X-Y carriage moving system

Abstract

A bracket having an arm extending therefrom is securely attached, at a base end thereof, to a first belt passed around a pair of pulleys, and a second belt is passed around another pair of pulleys and guided along the length of the arm by rollers or the like. A carriage is securely attached to a part of the second belt extending along the length of the arm. Therefore, by moving the first belt, the arm is moved along the length of the first belt or in the X-direction. By moving the second belt while keeping the first belt stationary, the carriage is moved along the length of the arm or in the Y-direction. Thus, the carriage can be moved to an arbitrary point along a desired path in a X-Y coordinate system by individually moving the first and second belts in an appropriate manner. Since the actuators such as electric motors for actuating the belts for effecting the movement of the carriage can be secured to a stationary base, the mass of the moveable parts can be reduced with the result that the response speed of the system can be increased, and the load on the guide system for the various moveable parts can be reduced.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.