Positioner For Adjusting Inclination And Position Of An Object From One Direction

Abstract

A positioner for adjusting inclination and position of an object from one control direction, in which inclination of the object along the control direction is adjusted by rotating in the same direction gear pieces respectively attached at opposide ends of the object by means of two rotation shafts provided in parallel so as to be meshed respectively with the gear pieces in response to rotation of a first control shaft, which is provided in the control direction and engaged with the two rotation shafts to drive them in the same rotation direction. The slide movement of the object along a direction perpendicular to the control direction is controlled by sliding the gear pieces along the two rotation shafts in response to the rotation of a second control shafts, which is provided in the control direction and engaged with the gear pieces through a gear mechanism. The inclination of the object along a direction perpendicular to the control direction is controlled by slidably supporting the object at opposide ends by supporting shafts on the same axis and by rotating the object about the axis in response to a control shaft, which is provided on one of the gear pieces along the control direction to rotate the object through a gear mechanism. The slide movement of the object along the control direction is controlled by shifting the object along the supporting shafts by use of screw mechanism between one of the gear pieces and one of the supporting shafts in response to rotation of a control shaft, which is provided on the one of the gear pieces along the control direction to totate the one of the supporting shafts through a gear mechanism.

Description

This invention relates to a positioner employed mainly for freely moving and selecting the set position of a focusing coil, a deflection coil or the like in a cathode-ray tube.

In a flying spot Braun tube widely used in information processing equipments in recent years or in a cathode-ray tube for electronic photography, commonly referred to as OFT, it is necessary to precisely adjust the set position of a focusing coil, a deflection coil or the like for obtaining an optimum picture on the screen of the Braun tube or the OFT. This adjustment is required to cover three dimensional movement and forward, backward and lateral inclination of the object. In a conventional positioner, an inner ring and an intermediate ring are employed. The neck portion of a cathode-ray tube and a coil are supported in the inner ring, which is supported by the intermediate ring by the use of first two supporting shafts arranged along a first line. The intermediate ring is supported by an outer frame by the use of second two supporting shafts arranged along a second line, which intersects at right angles with the afore-mentioned line. With such a construction, however, adjustment from at least two directions, that is, from the front and one side of the coil is necessary to achieve adjustment of its forward, backward and lateral inclination and of its two dimensional position along the above two lines. Moreover, the structure inevitably becomes bulky. Since the cathode-ray tube is usually enclosed in a shield case or the like as of perpalloy, the position-and-inclination adjustment of the coil is generally very difficult, and it is usually impossible to achieve the adjustment from two directions when the cathode-ray tube is housed in the case.

Therefore, the position and inclination adjustment of the coil requires removal of the cathode-ray tube from the case. However, this makes it difficult to achieve the adjustment at the operating condition of the cathode-ray tube, and this presents a serious problem in the practice of the position and inclination adjustment of the coil.

An object of this invention is to provide a positioner capable of adjusting from one direction at least two dimensional position and/or forward, backward and/or lateral inclination of an object to be controlled.

The construction and operations of the present invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along a line II--II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a right side view including a section illustrating a modification of a part of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view including a section illustrating a part of the modification shown in FIG. 3.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a positioner of this invention has a control shaft 19 provided on one marginal portion of a frame 12. A rotation shaft 19a is coupled through a gear box 20a with the right-hand end of the control shaft 19 at right angles and driven with rotation of the shaft 19. A rotation shaft 19b is coupled through a gear box 20 with the left-hand end of the control shaft 19 at right angles and driven with the rotation of the control shaft 19. The rotation shafts 19a and 19b are respectively disposed on the right- and left-hand marginal portions of the frame 12 in parallel relation to each other.

A retaining ring 8 for holding by three screwed bolts 8a, 8b and 8c the object to be controlled is supported at both sides thereof by respective one ends of supporting shafts 9 and 9a disposed diametrically opposite to each other with respect to the ring 8 along an axis of rotation. The other ends of the supporting shafts 9 and 9a are provided respectively with gear pieces 10 and 10a, each of which is a part of a gear wheel. In this case, the left-hand gear piece 10 is fixed to a gear base 30a formed integrally with the supporting shaft 9, and the supporting shaft 9 is supported in a hole of the retaining ring 8 in such a manner so as to be freely movable along the direction of the hole. At the right hand, the supporting shaft 9a is rotatably engaged with a hole of the retaining ring 8 at one end thereof and has a screw coupled to a gear base 30 at the other end thereof.

Further, a control shaft 13 is disposed on the frame 12 at the opposite side of the aforementioned shaft 19 in parallel relation thereto. A control shaft 19c is coupled through a rack 14a thereon with the right-hand end of the control shaft 13 at right angles to each other, so that the sliding movement of the control shaft 19c is controlled by rotation of the shaft 13. A pinion gear 11a mounted on the control shaft 19a is linked with a holder box 15a of the gear piece 10a. A control shaft 19d is linked through a rack 14 thereon with the left-hand end of the control shaft 13 at right angles to each other, so that the sliding movement of the control shaft 19d is controlled by rotation of the shaft 13. A pinion gear 11 mounted on the control shaft 19b is slidably coupled with a holder box 15 of the gear piece 10. The holder boxes 15 and 15a hold the gear bases 30 and 30a respectively. The resilient force of a coil spring 32 acts between the gear base 30a and the retaining ring 8.

A gear 17a provided on a control shaft 17 passing through the upper end portion of the gear base 30 is meshed with a gear 18 provided on the upper part of the right-hand end portion of the retaining ring 8. A gear 16a on a control shaft 16 passing through the lower end portion of the gear base 30 is meshed with a gear 9a-1 fixed to the supporting shaft 9a.

With such a construction as mentioned above, the object seated in the hole of the retaining ring 8 can be moved in the forward and backward directions along a line A by rotating the shaft 13 to move the holder boxes 15 and 15a of the gear pieces 10 and 10a through the rack 14 and 14a, since the gear pieces 10 and 10a and the pinion gears 11 and 11a are thereby caused to slide to each other. Furthermore, the lateral movement of the object perpendicular to the line A can be achieved by rotating the shaft 16 to drive shaft 9a through the gears 16a and 9a-1 to slide the shaft 9a and the retaining ring 8 against the gear base 30, since the screwed end of the shaft 9a is meshed with the gear base 30. The forward and backward inclination of the object along the line A is achieved by rotating the shaft 17 to cause the retaining ring 8 to rotate about the shafts 9 and 9a through the gears 17a and 18. For controlling the lateral inclination of the object about the line A, the control shaft 19 is rotated to rotate the pinion gears 11 and 11a through the gear boxes 20 and 20a in synchronism with each other and hence to shift the coupling relationship between the gear pieces 10 and 10a and the pinion gears 11 and 11a, so that the retaining ring 8 can be rotated about an imaginary axis A of rotation.

The frame 12 has four holes 21a 21b, 22 a and 22b at the four corner portions to pass respectively four supporting shafts in the perpendicular direction thereto. The holes 21a, 21b, 22a and 22b are larger in diameter than the passed shafts by one milli-meter or so. Further, grooves 23 and 24 are formed to extend between the holes 21a and 21b and between the holes 22a and 22b respectively to receive push rods 25 and 26 respectively. The length of each of the push rods 25 and 26 is longer by one to one point 5 milli-meters than the inner distance between the holes 21a and 21b or between the holes 22a and 22b. Therefore, if set screws 27 and 28 are rotated, the supporting shafts inserted in the holes 21b and 22b are pushed by the set screws 27 and 28 respectively, so that the push rods 25 and 26 are pushed and then the supporting shafts passing through the holes 21a and 22a are fixed therein by the other ends of the push rods 25 and 26. Namely, fixing of the vertical position of the frame 12 on the four supporting shafts can also be achieved by adjusting the two set screws from only one direction.

With reference to FIG. 3, the control shaft 13 may be meshed with the control shaft 19c (or 19d) by a worm gear mechanism, while the screwed portion 19c-1 of the control shaft 19c is meshed to the screwed hole 15-1 of the gear box 15. Accordingly, the gear box 15a can be slid along a groove 29 in the frame 12 in response to rotation of the shaft 19c caused by the rotation of the control shaft 13. The pinion gear 11a is held in the hole 15a -3 of the gear box 15. Moreover, the gear 18 may be indirectly rotated as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 by a control shaft 17-3 through a worm gear mechanism including a gear 17-3a, in which a shaft 17-1 is rotated through a gear 17-2 thereon by rotating the control shaft 17-3 while a rack 17-4 meshed with the geat 18 is shifted through a screw 17-5 meshed with the rack 17-4 in response to the rotation of the shaft 17-1. The rotation angle of the gear 18 with respect to the rotation angle of the control shaft 17-3 is extremely reduced in comparison with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As mentioned above, all the operations for adjusting three dimensional positions and forward, backward and lateral inclinations can be effected from one control direction by the above simple mechanism in accordance with this invention. Moreover, the above adjustment is possible while an object to be controlled is under an operative condition. Accordingly, this invention is very advantageous in practical use.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A positioner comprising, a support element on which an object to be positioned in three dimensions is disposed, means defining an axis of rotation for said support element terminating in two axially spaced gear sectors for tilting said axis of rotation about a second axis normal to the axis of rotation, means comprising gear means meshing with said gear sectors for tilting said axis of rotation, means to translate said means defining said axis of rotation to translate said axis of rotation along said second axis in two opposite directions, means to translate said means defining said axis of rotation laterally along said axis of rotation thereby to translate said support element laterally in opposite directions, and means to rotate said means defining said axis of rotation about said axis of rotation, whereby said support element is adjustably positionable in three dimensions.

2. A positioner according to claim 1, in which said support element comprises two axially spaced bores, said means defining said axis of rotation comprising two shafts each disposed in one of said bores and terminating in said gear sectors, said means for tilting said axis of rotation comprising two parallel shafts each having a pinion gear meshing with one of said gear sectors, a third control shaft for rotating said two parallel shafts, and gears coupling said third control shaft and said parallel shafts.

3. A positioner according to claim 2, in which said means to translate said axis of rotation comprises gear boxes at opposite ends of the axis of rotation each mounting one of said pinion gears and being slidable relative thereto, a pair of parallel gear racks coupled to corresponding ones of the gear boxes, and a rotatable rod having gears thereon meshing with said gear racks for moving them jointly longitudinally thereby to translate said support element in opposite directions along said second axis.

4. A positioner according to claim 3, in which said means to translate said means defining said axis of rotation comprises a gear element, a shaft coupled to said support element defining a part of said axis of rotation, and threaded in said gear base element, means to rotate said shaft in opposite directions to move it axially relative to said gear base element thereby to translate said support element laterally in opposite directions along said axis of rotation.

5. A positioner according to claim 4, in which said means to rotate said means defining said axis of rotation comprises a gear coupled to said shaft defining a part of said axis of rotation, a drive gear meshing with the last-mentioned gear, means rotatably supporting said drive gear on said gear base element, and means to rotate said drive gear thereby to rotate said shaft.

6. A positioner according to claim 1, including a base having four openings adjacent corners thereof for receiving removable legs therethrough, and means to tighten said legs when disposed in said openings.

7. A positioner according to claim 1, in which said means comprising gear means meshing with said gear sectors for tilting said axis of rotation comprises for each gear sector a threaded element adjacent a corresponding gear sector and a gear having a threaded bore receiving said threaded element, each threaded element having a worm gear thereon, and a shaft having a worm gear meshing with the first-mentioned worm gear for moving said threaded gear axially on said threaded element.