Roller chain outer plate links including a cable support portion are disclosed. Example roller chain outer plate links include a link portion, a cable support portion oriented projecting from an outer face of the link portion, and a joint at one of the lead/tail ends of the link portion. The link portion, joint, and cable support portions each comprise portions integral with remaining portions of the outer plate link. Cable support portions of the roller chain outer plate links support a cable extending between components of an apparatus.

The telescopic adjuster includes a telescopic rod assembly, a driving unit, and a chain. The telescopic rod assembly includes a fixed tube and a driving tube, where the fixed tube is sleeved over the driving tube or the driving tube is sleeved over the fixed tube, the fixed tube is fixed to a housing, and the driving tube can extend or retract relative to the fixed tube. The driving unit includes a first motor and a first gear, where the first motor is configured to drive the first gear. The chain has one end wound around the first gear and the other end fixed to a top end of the driving tube. When the first motor drives the first gear to rotate, the first gear drives the chain to push or pull the driving tube so that the driving tube extends or retracts relative to the fixed tube.

A linear guide system has at least a first rail element and a second rail element, which are mounted to be linearly slidable opposite one another in and counter to an extraction direction, a linear drive, which includes a rotatable drive shaft and an electric motor configured for the transmission of a torque to the drive shaft. The linear drive is configured such that a rotational movement of the drive shaft causes a linear movement of the first and second rail elements relative to one another in or counter to the extraction direction. A locking element is provided, which can be set and reset between an unlocked position and a locked position, which, for blocking the rotational movement of the drive shaft in the locked position, is configured so as to engage in a form-locking or force-locking manner with an engaging element connected to the drive shaft in a rotationally fixed manner or configured as a portion of the drive shaft. An actuator is provided, which is configured for setting the locking element towards the engaging element from the unlocked position into the locked position, as well as for resetting the locking element from the locked position into the unlocked position.

The spiral advancing and retreating operation device forms a tubular telescopic body by spirally wrapping a first belt member and a second belt member disposed inside the first belt member around a common axis line in an overlapping manner in a state in which the first belt member and the second belt member are displaced from each other in a direction of the axis line, in which the first belt member includes a first row of engagement protrusions and a second row of engagement protrusions, the second belt member includes a first row of engagement parts and a second row of engagement parts.

A robot arm mechanism is capable of preventing a first piece string from colliding with a support column inner wall in the robot arm mechanism having a linear extension and retraction joint. The robot arm mechanism includes a plurality of first pieces that are connected in a string shape and a plurality of second pieces that are connected in a string shape, a feed mechanism section that supports the first and second strings movably forward and backward, a storage section in a square cylinder shape that stores the first pieces and the second pieces, and a guide that guides reciprocating movement of the first pieces between the feed mechanism section and the storage section from outside of the first pieces. The guide has a plurality of guide pieces that are connected bendably in mutual front and rear end surfaces to deform in accordance with rising and lowering movement of a rising and lowering rotation joint, and the guide hangs into the storage section from a tip position where the guide is fixed to the feed mechanism section.

A linear extension and retraction mechanism that is mounted in a robot arm mechanism includes: a plurality of first pieces having a flat plate shape which are bendably connected to each other at front and rear end faces; a plurality of second pieces having a groove shape which are bendably connected to each other at front and rear end faces of a bottom part, with the first and second pieces becoming linearly rigid when superposed, and the first and second pieces returning to a bent state when separated from each other; a head section which joins a leading first piece of the plurality of first pieces and a leading second piece of the plurality of second pieces; and a sending-out mechanism section including a plurality of rollers and for firmly superposing the first and second pieces and supporting the first and second pieces movably to front and rear. At least one groove section that extends from front to rear is formed in the surfaces of the first and second pieces that contact the rollers.

The present invention relates to a linear actuator comprised of a tube and method of deploying 3 spools of strips into a tube by consolidating the strips in an overlapping condition with each other each in a helical form of a constant diameter.

The invention relates a linear pull-out unit (1), in particular for a robot (5), having at least one telescopic pull-out (5), which has at least one guide rail (2, 3) and at least one lift truck (4, 5, 6), wherein the guide rail (2; 3) and the lift truck (4, 5; 6) are displaceably arranged relative to one another in a direction of displacement (x).

In order to achieve long stroke lengths with the shortest possible overall length, while ensuring precise and reliable guidance and enabling low-failure operation, the telescopic pull-out (5) is designed in three stages, wherein the first stage (9) has a first guide rail (2), the second stage (10) a second guide rail (3) and the third stage (11) a third lift truck (6).

A linear extension and retraction mechanism includes: a plurality of first pieces coupled together bendably; a plurality of second pieces coupled together bendably; a plurality of rollers adapted to join together the first pieces and the second pieces, forming a columnar body, and support the columnar body movably back and forth; a drive gear adapted to move the first pieces and the second pieces back and forth; and a motor unit adapted to generate power for rotating the drive gear. On a surface on a side where each of the first pieces is joined to a corresponding one of the second pieces, the first piece includes a linear gear to be meshed with the drive gear as well as a protrusion installed by protruding toward the second piece side. At least one third piece is bendably connected to a rearmost one of the plurality of first pieces.

An up/down section 4 of a robot arm mechanism includes: a pair of side frames disposed on a rotating section of a turning rotary joint; a cylindrical body supported in an axially rotatable manner by the side frames; a motor unit including a motor and a gearbox for rotationally driving the cylindrical body; connecting sections for connecting with an arm support body that movably supports an arm section; and a guide structure for guiding second pieces that were separated from first pieces into a columnar support section. The motor unit, connecting sections and guide structure are integrated with the cylindrical body. The motor unit is housed inside the cylindrical body, and an output shaft of the motor unit is connected to one of the side frames. The connecting sections are fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body. The guide structure is an annular body provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body.