators 1200 and/or 1300, the movable frame 1432 will not be displaced. That is, the bending stress generated by the displacement of the worktable 1100 in the X-axis direction and/or the Y-axis direction will not be applied to the ball screw 1418, the bearing 1416, the coupling 1460, etc.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the worktable 1100 and the workpiece having a relatively large weight are supported on the movable frame 1432, the intervals between the X-axis rail 1434 and the Y-axis rail 1435 are wider than those between the Y-axis rail 1234 and the Z-axis rail 1235 of the first actuator 1200. Therefore, if a structure is formed in which the worktable 1100 and the movable frame 1432 are connected by only one intermediate stage as in the first actuator 1200, the intermediate stage will be large-sized, and the load applied to the movable frame 1432 will increase. Therefore, in this embodiment, a structure is formed in which a small intermediate stage 1431 is arranged at the portion where each X-axis rail 1434 and the Y-axis rail 1435 intersects, and the size of the load applied to the movable frame 1432 is suppressed to the necessary minimum.

The two pairs of Z-axis rails 1437 are rails extending in the Z-axis direction, and one pair is fixed in parallel in the Y-axis direction on each side wall 1432c of the movable frame 1432. The Z-axis slide block 1433 engages with each of the Z-axis rails 1437 and can slide along the Z-axis rails 1437. The Z-axis slide block 1433 is fixed to the top plate 1422b of the frame 1422 via a slide block mounting member 1438. The slide block mounting member 1438 includes: a side plate 1438a arranged substantially parallel to the side wall 1432c of the movable frame 1432; and a bottom plate 1438b fixed to the lower end of the side plate 1438a; and the whole is in an L-shaped cross-sectional shape. In addition, in the present embodiment, in particular, when a workpiece with a high center of gravity and a large weight is fixed on the workbench 1100, a large moment around the X-axis and/or around the Y-axis is easily applied to the movable frame 1432. Therefore, the sliding block mounting member 1438 is reinforced by ribs in order to withstand the rotational moment. Specifically, a pair of first ribs 1438c are provided at the corners formed by the side plates 1438a and the bottom plate 1438b at both ends of the sliding block mounting member 1438 in the Y-axis direction, and a second rib 1438d is further provided between the pair of first ribs 1438c.

In this way, the Z-axis slide block 1433 is fixed to the frame 1422 and can slide on the Z-axis rail 1437. Therefore, the movable frame 1432 can slide in the up-down direction, and the movement of the movable frame 1432 other than the up-down direction is controlled. In this way, because the moving direction of the movable frame 1432 is limited only to the up-down direction, when the servo motor 150Z is driven to rotate the ball screw 1418, the movable frame 1432 and the workbench 1100 engaged with the movable frame 1432 move forward and backward in the up-down direction.

As described above, in the present embodiment, two pairs of rails and an intermediate carrier that can slide on the rails are provided between each actuator whose driving axes are orthogonal to each other and the workbench 1100. Thus, the workbench 1100 can slide in any direction on a plane perpendicular to the driving direction of the actuator for each actuator. Therefore, even if the workbench 1100 is displaced by a certain actuator, the load and torque generated by the displacement will not be applied to other actuators, and the other actuators and the workbench 1100 are maintained in a state of being engaged via the intermediate carrier. That is, even if the workbench is displaced to any position, the state in which each actuator can displace the workbench is still maintained. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the three actuators 1200, 1300, and 1400 can be driven simultaneously, and the workbench 1100 and the workpiece fixed thereon can be excited in three-axis directions.

In this embodiment, as described above, the connecting mechanism 1230, 1330, 1430 having a guide mechanism of a combined rail and a slide block is provided between the actuator 1200, 1300, 1400 and the workbench 1100. In addition, the same guide mechanism is provided in advance to the actuator 1200, 1300, 1400, and the guide mechanism is used as a nut for guiding the ball screw mechanism of each actuator.

FIG6 is a block diagram showing a simplified structure of a control system of a vibration testing device 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The servo motor 150 is connected to a control unit C1 via a servo amplifier 1850. The control unit C1 uses, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and an IPC (Industrial Personal Computer). The servo motor 150 has a rotary encoder 150e for detecting the rotation position of a drive shaft 150a. The rotary encoder 150e is connected to the control unit C1. The control unit C1 controls the first actuator 1200, the second actuator 1300, and the third actuator 1400 (specifically, the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z) based on the signal feedback of the rotary encoder 150e, so that the workbench 1100 and the workpiece mounted thereon can be excited at a desired amplitude and frequency (or a specified vibration waveform).

6 shows three actuators and the servo amplifier 1850 respectively, however, the combination of the three actuators and the servo amplifier 1850 may be regarded as one electric actuator of the vibration testing device 1000, and the control unit C1 may be regarded as a controller for controlling the electric actuator.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system 1800 for supplying electric power to the servo motor 150. Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the power feeding system 1800.

The primary power source (primary power source) 1810 (and the primary power sources of the various embodiments below) is a city power source or a power source device (e.g., an AC generator), and supplies, for example, three-phase AC power. The power supplied from the primary power source 1810 is supplied to the servo amplifier 1850 (driving device) via the circuit breaker 1820, the electromagnetic switch 1830, and the reactor 1840. The output terminal of the servo amplifier 1850 is connected to the servo motor 150, and driving power is supplied to the servo motor 150. The servo amplifier 1850 is connected to the control unit C1 so as to be communicable, and operates according to the control of the control unit C1.

The servo amplifier 1850 includes a power regeneration converter 1851, an inverter 1852, and a capacitor 1853 (first capacitor) provided between the power regeneration converter 1851 and the inverter 1852 (servo motor 150). The power regeneration converter 1851 is, for example, a PWM converter that converts the power supply side current into a sine wave by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control. In addition, the power regeneration converter 1851 may also perform power conversion by a 120° energization method. In addition, the inverter 1852 is, for example, a PWM inverter that controls the output power by PWM control.

The servo amplifier 1850 having an inverter 1852 is a driving device that is supplied with power from the primary power supply 1810 and is controlled by the control unit C1 as a controller to supply driving power for exciting the vibration table 1100 at a desired amplitude and frequency to the servo motor 150 as an electric motor. When the vibration table 1100 is excited at a desired amplitude and frequency, the power regeneration converter 1851 included in the servo amplifier 1850 regenerates the power that is not consumed by accelerating the servo motor 150 from the power regenerated from the servo motor 150 as an electric motor to the power supply.

In addition, the power regeneration converter 1851 of the present embodiment has both the function of rectifying the AC power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 during power operation (i.e., an operation mode in which the servo motor 150 is driven by power supplied from the servo amplifier 1850); and the function of generating AC power of the same quality as the system power fed back to the primary power supply 1810 during regenerative operation (i.e., an operation mode in which the servo motor 150 generates regenerative power and supplies it to the servo amplifier 1850). However, a converter dedicated to power operation and a converter dedicated to power regeneration may also be provided separately.

The power regeneration converter 1851 includes switching elements (switching elements) SW1 to SW14, a capacitor (or condenser) C, and a transformer Tr. Each inverter 1852 includes switching elements SW15 to SW20. The switching elements SW1 to SW20 are, for example, IGBTs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors).

When power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 (for example, a single-phase three-wire commercial power supply or a three-phase three-wire commercial power supply) is supplied to the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z, the control unit C1 causes the switching elements SW1 to SW6 to be repeatedly opened and closed based on the frequency of the AC power supplied from the primary power supply 1810, thereby rectifying the AC power supplied from the primary power supply 1810.

When the electric power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 is supplied to the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z, the electric power rectified by the switching elements SW1 to SW6 passes through the capacitor C and is smoothed.

In addition, when the power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 is supplied to the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z, the control unit C1 causes the switching elements SW7 and SW10 and the switching elements SW8 and SW9 to be repeatedly turned on and off alternately, and the power smoothed by the capacitor C is transmitted from the primary coil L1 of the transformer Tr to the secondary coil L2.

When the power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 is supplied to the servo motors 150X, 150Y, 150Z, the control unit C1 turns the switching elements SW11, SW14 and the switching elements SW12, SW13 on and off alternately and repeatedly, thereby rectifying the power transmitted from the primary coil L1 to the secondary coil L2.

When the electric power supplied from the primary power source 1810 is supplied to the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z, the electric power rectified by the switching elements SW11 to SW14 is smoothed by the capacitor 1853 .

In addition, when the power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 is supplied to the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z, the control unit C1 causes the switching elements SW15 to SW20 to be repeatedly opened and closed, respectively, and the power smoothed by the capacitor 1853 is converted into AC power with a phase difference of 120 degrees and supplied to the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z.

When the power regenerated from the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z is supplied to the servo amplifier 1850, the three-phase AC power supplied from the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z is rectified by the diodes connected in parallel to the switching elements SW15 to SW20.

When the electric power regenerated from the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z is supplied to the servo amplifier 1850 , the electric power rectified by the diodes connected in parallel to the switching elements SW15 to SW20 is smoothed by the capacitor 1853 .

In addition, when the power regenerated from the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z is supplied to the servo amplifier 1850, the control unit C1 causes the switching elements SW11 and SW14 and the switching elements SW12 and SW13 to be repeatedly turned on and off alternately, and the power smoothed by the capacitor 1853 is transmitted from the secondary coil L2 of the transformer Tr to the primary coil L1.

When the electric power regenerated from the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z is supplied to the servo amplifier 1850, the electric power transmitted from the secondary coil L2 to the primary coil L1 is rectified by the diodes connected in parallel to the switching elements SW7 to SW10.

When the electric power regenerated from the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z is supplied to the servo amplifier 1850 , the electric power rectified by the diodes connected in parallel to the switching elements SW7 to SW10 passes through the capacitor C and is smoothed.

When the power regenerated from the servo motors 150X, 150Y, and 150Z is supplied to the servo amplifier 1850 , the control unit C1 repeatedly turns on and off the switch elements SW1 to SW6 , and the power smoothed by the capacitor C is converted into AC power and supplied to the primary power supply 1810 .

When the servo motor 150 is driven (when the power running operation is in progress), the AC power output from the reactor 1840 is converted into DC power by the bridge circuit (e.g., IGBT bridge circuit) of the power regeneration converter 1851, and after being smoothed by the capacitor 1853, it is converted into driving power of AC power (e.g., pulse train) by the inverter 1852. The driving power output from the inverter 1852 is input into the servo motor 150 to drive the servo motor 150 to rotate.

When the servo motor 150 generates regenerative power (in regenerative operation), the regenerative power output from the servo motor 150 is converted into direct current by the inverter 1852, and is input to the power regeneration converter 1851 via the direct current bus 1854. The power regeneration converter 1851 converts the direct current power supplied from the direct current bus 1854 into sinusoidal alternating current, and outputs it to the primary power supply 1810 via the reactor 1840, the electromagnetic switch 1830, and the circuit breaker 1820. More specifically, the control unit C1 controls the servo motor 150 during the driving period of the servo motor 150 so that the servo motor 150 repeatedly rotates forward and reverse at a required frequency. For example, the control unit C1 may control the inverter 1852 during the driving period so that the servo motor 150 repeatedly rotates forward and reverse at a required frequency of 3 Hz or more. The power regeneration converter 1851 outputs a part of the power regenerated from the servo motor 150 to the primary power supply 1810 during each deceleration process when the servo motor 150 rotates forward and reversely.

FIG. 9(a) is a graph showing a driving waveform of the servo motor 150 in one cycle when the sine wave is excited. FIG. 9(b) is a simplified graph showing the change in the number of revolutions [rpm] of the servo motor 150 in the first half of one cycle of the servo motor 150, and FIG. 9(c) is a simplified graph showing the change in the number of revolutions of the servo motor 150 in the second half of one cycle of the servo motor 150. FIG. 9(d) is a simplified graph showing the change in the torque [Nm] of the servo motor 150 in the first half of one cycle of the servo motor 150, and FIG. 9(e) is a simplified graph showing the change in the torque of the servo motor 150 in the second half of one cycle of the servo motor 150. In FIG. 9(a), the horizontal axis represents time t, and the vertical axis represents the angular position θ of the drive shaft 150a. In FIG. 9(b) and FIG. 9(c), the horizontal axis represents time t, and the vertical axis represents the number of revolutions of the servo motor 150. In Fig. 9(d) and Fig. 9(e), the horizontal axis represents time t, and the vertical axis represents the torque of the servo motor 150. The time widths of Fig. 9(a) to Fig. 9(e) coincide with each other.

During the time t from time t0 to time t6, the servo motor 150 is driven in a manner that the angular position θ of the drive shaft 150a is repeatedly changed in the range of -θa to θa according to the driving waveform of a sine wave. In addition, the driving waveform of the servo motor 150 is not limited to a sine wave. When the driving waveform of the servo motor 150 is a sine wave driving waveform, the waveform of the rotation speed (number of revolutions) of the servo motor actually becomes a cosine waveform. However, for the convenience of explanation, Figures 9(b) and 9(c) simplify the waveform of the rotation speed of the servo motor to show that the rotation speed changes at a certain speed in a range with a large change in rotation speed, and there is no speed change (a certain number of revolutions) in a range with a small change in rotation speed.

In the interval A shown in FIG. 9( a ), in more detail, for example, in the first period from time t0 to time t1, the drive shaft 150a is accelerated in the positive rotation direction. In other words, the number of revolutions of the servo motor 150 rotating in the positive direction in the first period increases, and the torque generated at this time is regarded as the positive torque (acceleration torque). In addition, at this time, power is supplied from the servo amplifier 1850 to the servo motor 150 (power operation). For example, in the first period, the power stored in the capacitor 1853 and the capacitor C is supplied to the servo motor 150, and the insufficient power is supplied to the servo motor 150 from the primary power supply 1810 (via the servo amplifier 1850).

In the interval B shown in FIG. 9( a ), in more detail, for example, in the second period from time t2 to time t3, the drive shaft 150a is decelerated in the positive rotation direction. In other words, the number of revolutions of the servo motor 150 rotating in the positive direction in the second period is reduced, and a negative torque (deceleration torque) is generated. At this time, regenerative power is supplied from the servo motor 150 to the servo amplifier 1850 (regeneration operation). For example, in the second period, the power regenerated from the servo motor 150 is stored in the capacitor 1853 and the capacitor C, and the power regenerated beyond the capacity of these capacitors is output to the primary power supply 1810. In other words, the power regeneration converter 1851 regenerates a part of the power regenerated from the servo motor 150 to the primary power supply 1810 via the capacitor 1853 and the capacitor C.

In the interval C shown in FIG. 9( a ), in more detail, for example, during the third period from time t3 to time t4, the drive shaft 150a is accelerated in the negative rotation direction. In other words, during the third period, the number of revolutions of the reversed servo motor 150 increases, and the torque generated at this time is regarded as a positive torque (acceleration torque). In addition, at this time, power is supplied from the servo amplifier 1850 to the servo motor 150 (power operation). For example, during the third period, the power stored in the capacitor 1853 and the capacitor C is supplied to the servo motor 150, and the insufficient power is supplied to the servo motor 150 from the primary power supply 1810 (via the servo amplifier 1850).

In the interval D shown in FIG. 9( a ), in more detail, for example, in the fourth period from time t5 to time t6, the drive shaft 150a decelerates in the negative rotation direction. In other words, the number of revolutions of the servo motor 150 that is reversed in the fourth period decreases, and a negative torque (deceleration torque) is generated. At this time, regenerative power is supplied from the servo motor 150 to the servo amplifier 1850 (regeneration action). For example, in the fourth period, the power regenerated from the servo motor 150 is stored in the capacitor 1853 and the capacitor C, and the power regenerated beyond the capacity of these capacitors is output to the primary power supply. In other words, the power regeneration converter regenerates part of the power regenerated from the servo motor 150 to the primary power supply 1810 via the capacitor 1853 and the capacitor C.

As described above, the vibration test device 1000 is a vibration test device that continuously repeats the forward rotation period (interval A and interval B) and the reverse rotation period (interval C and interval D) of the servo motor 150. During the forward rotation period, the vibration table 1100 moves forward, and during the reverse rotation period, the vibration table 1100 moves reversely. The forward rotation period, as shown in FIG9(b), includes: a first acceleration period (first period) of the servo motor 150 starting from the start movement time point (time t0) of the vibration table 1100; and a first deceleration period (second period) of the servo motor 150 ending at the stop movement time point (time t3) of the vibration table 1100; and a second deceleration period (fourth period) of the servo motor 150 ending at the stop movement time point (time t6) of the vibration table 1100.

As shown in FIG9(d), the control unit C1 accelerates the servo motor 150 in a manner that the torque of the servo motor 150 becomes a positive torque during the first acceleration period (first period), and decelerates the servo motor 150 in a manner that the torque of the servo motor 150 becomes a negative torque during the first deceleration period (second period). In addition, as shown in FIG9(e), the control unit C1 accelerates the servo motor 150 in a manner that the torque of the servo motor 150 becomes a positive torque during the second acceleration period (third period), and decelerates the servo motor 150 in a manner that the torque of the servo motor 150 becomes a negative torque during the second deceleration period (fourth period).

In addition, the control unit C1 controls the inverter 1852 in such a manner that, for example, energy regenerated from the servo motor 150 and stored in the capacitor during the first deceleration period is supplied to the servo motor 150 preferentially over energy supplied from the primary power supply 1810 during the second acceleration period, and energy regenerated from the servo motor 150 and stored in the capacitor during the second deceleration period is supplied to the servo motor 150 preferentially over energy supplied from the primary power supply 1810 during the first acceleration period.

In addition, the control unit C1, for example, repeats an energy cycle consisting of a first acceleration period (first period), a first deceleration period (second period), a second acceleration period (third period), and a second deceleration period (fourth period) during the above-mentioned driving period of the servo motor 150. During the first acceleration period, at least the energy stored in the capacitor during the second deceleration period in the previous energy cycle is supplied to the servo motor 150. During the first deceleration period, the energy regenerated from the servo motor 150 is stored in the capacitor. During the second acceleration period, at least the energy stored in the capacitor during the first deceleration period in this energy cycle is supplied to the servo motor 150. During the second deceleration period, the energy regenerated from the servo motor 150 is stored in the capacitor.

The vibration test device 1000 can use the power stored in the capacitor 1853 and the capacitor C during the regeneration to drive the servo motor 150 during the next power operation by repeating the power operation and the regeneration operation, so the power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 to the servo motor 150 during the next power operation can be reduced. As a result, power saving of the feeding system 1800 can be achieved. In addition, by repeatedly performing acceleration (power operation) and deceleration (regeneration operation) while changing directions alternately, the drive shaft 150a of the servo motor 150 is reciprocated. This reciprocating rotation is repeated at a repetition frequency of, for example, 500 Hz at maximum.

In this way, in order to make the servo motor 150 repeatedly accelerate and decelerate, the present embodiment alternately and repeatedly supplies power to the servo motor 150 and generates regenerative power by the servo motor 150. The voltage fluctuation of the DC bus 1854 in a short time (for example, about one cycle of the servo motor 150) accompanying the power exchange with the servo motor 150 is mainly adjusted by the capacitor 1853. Therefore, most of the power supplied to the servo motor 150 in the sections A and C is recovered as regenerative power in the sections B and D, so that the power supplied from the primary power supply 1810 is almost not consumed and can be used to drive the servo motor 150.

An experiment was conducted to investigate the energy-saving performance of the vibration test device 1000. Table 1 is a list of experimental conditions and experimental results. In this experiment, only the servo motor 150X was operated.

【Table 1】

The “frequency F” is the number of times the driving of one cycle shown in FIG. 9 is repeated per second.

In this experiment, the frequency F was changed at 25 Hz intervals up to a maximum of 200 Hz, and the power consumption value _WA and the output power value _WB were measured at each frequency F. However, since the frequency F at or near 0 Hz cannot be measured or the measurement accuracy is reduced, the minimum frequency is 10 Hz.

“Torque T ₀ ” is the maximum value (amplitude) of the relative torque (ratio to the rated torque expressed in percentage) of the driving shaft 150 a of the servo motor 150 .

The "power consumption value _WA " is an average value of the power consumption of the entire feeding system 1800 measured by the power meter PM upstream of the circuit breaker 1820 (Fig. 7).

“Output power value W _B ” is an average value of the power output from servo amplifier 1850 to servo motor 150 .

The "energy saving rate R" is the ratio of power consumption reduced by reusing the regenerative power, and is calculated by R=100×(1- _WA / _WB ).

By using the vibration test device 1000 (specifically, the feeding system 1800 ) of this embodiment, an energy saving rate of more than 70% is achieved at a frequency F of 200 Hz or less. In particular, an energy saving rate of more than 90% is achieved in a low frequency band of 75 Hz or less.

The power consumption reduction effect of the feeding system 1800 of this embodiment can be obtained even when the repetition frequency of the reciprocating rotation of the servo motor 150 is 1 Hz. However, when the repetition frequency is above 3 Hz (more preferably above 5 Hz), the regenerated power can be efficiently reused by the servo motor 150 itself, so a good energy saving rate can be obtained.

FIG. 10( a ) is a graph schematically showing a driving waveform of a typical conventional electric motor, and FIG. 10( b ) is a graph schematically showing a driving waveform of a servo motor 150 in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG10(a), in a typical conventional motor drive, after accelerating to a predetermined rotation speed in section _T1 , the motor is continuously driven at a certain rotation speed (section _T2 ), and decelerated and stopped at the end (section _T3 ). In this drive, regenerative power is generated only in section _T3 . Therefore, the power consumption reduction effect of using regenerative power is small.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10( b ), the acceleration and deceleration of the servo motor 150 are repeated at a high frequency, including the entire interval from the start of the drive to the end. Regenerative power is repeatedly generated at a high frequency at the deceleration moment of the servo motor 150. That is, regenerative power is stably generated from the start of the drive to the end. Therefore, in this embodiment, the effect of reducing power consumption by using regenerative power is extremely large.

(Second Embodiment)

Next, an example in which the present invention is applied to a tire testing device will be described. The tire testing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention described below is a testing device capable of performing a wear test, a durability test, a driving stability test, and the like of a tire.

11 and 12 are perspective views of a tire testing device 2000 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, viewed from different directions. The tire testing device 2000 according to this embodiment includes: a rotary drum 2010 having a simulated road surface formed on its outer peripheral surface; an alignment adjustment mechanism 2160 for rotatably holding the tire T in a state of contacting the simulated road surface in a predetermined posture; a torque generating device 130 (slip ratio control device) for generating a torque applied to the tire T; and an inverter motor 80 for rotationally driving the housings of the rotary drum 2010 and the torque generating device 130.

The rotating cylinder 2010 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 2011a. A pulley 2012a is mounted on the output shaft of the inverter motor 80, and a pulley 2012b is mounted on one axis of the rotating cylinder 2010. The pulley 2012a and the pulley 2012b are connected by a drive belt 2015 (e.g., a toothed belt (toothed belt/toothed belt/synchronous belt)). The other axis of the rotating cylinder 2010 is mounted with a pulley 2012c via a relay shaft 2013. In addition, the relay shaft 2013 is rotatably supported by a bearing 2011b near one end where the pulley is mounted. The pulley 2012c is connected to the pulley 2012d by a drive belt 2016. The pulley 2012d is coaxially fixed to the pulley 2012e and is rotatably supported together with the pulley 2012e by a bearing 2011c (Figure 12). Furthermore, the pulley 2012 e is connected to a shaft portion 131 a of a housing 131 of the torque generating device 130 , which will be described later, via a driving belt 2017 .

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the torque generating device 130. The torque generating device 130 includes a housing 131, a servo motor 150 fixed in the housing 131, and a speed reducer 133. In addition, the present embodiment uses a servo motor 150 having the same structure as the first embodiment. Cylindrical shaft portions 131a and 131b are formed at both ends in the axial direction of the housing 131. The housing 131 is rotatably supported in the shaft portions 131a and 131b by bearing portions 2020 and 2030. In addition, a pulley 2012f is mounted on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 131a at one end side (the right end side in FIG. 13).

The speed reducer 133 has an input shaft 133a and an output shaft 133b, and reduces the rotational motion of the input shaft 133a and outputs it to the output shaft 133b. The input shaft 133a of the speed reducer 133 is connected to the drive shaft 150a of the servo motor 150 through a coupling 134. In addition, the output shaft 133b of the speed reducer 133 is connected to the connecting shaft 135. In addition, the speed reducer 133 is arbitrarily and selectively provided in the torque generating device 130. It is also possible not to provide the speed reducer 133 in the torque generating device 130, but to directly connect the connecting shaft 135 to the drive shaft 150a of the servo motor 150.

The speed reducer 133 passes through the input shaft, and the connecting shaft 135 passes through the hollow part of the cylindrical shaft portion 131a of the housing 131 and is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 136 provided on the inner periphery of the shaft portion 131a. The front end portion of the connecting shaft 135 protrudes from the front end portion of the shaft portion 131a. The connecting shaft 135 protruding from the shaft portion 131a is connected to the spindle of the alignment adjustment mechanism 2160 via a constant velocity joint 2014 (Figure 11). The wheel equipped with the tire T is mounted on the spindle of the alignment adjustment mechanism 2160. That is, the servo motor 150 has a rotating shaft (drive shaft 150a) connected to the central axis of the tire T.

Thus, when the inverter motor 80 is driven, the rotating cylinder 2010 rotates, and the housing 131 of the torque generating device 130 connected to the inverter motor 80 via the rotating cylinder 2010 rotates. In addition, when the torque generating device 130 is not operated, the rotating cylinder 2010 and the tire T rotate in opposite directions at the same peripheral speed at the contact portion. In addition, when the torque generating device 130 is operated, dynamic or static driving force and braking force can be applied to the tire T.

In this embodiment, the power output from the inverter motor 80 is transmitted to the rotating cylinder 2010 again via the rotating cylinder 2010, the relay shaft 2013, the torque generating device 130, the constant velocity joint 2014, the spindle of the alignment adjustment mechanism 2160 and the tire T. That is, the power transmission path formed by the rotating cylinder 2010, the relay shaft 2013, the torque generating device 130, the constant velocity joint 2014, the spindle of the alignment adjustment mechanism 2160 and the tire T constitutes a power circulation system. Therefore, the power of the inverter motor 80 can be efficiently used and the operation can be performed with less power consumption.

The alignment adjustment mechanism 2160 of this embodiment is a mechanism that rotatably supports the tire T of the test object in a state of being mounted on the wheel, makes the tread portion of the tire T contact the simulated road surface of the rotating cylinder 2010, and adjusts the direction of the tire T with respect to the simulated road surface and the tire load (ground contact pressure) to a set state. The alignment adjustment mechanism 2160 includes: a tire load adjustment unit 2161 that moves the rotation axis position of the tire T in the radial direction of the rotating cylinder 2010 to adjust the tire load; a slip angle adjustment unit 2162 that adjusts the slip angle of the tire T with respect to the simulated road surface by tilting the rotation axis of the tire T around the vertical line of the simulated road surface; a camber angle adjustment unit 2163 that adjusts the camber angle by tilting the rotation axis of the tire T with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating cylinder 2010; and a traverse device 2164 that moves the tire T in the rotation axis direction. The tire load adjustment unit 2161, the slip angle adjustment unit 2162, the camber angle adjustment unit 2163, and the traverse device 2164 respectively include servo motors M1, M2, M3, and M4. The servo motors M1, M2, M3, and M4 are, for example, AC servo motors.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system 2800 according to the second embodiment of the present invention for supplying electric power to the servo motor 150 and the inverter motor 80 .

The feeding system 2800 of this embodiment is different from the feeding system 1800 of the first embodiment in that it includes a feeding system 2860 (reactor 2870, driver 2880) for supplying power to the inverter motor 80 branched from the electromagnetic switch 2830, and feeding systems 2891 (reactor R1, servo amplifier A1), 2892 (reactor R2, servo amplifier A2), 2893 (reactor R3, servo amplifier A3), 2894 (reactor R4, servo amplifier A4) for supplying power to the servo motors M1, M2, M3, and M4 of the alignment adjustment mechanism 2160, respectively, and only one system is provided with the inverter 2852 in the servo amplifier 2850. In addition, the driver 2880 is a device that generates driving power for the inverter motor 80, and has an inverter circuit not shown. The driver 2880 and the servo amplifiers A1 to A4 are connected to the control unit C2 so as to be communicable therewith, and operate according to the control of the control unit C2. The servo amplifiers A1, A2, A3, and A4 have the same structure as the servo amplifier 2850.

In the test using the tire testing device 2000 of the present embodiment, a rotational motion synthesized from the number of revolutions output by the inverter motor 80 and the torque generated by the torque generating device 130 (specifically, the servo motor 150) is applied to the tire T. In one example of the test using the tire testing device 2000, the inverter motor 80 outputs a certain number of revolutions, and the servo motor 150 outputs a variable torque (for example, a random vibration torque). Specifically, the servo motor 150 performs a reciprocating rotation drive while changing the amplitude and period according to the prescribed vibration waveform data. That is, the servo motor 150 is controlled by the control unit C2 in a manner of repeatedly rotating forward and reverse. As a result, since the servo motor 150 repeatedly accelerates and decelerates, when the servo amplifier 2850 supplies the driving power to the servo motor 150, the regenerative power is repeatedly supplied from the servo motor 150 to the servo amplifier 2850.

Most of the regenerative power generated by the servo motor 150 is temporarily stored in the capacitor 2853 and then used to drive the servo motor 150. The remaining part of the regenerative power is supplied to the feeding system 2860, 2891, 2892, 2893, and 2894 via the power regeneration converter 2851 and the reactor 2840, and is used to drive the inverter motor 80 and the servo motors M1, M2, M3, and M4. Therefore, most of the regenerative power generated by the servo motor 150 is reused to drive the servo motors 150, M1 to M4, and the inverter motor 80, and the power consumption of the primary power supply 2810 used to drive the servo motor 150 is slightly reduced. In addition, the regenerative power generated by the inverter motor 80 and the servo motors M1, M2, M3, and M4 is also reused to drive other motors (that is, the servo motors 150, M1, M2, M3, M4, and the inverter motor 80), and the power consumption of the primary power supply 2810 is further reduced.

By installing a tire T in the tire testing device 2000 of the structure described above and driving the inverter motor 80 for rotational driving, the tire T and the rotating cylinder 2010 rotate at the same peripheral speed. In this state, by driving the servo motor 150 of the torque generating device 130 and applying driving force and braking force to the tire T, wear test, durability test, driving stability test, etc. of the tire simulating the actual driving state can be performed.

The tire testing device 2000 includes an electric actuator for applying torque to the tire T and a control unit C2. The electric actuator of the tire testing device 2000 includes a servo motor 150, an inverter 2852, and a power regeneration converter 2851 as shown in FIG. 14, which is the same as the vibration testing device 1000.

In the tire testing device 2000, the servo amplifier 2850 including the inverter 2852 is a driving device, which is supplied with energy from a power supply and controlled by the control unit C2 to supply driving power for causing the servo motor 150 to generate a variable torque to the servo motor 150. Furthermore, when the control unit C2 controls the servo amplifier 2850 (inverter 2852) to cause the servo motor 150 to generate a variable torque, the power regeneration converter 2851 included in the servo amplifier 2850 regenerates the energy regenerated from the servo motor 150, which is not consumed by the acceleration of the servo motor 150, to the power supply.

With the above-described configuration, the tire testing device 2000 can effectively utilize regenerative energy in various tests performed by applying variable torque (driving force, braking force) to the tire T, and can suppress the amount of power consumption required for the test.

(Third Embodiment)

Next, an example of applying the present invention to a torsion test device is described. The torsion test device of the third embodiment of the present invention described below is a device that can perform a so-called rotational torsion test by imparting a rotational motion of a specified number of revolutions and torque to a test object, and can be used, for example, to test the performance and durability of a power transmission device for an automobile (e.g., a clutch, a propeller shaft, a differential gear, a transmission, a torque converter, etc.).

FIG15 is a side view of a torsion test device 3000 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The torsion test device 3000 according to this embodiment is a device that can perform a rotation torsion test on a test object W having two rotating axes (e.g., a transmission unit for an FR vehicle). Specifically, the torsion test device 3000 can rotate the two rotating axes of the test object W while imparting a phase difference to the rotation of the two rotating axes by causing the two rotating axes of the test object W to rotate synchronously. The torsion test device 3000 according to this embodiment includes: a first drive unit 3010, a second drive unit 3020, and a control unit C3 that controls the operation of the torsion test device 3000.

First, the structure of the first drive unit 3010 is described. FIG. 16 is a side view of the first drive unit 3010. In addition, FIG. 16 shows the box 3014 in a cross-sectional view in order to show the structure inside the box 3014. The first drive unit 3010 has a main body 3010a and a base 3010b that supports the main body 3010a at a predetermined height. The main body 3010a is equipped with a servo motor 150, a speed reducer 3013, a box 3014, a spindle 3015, a chuck device (chuck device/clamp device) 3016, a torque detector 3017, a collector ring 3019a and a brush 3019b. The main body 3010a is mounted on a movable plate 3011 horizontally arranged at the uppermost part of the base 3010b. The servo motor 150 is the same as the first embodiment. The servo motor 150 is fixed to the movable plate 3011 with the output shaft (not shown) facing the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the movable plate 3011 of the base 3010 b is provided so as to be slidable in the output shaft direction of the servo motor 150 (in the left-right direction in FIG. 15 ).

The output shaft (not shown) of the servo motor 150 is connected to the input shaft (not shown) of the speed reducer 3013 through a coupling (not shown). The output shaft (not shown) of the speed reducer 3013 is connected to one end of the torque detector 3017. The other end of the torque detector 3017 is connected to one end of the spindle 3015. The spindle 3015 is rotatably supported by a bearing 3014a fixed to a frame 3014b of the box 3014. A chuck device 3016 for mounting one end (a rotating shaft) of the test object W on the first drive unit 3010 is fixed to the other end of the spindle 3015. When the servo motor 150 is driven, the rotational motion of the output shaft of the servo motor 150 is decelerated by the speed reducer 3013, and then transmitted to one end of the test object W via the torque detector 3017, the spindle 3015 and the chuck device 3016. That is, the servo motor 150 has a rotating shaft (output shaft) coupled to the test object W. Furthermore, a rotary encoder (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of the spindle 3015 is mounted on the spindle 3015 .

As shown in FIG. 16 , the speed reducer 3013 is fixed to the frame 3014b of the box 3014. In addition, the speed reducer 3013 has: a gear box; and a gear mechanism (not shown) rotatably supported by the gear box via a bearing. That is, the box 3014 has a function as a device frame, which covers the power transmission shaft from the speed reducer 3013 to the chuck device 3016, and rotatably supports the power transmission shaft at the positions of the speed reducer 3013 and the spindle 3015. That is, the gear mechanism of the speed reducer 3013 connected to one end of the torque detector 3017 and the spindle 3015 connected to the other end of the torque detector 3017 are both rotatably supported on the frame 3014b of the box 3014 via a bearing. Therefore, since the torque detector 3017 is not subjected to bending moment caused by the weight of the gear mechanism of the reducer 3013 and the spindle 3015 (and the chuck device 3016), and only the test load (torsional load) is applied, the test load can be detected with high precision.

A plurality of collector rings 3019a are formed on the cylindrical surface of one end side of the torque detector 3017. On the other hand, a brush holding frame 3019c is fixed to the movable plate 3011 in a manner of surrounding the collector ring 3019a from the outer peripheral side. A plurality of brushes 3019b are mounted on the inner periphery of the brush holding frame 3019c, each of which is in contact with the corresponding collector ring 3019a. When the servo motor 150 is driven and the torque detector 3017 is in a rotating state, the brush 3019b maintains contact with the collector ring 3019a and slides on the collector ring 3019a. The output signal of the torque detector 3017 is configured to be output to the collector ring 3019a, and the output signal of the torque detector 3017 is sent to the outside of the first drive unit 3010 via the brush 3019b in contact with the collector ring 3019a.

The second driving unit 3020 ( FIG. 15 ) has the same structure as the first driving unit 3010 , and the chuck device 3026 rotates when the servo motor 150 is driven. The other end (one rotation axis) of the object W is fixed to the chuck device 3026 .

The torsion test device 3000 of the present embodiment is a device that applies a torsional load to the test object W by synchronously rotating the servo motors 150 and 150 while fixing the output shaft O and the input shaft I (engine side) of the test object W, which is a transmission unit for FR vehicles, to the chuck devices 3016 and 3026 of the first drive unit 3010 and the second drive unit 3020, respectively, and keeping the number of revolutions (or rotation phases) of the two chuck devices 3016 and 3026 different. For example, the chuck device 3026 of the second drive unit 3020 is driven to rotate at a constant speed, and the chuck device 3016 is driven to rotate in such a manner that the torque detected by the torque detector 3017 of the first drive unit 3010 varies in accordance with a predetermined waveform, thereby applying a periodically varying torque to the test object W, which is a transmission unit.

In this way, the torsion testing device 3000 of this embodiment can precisely drive both the input shaft I and the output shaft O of the transmission unit through the servo motors 150, 150. Therefore, by rotating the transmission unit while applying variable torque to each shaft of the transmission unit, it is possible to perform testing under conditions close to the actual driving state of the automobile.

When a rotational torsion test of a device that connects an input shaft I and an output shaft O via gears or the like is performed as a speed change unit, the magnitude of the torque applied to the input shaft I and the output shaft O may not be the same. Therefore, in order to more accurately grasp the condition of the test object W during the torsion test, it is suitable to be able to measure the torque separately on the input shaft I side and the output shaft O side. In this embodiment, as described above, since torque detectors are provided on both the first drive unit 3010 and the second drive unit 3020, the torque can be measured separately on the input shaft I side and the output shaft O side of the speed change unit (test object W).

In addition, the above example is a structure in which the input shaft I side of the speed change unit is driven to rotate at a constant speed, and a torque is applied to the output shaft O side, but the present invention is not limited to the above example. That is, it can also be a structure in which the output shaft O side of the speed change unit is driven to rotate at a constant speed, and a variable torque is applied to the input shaft I side. Or, it can also be configured so that both the input shaft I side and the output shaft O side of the speed change unit are driven to rotate at a variable speed. In addition, it is also possible to control the torque of each shaft without controlling the speed. In addition, it is also possible to configure a structure in which the torque and the speed are changed according to a specified waveform. For example, the torque and the speed can be changed according to an arbitrary waveform generated by a function generator. In addition, the torque and the speed of each shaft of the test body W can also be controlled based on the waveform data of the torque and the speed measured by the actual driving test.

The torsion test device 3000 of this embodiment can adjust the interval between the chuck devices 3016 and 3026 in a manner that can correspond to the speed change unit of various sizes. Specifically, the movable plate 3011 of the first drive unit 3010 can move the base 3010b in the direction of the rotation axis of the chuck device 3016 (the left and right direction in Figure 15) through the movable plate driving mechanism (not shown). In addition, during the rotation torsion test, the movable plate 3011 is firmly fixed to the base 3010b by a locking mechanism (not shown). In addition, the second drive unit 3020 has a movable plate driving mechanism with the same structure as the first drive unit 3010.

17 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a power feeding system 3800 according to a third embodiment of the present invention for supplying electric power to the servo motors 150 of the first drive unit 3010 and the second drive unit 3020 .

The power feeding system 3800 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the power feeding system 1800 of the first embodiment, except that the number of inverters 3852 provided in the servo amplifier 3850 is two.

In one example of a test using the torsion test device 3000 of the present embodiment, the servo motor 150 of the first drive unit 3010 is driven in a manner that a variable torque (e.g., a random vibration torque) is applied while the output shaft O of the test body W is rotated at a certain number of revolutions. Specifically, the servo motor 150 of the first drive unit 3010 is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions, and the vibration torque is applied to the output shaft O according to predetermined waveform data, thereby controlling the phase of the rotation to change. That is, because the servo motor 150 of the first drive unit 3010 is repeatedly accelerated and decelerated, the servo amplifier 3850 is repeatedly supplied with driving power to the servo motor 150 of the first drive unit 3010, and the servo amplifier 3850 is repeatedly supplied with regenerative power to the servo motor 150 of the first drive unit 3010.

Similarly, the servo motor 150 of the second drive unit 3020 is driven in a manner that a variable torque (e.g., a random vibration torque) is applied while the input shaft I of the test object W is rotated at a certain number of revolutions. Specifically, the servo motor 150 of the second drive unit 3020 is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions, and the phase of the rotation is changed according to a predetermined waveform data, thereby controlling the vibration torque applied to the input shaft I. That is, because the servo motor 150 of the second drive unit 3020 is repeatedly accelerated and decelerated, the servo amplifier 3850 repeatedly supplies driving power to the servo motor 150 of the second drive unit 3020, and the servo motor 150 of the second drive unit 3020 supplies regenerative power to the servo amplifier 3850.

Most of the regenerative power generated by each servo motor 150 is temporarily stored in the capacitor 3853 and then used to drive the servo motors 150 of the first drive unit 3010 and the second drive unit 3020. Therefore, the power consumption of the primary power supply 3810 used to drive the servo motor 150 is slightly suppressed. The remaining part of the regenerative power is converted into a sine wave AC power by the power regeneration converter 3851, and is output to the primary power supply via the reactor 3840, the electromagnetic switch 3830 and the circuit breaker 1820.

The torsion test device 3000 includes an electric actuator for imparting a rotational motion of a predetermined number of revolutions and torque to the test object W, and a control unit C3. The electric actuator of the torsion test device 3000 includes a servo motor 150, an inverter (inverter 3852), and a power regeneration converter (power regeneration converter 3851), as shown in FIG. 17, which is the same as the vibration test device 1000.

In the torsion test device 3000, the servo amplifier 3850 including the inverter 3852 is a driving device, which is supplied with energy from a power supply and controlled by the control unit C3 to supply driving power for causing the servo motor 150 to generate a variable torque to the servo motor 150. Furthermore, when the control unit C3 controls the servo amplifier 3850 (inverter 3852) to cause the servo motor 150 to generate a variable torque, the power regeneration converter 3851 regenerates the energy regenerated from the servo motor 150, which is not consumed by the acceleration of the servo motor 150, to the power supply.

The torsion test device 3000 configured as described above can effectively utilize regenerative energy in a torsion test performed by applying a variable torque (rotational motion with a predetermined number of revolutions and torque) to the test object W, thereby reducing power consumption required for the test.

The torsion test device 3000 of the third embodiment of the present invention described above performs a rotational torsion test on a FR vehicle transmission unit. However, the present invention is not limited to the structure of the basic example of the third embodiment, and devices for performing rotational torsion tests on other power transmission mechanisms are also included in the present invention.

(Fourth Embodiment)

Next, an example in which the present invention is applied to a tension-compression test device will be described. A tension-compression test device 4000 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention described below is a device that can perform a fatigue test by repeatedly applying a tension force or a compression force to a test object.

Fig. 18 is a side view of a tension and compression testing device 4000 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 19 is a front view of a tension and compression testing device 4000 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The tension and compression testing device 4000 includes a frame 4001 fixed to a horizontal surface, a support 4002 and a pedestal 4003 fixed to the frame 4001 , and an electric actuator 4010 . The electric actuator 4010 is fixed to the support 4002 erected from the frame 4001 .

The pedestal 4003 is fixed to the frame 4001 vertically below the electric actuator 4010 fixed to the support body 4002. A holding member 4004 for holding the test object W is fixed to the pedestal 4003. The structure of the holding member 4004 is not particularly limited as long as it can apply tensile force and compressive force to the test object W via the holding member 4004.

The electric actuator 4010 includes: a servo motor 150 that can switch between forward and reverse rotation; a ball screw portion 4011 that converts the rotational motion of the servo motor 150 into a linear motion; a piston 4012 mounted on the front end (nut) of the ball screw portion 4011; and a servo amplifier 4850 (see FIG. 20 ) described later. The ball screw portion 4011 is an example of a motion converter that outputs a reciprocating linear motion based on the forward and reverse rotation of the servo motor 150. The piston 4012 is an example of a movable portion that receives the reciprocating linear motion of the ball screw portion 4011 and transmits a compressive force or a tensile force to the test object W.

The height at which the electric actuator 4010 is fixed to the support 4002 can be adjusted by a lifting mechanism 4005 provided between the electric actuator 4010 and the support 4002. The height of the electric actuator 4010 is adjusted by the lifting mechanism 4005, for example, as shown in FIG18 , in such a way that the piston 4012 contacts the upper surface of the holding member 4004 holding the test object W. Then, the piston 4012 and the holding member 4004 are fixed.

The tension-compression test device 4000 configured as described above can repeatedly apply compression force and tension force to the test object W as in the first embodiment by rotating the servo motor 150 back and forth so that the piston 4012 performs a reciprocating linear motion.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system 4800 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention for supplying electric power to a servo motor 150 of an electric actuator 4010 .

The power feeding system 4800 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the power feeding system 1800 of the first embodiment, except that the number of inverters 4852 provided in the servo amplifier 4850 is one. The electric actuator 4010 is controlled by the control device C4.

In the tension-compression test device 4000, the servo amplifier 4850 including the inverter 4852 is a driving device, which is supplied with energy from a power supply and controlled by the control device C4 to supply driving power for the ball screw portion 4011 to reciprocate linearly at a desired amplitude and frequency to the servo motor 150. Furthermore, when the control device C4 controls the servo amplifier 4850 (inverter 4852) to make the ball screw portion 4011 reciprocate linearly at a desired amplitude and frequency, the power regeneration converter 4851 regenerates the energy regenerated from the servo motor 150, which is not consumed by the acceleration of the servo motor 150, to the power supply.

By configuring as described above, the tension-compression test device 4000 can effectively utilize regenerative energy in a tension-compression test in which a tension force or a compression force is repeatedly applied to the test object W, and can suppress the power consumption required for the test.

(Fifth Embodiment)

21 is a perspective view of a collision simulation test device 5000 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The collision simulation test device 5000 is a device that can reproduce the impact applied to a vehicle, passengers, and equipment of the vehicle, etc., when a transportation machine such as a vehicle (including a rail vehicle, an airplane, and a ship) collides.

The collision simulation test device 5000 has a workbench 5240 that serves as a frame of a car. On the workbench 5240, for example, a seat for carrying a virtual passenger and a test object such as a high-voltage battery for an electric vehicle are installed. That is, the workbench 5240 is an example of a mounting portion for mounting the test object. When the workbench 5240 is driven with a set acceleration (for example, an acceleration equivalent to the impact applied to the frame during a collision), the same impact as in an actual collision is applied to the test object installed on the workbench 5240. At this time, the safety of the passenger is evaluated by the damage to the test object (or the damage predicted from the measurement results of an acceleration detector installed on the test object).

The collision simulation test device 5000 of the present embodiment is constructed so as to be able to drive the workbench 5240 only in one direction in the horizontal direction. As shown in the coordinate axis in FIG. 21 , the moving direction of the workbench 5240 is defined as the X-axis direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction is defined as the Z-axis direction. In addition, based on the traveling direction of the simulated vehicle, the positive direction of the X-axis is referred to as the front, the negative direction of the X-axis is referred to as the rear, the negative direction of the Y-axis is referred to as the right, and the positive direction of the Y-axis is referred to as the left. In addition, the X-axis direction of driving the workbench 5240 is referred to as the "driving direction". In addition, in the collision simulation test, a large acceleration is applied to the workbench 5240 in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle (i.e., the rear).

The collision simulation test device 5000 includes: a test unit 5200 having a workbench 5240; a front drive unit 5300 and a rear drive unit 5400 that drive the workbench 5240; four belt mechanisms 5100 (belt mechanisms 5100a, 5100b, 5100c, 5100d) that convert the rotational motion generated by each drive unit 5300, 5400 into a translational motion in the X-axis direction and transmit it to the workbench 5240; and a control unit C3. Each of the four belt mechanisms 5100 is an example of a transmission mechanism that converts the unidirectional rotational motion output by each drive unit 5300, 5400 into a linear motion and transmits it to the workbench 5240 serving as a mounting portion.

The test section 5200 is disposed at the center of the collision simulation test device 5000 in the X-axis direction, and the front driving section 5300 and the rear driving section 5400 are disposed adjacent to the front and rear of the test section 5200 , respectively.

Fig. 22 is a perspective view showing the structure of the test section 5200 and the belt mechanism 5100. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the table 5240 and the base block 5210 (described later) which are components of the test section 5200 are omitted in Fig. 22 .

The test section 5200 includes, in addition to the workbench 5240, a base block 5210 ( FIG. 21 ), a frame 5220 mounted on the base block 5210, and a pair of linear guides 5230 (guide-type circulating linear bearings) mounted on the frame 5220. The workbench 5240 is supported by the pair of linear guides 5230 so as to be movable only in the X-axis direction (driving direction).

As shown in Fig. 22, the frame 5220 has a pair of left and right half frames (right frame 5220R and left frame 5220L) connected by a plurality of connecting rods 5220C extending in the Y-axis direction. Since the right frame 5220R and the left frame 5220L have the same structure (more accurately, a mirror image relationship), only the left frame 5220L will be described in detail.

The left frame 5220L includes: a mounting portion 5221 and a rail support portion 5222 extending in the X-axis direction; and three connecting portions 5223 (5223a, 5223b, 5223c) extending in the Z-axis direction connecting the mounting portion 5221 and the rail support portion 5222. As shown in FIG. 21, the length of the mounting portion 5221 is substantially equal to the length of the base block 5210 in the X-axis direction, and the entire length is supported by the base block 5210. In addition, the rear ends of the mounting portion 5221 and the rail support portion 5222 are connected by the connecting portion 5223a.

The rail support portion 5222 is longer than the mounting portion 5221 (ie, longer than the base block 5210 ), and a front end portion thereof protrudes forward from the base block 5210 , and is disposed above the front driving portion 5300 .

The linear guide 5230 has: a rail 5231 extending in the X-axis direction; and two slides 5232 running on the rail 5231 via rolling elements. The rails 5231 of a pair of linear guides 5230 are fixed to the upper surfaces of the rail support parts 5222 of the right frame 5220R and the left frame 5220L, respectively. The length of the rail 5231 is approximately equal to the length of the rail support part 5222, and the entire length of the rail 5231 is supported by the rail support part 5222. A plurality of mounting holes (screw holes) are provided on the upper surface of the slide 5232, and a plurality of through holes corresponding to the mounting holes of the slide 5232 are provided on the workbench 5240. The slide 5232 is fastened to the workbench 5240 by inserting bolts (not shown) passing through the through holes of the workbench 5240 into the mounting holes of the slide 5232. In addition, the workbench 5240 and the four slides 5232 constitute a sled.

In addition, a mounting structure such as a screw hole for mounting a test object (not shown) such as a seat is formed in the workbench 5240, and the test object can be directly mounted on the workbench 5240. As a result, since a member such as a mounting plate for mounting the test object is not required, the weight of the movable part that applies the impact can be reduced, and a high-fidelity impact that reaches a high-frequency component can be applied to the test object.

As shown in Figure 22, each belt mechanism 5100 has: a toothed belt 5120; a pair of toothed pulleys (a first pulley 5140 and a second pulley 5160) around which the toothed belt 5120 is hung; and a pair of belt clamps (belt clamp/belt connector/belt connector) 5180 for fixing the toothed belt 5120 to the workbench 5240.

Four toothed belts 5120 are arranged in parallel between the right frame 5220R and the left frame 5220L. The toothed belts 5120 are fixed to the table 5240 by belt clamps 5180 at two locations in each longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 21 , the front drive unit 5300 includes: a base block 5310; and four electric actuators 5320 (5320a, 5320b, 5320c, 5320d) disposed on the base block 5310. In addition, the rear drive unit 5400 includes: a base block 5410; and four electric actuators 5420 (5420a, 5420b, 5420c, 5420d) disposed on the base block 5410. Although the positions and directions of the eight electric actuators in total, the lengths of the components, and the arrangement intervals are slightly different, the basic structures are the same. In addition, the basic structures of the front drive unit 5300 and the rear drive unit 5400 are also the same.

The control unit C3 synchronously controls the driving of the motors 10 of the electric actuators 5320a-d and 5420a-d according to the input acceleration waveform, thereby applying acceleration to the table 5240 according to the acceleration waveform. In this embodiment, all eight servomotors are driven to reciprocate in the same phase.

This embodiment uses the electric actuator 100 that outputs unidirectional rotational motion as the electric actuator 5420, thereby rotating the toothed pulley using regenerative energy. This allows the workbench 5240 to be accelerated while suppressing power consumption to perform a collision simulation test.

Fig. 23 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the electric actuator 100. Fig. 24 is a top view showing a schematic structure of the electric actuator 100. Fig. 25 is a side view of a connecting rod 60 included in the electric actuator 100. Fig. 26 is a side view of a crankshaft 70 included in the electric actuator 100.

As shown in FIG. 23 , the electric actuator 100 includes a drive unit 100 d and a crankshaft 70 .

The driving unit 100 d includes a motor 10 (Motor), a bearing 30 , a ball screw 40 (feed screw mechanism), a linear motion unit 50 (hereinafter referred to as “piston 50 ”), and a connecting rod 60 .

The electric motor 10 is, for example, an ultra-low inertia high-output AC servo motor. By using such an ultra-low inertia high-output electric motor 10, for example, a high frequency of 100 Hz or more can be reciprocated and reversely driven.

The screw shaft 41 of the ball screw 40 is rotatably supported by the bearing 30 fixed to the base block 5410 or 5310. The screw shaft 41 is connected to the shaft 11 of the motor 10 through the coupling 20.

The piston 50 is a cylindrical member having a hollow portion 50a extending in the direction of the axis Ax1. The axis Ax1 is the center line of the drive unit 100d and is the same straight line as the rotation axis of the motor 10 and the ball screw 40. The nut 42 of the ball screw 40 is, for example, accommodated in one end (the left end in FIG. 24) of the hollow portion 50a of the piston 50 and fixed to the piston 50.

A latch pin 52 is mounted at the other end portion (right end portion in FIG. 24 ) of the piston 50 perpendicularly to the axis of the piston 50 (in other words, parallel to the crankshaft 70 ).

Fig. 25 is a side view of the connecting rod 60. The connecting rod 60 has a small end portion 62 formed with a small-diameter pin hole 62a, a large end portion 64 formed with a large-diameter pin hole 64a, and a rod portion 66 connecting the small end portion 62 and the large end portion 64. The pin holes 62a and 64a are formed parallel to each other.

The latch 52 is inserted into the latch hole 62a of the small end portion 62, for example, via a bushing (not shown). In addition, both ends of the latch 52 are inserted into a pair of latch holes 50b (FIG. 24) formed at the other end portion of the piston 50 and fixed to the piston 50. Thus, the connecting rod 60 is connected to the other end portion of the piston 50 via the latch 52 in the small end portion 62, and the latch 52 is used as the rotation center axis, and is rotatably connected to a certain angle range. In addition, the connecting rod 60 can also be rotatably connected to a crank pin 72 (second latch) described later in addition to the latch 52 (first latch).

Fig. 26 is a side view of the crankshaft 70. The crankshaft 70 includes: a pair of crank journals 71 arranged coaxially (i.e., with the rotation axis or center line aligned); a crank pin 72 arranged eccentrically with respect to the axis of the crank journal 71 (i.e., the axis Ax2 as the rotation axis of the crankshaft 70); a pair of crank arms 73 connecting the crank journal 71 and the crank pin 72; a pair of balance weights 74 provided on the opposite side of each crank arm 73 with respect to the axis Ax2; and an output shaft 75 coaxially coupled to one of the crank journals 71. The balance weight 74 is formed so as to offset the imbalance generated by the crank pin 72 and the crank arm 73 eccentric with respect to the axis Ax2.

The crankshaft 70 is rotatably supported in a pair of crank journals 71 via a pair of bearings (eg, rolling bearings) (not shown) fixed to the base block 5410 or 5310 .

The crank pin 72 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 64a of the large end portion 64 of the connecting rod 60 via a bushing (not shown), for example. Thus, the crank shaft 70 and the connecting rod 60 are rotatably connected.

In addition, self-lubricating bushings, for example, are used as bushings that fit into the pin holes 62a and 64a of the connecting rod 60. In addition, other types of bearings, such as rolling bearings, may be used instead of the bushings.

The motor 10 is a motor that can switch between forward and reverse rotation, and is driven in such a way that the shaft 11 repeatedly rotates back and forth within a predetermined angle range. The rotation of the motor 10 is converted into linear motion by the ball screw 40 and transmitted to the piston 50. As a result, the piston 50 reciprocates linearly on the axis Ax1 with a predetermined stroke. That is, the ball screw 40 functions as a first motion converter that converts the reciprocating rotational motion of the motor 10 into reciprocating linear motion.

The reciprocating linear motion of the piston 50 in the direction of the axis Ax1 is transmitted to the eccentric crank pin 72 of the crankshaft 70 through the connecting rod 60, and converted into the rotational motion of the crankshaft 70. That is, a crank mechanism (more specifically, a slider crank mechanism) is constituted as a second motion converter that converts the reciprocating motion (reciprocating linear motion) into the rotational motion in one direction (hereinafter referred to as "unidirectional rotational motion") through the connecting rod 60 and the crankshaft 70 (and the latch pin 52 that rotatably supports the connecting rod 60, and the bearing (not shown) that rotatably supports the crankshaft 70).

As described above, the electric actuator 100 includes a motion converter that converts the forward and reverse rotations of the electric motor 10 into unidirectional rotational motion. The motion converter is composed of the ball screw 40 , the piston 50 , the connecting rod 60 , and the crankshaft 70 .

The power feeding system 5800 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, which supplies power to the servo motor 10 of the electric actuator 100, has the same configuration as the power feeding system 3800 shown in FIG17 except that the number of inverters 3852 is eight. The electric actuator 100 is controlled by the control unit C3 shown in FIG17.

In the collision simulation test device 5000, the servo amplifier 3850 including the inverter 3852 is a driving device, which is supplied with energy from the power supply and controlled by the control unit C3 to supply the driving power for imparting the desired acceleration to the workbench 5240 to the motor 10. Furthermore, when the control unit C3 controls the servo amplifier 3850 (inverter 3852) to impart the desired acceleration to the workbench 5240, the power regeneration converter 3851 regenerates the energy regenerated from the motor 150 that is not consumed by the acceleration of the motor 150 to the power supply.

The collision simulation test device 5000 configured as described above can effectively utilize regenerative energy in a simulated collision test in which a desired acceleration is given to a test object and an impact similar to that in an actual collision is applied, and can suppress power consumption required for the test.

The collision simulation test device 5000 of this embodiment can also be used as a collision test device for imparting strong impact waves to products and parts to evaluate durability and reliability against impact. In addition, the collision simulation test device 5000 of this embodiment can also be used as a vibration test device for imparting vibration to products and parts.

The electric actuator 5320 of the front driving unit 5300 and the electric actuator 5420 of the rear driving unit 5400 of this embodiment use the electric actuator 100, but the electric motor 10 may be used alone instead of the electric actuator 100. In particular, when the collision simulation test device 5000 of this embodiment is used as a vibration test device, acceleration and deceleration are repeated in a short cycle, and the regenerative power stored in the capacitor 3853 is efficiently reused by the electric motor 10, so that the power consumption required for the test can be suppressed.

(Sixth Embodiment)

The composite test device of the twelfth embodiment of the present invention described below is a test device that can perform a uniformity test and a dynamic balance test on a tire. FIG27 is a side view showing the basic structure of a composite test device 6000 for uniformity and dynamic balance (hereinafter referred to as composite test device 6000) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG28 is a schematic diagram showing a method of rotating and driving a spindle 6120 of the composite test device 6000.

As shown in Fig. 27, the composite test device 6000 is constructed in such a manner that the tire T is held by the lower rim 6010 and the upper rim 6020. More specifically, the composite test device 6000 is fixed to the upper end by inserting the locking shaft 6300 to which the upper rim 6020 is fixed into the spindle 6120, and the tire T is held by sandwiching it between the lower rim 6010 and the upper rim 6020.

The consistency test uses a rotating cylinder 6030 disposed on the side of the spindle 6120. The rotating cylinder 6030 is an example of a rotating cylinder that abuts against the tire. The rotating cylinder 6030 is mounted on a movable frame 6032 that can slide on a rail 6031 extending in the direction of approaching/leaving the tire T, and is moved in the direction of approaching/leaving the tire T by a rack and pinion mechanism 6035 (pinion 6036 and rack 6038) driven by an unillustrated motor. In addition, the rotating cylinder 6030 can be rotated at any number of revolutions by an unillustrated electric actuator (hereinafter, noted as electric actuator 100a). In addition, the structure of the electric actuator 100a is the same as the above-mentioned electric actuator 100 in the fifth embodiment.

When the consistency test is performed, the rotating cylinder 6030 is brought into contact with the tire T through the rack and pinion mechanism 6035, and the rotating cylinder 6030 is further pressed against the tire T with a force of several hundred kgf or more. Next, in this state, the rotating cylinder 6030 is rotated (therefore, the tire T brought into contact with the rotating cylinder 6030 also rotates along with the rotating cylinder 6030), and the deviation of the force generated by the rotating tire due to the load change at this time is measured by the three-axis piezoelectric element provided on the side of the spindle frame 6110.

In this embodiment, the electric actuator 100a is used to rotate the rotating cylinder 6030. More specifically, the composite test device 6000 has a feeding system having the same structure as the feeding system 3800 shown in FIG. 17, and the control unit C3 controls the electric actuator 100a, and the electric actuator 100a causes the rotating cylinder 6030 to perform unidirectional rotational motion. Thus, the rotating cylinder 6030 is rotated while utilizing regenerative energy, so that consistency testing can be performed.

On the other hand, the dynamic balance test is a test in which each spindle 6120 rotates the tire T while the rotating cylinder 6030 is separated from the tire T. At this time, the eccentricity of the tire is measured from the exciting force generated by the imbalance of the tire T. The spindle 6120 is an example of a spindle on which the tire is mounted.

A pulley 6140 for rotating and driving the spindle 6120 during a dynamic balancing test is installed at the lower end of the spindle 6120. In addition, an electric actuator 100b that can horizontally move forward and backward toward the spindle 6120 through a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown) is provided on the base 6050 to which the spindle 6120 is fixed, and the spindle 6120 is rotated by the electric actuator 100b. In addition, the structure of the electric actuator 100b is the same as the above-mentioned electric actuator 100 in the fifth embodiment. In this way, the spindle 6120 is rotated while utilizing regenerative energy, so that a dynamic balancing test can be performed.

On the output rotating shaft of the electric actuator 100b, a driving pulley 6144 is installed at the same height as the pulley 6140 of the spindle 6120. In addition, as shown in FIG. 28, a pair of driven pulleys 6143 are rotatably provided at the same height as the driving pulley 6144 and the pulley 6140 of the spindle 6120. In addition, the driven pulley 6143 advances and retreats together with the electric actuator 100b (driving pulley 6144) through the above-mentioned rack and pinion mechanism not shown. Here, by hanging the endless belt 6142 around the driving pulley 6144 and the driven pulley 6143, the endless belt 6142 can be moved at a predetermined speed by the electric actuator 100.

When the endless belt 6142 is in contact with the pulley 6140 via the rack and pinion mechanism (the solid line state in FIG. 28 ), the pulley 6140 is rotated by driving the electric actuator 100b, and the spindle 6120 is rotated while the tire T is held between the lower rim 6010 and the upper rim 6020. At this time, the exciting force is measured by the three-axis piezoelectric element provided on the side of the spindle frame 6110. In addition, the structure between the electric actuator 100b and the spindle 6120 (pulley 6140, driving pulley 6144, driven pulley 6143, and endless belt 6142) is an example of a transmission mechanism for transmitting the unidirectional rotational motion output by the electric actuator 100b to the spindle 6120.

As described above, the composite test device 6000 has a feed system having the same configuration as the feed system 3800 shown in Fig. 17. The control unit C3 controls the electric actuator 100b to transmit the unidirectional rotational motion output by the electric actuator 100b to the spindle 6120. Thus, the spindle 6120 is rotated while utilizing the regenerative energy, thereby enabling a dynamic balance test.

Thus, the composite test device 6000 is provided with two electric actuators 100a and 100b having the same structure as the electric actuator 100 of the fifth embodiment, the electric actuator 100a is used to rotate the rotating cylinder 6030, and the electric actuator 100b is used to rotate the spindle 6120. Thus, in both the consistency test and the dynamic balance test, the test can be performed while utilizing the regenerative energy.

In more detail, in the composite test device 6000, the servo amplifier 3850 including the inverter 3852 is a driving device, which is supplied with energy by the power supply, is controlled by the control unit C3, and supplies the driving power for rotating the rotating cylinder 6030 at a predetermined speed to the motor 10. When the control unit C3 controls the servo amplifier 3850 (inverter 3852) to rotate the rotating cylinder 6030 at a predetermined speed, the power regeneration converter 3851 regenerates the energy regenerated from the motor 10 that is not consumed by the acceleration of the motor 10 to the power supply. Furthermore, the servo amplifier 3850 including the inverter 3852 is also supplied with energy by the power supply, is controlled by the control unit C3, and supplies the driving power for rotating the spindle 6120 at a predetermined speed to the driving device of the motor 10. When the control unit C3 controls the servo amplifier 3850 (inverter 3852) to rotate the spindle 6120 at a predetermined speed, the power regeneration converter 3851 regenerates the energy regenerated from the motor 10 that is not consumed by accelerating the motor 10 into the power supply.

The composite testing device 6000 is configured as described above, and can effectively utilize regenerative energy in the tire conformity test and dynamic balance test, thereby reducing the amount of power consumption required for the test.

(Seventh Embodiment)

The balance measuring device 7000 of the seventh embodiment of the present invention described below is a test device that can measure the balance of a rotating body. FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 are respectively a front view and a side view of the balance measuring device 7000 of the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the up-down direction in FIG. 29 is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the up-down direction and the rotation axis direction of the rotating body is defined as the X-axis direction. The rotating body 7100 of this embodiment is, for example, a crankshaft, and the balance measuring device 7000 is, for example, a device for measuring the balance of the crankshaft.

The device frame of the balance measuring device 7000 is composed of a base 7013, a plurality of springs 7014 extending vertically upward from the base 7013, and a workbench 7015 supported by these springs 7014. Drive shaft bearings 7012a and 7012b are installed below the workbench 7015. The drive shaft 7005 is rotatably supported by the drive shaft bearings 7012a and 7012b. In addition, as shown in FIG. 30, a first side wall 7013a and a second side wall 7013b, which can be roughly regarded as rigid bodies, extend vertically upward from both ends of the base 7013 in the X-axis direction.

The electric actuator 100 of the first embodiment that outputs unidirectional rotational motion is mounted on the base 7013. A pulley 7003 is mounted on the drive shaft of the electric actuator 100. On one hand, a first pulley 7006 is mounted on one end of a drive shaft 7005, and a first endless belt 7004 is mounted between the first pulley 7006 and the pulley 7003 mounted on the drive shaft of the electric actuator 100. By driving the electric actuator 100, the drive shaft 7005 can be rotationally driven via the first endless belt 7004.

Furthermore, a first workbench side wall 7017a and a second workbench side wall 7017b are fixed vertically from the top of the workbench 7015 in parallel with each other. The first workbench side wall 7017a and the second workbench side wall 7017b are rigid bodies having a much higher rigidity than the spring constant of the spring 7014. The driven shaft bearings 7016a and 7016c are fixed to the first workbench side wall 7017a, and the driven shaft bearings 7016b and 7016d are fixed to the second workbench side wall 7017b. In addition, only the driven shaft bearings 7016a and 7016b are recorded in FIG. 29, and the driven shaft bearings 7016c and 7016d are respectively arranged on the inner side of the driven shaft bearings 7016a and 7016b in FIG. 29. The driven shaft bearings 7016a, 7016b, 7016c, 7016d respectively rotatably support the driven shafts 7010a, 7010b, 7010c, 7010d (only 7010a and 7010b are shown in FIG. 29 ).

Pulleys 7009a, 7009b, 7009c, 7009d are installed at one end of the driven shafts 7010a, 7010b, 7010c, 7010d, respectively. In addition, second pulleys 7007a and 7007b are installed at a portion of one end of the driving shaft 7005 adjacent to the pulley 7006 and at the other end of the driving shaft 7005. Second endless belts 7008a and 7008b are respectively mounted on the second pulley 7007a, the pulley 7009a installed on the driven shaft 7010a, the pulley 7009c installed on the driven shaft 7010c, the second pulley 7007b, the pulley 7009b installed on the driven shaft 7010b, and the pulley 7009d installed on the driven shaft 7010d. Therefore, when the driving shaft 7005 rotates, its power is transmitted to the driven shafts 7010a and 7010c via the second annular belt 7008a, and as a result, the driven shafts 7010a and 7010c rotate. In addition, the power from the driving shaft 7005 is also transmitted to the driven shafts 7010b and 7010d via the second annular belt 7008b, and as a result, the driven shafts 7010b and 7010d also rotate.

Cylindrical rollers 7011a, 7011b, 7011c, 7011d are mounted on the other ends of the driven shafts 7010a, 7010b, 7010c, 7010d, respectively. One end 7110a of the rotating shaft of the rotating body 7100 is mounted on the cylindrical rollers 7011a and 7011c, and the other end 7110b of the rotating shaft of the rotating body 7100 is mounted on the cylindrical rollers 7011b and 7011d. The rotating body 7100 rotates following the rotation of the cylindrical rollers 7011a, 7011b, 7011c, 7011d. That is, by driving the electric actuator 100, the rotating body 7100 can be rotated while utilizing the regenerative energy.

The structure between the electric actuator 100 and the rotating body 7100 (shaft, pulley, cylindrical roller, belt) is an example of a transmission mechanism for transmitting the unidirectional rotational motion output by the electric actuator 100 to the rotating body 7100 as a test object.

A key groove 7102 is formed at the other end 7110b of the rotating body 7100. In addition, a detector S for detecting the key groove 7102 is further provided in the balance measurement device 7000.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 , vibration sensors VDL and VDR are installed between the first side wall 7013a of the base 7013 and the table 7015. The rotating body 7100, which is a crankshaft having dynamic imbalance, vibrates when rotating. In the balance measurement device of this embodiment, the vibration of the rotating body 7100 (crankshaft) is transmitted to the table 7015 via the cylindrical rollers 7011a, 7011b, 7011c, 7011d, the first and second table side walls 7017a, 7017b, etc. The vibration sensors VDL and VDR detect the vibration transmitted from the rotating rotating body 7100 (crankshaft) to the table 7015. In other words, the vibration sensors VDL and VDR detect the change of the load applied by the rotating rotating body 7100 (crankshaft) to the cylindrical rollers 7011a, 7011b, 7011c, 7011d.

The vibration sensors VDL and VDR are acceleration detectors that can measure accelerations of two components (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotating body 7100. The vibration sensor VDL is mounted on the same XY plane as the first table side wall 7017a, and the vibration sensor VDR is mounted on the same XY plane as the second table side wall 7017b.

In addition, piezoelectric actuators VL and VR are installed between the second side wall 4013b of the base 7013 and the workbench 7015. The piezoelectric actuator VL is installed on the same XY plane as the first workbench side wall 7017a, and the piezoelectric actuator VR is installed on the same XY plane as the second workbench side wall 7017b. The piezoelectric actuator is a component that can extend and contract based on the magnitude of the applied voltage to impart displacement to the contacted object, so by controlling the signals input to the piezoelectric actuators VL and VR, the workbench 7015 can be freely excited.

The balance measuring device 7000 has a feed system having the same structure as the feed system 4800 shown in Fig. 20. The control device C4 controls the electric actuator 100, and the transmission mechanism transmits the unidirectional rotational motion output by the electric actuator 100 to the rotating body 7100 as the test object. Thus, the rotating body 7100 can be rotated while utilizing the regenerative energy to perform a dynamic balance test.

In more detail, in the balance measurement device 7000, the servo amplifier 4850 including the inverter 4852 is a driving device, which is supplied with energy from a power supply and controlled by the control device C4 to supply driving power for rotating the rotating body 7100 at a predetermined speed to the motor 10. When the control device C4 controls the servo amplifier 4850 (inverter 4852) to rotate the rotating body 7100 at a predetermined speed, the power regeneration converter 4851 regenerates the energy regenerated from the motor 10 that is not consumed by the acceleration of the motor 10 to the power supply.

By configuring the balance measurement device 7000 as described above, regenerative energy can be effectively utilized in a dynamic balance test of a rotating body such as a crankshaft, and the power consumption required for the test can be suppressed.

(Eighth Embodiment)

Fig. 31, Fig. 32 and Fig. 33 are respectively a perspective view, a side view and a top view of a hedge trimmer 8000 according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 32 and Fig. 33 show a piston 8050 described later in cross-section. Fig. 33 does not show the frame 8002.

The hedge trimmer 8000 is an electric agricultural mechanical device (i.e., a motor device) used for trimming hedges and trees. The hedge trimmer 8000 includes: a frame 8002, an electric actuator 8100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; and a pair of blades 8060 (8060A, 8060B). The electric actuator 8100 is a linear actuator that generates a linear motion in the direction of the axis Ax, and as described later, causes the blades 8060 to reciprocate in a linear motion.

In addition, the hedge trimmer 8000 has: a protective cover covering the internal structure of the electric actuator 8100; a handle installed on an example of a frame 8002 for holding the hedge trimmer 8000; and an operating part including an operating button or an operating switch for operating the hedge trimmer 8000, but the illustration of these components is omitted for the convenience of explanation.

The frame 8002 includes a base 8002a for supporting the electric actuator 8100 and a rod 8002b erected at one end of the base 8002a.

The electric actuator 8100 includes: a motor 8010 (driving unit); a ball screw 8030 (feed screw mechanism), a motion converter that converts the power (rotational motion) output by the motor 8010 into linear motion; a piston 8050 (linear motion unit) driven in the direction of the axis Ax by the ball screw 8030; and a linear guide 8040 that movably supports the piston 8050 in the direction of the axis Ax. The motor 8010 and the linear guide 8040 are mounted on the base 802a.

The motor 8010 is a motor that can switch between forward and reverse rotation, and is, for example, an ultra-low inertia high-output AC servo motor. By using an ultra-low inertia and high-output motor, for example, reciprocating reverse drive can be repeatedly performed at a high frequency of 100 Hz or more.

The ball screw 8030 has: a plurality of balls (not shown) as rolling elements; a screw shaft 8031 having a first spiral thread groove formed on the outer circumference; and a nut 8032 having a cylindrical through hole (not shown) through which the screw shaft 8031 passes. A second thread groove (not shown) is formed on the inner circumference of the through hole of the nut 8032 at a position opposite to the first thread groove, and a plurality of balls are filled in the rolling path surrounded by the first thread groove and the second thread groove, and the screw shaft 8031 and the nut 8032 are meshed (engaged) via the balls. Both ends of the rolling path are connected to the return path, thereby forming a circulation path (closed circuit) in which the balls circulate. In addition, cylindrical rollers may be used as rolling elements instead of balls.

The screw shaft 8031 of the ball screw 8030 is coaxially connected to the shaft 8011 of the motor 8010 (i.e., the rotation axis or center line is aligned) through the shaft joint 8012. In addition, the axis Ax of the electric actuator 8100 of this embodiment is the center line of the shaft 8011 of the motor 8010 and the screw shaft 8031 of the ball screw 8030.

The piston 8050 is a member having a cylindrical hollow portion 8050 a centered at the axis Ax. The nut 8032 of the ball screw 8030 is accommodated in the hollow portion 8050 a and fixed to the piston 8050 .

The linear guide 8040 of this embodiment is a guide-type circulating linear bearing, and has a rail 8041 and a carriage 8042 that can travel on the rail 8041. In addition, the linear guide 8040 can also use other types of linear bearings (for example, rolling bearings and sliding bearings) and other linear guide mechanisms.

The blade 8060 is formed with a plurality of teeth 8062 (Fig. 33) on both side edges of a steel plate that is long in the axis Ax direction. A pair of blades 8060 overlap, one (blade 8060A) is fixed to one end of the piston 8050 in the axis Ax direction, and the other (blade 8060B) is fixed to the front end of the rod 8002b. That is, the blade 8060A is configured to be drivable in the axis Ax direction to the fixed blade 8060B through the electric actuator 8100.

The motor 8010 is driven by repeatedly rotating the shaft 8011 back and forth within a specified angle range. The rotation of the shaft 8011 is converted into a linear motion by the ball screw 8030 and transmitted to the piston 8050. That is, the piston 8050 and the blade 8060A repeatedly perform a linear motion back and forth in the direction of the axis Ax with a specified stroke. Then, the fixed blade 8060B is repeatedly moved back and forth in the direction of the axis Ax, and the branches and leaves to be cut are clamped between the teeth 8062 of the pair of blades 8060A and 8060B and cut.

The configuration of the power feeding system for supplying driving power to the motor 8010 is the same as the configuration of the power feeding system 4800 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 20 , but will be described again here.

The primary power supply 4810 is a commercial power supply or a power supply device, for example, supplies single-phase AC or three-phase AC power (hereinafter referred to as "system power"). The system power supplied from the primary power supply 4810 is supplied to the servo amplifier 4850 (drive device) via the circuit breaker 4820, the electromagnetic switch 4830 and the reactor 4840 that are arbitrarily set selectively. The servo amplifier 4850 is an inverter device that converts the AC power supplied from the primary power supply 4810 into the drive power of the motor 8010. The motor 8010 is connected to the output terminal of the servo amplifier 4850, and the drive power is supplied from the servo amplifier 4850 to the motor 8010. The servo amplifier 4850 is connected to the control device C4 so as to be communicable, and operates according to the control of the control device C4. In addition, the servo amplifier 4850 and the motor 8010 constitute the electric actuator 8100, and the electric actuator 8100 is controlled by the control device C4.

Servo amplifier 4850 includes power regeneration converter 4851, inverter 4852, and capacitor 4853. Power regeneration converter 4851 is a converter suitable for power regeneration, and is, for example, a PWM converter that converts the power supply side current into a sine wave by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control. In addition, power regeneration converter 4851 may also perform power conversion by 120° energization. In addition, inverter 4852 is, for example, a PWM inverter that controls the output power by PWM control.

The inverter 4852 is a driving device that is supplied with power from the primary power supply 4810 as a power supply, and is controlled by the control device C4 as a controller to supply driving power for making the blade 8060A reciprocate linearly to the motor 8010 as a motor. When making the blade 8060A reciprocate linearly, the power regeneration converter 4851 regenerates the power regenerated from the motor 8010 as a motor, which is not consumed by the acceleration of the servo motor 150, to the power supply.

In addition, the power regeneration converter 4851 of the present embodiment has the functions of: rectifying the AC power supplied from the primary power supply 4810 during power operation; and generating AC power of the same quality as the system power fed back to the primary power supply 4810 during regeneration operation. However, a converter dedicated to power operation and a converter dedicated to power regeneration may also be provided separately.

When the motor 8010 is driven (when the power running operation is performed), the AC power output from the reactor 4840 is converted into DC power by the power regeneration converter 4851, smoothed by the capacitor 4853, and then converted into AC (e.g., pulse train) driving power by the inverter 4852. The driving power output from the inverter 4852 is input to the motor 8010 to drive the motor 8010 to rotate.

When the motor 8010 generates regenerative power (in regenerative operation), the regenerative power output from the motor 8010 is converted into direct current by the inverter 4852, and is input to the power regeneration converter 4851 via the direct current bus 4854. In addition, a pair of positive and negative conductors constitute a system of direct current bus 4854. The power regeneration converter 4851 converts the direct current power supplied from the direct current bus 4854 into sinusoidal alternating current, and outputs it to the primary power supply 4810 via the reactor 4840, the electromagnetic switch 4830, and the circuit breaker 4820.

The driving waveform of one cycle of the motor 8010 is shown in FIG9 . That is, the motor 8010 is driven in a manner that the angular position θ of the shaft 8011 is in the range of -θa to θa, in accordance with the driving waveform of the sine wave that repeatedly changes. The shaft 8011 of the motor 8010 rotates back and forth by repeatedly accelerating (power running action) and decelerating (regeneration action) while changing directions alternately. This reciprocating rotation is repeated at a repetition frequency of, for example, a maximum of 500 Hz. In addition, the driving waveform of the motor 8010 is not limited to a sine wave.

In this way, in this embodiment, when electric power is supplied to the motor 8010 in order to make the motor 8010 perform repeated acceleration and deceleration, regenerative power is generated by the motor 8010 in an alternating and repeated manner. The voltage fluctuation of the DC bus 4854 in a short period of time (for example, one cycle of the motor 8010) that receives and receives electric power from the motor 8010 is mainly adjusted (in other words, leveled) by the capacitor 4853. Therefore, in the intervals A and C shown in FIG. 9(a), most of the electric power supplied to the motor 8010 is recovered (that is, stored in the capacitor 4853) and reused as regenerative power in the intervals B and D, so that the electric power supplied from the primary power supply 4810 is almost not consumed and the motor 8010 can be driven.

(Ninth Embodiment)

FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system 290 of an electric actuator according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

The feeding system 290 of the ninth embodiment is different from the feeding system of the fourth embodiment (FIG. 20) in that it has a plug 291 that is inserted into a socket (not shown) for a primary power source, and a structure of a servo amplifier 295. In addition, the circuit breaker 92, the electromagnetic switch 93, the reactor 94, the power regeneration converter 95a, the inverter 95b, the capacitor 95c, and the DC bus 95d of FIG. 34 correspond to the circuit breaker 4820, the electromagnetic switch 4830, the reactor 4840, the power regeneration converter 4851, the inverter 4852, the capacitor 4853, and the DC bus 4854 of FIG. 20, respectively.

The servo amplifier 295 of the ninth embodiment has a battery 295e. The electric actuator of the ninth embodiment has the battery 295e, and can operate by the power stored in the battery 295e even when disconnected from the primary power supply. The battery 295e is connected in parallel with the power regeneration converter 95a and the inverter 95b to a DC bus 95d composed of a pair of conductors.

When the plug 291 is connected to the primary power supply, the system power supplied from the primary power supply is rectified by the power regeneration converter 95a, and then stored and rectified by the capacitor 95c and the battery 295e. During the power running operation, the DC power supplied from the capacitor 95c and the battery 295e via the DC bus 95d is converted into driving power by the inverter 95b and supplied to the motor 8010. When the plug 291 is not connected to the primary power supply, the driving power is generated by the power stored in the battery 295e.

The regenerative power supplied from the motor 8010 during the regenerative operation is converted into direct current by the inverter 95b, and then stored and rectified by the capacitor 95c and the battery 295e. The regenerative power stored by the capacitor 95c and the battery 295e is used to generate driving power by the inverter 95b during the power running operation. When the plug 291 is connected to the primary power supply, the remaining regenerative power is converted into a sine wave alternating current equivalent to the system power by the power regeneration converter 95a and returned to the primary power supply.

(Tenth Embodiment)

FIG35 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power feeding system 390 of an electric actuator according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

The feeding system 390 of the tenth embodiment is different from the feeding system 4800 of the fourth embodiment in that it has a generator 8080 and an inverter device 97 that converts the power generated by the generator 8080 into a sine wave AC power equivalent to the system power and supplies it to the primary power supply side. The generator 8080 is connected, for example, between the motor 8010 and the ball screw 8030. In addition, the inverter device 97 is connected to the control device 96 so as to be communicable, and operates according to the control of the control device 96.

The inverter device 97 includes a converter 97a, an inverter 97b, and a capacitor 97c. The converter 97a includes, for example, a full-wave rectifier including a diode bridge circuit. A PWM converter may be provided on the input side of the converter 97a to convert the input current of the converter 97a into a sine wave. The inverter 97b is, for example, a PWM inverter that controls the power output by PWM control.

The power generated by the generator 8080 is converted into direct current by the converter 97a, and is smoothed by the capacitor 97c and input to the inverter 97b. In addition, a pair of positive and negative conductors constitute a DC bus 97d of one system. The inverter 97b converts the DC power supplied from the DC bus 97d into a sine wave AC power of the same quality as the system power, and outputs it to the primary power supply 91 side.

The generator 8080 generates electric power using a part of the power generated by the motor 8010. The electric power generated by the generator 8080 is used to generate driving power by the servo amplifier 95, and the remaining part is returned to the primary power supply.

When the structure of this embodiment is adopted, since the generator 8080 generates electricity during power running operation in addition to the regenerative operation and supplies electric power to the primary power supply 91 side, electric energy can be used more efficiently.

The generator 8080 of this embodiment is an AC generator, but a DC generator may also be used. In this case, since the power generated by the generator does not need to be rectified, the converter 97a of the inverter device 97 is not required, for example, the output terminal of the DC generator is connected to the DC bus 97d without the converter 97a.

The inverter device 97 may be provided with a battery, and the battery and the capacitor 97c may be connected to the DC bus 97d in parallel.

Furthermore, a clutch may be provided between the generator 8080 and the motor 8010, and the timing at which the generator 8080 absorbs power may be controlled by discontinuing the clutch.

Furthermore, the DC bus 97 d , the capacitor 97 c , and the inverter 97 b of the inverter device 97 may be made common with the DC bus 95 d , the capacitor 95 c , and the power regeneration converter 95 a of the servo amplifier 95 .

(Eleventh Embodiment)

FIG36 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a feed system 490 of an electric actuator 400 according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

The feeding system 490 of the eleventh embodiment adopts a servo amplifier 495, which is obtained by adding the generator 8080 of the tenth embodiment to the feeding system 290 of the ninth embodiment, and further inserting the function of the inverter device 97 of the tenth embodiment into the servo amplifier 295 (specifically, adding the converter 97a of the tenth embodiment).

In the power feeding system 390 of the tenth embodiment, the servo amplifier 95 and the inverter device 97 are separated and connected to the primary power supply 91, and therefore the interface with the primary power supply 91 (power regeneration converter 95a, inverter 97b) and the DC circuit (DC bus 95d, 97d, and capacitors 95c, 97c) are separately provided. In contrast, the power feeding system 490 (specifically, the servo amplifier 495) of the eleventh embodiment eliminates the redundant inverter 97b, DC bus 97d, and capacitor 97c by integrating the servo amplifier 95 and the inverter device 97.

(Twelfth Embodiment)

Fig. 37 and Fig. 38 are a side view and a front view of the hedge trimmer 9000 according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention, respectively. In Fig. 37 and Fig. 38, the piston 8050 is shown in cross-section. In Fig. 38, the frame 8002 is omitted.

The hedge trimmer 8000 of the eighth embodiment described above is configured to drive only one of the pair of blades 8060 , whereas the hedge trimmer 9000 of the present embodiment is configured to drive both of the pair of blades 8060 in opposite directions to each other.

The electric actuator of the twelfth embodiment of the present invention corresponds to each of a pair of blades 8060 (8060A, 8060B), and has: a pair of ball screws 8030 (8030A, 8030B), linear guides 8040 (8040A, 8040B) and pistons 8050 (8050A, 8050B). In this embodiment, the first motion conversion part is formed by the ball screw 8030A, the linear guide 8040A and the piston 8050A, and the second motion conversion part is formed by the ball screw 8030B, the linear guide 8040B and the piston 8050B. In addition, the second motion conversion part has a bearing 8036 that rotatably supports the ball screw 8030B at one end.

The blade 8060A is fixed to the piston 8050A of the first motion conversion part, and the blade 8060B is fixed to the piston 8050B of the second motion conversion part.

The frame 8002 of this embodiment does not have a rod 8002b for fixing the blade 8060B. That is, the blade 8060B is not fixed to the frame 8002, but can move together with the piston 8050B. In addition, the motor 8010, and the rails 8041 and bearings 8036 of a pair of linear guides 8040A and 8040B are fixed to the base 8002a (frame 8002).

The electric actuator has a pair of gears 8020 (8020A, 8020B) coaxially coupled to the screw shafts 8031 of a pair of ball screws 8030A, 8030B, respectively. In addition, the gear 8020 is mounted on the support portion 8031a (the portion where the ball groove is not formed) of the screw shaft 8031. The screw shafts 8031 of the pair of ball screws 8030A, 8030B are arranged parallel to each other in a manner that the gears 8020A, 8020B mesh with each other. In addition, the gear 8020A and the gear 8020B are of the same specification (for example, flat gears with the same number of teeth). Therefore, when the screw shaft 8031 of the ball screw 8030A rotates, the screw shaft 8031 of the ball screw 8030B rotates in the opposite direction at the same number of revolutions.

Furthermore, since the ball screw 8030A and the ball screw 8030B also have the same specifications, when the screw shaft 8031 of the ball screw 8030A and the screw shaft 8031 of the ball screw 8030B rotate in opposite directions at the same number of revolutions, the nut 8032 of the ball screw 8030A and the nut 8032 of the ball screw 8030B move linearly at the same speed in opposite directions along the respective screw shafts 8031. Therefore, the blade 8060A fixed to the piston 8050A and the blade 8060B fixed to the piston 8050B also move linearly at the same speed in opposite directions.

In the hedge trimmer 9000 of the twelfth embodiment, since the pair of blades 8060 are driven in opposite directions, it is possible to perform trimming more efficiently than the hedge trimmer 8000 of the eighth embodiment. In addition, since the amount of movement of the object to be cut received by each blade 8060A, 8060B in the direction of the axis Ax is offset, it is possible to suppress the scattering of cuttings in the direction of the axis Ax.

The above is a description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above description, and various changes can be implemented within the technical concept of the present invention. For example, the contents of the exemplary embodiments or obvious embodiments in the specification are also included in the embodiments of the present invention.

The first to seventh embodiments described above are embodiments in which the present invention is applied to a test device, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to any motor system using a motor such as an electric vehicle.

The eighth to twelfth embodiments described above are embodiments in which the present invention is applied to a hedge trimmer, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may also be applied to electric devices using linear actuators, such as electric saws (reciprocating saws), electric hammer drills, and electric toothbrushes. Furthermore, the electric actuator of the present invention may be used alone even if it is not installed in various electric devices.

The above-mentioned eighth to twelfth embodiments use a feed screw mechanism as a motion converter that converts rotational motion into linear motion, but other types of motion converters (for example, a mechanism using an eccentric cam, a slider crank mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, etc. described in patent document 1) may also be used.

The eighth to twelfth embodiments directly connect the screw shaft 8031 of the ball screw 8030 and the shaft 8011 of the motor 8010, but a speed reducer may be provided in the driving unit to connect the motor 8010 and the ball screw 8030 (or other motion converter) via the speed reducer.

The power feeding system of the fourth embodiment ( FIG. 20 ) and the power feeding system of the tenth embodiment ( FIG. 35 ) may be configured to include a plug 291 and a battery 295 e similarly to the ninth embodiment.

In addition, the plug 291 and the battery 295 e may be removed from the power feeding system of the ninth embodiment ( FIG. 34 ) and the power feeding system of the eleventh embodiment ( FIG. 36 ), and the circuit breaker 92 may be directly connected to the primary power source 91 .

In the ninth embodiment of the feeding system (FIG. 34) and the eleventh embodiment of the feeding system (FIG. 36), the battery 295e may be removed and a capacitor 95c having a large static capacitance may be used so that the capacitor 95c also serves as the power storage function of the battery 295e. Alternatively, a battery 295e and a large-capacity capacitor 95c may be provided in the feeding system.

In the tenth and eleventh embodiments described above, the power feeding system is provided with a generator, but the generator is not limited to the tenth and eleventh embodiments and may be provided in the power feeding system of other embodiments.

In the above-described various embodiments, the motor is an AC servo motor, but another type of motor whose drive amount (rotation angle) can be controlled, such as a DC servo motor or a stepping motor, may be used as the motor.

In the above-mentioned various embodiments, the linear actuator is composed of a rotary motor and a motion converter. However, a linear motor may be used as the linear actuator instead of the rotary motor and the motion converter.

In addition, in the above-mentioned various embodiments, the torque generating device uses an ultra-low inertia servo motor, but the structure of the present invention is not limited to this. The structure of using other forms of electric motors (such as inverter motors) with a small rotor moment of inertia and capable of being driven at high acceleration or high jerk is also included in the present invention. At this time, similarly to the above-mentioned various embodiments, an encoder can be provided in the motor, and a structure for feedback control can be adopted by the rotation state (such as the number of revolutions and the angular position) of the motor output shaft detected by the encoder.

In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment is mainly an example of applying the present invention to a durability test device for a power transmission device for an automobile, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be used for various purposes in the entire industry. For example, the present invention can be used in automobiles (two-wheeled vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, four-wheeled vehicles, buses, trucks, tractors), agricultural machinery, construction machinery, rail vehicles, ships, aircraft, power generation systems, water supply and drainage systems, or various parts (motor systems) constituting these, or test systems suitable for evaluating these mechanical characteristics and durability.

In addition, the electric actuator of the embodiment of the present invention can also be used as a motor system for various industrial machinery such as construction machinery, agricultural machinery, woodworking machinery, machine tools, forging machinery, injection molding machines, robots, and handling machinery (for example, cranes, elevators, conveyors, etc.).

Furthermore, the electric actuator according to the embodiment of the present invention can also be used as a prime mover for various household electrical appliances (washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, compressors, etc.).

In the above-mentioned various embodiments, a power regeneration converter that can return the surplus regenerative power from the servo amplifier to the primary power supply side is used, but a converter that does not have a power regeneration function to return the surplus power to the primary power supply side may also be used. When a converter that does not have a power regeneration function is used, a regenerative resistor that absorbs the regenerative power is not provided in the servo amplifier, but a device that stores the surplus power (such as a large-capacity capacitor or a large-capacity battery, etc.) should be provided in the servo amplifier.

In addition, the above-mentioned various embodiments are examples of systems that convert the power supplied from the primary power supply to drive the motor, but the power supplied from the power supply to the system is not limited to AC power. As shown in Figures 34 and 36, DC power supplied from a battery can also be converted to drive the motor. In this case, the regenerated power can also be stored in the battery.

FIG. 39 and FIG. 40 are diagrams showing variations of the feed system for supplying power to the electric actuator according to various embodiments. The above various embodiments illustrate a system for driving the motor by converting the power supplied from the primary power supply, but the power supplied from the power supply to the system is not limited to AC power. As shown in FIG. 39 and FIG. 40, the motor 10 may also be driven by supplying the DC power supplied from the battery 791 to the inverter via a converter. In this case, the regenerated power is not output to the primary power supply, but is stored in the battery 791 instead.

In addition, the feeding system 790 shown in FIG39 has a bidirectional DCDC converter 795a as a converter. First, the charger 792 is connected to the battery 791, and the battery 791 is charged by the power supplied from the plug 291 inserted into the socket (not shown) of the primary power supply through the charger 792. Next, the battery 791 is connected to the servo amplifier 795, and the power from the battery 791 is supplied to the inverter 95b via the bidirectional DCDC converter 795a to drive the motor 10, and the regenerative power from the inverter 95b is output to the battery 791 via the bidirectional DCDC converter 795a.

In addition, the feeding system 890 shown in FIG. 40 has a bidirectional DCAC converter 895a upstream of the power regeneration converter 95a. First, the charger 792 is connected to the battery 791, and the battery 791 is charged by the power supplied from the plug 291a inserted into the socket (not shown) of the primary power supply through the charger 792. Next, the battery 791 is connected to the servo amplifier 895, and the power from the battery 791 is supplied to the inverter 95b via the bidirectional DCAC converter 895a and the power regeneration converter 95a to drive the motor 10, and the regenerative power from the inverter 95b is output to the battery 791 via the power regeneration converter 95a and the bidirectional DCAC converter 895a. In addition, the power regeneration converter 95a and the bidirectional DCAC converter 895a are connected to the plug 291b. The power from the plug 291b inserted into the socket (not shown) of the primary power supply is supplied to the inverter 95b via the power regeneration converter 95a, and the motor 10 can also be driven by this power. Furthermore, the power supplied from the plug 291 b may be supplied to the battery 791 via the bidirectional DCAC converter 895 a , and the battery 791 may be charged with the power.

In the above-described various embodiments, electric power is regenerated from the motor 10 to the primary power supply via the inverter 95b and the power regeneration converter 95a. However, electric power may be regenerated from the motor 10 to the primary power supply without passing through the inverter 95b and the power regeneration converter 95a.

The present specification also describes the following inventions.

[Note 1]

A power-saving motor system, comprising:

Electric motor;

a drive device that supplies drive power to the electric motor; and

a control device, which controls the drive device,

The driving device comprises:

a converter that converts AC power supplied from a power source into DC power; and

an inverter that generates driving power from the DC power;

The control device controls the drive device so as to repeatedly drive the electric motor back and forth.

[Note 2]

The energy-saving motor system as described in Appendix 1, wherein the driving device comprises:

a DC bus consisting of a pair of conductors connecting the converter and the inverter; and

A capacitor connects the pair of conducting wires.

[Note 3]

The energy-saving motor system as described in Supplement 1 has a plurality of the motors, and the driving device includes:

A DC bus of the system, which is composed of a pair of conductors connected to the converter;

a plurality of the inverters connected to the DC bus of the one system; and

A capacitor connects the pair of conducting wires.

[Note 4]

The power-saving motor system as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the converter is a PWM converter.

[Note 5]

The power-saving motor system as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, wherein the control device controls the motor so as to repeat reciprocating drive at a frequency of 3 Hz or more.

[Note 6]

A vibration testing device, comprising:

The energy-saving motor system as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5;

a motion converter that converts the rotational motion output by the motor into linear motion; and

The worktable is excited by the linear motion.

[Note 7]

The vibration testing device as described in Supplementary Note 6, wherein the motion converter is a ball screw, and the ball screw has:

a screw shaft connected to the shaft of the motor; and

a nut meshing with the screw shaft and moving in the axial direction as the screw shaft rotates;

The table is connected to the nut and is configured to move together with the nut in the axial direction.

[Note 8]

A power-saving test system comprises the power-saving motor system as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5.

[Note 11]

An electric actuator, comprising:

Electric motor;

a driving device that supplies driving power to the electric motor;

a control device that controls the drive device; and

a motion converter that converts the rotational motion output by the motor into a linear motion;

The driving device comprises:

a converter that converts AC power supplied from a power source into DC power; and

an inverter that generates the driving power from the DC power;

The control device controls the drive device so that the electric motor outputs a repeated reciprocating rotational motion.

[Note 12]

The electric actuator as described in Supplementary Note 11, wherein the driving device comprises:

a DC bus consisting of a pair of conductors connecting the converter and the inverter; and

A capacitor connects the pair of conducting wires.

[Note 13]

An electric actuator as described in Supplementary Note 11 or Supplementary Note 12, wherein the converter is a PWM converter.

[Note 14]

The electric actuator as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 11 to 13, wherein the control device controls the drive device so as to repeatedly drive the electric motor back and forth at a frequency of 3 Hz or more.

[Note 15]

The electric actuator as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 11 to 14 includes a generator that generates electric power using the power generated by the electric motor.

[Note 16]

The electric actuator as described in Supplementary Note 15 includes an inverter device that converts the electric power generated by the generator into AC power equivalent to grid power and supplies the AC power to the power supply side.

[Note 17]

The electric actuator as described in Supplementary Note 16, wherein the motion converter is a ball screw, and the ball screw has:

a screw shaft connected to the shaft of the motor; and

The nut meshes with the screw shaft via a plurality of balls serving as rolling elements, and moves in the axial direction as the screw shaft rotates.

[Note 18]

An electric device comprising the electric actuator as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 11 to 17.

In addition, the contents of various aspects of the present invention are supplemented as follows.

[Note 21]

A vibration testing device, comprising:

A vibration table, on which the object to be excited is mounted;

an electric actuator that excites the vibration table in a specified direction; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator;

The electric actuator comprises:

An electric motor that can switch forward and reverse rotation; and

a driving device which is supplied with power from a power source and supplies driving power for exciting the vibration table with a desired amplitude and frequency to the motor under the control of the controller,

The driving device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates, when the vibration table is excited at a desired amplitude and frequency, power that is not consumed by accelerating the motor, out of the power regenerated from the motor, into the power source.

[Note 22]

A vibration testing device as described in Supplementary Note 21, wherein during the driving of the motor, the controller controls the driving device in such a manner that the motor repeatedly rotates forward and reverse at a desired frequency,

The power regeneration converter outputs electric power regenerated from the electric motor to the power supply during each deceleration process during forward rotation and reverse rotation of the electric motor.

[Note 23]

A vibration test device as described in Supplementary Note 21, wherein during the forward rotation period of the motor, the vibration table moves in the forward direction, and during the reverse rotation period, the vibration table moves in the reverse direction.

The forward rotation period includes: a first acceleration period of the motor, which takes the start time of the vibration table as the starting point; and a first deceleration period of the motor, which takes the stop time of the vibration table as the end point;

The reversal period includes: a second acceleration period of the motor, which takes the start time of the vibration table as the starting point; and a second deceleration period of the motor, which takes the stop time of the vibration table as the end point;

The controller accelerates the electric motor so that the torque of the electric motor becomes positive torque during the first acceleration period.

During the first deceleration period, the electric motor is decelerated so that the torque of the electric motor becomes negative torque.

During the second acceleration period, the electric motor is accelerated so that the torque of the electric motor becomes positive torque.

During the second deceleration period, the electric motor is decelerated so that the torque of the electric motor becomes negative torque.

[Note 24]

The vibration test device as described in Supplementary Note 23, wherein the drive device further includes a capacitor, which is arranged between the power regeneration converter and the motor,

The controller controls the drive device in such a manner that energy regenerated from the motor and stored in the capacitor during the first deceleration period is supplied to the motor preferentially over energy supplied from the power supply during the second acceleration period, and energy regenerated from the motor and stored in the capacitor during the second deceleration period is supplied to the motor preferentially over energy supplied from the power supply during the first acceleration period.

[Note 25]

The vibration test device as described in Supplementary Note 23, wherein the drive device further includes a capacitor, which is arranged between the power regeneration converter and the motor,

The controller repeats an energy cycle consisting of the first acceleration period, the first deceleration period, the second acceleration period, and the second deceleration period during the driving period.

supplying to the electric motor at least the energy stored in the capacitor during the second deceleration period in the previous energy cycle during the first acceleration period,

storing energy regenerated from the electric motor in the capacitor during the first deceleration period,

During the second acceleration period, at least the energy stored in the capacitor during the first deceleration period in this energy cycle is supplied to the electric motor,

Energy regenerated from the electric motor is stored in the capacitor during the second deceleration.

[Note 26]

A vibration testing device as described in Supplementary Note 22, wherein the controller controls the driving device in such a way that the motor repeatedly rotates forward and reverse at a required frequency of 3 Hz or more during the driving.

[Note 27]

A vibration testing device as described in Appendix 21, wherein the power supply is composed of an AC power supply,

The power regeneration converter is composed of a bidirectional ACDC converter.

[Note 28]

As in the vibration testing device of Appendix 21, the power supply is composed of a DC power supply,

The power regeneration converter is composed of a bidirectional DCDC converter.

[Note 29]

A tire testing device, comprising:

electric actuator; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator;

The electric actuator comprises:

an electric motor having a rotating shaft coupled to a central axis of the tire; and

a driving device which is supplied with energy by a power source and supplies driving power to the electric motor so as to generate a variable torque under the control of the controller;

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy regenerated from the motor that is not consumed by accelerating the motor into the power source when the controller controls the drive device to cause the motor to generate variable torque.

[Note 30]

A torsion testing device, comprising:

electric actuator; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator;

The electric actuator comprises:

a motor having a rotating shaft coupled to the object to be measured; and

a driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and, under the control of the controller, supplies driving power to the motor so as to cause the motor to generate a variable torque;

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy regenerated from the motor that is not consumed by accelerating the motor into a power source when the controller controls the drive device to cause the motor to generate variable torque.

[Note 31]

A tension and compression testing device, comprising:

electric actuator; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator,

The electric actuator comprises:

An electric motor capable of switching between forward and reverse rotation;

A motion converter that performs reciprocating linear motion based on the forward and reverse rotations of the motor;

A movable part that receives the reciprocating linear motion of the motion converter and transmits a compressive force or a tensile force to the object to be tested; and

a driving device which is powered by a power source and, under the control of the controller, supplies driving power to the motor so as to cause the motion converter to perform reciprocating linear motion at a desired amplitude and frequency;

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter, which regenerates energy regenerated from the motor that is not consumed by accelerating the motor into a power source when the controller controls the drive device to make the motion converter reciprocate linearly at a desired amplitude and frequency.

[Note 32]

A dynamic balancing composite testing device, comprising:

a spindle, on which the tire is mounted;

An electric actuator, the output of which is a unidirectional rotary motion;

a transmission mechanism that transmits the unidirectional rotational motion to the spindle; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator,

The electric actuator comprises:

An electric motor capable of switching between forward and reverse rotation;

a motion converter that converts the forward and reverse rotations of the motor into the unidirectional rotational motion; and

a driving device which is powered by a power source and supplies driving power to the motor to rotate the spindle at a predetermined speed under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy that is not consumed by accelerating the motor, out of energy regenerated from the motor, into a power source when the controller controls the drive device to rotate the spindle at the prescribed speed.

[Note 33]

A consistency testing device, comprising:

A rotary drum capable of abutting against the tire;

an electric actuator that causes the rotating cylinder to perform unidirectional rotational motion; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator,

The electric actuator comprises:

An electric motor capable of switching between forward and reverse rotation;

a motion converter that converts the forward and reverse rotations of the motor into the unidirectional rotational motion; and

a driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power to the motor to rotate the rotating cylinder at a prescribed speed under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy that is not consumed by accelerating the motor, out of energy regenerated from the motor, into a power source when the controller controls the drive device to rotate the rotating cylinder at the predetermined speed.

[Note 34]

A balance measuring device, comprising:

An electric actuator, the output of which is a unidirectional rotary motion;

a transmission mechanism that transmits the unidirectional rotational motion to the subject; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator,

The electric actuator comprises:

An electric motor capable of switching between forward and reverse rotation;

a motion converter that converts the forward and reverse rotations of the motor into the unidirectional rotational motion; and

a driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power to the motor to rotate the object under control of the controller at a predetermined speed,

The driving device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy not consumed by accelerating the motor, out of energy regenerated from the motor, into a power source when the controller controls the driving device to rotate the test object at the predetermined speed.

[Note 35]

A collision simulation test device, comprising:

A mounting portion capable of mounting a test object;

An electric actuator, the output of which is a unidirectional rotary motion;

a transmission mechanism that converts the unidirectional rotational motion into a linear motion and transmits it to the mounting portion; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator,

The electric actuator comprises:

An electric motor capable of switching between forward and reverse rotation;

a motion converter that converts the forward and reverse rotations of the motor into the unidirectional rotational motion; and

a driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power to the motor to impart a desired acceleration to the mounting portion under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy that is not consumed by the acceleration of the motor, out of the energy regenerated from the motor, into a power source when the controller controls the drive device to impart a desired acceleration to the mounting portion.

[Note 36]

A hedge trimmer, comprising:

blade;

an electric actuator that causes the blade to move reciprocatingly in a linear motion; and

a controller that controls the electric actuator,

The electric actuator comprises:

An electric motor capable of switching forward and reverse rotation; and

a driving device, which is powered by a power source and supplies driving power to the motor to make the blade move back and forth linearly under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy regenerated from the motor that is not consumed by accelerating the motor into a power source when the controller controls the drive device to cause the blade to reciprocate linearly.

[Note 37]

An electric actuator, comprising:

At least 1 electric motor;

a drive device that supplies drive power to the electric motor; and

a controller that controls the drive device in such a way that the motor repeatedly accelerates and decelerates,

The drive device includes a first capacitor that stores electric power regenerated from the electric motor during deceleration of the electric motor.

[Note 38]

The electric actuator as recited in Supplementary Note 37, wherein the controller controls the drive device in such a manner that the motor repeatedly rotates forward and reverse at a desired frequency during a driving interval of the motor.

The first capacitor stores electric power regenerated from the electric motor during each deceleration process when the electric motor rotates forward and reversely.

[Note 39]

The electric actuator as described in Supplementary Note 37, wherein the forward rotation period and the reverse rotation period of the electric motor are continuously repeated,

During the forward rotation, the vibration table moves in the forward direction.

During the reversal, the vibration table moves in the opposite direction,

The forward rotation period includes: a first acceleration period of the motor, which takes the start time of the vibration table as the starting point; and a first deceleration period of the motor, which takes the stop time of the vibration table as the end point.

The reversal period includes: a second acceleration period of the motor, which takes the time point when the vibration table starts to move as a starting point; and a second deceleration period of the motor, which takes the time point when the vibration table stops moving as an end point,

The controller accelerates the electric motor so that the torque of the electric motor becomes positive torque during the first acceleration period.

During the first deceleration period, the electric motor is decelerated so that the torque of the electric motor becomes a negative torque.

During the second acceleration period, the electric motor is accelerated so that the torque of the electric motor becomes positive torque.

During the second deceleration period, the electric motor is decelerated so that the torque of the electric motor becomes negative torque.

[Note 40]

The electric actuator as recited in Supplementary Note 37, wherein the drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates the electric power regenerated from the electric motor to a power source via the first capacitor.

10, 150: Servo motor

91, 1810, 2810, 3810, 4810: Primary power supply

95a, 1851, 2851, 3851, 4851: Power regeneration converter

95b, 1852, 2852, 3852, 4852: Inverter

95c, 1853, 2853, 3853, 4853: capacitors

96: Control Device

100, 400, 4010, 5320, 5420, 8100: Electric actuator

295e: Battery

1000: Vibration test device

1100: Vibration table

1200, 1300, 1400: Actuator

2000: Tire testing device

3000: Torsion test device

4000: Tensile and Compression Test Device

5000: Crash simulation test device

6000: Dynamic balancing machine

7000: Balance measuring device

8000, 9000: Hedge trimmer

8080: Generator

C1, C2, C3: control units.

Claims (20)

1. A vibration testing apparatus comprising:

A vibration table for mounting the excited object;

An electric actuator for exciting the vibration table in a predetermined direction; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation; and

A driving device which is supplied with power from a power source and supplies driving power for exciting the vibration table at a desired amplitude and frequency to a motor under the control of the controller,

The driving device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates, to the power supply, electric power that is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, of electric power regenerated from the motor when the vibrating table is excited at a desired amplitude and frequency.

2. The vibration testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

The controller controls the driving device in such a manner that the motor repeatedly performs forward rotation and reverse rotation at a desired frequency during driving of the motor,

The power regeneration converter outputs electric power regenerated from the motor to the power supply during respective deceleration at the time of forward rotation and at the time of reverse rotation of the motor.

3. The vibration testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

During the forward rotation of the motor and the reverse rotation of the motor, which are successively repeated, the vibrating table is moved forward, during the reverse rotation, the vibrating table is moved backward,

The forward rotation period includes: a first acceleration period of the motor with a start movement time point of the vibration table as a start point; and a first deceleration period of the motor with a stop movement time point of the oscillating table as an end point,

The inversion period includes: a second acceleration period of the motor with a start movement time point of the vibration table as a start point; and a second deceleration period of the motor with a stop movement time point of the oscillating table as an end point,

The controller accelerates the motor during the first acceleration in such a manner that the torque of the motor becomes positive,

During the first deceleration period, the motor is decelerated so that the torque of the motor becomes negative,

Accelerating the motor so that the torque of the motor becomes positive during the second acceleration,

During the second deceleration period, the motor is decelerated so that the torque of the motor becomes negative.

4. A vibration testing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

The drive device further includes a capacitor provided between the power regenerative converter and the motor,

The controller controls the driving device such that energy regenerated from the motor and stored in the capacitor during the first deceleration is preferentially supplied to the motor than energy supplied from the power supply during the second acceleration, and energy regenerated from the motor and stored in the capacitor during the second deceleration is preferentially supplied to the motor than energy supplied from the power supply during the first acceleration.

5. A vibration testing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

The drive device further includes a capacitor provided between the power regenerative converter and the motor,

The controller repeatedly performs an energy cycle consisting of the first acceleration period, the first deceleration period, the second acceleration period, and the second deceleration period during the driving period,

During the first acceleration, at least the energy stored in the capacitor during the second deceleration in the last energy cycle is supplied to the motor,

During the first deceleration, energy regenerated from the motor is stored in the capacitor,

During the second acceleration, at least the energy stored in the capacitor during the first deceleration in the present energy cycle is supplied to the motor,

During the second deceleration, energy regenerated from the motor is stored in the capacitor.

6. The vibration testing apparatus of claim 2, wherein,

The controller controls the driving device such that the motor repeatedly performs forward rotation and reverse rotation at a desired frequency of 3Hz or more during the driving.

7. The vibration testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

The power supply is constituted by an ac power supply,

The power regeneration converter is composed of a bidirectional ACDC converter.

8. The vibration testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

The power supply is constituted by a direct current power supply,

The power regeneration converter is composed of a bidirectional DCDC converter.

9. A tire testing device comprising:

An electric actuator; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor having a rotation shaft coupled to a central shaft of the tire; and

A driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power for generating a varying torque to the motor under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy, which is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, from among energy regenerated from the motor to the power supply when the controller controls the drive device to cause the motor to generate a varying torque.

10. A torsion testing apparatus comprising:

An electric actuator; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor having a rotation axis coupled to the subject; and

A driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power for generating a varying torque to the motor under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates, to a power supply, energy that is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, from among energy regenerated from the motor, when the controller controls the drive device to cause the motor to generate a varying torque.

11. A tensile compression testing apparatus comprising:

An electric actuator; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation;

A motion converter that performs a reciprocating linear motion based on forward and reverse rotations of the motor;

A movable part which receives the reciprocating linear motion of the motion converter and transmits a compression force or a tension force to the subject; and

A driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power for reciprocating the motion converter to the motor in a linear motion at a desired amplitude and frequency under the control of the controller,

The driving device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy, which is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, from among energy regenerated from the motor to a power supply when the controller controls the driving device to reciprocate the motion converter in a straight line at a desired amplitude and frequency.

12. A dynamic balance composite testing device, comprising:

A spindle capable of mounting a tire;

An electric actuator outputting unidirectional rotational motion;

a transmission mechanism that transmits the unidirectional rotational motion to the spindle; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation;

a motion converter for converting the forward and reverse rotation of the motor into the unidirectional rotation motion; and

A driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power for rotating the spindle at a predetermined speed to the motor under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy, which is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, from among energy regenerated from the motor to a power supply when the controller controls the drive device to rotate the spindle at the predetermined speed.

13. A consistency testing apparatus comprising:

A rotating cylinder capable of being abutted against the tire;

an electric actuator for imparting unidirectional rotational motion to the rotary cylinder; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation;

a motion converter for converting the forward and reverse rotation of the motor into the unidirectional rotation motion; and

A driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power for rotating the rotary cylinder at a predetermined speed to the motor under the control of the controller,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates, to a power supply, energy that is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, of energy regenerated from the motor when the controller controls the drive device to rotate the rotating cylinder at the predetermined speed.

14. A balance measurement device, comprising:

An electric actuator outputting unidirectional rotational motion;

a transmission mechanism for transmitting the unidirectional rotation motion to a subject; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation;

a motion converter for converting the forward and reverse rotation of the motor into the unidirectional rotation motion; and

A driving device that is supplied with power from a power source and supplies driving power for rotating the subject at a predetermined speed to the motor under the control of the controller,

The driving device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates, to a power supply, energy that is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, of energy regenerated from the motor when the controller controls the driving device to rotate the subject at the predetermined speed.

15. A crash simulation test apparatus comprising:

A mounting unit capable of mounting a subject;

An electric actuator outputting unidirectional rotational motion;

A transmission mechanism that converts the unidirectional rotational motion into a linear motion and transmits the linear motion to the mounting portion; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation;

a motion converter for converting the forward and reverse rotation of the motor into the unidirectional rotation motion; and

A driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power for imparting a desired acceleration to the mounting portion to the motor under the control of the controller,

The driving device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy, which is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, from among energy regenerated from the motor to a power supply when the controller controls the driving device to impart a desired acceleration to the mounting portion.

16. A hedge trimmer comprising:

A blade;

an electric actuator for reciprocating the blade in a linear direction; and

A controller for controlling the electric actuator,

The electric actuator includes:

a motor capable of switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation; and

A driving device which is supplied with energy from a power source and supplies driving power for reciprocating the blade to the motor under the control of the controller,

The driving device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates energy, which is not consumed by acceleration of the motor, from among energy regenerated from the motor to a power supply when the controller controls the driving device to reciprocate the blade in a straight line.

17. An electric actuator, comprising:

At least 1 motor;

a driving device for supplying driving power to the motor; and

A controller for controlling the driving device in such a manner that the motor repeatedly accelerates and decelerates,

The driving device includes a first capacitor that stores electric power regenerated from the motor during deceleration of the motor.

18. The electric actuator of claim 17, wherein,

The controller controls the driving device such that the motor repeatedly performs forward rotation and reverse rotation at a desired frequency in a driving section of the motor,

The first capacitor stores electric power regenerated from the motor during respective deceleration processes at the time of forward rotation and at the time of reverse rotation of the motor.

19. The electric actuator of claim 17, wherein,

The forward rotation period and the reverse rotation period of the motor are continuously repeated,

During said forward rotation the vibrating table moves forward,

During said reversal the oscillating table moves in opposite directions,

The forward rotation period includes: a first acceleration period of the motor with a start movement time point of the vibration table as a start point; and a first deceleration period of the motor with a stop movement time point of the oscillating table as an end point,

The inversion period includes: a second acceleration period of the motor with a start movement time point of the vibration table as a start point; and a second deceleration period of the motor with a stop movement time point of the oscillating table as an end point,

The controller accelerates the motor during the first acceleration in such a manner that the torque of the motor becomes positive,

During the first deceleration period, the motor is decelerated so that the torque of the motor becomes negative,

Accelerating the motor so that the torque of the motor becomes positive during the second acceleration,

During the second deceleration period, the motor is decelerated so that the torque of the motor becomes negative.

20. The electric actuator of claim 17, wherein,

The drive device includes a power regeneration converter that regenerates electric power regenerated from the motor to a power source via the first capacitor.