CN111656119A

CN111656119A - Heat treatment furnace

Info

Publication number: CN111656119A
Application number: CN201880085824.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 山田丰
Original assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd; NGK Kilntech Corp
Current assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd; NGK Kilntech Corp
Priority date: 2018-01-11
Filing date: 2018-12-26
Publication date: 2020-09-11
Also published as: WO2019138887A1; JP6948408B2; JPWO2019138887A1; TW201932775A; TWI768165B

Abstract

The heat treatment furnace of the present invention performs heat treatment on an object to be treated. The heat treatment furnace is provided with: a heat treatment unit having a space for heat-treating an object to be treated; a carrying-out section for carrying out the object to be processed from the heat treatment section; and a plurality of conveying rollers which are arranged in the heat treatment part and convey the processed object. The conveying rollers can arrange and place a plurality of objects to be processed in a second direction which is horizontal and perpendicular to a first direction as a conveying direction. The carrying-out section is configured to carry, out toward the outside, 1 or 2 of the plurality of objects to be processed placed in a row in the second direction, with respect to the object to be processed placed on the inside of the 1 or 2 objects to be processed.

Description

Heat treatment furnace

Technical Field

The technology disclosed in the present specification relates to a heat treatment furnace for heat-treating an object to be treated.

Background

The object to be treated may be heat-treated in a heat treatment furnace (e.g., a roller hearth furnace). Such a heat treatment furnace is provided with a plurality of conveying rollers, and conveys an object to be treated by rotating the conveying rollers in a state where the object is placed on the conveying rollers. An example of a heat treatment furnace is disclosed in, for example, Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-64189.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In such a heat treatment furnace, in order to improve productivity, a plurality of objects to be treated are placed in a direction (hereinafter, also referred to as a second direction) perpendicular to and horizontal to a conveying direction (hereinafter, also referred to as a first direction) on conveying rollers, and the plurality of objects to be treated are conveyed simultaneously. In this case, the plurality of objects to be processed are simultaneously carried into the heat treatment furnace in a state of being arranged in the second direction. Then, the plurality of objects to be processed are conveyed in the heat treatment furnace by the conveying rollers and are carried out of the heat treatment furnace. Since the plurality of objects to be processed arranged in the second direction are conveyed by the same conveying roller, the objects to be processed should ideally be carried out in a state of being carried in from the heat treatment furnace. However, when the object to be processed is placed on the conveying rollers, the conveying rollers may be deflected by the weight of the object to be processed, and the deflection may be larger as the deflection is closer to the central portion of the conveying rollers. Therefore, the object to be processed placed on the outer side of the conveying roller is likely to incline inward, and when the object to be processed is carried out of the heat treatment furnace, the object to be processed placed on the inner side comes into contact with the object to be processed, thereby causing a problem that the conveyance of the object to be processed on the inner side is hindered. If the object to be processed disposed on the outer side interferes with the conveyance of the object to be processed disposed on the inner side, the object to be processed cannot be conveyed out of the heat treatment furnace in a state where a plurality of objects to be processed are aligned. This problem is particularly significant in a heat treatment furnace having a long conveyance distance of the object to be treated.

The present specification discloses a technique for avoiding a situation in which a plurality of objects to be processed placed in a horizontal direction and in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction (second direction) contact each other when the objects to be processed are conveyed out of a heat treatment furnace.

Means for solving the problems

The heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification performs heat treatment on an object to be treated. The heat treatment furnace is provided with: a heat treatment unit having a space for heat-treating an object to be treated; a carrying-out section for carrying out the object to be processed from the heat treatment section; and a plurality of conveying rollers which are arranged in the heat treatment part and convey the processed object. The conveying rollers can arrange and place a plurality of objects to be processed in a second direction which is horizontal and perpendicular to a first direction as a conveying direction. The carrying-out section is configured to carry 1 or 2 of the plurality of objects to be processed placed in the second direction, the 1 or 2 objects to be processed being placed on the outer side, to the outer side with respect to the object to be processed being placed on the inner side with respect to the 1 or 2 objects to be processed.

In the heat treatment furnace described above, the outer object to be treated (the object to be treated disposed on the end portion side of the conveying roller) is conveyed outward relative to the inner object to be treated (the object to be treated disposed near the center of the conveying roller) in the carrying-out portion, and therefore, the outer object to be treated carried out of the heat treatment furnace can be prevented from coming into contact with the inner object to be treated. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the case where the conveyance (travel) of the inside object to be processed is hindered by the outside object to be processed, and thus the object to be processed after the heat treatment can be easily recovered. Further, since the conveyance of the object to be processed inside the carrying-out section can be prevented from contacting the object to be processed outside, the object to be processed can be prevented from being damaged.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment furnace according to an embodiment, and is a vertical cross-sectional view when the heat treatment furnace is cut along a plane parallel to a conveyance direction of a workpiece.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of a schematic configuration of the carrying-out section.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a direction in which the object to be processed is conveyed in the heat treatment unit.

Detailed Description

The main features of the embodiments described below are listed in advance. The technical elements described below are independent technical elements, and can exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing.

(feature 1) in the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the carrying-out section may include a stopper for aligning the plurality of objects to be treated placed in the second direction so that the positions in the first direction are the same. According to such a configuration, the objects to be processed can be aligned in the first direction (i.e., the conveying direction), and therefore the objects to be processed can be easily collected.

(feature 2) in the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the carrying-out section may be provided with a carrying roller for carrying the plurality of objects to be treated carried out of the heat treatment section. The conveying roller provided in the carrying-out section may include a partial conveying roller divided into a plurality of parts in the second direction. The partial conveying rollers provided on the outer side among the divided partial conveying rollers may be configured to convey the object to be processed toward the outer side. With this configuration, the conveyance direction of the object to be processed in the carry-out section can be easily adjusted by dividing the conveyance roller of the carry-out section.

(feature 3) in the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the axial length of the partial conveying rollers provided on the outer side may be longer than the axial length of the partial conveying rollers provided on the inner side. With this configuration, the object to be processed conveyed by the partial conveying rollers provided on the outer side can be prevented from flying out of the partial conveying rollers.

Examples

The heat treatment furnace 10 according to the embodiment will be described below. As shown in fig. 1, the heat treatment furnace 10 includes: a heat treatment unit 20, a loading unit 34, a loading unit 40, and a conveying device 50. The heat treatment furnace 10 performs heat treatment on the object 12 while the object 12 is conveyed by the conveying device 50 in the heat treatment unit 20.

Examples of the object 12 include a laminate in which a ceramic dielectric (substrate) and an electrode are laminated, and a positive electrode material or a negative electrode material of a lithium ion battery. When the ceramic laminate is heat-treated in the heat treatment furnace 10, the ceramic laminate can be placed on a flat plate-like setter and transported in the furnace. When the positive electrode material or the negative electrode material of the lithium ion battery is heat-treated in the heat treatment furnace 10, the positive electrode material or the negative electrode material can be stored in a box-shaped sagger and transported in the furnace. In the heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment, a plurality of setter plates and saggers can be placed on and conveyed by

conveying rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, and 58 (described later) in a state of being aligned in a conveying direction. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the whole of the heat-treated material and the setter on which the heat-treated material is placed or the sagger which accommodates the heat-treated material is referred to as the "object to be treated 12". In the following description, a direction in which the object 12 is conveyed (a direction perpendicular to the YZ plane of fig. 1) may be referred to as a "conveying direction" or a "first direction", and a direction horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction (a direction perpendicular to the XZ plane of fig. 1) may be referred to as a "second direction".

The heat treatment unit 20 includes a substantially rectangular box-shaped furnace body, and a space 24 surrounded on the periphery by an outer wall 22 is provided inside the furnace body. An opening 26 is formed in a front end surface (end surface on the-X side in fig. 1) of the outer wall 22, and an opening 28 is formed in a rear end surface (end surface on the + X side in fig. 1) of the outer wall 22. The object 12 to be processed is conveyed from the opening 26 into the heat treatment unit 20 by the conveying device 50, and is conveyed from the opening 28 to the outside of the heat treatment unit 20. That is, the opening 26 is used as a carrying-in port of the heat treatment section 20, and the opening 28 is used as a carrying-out port of the heat treatment section 20.

A plurality of conveying rollers 52 and a plurality of

heaters

30 and 32 are disposed in the space 24. The heaters 30 are disposed at equal intervals in the conveying direction at positions above the conveying rollers 52, and the heaters 32 are disposed at equal intervals in the conveying direction at positions below the conveying rollers 52. The space 24 is heated by the heat generated by the

heaters

30 and 32. In the present embodiment, the

heaters

30 and 32 are disposed at equal intervals in the conveying direction, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The heater may be disposed at a desired position by appropriately changing the heater according to, for example, the type of the object 12 to be processed, the heat treatment conditions of the heat treatment unit 20, and the like. In the present embodiment, the

heaters

30 and 32 are disposed in the space 24, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. As long as heating can be performed in the space 24, for example, a gas burner or the like may be provided in the space 24.

As shown in fig. 2, in the heat treatment unit 20, a plurality of the objects 12 to be treated are arranged in the second direction and conveyed. In the present embodiment, 3 objects to be processed 12 are arranged in the second direction and conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20 (i.e., the entire heat treatment furnace 10). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the dimension of the heat treatment unit 20 in the second direction is larger than the dimension in which 3 objects to be treated 12 are aligned in the second direction, but the dimension of the heat treatment unit 20 in the second direction is not particularly limited. The dimension of the heat treatment unit 20 in the second direction may be a size in which more than 3 objects 12 to be treated can be arranged and conveyed in the second direction, for example, a size in which 4 objects 12 to be treated can be arranged and conveyed in the second direction, a size in which 5 objects 12 to be treated can be arranged and conveyed, or a size in which 6 objects 12 to be treated can be arranged and conveyed. The dimension of the heat treatment unit 20 in the conveyance direction is relatively large, and is about 100m, but the dimension of the heat treatment unit 20 in the conveyance direction is not particularly limited. For example, the dimension of the heat treatment unit 20 in the conveyance direction may be smaller than 100m, may be 30m to 100m, or may be larger than 100 m. In the following description, the center side in the second direction when the objects 12 are arranged in plural in the second direction may be referred to as "inner side", and the end side (+ Y direction and — Y direction) with respect to the center in the second direction may be referred to as "outer side". The object 12 to be treated is continuously carried into the heat treatment unit 20 at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the objects 12 are arranged not only in the second direction but also in the conveying direction.

The carrying-in unit 34 is located upstream of the heat treatment unit 20 (i.e., upstream in the carrying direction, which is the-X direction of the heat treatment unit 20 in fig. 1). The loading unit 34 receives the object 12 to be processed conveyed from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10, and loads the received object 12 to be processed into the space 24 of the heat treatment unit 20. The carrying-in part 34 is provided with a conveying roller 52, and the object 12 to be treated conveyed from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10 is conveyed by the conveying roller 52.

The carry-out section 40 is located on the downstream side of the heat treatment section 20 (i.e., on the downstream side in the conveying direction, which is the + X direction of the heat treatment section 20 in fig. 1). The carrying-out section 40 carries out the object 12 from the space 24 of the heat treatment section 20, and hands over the carried-out object 12 to the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10. The carrying-out section 40 is provided with conveying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, and 58, and the object 12 is conveyed out of the space 24 by the conveying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, and 58. The specific configuration of the carry-out section 40 will be described in detail later.

The conveying device 50 includes a plurality of conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, and 58, a driving device 60, and a control device 62. The conveying device 50 conveys the object 12 to be processed, which is conveyed to the carry-in part 34, from the carry-in part 34 into the space 24 of the heat treatment part 20 through the opening 26. Further, the carrying device 50 carries the object 12 to be processed from the opening 26 to the opening 28 in the space 24. Then, the conveying device 50 conveys the object 12 to be processed from the space 24 to the carry-out section 40 through the opening 28. The object 12 is conveyed from the carry-in section 34 to the carry-out section 40 by the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58.

The conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 are cylindrical and all have substantially the same diameter. The conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 are supported rotatably about their axes, and are rotated by the driving force of the transmission driving device 60.

The plurality of conveying rollers 52 are provided in the carrying-in section 34 and the heat treatment section 20, respectively (see fig. 1). As shown in fig. 2, the axes of the conveying rollers 52 extend in the second direction, and the dimension of the plurality of conveying rollers 52 in the axial direction is larger than the dimension of the heat treatment portion 20 in the second direction. The plurality of conveying rollers 52 are arranged at regular intervals in the conveying direction (see fig. 1). The conveying rollers 52 provided in the heat treatment unit 20 and the conveying rollers 52 provided in the loading unit 34 may be arranged at different pitches.

A plurality of conveying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, and 58 are disposed in the carry-out section 40 (see fig. 3). The dimension in the axial direction of the conveying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, 58 is smaller than the dimension in the axial direction of the conveying roller 52. The arrangement of the conveying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, 58 in the carry-out section 40 will be described in detail later.

The driving device 60 (see fig. 1) is a driving device (for example, a motor) that drives the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58. The driving device 60 is connected to the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 via a power transmission mechanism. When the driving force of the driving device 60 is transmitted to the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 via the power transmission mechanism, the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 rotate. As the power transmission mechanism, a known power transmission mechanism, for example, a mechanism using a sprocket and a chain, can be used. The driving device 60 drives the respective conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 so that the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 rotate at substantially the same speed. The drive means 60 is controlled by a control means 62.

Here, the structure of the carry-out section 40 will be described in detail. As shown in fig. 3, the carrying-out section 40 is provided with a first conveying section 42 and a second conveying section 44. The carry-out section 40 is provided with the conveying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, 58 and the stopper 46. In fig. 3, among the 3 objects to be processed 12 placed in a row in the second direction, the object to be processed placed at the center (inside) in the second direction is defined as an object to be processed 12a, the object to be processed placed on the + Y direction side in the second direction is defined as an object to be processed 12b, and the object to be processed placed on the-Y direction side in the second direction is defined as an object to be processed 12 c. Hereinafter, the letters along the letters are used for description as in the case of the objects 12a to 12c when the objects 12 need to be distinguished, and only the objects 12 are described when the objects 12 need not be distinguished.

The first conveying unit 42 is located upstream (on the-X direction side in fig. 3) of the second conveying unit 44. The first conveyance unit 42 is connected to the heat treatment unit 20 and receives the object 12 to be processed carried out of the heat treatment unit 20. The first conveying unit 42 is provided with conveying

rollers

54, 56a, and 56 b. The second conveying unit 44 is located on the downstream side (the + X direction side in fig. 3) of the first conveying unit 42. The second conveying unit 44 is connected to the first conveying unit 42 and receives the object 12 conveyed by the first conveying unit 42. The second conveying unit 44 is provided with conveying

rollers

54 and 58.

The conveying rollers 54 are provided in plural numbers in the first conveying unit 42 and the second conveying unit 44, respectively, that is, in plural numbers over the entire area of the carry-out unit 40. The conveying roller 54 is disposed substantially at the center in the second direction, and its axis extends parallel to the second direction. The plurality of conveying rollers 54 are arranged at regular intervals in the conveying direction (X direction in fig. 3). The pitch of the conveying rollers 54 is the same as the pitch of the conveying rollers 52 provided in the heat treatment unit 20 and the carrying-in unit 34. The conveying rollers 54 may be arranged at a pitch different from the conveying rollers 52 provided in the heat treatment unit 20 and the carrying-in unit 34. As described above, the dimension of the conveying rollers 54 in the axial direction is smaller than the dimension of the conveying rollers 52 (see fig. 2) in the axial direction. When the carrying-out section 40 is viewed in the carrying direction, all the carrying rollers 54 are arranged to be substantially uniform. The conveying roller 54 receives the object 12 to be processed (i.e., the object 12a) conveyed by the substantially center of the conveying roller 52 in the carrying-in part 34 and the heat treatment part 20 from the heat treatment part 20, and conveys the object 12a in the carrying-out part 40.

The conveying

rollers

56a and 56b are provided in the first conveying section 42, and a plurality of the conveying rollers 54 are disposed adjacent to both ends in the second direction (the + Y direction side and the-Y direction side in fig. 3). Specifically, the conveying rollers 56a are disposed on the + Y direction side of the conveying rollers 54 provided in the first conveying section 42, and the conveying rollers 56b are disposed on the-Y direction side of the conveying rollers 54 provided in the first conveying section 42. That is, the first conveying unit 42 is arranged in the second direction (Y direction) in the order of the conveying

rollers

56b, 54, and 56 a.

The conveying roller 56a conveys the object 12 to be processed (i.e., the object 12b) conveyed outside (more specifically, on the + Y direction side) the conveying roller 52 in the carrying-in section 34 and the heat treatment section 20. The axial line of the conveying roller 56a moves upstream (on the X direction side) of the outer end (+ Y direction side end) with respect to the inner end (-Y direction side end), and all of the plurality of conveying rollers 56a are inclined at the same angle with respect to the Y direction. The plurality of conveying rollers 56a are arranged in parallel at regular intervals. Therefore, the object 12b conveyed by the conveying roller 56a is conveyed obliquely outward (toward the + Y direction) with respect to the conveying direction. Further, since the object 12b is obliquely conveyed by the conveying rollers 56a, the conveying distance for conveying the object 12b by the conveying rollers 56a is longer than the conveying distance for conveying the object 12a by the conveying rollers 54. Therefore, the pitch at which the conveying rollers 56a are arranged is slightly longer than the pitch at which the conveying rollers 54 are arranged. (the same applies to the conveying roller 56b described later). Instead of making the pitch of the disposed conveying rollers 56a longer than the pitch of the disposed conveying rollers 54, the pitch of the disposed conveying rollers 56a may be made equal to the pitch of the disposed conveying rollers 54, and the number of the conveying rollers 56a disposed in the first conveying portion 42 may be made larger than the number of the conveying rollers 54 disposed in the first conveying portion 42. The dimension of the conveying rollers 56a in the axial direction is smaller than the dimension of the conveying rollers 52 (see fig. 2) in the axial direction and larger than the dimension of the conveying rollers 54 in the axial direction. As will be described in detail later, the object 12b conveyed by the conveying roller 56a may be inclined from the state of being placed on the conveying roller 52 in the carry-in part 34. Therefore, particularly when the outer periphery of the object 12 is rectangular, if the object 12b is placed on the conveying rollers 56a in an inclined manner, the length of contact between the object 12b and 1 conveying roller 56a increases. By making the axial dimension of the conveying roller 56a larger than the axial dimension of the conveying roller 54, the object to be processed 12b can be prevented from being placed so as to protrude from the conveying roller 56 a.

The conveying rollers 56b convey the object 12 to be treated (i.e., the object 12c) conveyed outside (more specifically, on the-Y direction side) the conveying rollers 52 in the carrying-in section 34 and the heat treatment section 20. The outer end portion (-Y direction side end portion) of the conveying roller 56b moves upstream (-X direction side) with respect to the inner end portion (+ Y direction side end portion) with respect to the axis of the conveying roller, and all of the plurality of conveying rollers 56a are inclined at the same angle with respect to the Y direction. As is clear from fig. 3, the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b are inclined in the clockwise direction in fig. 3, and in the counterclockwise direction in fig. 3. However, the inclination angles (absolute values) of the conveying

rollers

56a, 56b are the same. The plurality of conveying rollers 56b are arranged in parallel at regular intervals. Therefore, the object 12c conveyed by the conveying rollers 56b is conveyed while being inclined outward (toward the Y direction) with respect to the conveying direction. The dimension of the conveying rollers 56b in the axial direction is smaller than the dimension of the conveying rollers 52 (see fig. 2) in the axial direction and larger than the dimension of the conveying rollers 54 in the axial direction. Therefore, the object 12c can be prevented from being placed so as to protrude from the conveying roller 56 b. In this way, since the objects to be processed 12b and 12c conveyed by the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b (i.e., the objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer sides) are conveyed toward the outer sides in the first conveying unit 42, the objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer sides are separated from the object to be processed 12a conveyed by the conveying rollers 54 provided on the inner sides (i.e., the object to be processed 12a placed on the inner sides) while being conveyed by the first conveying unit 42, and the intervals therebetween are expanded.

The conveying rollers 58 are provided in the second conveying section 44, and a plurality of conveying rollers 54 are disposed at both ends in the second direction (the + Y direction side and the-Y direction side in fig. 3). The axes of the plurality of conveying rollers 58 extend parallel to the second direction. The plurality of conveying rollers 58 are arranged at equal intervals along the conveying direction (X direction in fig. 3) at the same pitch as the conveying rollers 54. Specifically, the conveying rollers 58 are disposed on the same axis as the conveying rollers 54. The conveying rollers 58 convey the

objects

12b and 12c conveyed by the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b in the first conveying section 42. The dimension of the conveying rollers 58 in the axial direction is smaller than the dimension of the conveying rollers 52 (see fig. 2) in the axial direction and larger than the dimension of the conveying rollers 54 in the axial direction. As described above, the

objects

12b and 12c to be processed conveyed by the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b in the first conveying section 42 may be conveyed in an obliquely inclined state. By making the dimension in the axial direction of the conveying roller 58 larger than the dimension in the axial direction of the conveying roller 54, it is possible to avoid the objects to be processed 12b, 12c from being placed so as to protrude from the conveying roller 58. The conveying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, and 58 are examples of "partial conveying rollers".

The stopper 46 is provided on the second conveying unit 44. The stopper 46 is flat and is provided perpendicular to the conveying direction. The stoppers 46 are provided at positions overlapping the conveying

rollers

54 and 2 conveying rollers 58, respectively, when viewed from the conveying direction (i.e., the heat treatment section 20 side), and 3 stoppers 46 are arranged on the same line in the second direction. The stopper 46 is movable in the vertical direction and is movable between a lower end position where the stopper 46 abuts on the object 12 to be treated and an upper end position where the stopper 46 does not abut on the object 12 to be treated. When the stopper 46 is located at the lower end position, the stopper 46 contacts the object 12 to restrict further conveyance of the object 12. On the other hand, when the stopper 46 is located at the upper end position, the stopper 46 is not in contact with the object 12, and the object 12 can be further conveyed. When the conveying

rollers

54, 58 are rotated in a state where the stopper 46 is located at the lower end position, the object 12 to be processed conveyed by the second conveying portion 44 is first conveyed to the entire front end surface in the conveying direction thereof to be in contact with the stopper 46. When the conveying

rollers

54, 58 are further rotated in a state where the object 12 is in contact with the stopper 46, the inclination of the object 12 is corrected by the stopper 46. The conveying

rollers

54, 58 continue to rotate until all 3 objects 12a to 12c placed in the second direction in the carry-in section 34 are aligned by the stoppers 46. That is, the stoppers 46 can align (align) the positions of the objects 12a to 12c placed in the second direction in the conveying direction. When the positions of the objects 12a to 12c in the conveying direction are aligned by the stoppers 46, the stoppers 46 move to the upper end position. In this state, the

conveyance rollers

54, 58 are further driven to rotate, and thereby the objects 12a to 12c can be conveyed out of the heat treatment furnace 10. In the present embodiment, since all the objects to be processed 12a to 12c placed in the second direction can be aligned by the stopper 46, the plurality of objects to be processed 12 can be easily carried out from the carrying-out section 40 to the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10 at the same time. In the present embodiment, the stopper 46 is configured to abut against the object 12 to be processed at the lower end position and not abut against the object 12 to be processed at the upper end position, but the stopper 46 may be configured to abut against the object 12 to be processed at the upper end position and not abut against the object 12 to be processed at the lower end position. In the present embodiment, 3 stoppers 46 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, 1 stopper may be provided over the entire length of the conveying

rollers

58, 54, 58 in the second direction.

The second conveying unit 44 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for detecting that the objects 12 are aligned by the stopper 46. For example, the sensor may be an optical sensor. At this time, by disposing the sensor below or above the conveying

rollers

54 and 58 and detecting the surface (surface on the-X direction side in fig. 3) where the stopper 46 contacts the object 12, the optical path is blocked by the size of the front end surface of the object 12, and it is possible to detect that the objects 12 are aligned. The sensor is not limited to a type as long as it can detect that the object 12 is aligned with the stoppers 46. For example, a pressure sensor may be used as the sensor. The sensor is connected to the control device 62, and a signal from the sensor is input to the control device 62.

Next, the operation of the heat treatment furnace 10 when heat-treating the object 12 will be described. To heat-treat the object 12, first, the

heaters

30 and 32 are operated to set the atmospheric temperature of the space 24 to a predetermined temperature. Next, the object 12 to be treated is moved from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10 onto the conveying rollers 52 provided in the carrying-in portion 34. At this time, 3 objects to be treated 12 are arranged and placed in the second direction. Next, the driving device 60 is operated to convey the 3 objects to be treated 12 aligned in the second direction from the carrying-in section 34 into the space 24 of the heat treatment section 20 through the opening 26. The object 12 to be processed conveyed into the space 24 is conveyed from the opening 26 to the opening 28 in the space 24. Thereby, the object 12 is heat-treated. Then, the heat-treated objects 12 are conveyed to the carrying-out section 40 through the opening 28, and the objects 12 placed in the carrying-in section 34 are aligned in the conveying direction by the stoppers 46 in the carrying-out section 40. The aligned objects 12 are carried out from the carrying-out section 40.

In the carry-in section 34, 3 objects 12 to be processed are placed on the conveying rollers 52 in a state of being aligned in the second direction. Then, since the 3 objects to be processed 12 are conveyed by the same conveying rollers 52, they are conveyed from the carrying-in part 34 to the heat treatment part 20 in a state of being aligned in the second direction. However, as shown in fig. 2, when the object 12 is placed on the conveying rollers 52, the conveying rollers 52 are deflected by the weight of the object 12. In the present embodiment, since 3 objects to be processed 12 are arranged in the second direction, the axial dimension of the conveying rollers 52 is relatively long, and the central portion (i.e., the inner side) of the conveying rollers 52 is more greatly deflected with respect to the outer side. Therefore, as shown in fig. 4, the object 12 placed on the outer side of the conveying roller 52 is easily conveyed while being inclined inward. In particular, in the heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment, since the dimension in the conveyance direction of the heat treatment unit 20 is relatively long, the inclination of the object 12 to be treated placed on the outer side of the conveyance roller 52 toward the inner side tends to increase during conveyance in the heat treatment unit 20.

The conveyance of the object 12 by the carrying-out section 40 will be described in further detail. As shown in fig. 3, the object 12a placed inside of the 3 objects 12 conveyed from the heat treatment unit 20 to the carry-out unit 40 is conveyed to the carry-out unit 40 with almost no inclination. In the carrying-out section 40, the object 12a to be processed is conveyed to the stopper 46 by the conveying roller 54, and if the object is slightly inclined, the inclination is corrected by the stopper 46.

On the other hand, the

objects

12b and 12c placed on the outer side may be inclined inward while being conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20. In the first conveying section 42 of the carry-out section 40, the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b disposed on the outer sides are provided so as to be inclined outward, and therefore the objects to be processed 12b and 12c are conveyed outward, respectively. Thereby, the objects to be treated 12b and 12c placed on the outer side are separated from the object to be treated 12a placed on the inner side, and the interval therebetween is widened. The

objects

12b and 12c are conveyed by the first conveying unit 42 and the second conveying unit 44 while being tilted inward. When the object is conveyed to the stopper 46, the inclination of the

object

12b or 12c is corrected by the contact of the front end surface of the

object

12b or 12c with the stopper 46.

At this time, the timings of correcting the inclination of the 3 objects to be processed 12a to 12c by the stoppers 46 may be shifted. In this case, the rotation of the conveying

rollers

54 and 58 for conveying the object 12 whose inclination is corrected first can be stopped. For example, when the inclination of the object 12a is corrected by the stopper 46 first, the rotation of the conveying rollers 54 is stopped until the inclination of the

objects

12b and 12c is corrected after the inclination of the object 12a is corrected. When the conveying rollers 54 are further rotated after the inclination of the object 12 is corrected by the stoppers 46, friction is generated between the object 12a and the conveying rollers 54, and the conveying rollers 54 are worn. By stopping the rotation of the conveying

rollers

54 and 58 for conveying the object 12 whose inclination has been corrected before the inclination of the other object 12 is corrected, it is possible to suppress the wear of the conveying

rollers

54 and 58.

In the present embodiment, the first conveying unit 42 of the carrying-out unit 40 is provided with the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b disposed on the outer side inclined outward. Thereby, the

objects

12b and 12c placed on the outer sides are conveyed outward by the carry-out section 40. As described above, when the objects to be processed 12a to 12c are arranged and placed in the second direction, the objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer side tend to be inclined inward while being conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20. When the objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer side are inclined toward the inner side, the objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer side may interfere with the conveyance of the object to be processed 12a placed on the inner side. In this way, the object 12a placed inside cannot reach the stopper 46, and the plurality of objects 12a to 12c aligned in the second direction cannot be aligned. The heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the

objects

12b and 12c placed on the outside are conveyed outward in the carrying-out section 40. Therefore, the objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer side can be separated from the object to be processed 12a placed on the inner side, and thus, it is possible to avoid the objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer side from interfering with the conveyance of the object to be processed 12a placed on the inner side.

In the embodiment, the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, and 58 all have the same diameter, but the present invention is not limited to such a structure. For example, the diameter of the conveying rollers provided in the heat treatment unit 20 may be different from the diameter of the conveying rollers provided in the carry-in unit 34 and the carry-out unit 40, and the diameter of the conveying rollers may be appropriately changed depending on the kind of the object 12 to be treated, the heat treatment conditions, and the like. In the present embodiment, the driving device 60 drives the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 so that the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 rotate at substantially the same speed, but the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, the following may be configured: the heat treatment furnace 10 includes a plurality of driving devices having different driving forces, and the conveying rollers 52 provided in the heat treatment unit 20 are rotated at a speed different from the speeds of the conveying

rollers

52, 54, 56a, 56b, 58 provided in the carry-in unit 34 and the carry-out unit 40 by the plurality of driving devices.

In the present embodiment, the axes of the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b of the first conveying unit 42 provided in the carry-out unit 40 are all inclined at the same angle with respect to the Y direction, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the locus of the center point of the connecting conveying

rollers

56a and 56b may be a smooth curve, for example, a spline curve, in a plan view. In such a case, the conveying

rollers

56a, 56b are disposed orthogonal to the spline curve. By providing the conveying

rollers

56a and 56b in this manner, the difference in the angle between the axes of the adjacent conveying rollers can be reduced at the boundary between the heat treatment unit 20 and the first conveying unit 42 and at the boundary between the first conveying unit 42 and the second conveying unit 44, and the

objects

12b and 12c can be conveyed smoothly.

In the present embodiment, the conveying

rollers

54 and 58 are provided in the second conveying unit 44 of the carrying-out unit 40, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the second conveying unit 44 may be provided with the conveying rollers 52. The objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer sides are conveyed toward the outer sides by the first conveying unit 42. Therefore, even if the conveying rollers are not divided in the second direction in the second conveying unit 44, the conveyance of the object 12 placed inside can be prevented from being hindered by the object 12 placed outside because the conveying direction of the carry-out unit 40 is small.

In the present embodiment, the carrying-out section 40 is provided with the carrying

rollers

54, 56a, 56b, 58 divided in the second direction, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The objects to be processed 12b and 12c placed on the outer side in the carrying-out section 40 may be conveyed outward, and for example, conveying rollers having different roller diameters may be provided in 1 conveying roller. Specifically, the first conveying unit 42 may be provided with a conveying roller having a smaller roller diameter toward the outside in a portion for conveying the

objects

12b and 12c placed on the outside. By using such rollers, the distance for conveying the objects to be processed 12b, 12c becomes larger on the inner side than on the outer side, and the objects to be processed 12b, 12c are conveyed obliquely outward.

In the present embodiment, 3 objects to be processed 12a to 12c are arranged and placed in the second direction, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In the carrying-out section 40, the object 12 to be processed placed on the outer side may be carried outward with respect to the object 12 to be processed placed on the inner side, and more than 3 objects 12 to be processed may be arranged and placed in the second direction. For example, when 4 objects to be processed 12 are arranged and placed in the second direction, the carry-out section 40 may be configured such that 2 objects to be processed 12 are arranged and placed in the second direction on the conveying rollers (corresponding to the conveying rollers 54 in fig. 3) provided at the center and 1 object to be processed 12 is placed on the conveying rollers (corresponding to the conveying

rollers

56a, 56b, and 58 in fig. 3) provided at the outer side. When 5 objects 12 are arranged and placed in the second direction, 1 object 12 may be placed on the conveying roller (corresponding to the conveying roller 54 in fig. 3) placed at the center, and 2 objects 12 may be arranged and placed in the second direction on the conveying rollers (corresponding to the conveying

rollers

56a, 56b, and 58 in fig. 3) provided on the outer side. When 6 objects 12 are arranged and placed in the second direction, 2 objects 12 may be arranged and placed in the second direction by the conveying roller (corresponding to the conveying roller 54 in fig. 3) provided at the center, and 2 objects 12 may be arranged and placed in the second direction by the conveying rollers (corresponding to the conveying

rollers

56a, 56b, and 58 in fig. 3) provided at the outer side. With this configuration, the carrying-out section 40 can separate the 1 or 2 objects to be processed 12 placed on the outer side from the 1 or 2 objects to be processed 12 placed on the inner side, thereby avoiding the object to be processed 12 placed on the outer side from interfering with the conveyance of the object to be processed 12 placed on the inner side.

Specific examples of the technology disclosed in the present specification have been described above in detail, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The techniques recited in the claims include those obtained by modifying or changing the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in the specification and drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing.

Claims

1. A heat treatment furnace for heat-treating an object to be treated, comprising:

a heat treatment unit having a space for heat-treating the object to be treated;

a carrying-out section for carrying out the object to be processed from the heat treatment section; and

a plurality of conveying rollers disposed in the heat treatment section and conveying the object to be treated,

the conveying rollers can arrange and place a plurality of objects to be processed along a second direction which is horizontal and vertical to a first direction as a conveying direction,

the carrying-out section is configured to carry, out toward the outside, 1 or 2 of the plurality of objects to be processed placed in the second direction, the objects to be processed placed on the outside, with respect to the objects to be processed placed on the inside of the 1 or 2 objects to be processed.

2. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 1, wherein the carrying-out section includes a stopper that aligns the plurality of objects to be treated placed in the second direction so that positions in the first direction are the same.

3. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a conveying roller for conveying the plurality of objects to be treated conveyed from the heat treatment unit is provided in the conveying unit,

the conveying roller provided in the carry-out section includes a partial conveying roller divided into a plurality of parts in the second direction,

the outer one of the divided partial conveying rollers is configured to convey the object to be processed outward.

4. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 3, wherein the axial length of the part of the conveying rollers disposed outside is longer than the axial length of the part of the conveying rollers disposed inside.