STRAIGHT GUIDE DRIVING DEVICE

Abstract: The straight guide driving device comprises a guide rail (3) fixedly attached to an immovable block such as the microscope body (1), a movable block such as a microscope tube block (4) mounted so as to be displaced along the guide rail (3) and a rack-pinion connection interposed between the immovable member (1) and the movable block (4) for driving the movable block (4). The rack-pinion connection has a pair of rack members (22a) which are fixedly attached to the movable block (4) and arranged respectively in the vicinity of both the opposite sides of the guide rail (3). Accordingly, the movable block (4) can perform straight movement with very high accuracy along the guide rail (3).

Description: The invention relates to a straight guide driving device as per the preamble of claim 1. A driving device of the said type is disclosed in US-A-4 676 608. The said document describes a vertical movement mechanism of a microscope assembly, which mecanism is designed as follows: The microscope assembly 10 is fixed to the Z axis slide 28 through the microscope mounting bracket 27. The Z axis slide 28 is vertically slid along the guide rails 30. The vertical movement of the Z axis slide 28 is conducted by moving the traveling nut 37 fixed to the Z axis slide 28 through the rotation of the lead screw 37. Such a mechanism, in which the traveling nut 37 is vertically moved by the rotation of the lead screw 37, involves the possibility that the rotation moment in one direction is produced at the traveling nut 37 to cause the Z axis slide 28 to be inclined. A similar device is disclosed in US-A-4 173 902. Thereby, a pinion shaft 6 interlocking with the rotations of the adjusting handles 2 and 13 is provided with the pinion 6b, which meshes with the rack 23 of the movable race 21 to which the stage 24 is attached. The movable race 21 is straight guided along the ball races 22. In this mechanism also, the rotation moment in one direction is produced by the engagement of the pinion 6b with the rack 23, so that the movable race 21 is guided in a state of inclination. It is the object of the present invention is to provide a straight guide driving device so adapted as to maintain high accuracy of the vertical movement of the movable member. This object is achieved by the invention as claimed. This and other objects as well as the features and the advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention wherein the straight guide driving device according to the present invention is assembled in a focusing device of a measuring microscope; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the II-II line in Fig. 1. Now, the present invention will be detailedly described with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the reference numeral 1 represents a focusing device block fixed to the microscope body 2, the reference numeral 3 designates a perpendicular guide rail which is fixedly attached to the focusing device block 1, the reference numeral 4 denotes a tube supporting block which is guided in the perpendicular direction by the guide rail 3 and prevented from coming out toward the microscopist (downward in Fig. 2) by a plural number of balls arranged between the tube supporting block and the guide rail 3, the reference numeral 6 represents a guide shaft attached to the inside of the tube supporting block 4, the reference numeral 7 designates a coil spring which is fitted around the guide shaft 6, and interposed between the ceiling of the tube supporting block 4 and a supporting arm 8 fixedly attached to the focusing device block 1 so as to urge the tube supporting block 4 upward for lessening the weight of a tube 10, and the reference numeral 9 denotes a tube holding plate which is fixed to the tube supporting block 4 for holding the tube 10. The reference numeral 11 represents a coarse/fine adjustment coaxial handle disposed in such a manner as to run through the focusing device block 1 in the horizontal direction, the reference numeral 12 designates a fine adjustment shaft to which fine adjustment handles 13 are fixedly attached, the reference numeral 14 denotes a tubular coarse adjustment shaft which is fitted rotatably in the fine adjustment shaft 12 and equipped with coarse adjustment handles 15 fixedly attached to both the ends thereof, the reference numeral 16 represents a tubular driving shaft which is rotatably fitted over the coarse adjustment shaft 14 and has a pinion 16a formed at the center thereof, the reference numeral 17 designates a reduction gear mechanism which has intermediate gears, etc. pivoted to the coarse adjustment handle 15 and is interposed between the fine adjustment handle 13 and the driving shaft 16, the reference numeral 18 denotes a handle tube which is rotatably fitted over the driving shaft 16 so as to roratably support the driving shaft 16, fixed to the focusing device block 1 and has a cut-off portion at the central front side thereof (the central lower side in Fig. 2), the reference numeral 19 represents a frictional resistance imparting handle which is screwed over the handle tube 18, functions to impart frictional resistance to the coarse adjustment handle 15 with an elastic pressing member 19a interposed between the coarse adjustment handle 15 and the frictional resistance imparting handle 19, and so designed as to be rotated for adjusting frictional resistance, the reference numeral 20 designates a lock handle so adapted as to stop the coarse adjustment handle 15 always at an optional position when the coarse adjustment handle 15 is turned in the reverse direction and then in the normal direction with a handle 20e tightened at an optional position to lock a ring 20b though the ring 20b is normally rotated as the coarse adjustment handle 15 is rotated since a pin 20a fixedly attached to the coarse adjustment handle 15 is connected to the ring 20b loosely fitted over the handle tube 18 and is in contact with a pin 20d connected to the pin 20a through a coil spring 20c, and the reference numeral 21 denotes an elastic pressing member which is interposed between the fine adjustment handle 13 and the coarse adjustment handle 15, and is so designed as to impart an adequate degree of frictional resistance between both the handles. In addition, the lock handle 20 is positioned reversely between Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 for convenience of tracing. When the fine adjustment handle 13 is rotated, the driving shaft 16 is rotated at a reduced speed by way of the reduction gear mechanism 17. When the coarse adjustment handle 15 is rotated, the driving shaft 16 is rotated in the directly coupled condition without functioning the reduction gear mechanism 17 and, when the lock handle 20 is further tightened at an adequate position, the rotation of the coarse adjustment handle 15 is restricted at that position. The reference numeral 22 represents a rack member fixed to the tube supporting block 4 and having a pair of racks 22a which are located on the right and left sides respectively of the guide rail 3 and engaged with the pinion 16a of the driving shaft 16. The reference numeral 23 designates an optical rangefinder which consists of a scale 24 fixed to the focusing device block 1, a head 25 fixed to the tube supporting block 4, and an index 24 supported on the head 25 and arranged in the vicinity of the scale 24 with a narrow space reserved therefrom, said optical rangefinder being used for detecting displacement distance of the tube supporting block 4, i.e., displacement distance of the tube 10. In the embodiment having the formation described above, when the rack member 22 is driven upward with the pinion 16a of the driving shaft 16 by turning either the coarse adjustment handle 15 or the fine adjustment handle 13 of the coarse/fine adjustment coaxial handle 11, for example, in the clockwise direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1), turning moments are produced in the right and left racks 22a and 22a respectively around the center axis 3a of the guide rail 3 in the directions indicated by the arrows M and M respectively in Fig. 1, but these turning moments are in the directions opposite to each other and cancelled with each other. When the coarse adjustment handle 15 or the fine adjustment handle 13 is turned in the counter-clockwide direction (the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1), turning moments are produced in the right and left racks 22a and 22a in the directions opposite to those indicated by the reference symbols M and M respectively and cancelled with each other in the similar manner. Accordingly, the tube supporting block 4 is not deviated in the horizontal direction during its vertical movement and can maintain high accuracy for its straight motion, thereby eliminating the fear of measuring errors to be produced due to deviation of the center axis of the tube 10. Further, since high accuracy is maintained for the vertical movement of the tube supporting block 4, the space between the optical rangefinder 23 and the index 24 is maintained with high accuracy so as to improve measuring accuracy. Furthermore, the load produced by the microscope tube which has conventionally been supported by a single rack is shared between a pair of racks 22a and 22a, thereby producing an effect to reduce wearing of the racks 22a. Moreover, the straight guide driving device according to the present invention can be designed as a horizontal driving type unlike the embodiment described above. In addition, the straight guide driving device according to the present invention can be equipped, as the driving means, with two right and left ball screws running through and screwed in the movable member which are to be turned synchronously for driving.

Claims: A straight guide driving device, comprising guide means (3) fixedly attached to a stationary member (1), a movable block (4) mounted so as to be guided by said guide means, and driving force transmitting means arranged between said stationary member and said movable block to move said movable block (4), said driving force transmitting means comprising a driving shaft (16) having a pinion (16a) formed thereon and a rack member (22) secured to said movable block, characterized by having two racks (22a, 22a) located respectively in the vicinity of opposite sides of said guide means (3), said two racks (22a, 22a) being engaged with said pinion (16a). A straight guide driving device according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising an optical rangefinder (23) consisting of a head (25) fixed to said movable block, an index (26) supported on said head, and a scale (24) attached to said stationary member (1) and cooperating with said index, to detect displacement distance of said movable block (4).

Inventors: HASHIMOTO, TETSUYA, MAKI, TAKAO
Applicants: OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO., LTD.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G01B9
IPC codes: F16H19, G01B9, G02B21