Gear motor having safety mechanism

• US 8,794,087 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiMOTION Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TiMOTION Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wu, Chou-Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): FENSTERMACHER, DAVID MORGAN
• Application Number:
  US13/492,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20130327168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 74/892.3, 74/893.7, 74/893.8, 74/893.9, 744/25, 744/245, 744/247.1
• US Class Current: 74/89.37
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2025/2081 Parallel arrangement of drive motor to screw axis
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2025/2084 Perpendicular arrangement of drive motor to screw axis
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2025/209 using worm gears
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 25/2015 Means specially adapted for stopping actuators in the end position; Position sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18688 Limit stop
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19702 Screw and nut

Abstract

A gear motor having a safety mechanism includes a motor body, a speed reduction mechanism, a transmission mechanism, and a touch switch. The speed reduction mechanism includes a worm and a worm wheel drivingly engaged with the worm. The transmission mechanism includes a base fixed to the speed reduction mechanism, a lead screw rod pivotally connected to the base and rotatably driven by the worm wheel, and a nut threadedly connected to the lead screw rod. The touch switch is electrically connected to the motor body and provided aside the lead screw rod, thereby stopping the motor body when the nut contacts the touch switch. Thus, the gear motor not only controls the operation of the driven mechanism, but also allows various driven mechanisms to be mounted thereon. The assembled volume of the gear motor and the driven mechanism is reduced.

Claims

1. A gear motor having a safety mechanism, including:

a motor body;

a speed reduction mechanism comprising a worm extending from the motor body and a worm wheel positioned to correspond to the worm and drivingly engaged therewith;

a transmission mechanism comprising a base fixed to the speed reduction mechanism, a lead screw rod pivotally connected to the base and rotatably driven by the worm wheel, and a nut threadedly connected to the lead screw rod to generate a linear movement; and

a touch switch electrically connected to the motor body, the touch switch being provided on one side of the lead screw rod to correspond to a travelling path of the nut, thereby stopping the running of the motor body when the nut contacts the touch switch;

wherein the base is provided with a guiding groove in parallel to the lead screw rod, and the nut has a rotation-stopping portion slidably inserted into the guiding groove, and the rotation-stopping portion is exposed to the outside of the base through the guiding groove.

2. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism further includes a fixing element fixed to the base, and the touch switch is provided on the fixing element.

3. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the fixing element has an adjustable screw rod in parallel to the lead screw rod, the base is provided with an engaging trough in parallel to the adjustable screw rod, the touch switch has a seat portion, the seat portion is provided with an engaging block, a through-hole, and inner threads formed inside the through-hole, the seat portion is threadedly connected to the adjustable screw rod via the inner threads, and the engaging block is slidably inserted into the engaging trough.

4. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the number of the touch switch and the adjustable screw rod is plural, each of the touch switches is threadedly connected to the corresponding adjustable screw rod, and a gap is formed between any two of the touch switches.

5. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the engaging block is exposed to the outside of the base through the engaging trough.

6. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the lead screw rod is arranged to be perpendicular to an axis of the worm.

7. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the lead screw rod is arranged to be in parallel to an axis of the worm.

8. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the speed reduction mechanism further comprises a casing, the casing covering the worm and the worm wheel to be fixedly connected to the base.

9. A gear motor having a safety mechanism, including:

a motor body;

a speed reduction mechanism comprising a worm extending from the motor body and a worm wheel positioned to correspond to the worm and drivingly engaged therewith;

a transmission mechanism comprising a base fixed to the speed reduction mechanism, a lead screw rod pivotally connected to the base and rotatably driven by the worm wheel, and a nut threadedly connected to the lead screw rod to generate a linear movement; and

a touch switch electrically connected to the motor body, the touch switch being provided on one side of the lead screw rod to correspond to a travelling path of the nut, thereby stopping the running of the motor body when the nut contacts the touch switch,

wherein the transmission mechanism further includes a fixing element fixed to the base, and the touch switch is provided on the fixing element, and the fixing element has an adjustable screw rod in parallel to the lead screw rod, the base is provided with an engaging trough in parallel to the adjustable screw rod, the touch switch has a seat portion, the seat portion is provided with an engaging block, a through-hole, and inner threads formed inside the through-hole, the seat portion is threadedly connected to the adjustable screw rod via the inner threads, and the engaging block is slidably inserted into the engaging trough.

10. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 9, wherein the number of the touch switch and the adjustable screw rod is plural, each of the touch switches is threadedly connected to the corresponding adjustable screw rod, and a gap is formed between any two of the touch switches.

11. The gear motor having a safety mechanism according to claim 9, wherein the engaging block is exposed to the outside of the base through the engaging trough.