JP2001048331A - Article carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize the vertical dimension and to carry articles in a stably supported state, in a carrying device capable of carrying articles in both vertical and horizontal directions. SOLUTION: A supporting bracket 30 is supported on a supporting table 10 via a parallel link mechanism 60 so that it can make parallel displacement in the vertical direction, while the bracket 30 supports an endless chain mechanism (sprockets 43, 44 and a chain 50). An engaging member (an extension roller 52) is installed in a part of the chain 50, while a guiding member (a guide rail 20) is arranged on the supporting table situated at an engageable position with the roller 52. Thus, the engaging member is guided by the guiding member so that it is moved by a prescribed height in the vertical direction while it is moved by a prescribed distance in the horizontal direction with respect to the supporting table 10, and throughout this movement the supporting bracket 30 is held in the top end position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article conveying apparatus, and more particularly to an article conveying apparatus capable of moving an article in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a transfer device for moving an article vertically and horizontally and transferring it between predetermined positions, there is, for example, a transfer device provided between orthogonal transfer paths. Although not shown, for example, a device is generally used in which a chain conveyor is arranged between, for example, orthogonal transport paths, and this is moved up and down by an air cylinder or the like.

[0003] Also, in connection with an article conveying apparatus, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-48322 discloses that a pallet is moved only in the vertical direction, and that the pallet is moved during the vertical movement. A parallel moving device has been proposed which aims at miniaturizing the entire device and reducing failures by maintaining the pallet in a horizontal state. The device is provided with two sets of endless chain mechanisms that move at the same speed and draw the same trajectory, and shift the movement trajectories of both endless chain mechanisms by the same distance, and at the corresponding positions of both endless chain mechanisms,
The cradle is to be pivoted.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional transfer device, it is necessary to dispose an air cylinder or the like below the chain conveyor, and there is a restriction in the height direction. Can not. Further, in the parallel moving device described in the above-mentioned publication, the moving direction of the pallet is limited to the vertical direction only, and not only cannot the desired motion locus of the present application be secured, but also to a low place. Can not be installed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a transporting apparatus capable of moving an article vertically and horizontally while minimizing the vertical dimension and transporting the article in a stable supporting state. I do.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article conveying apparatus, comprising: a support base; and a parallel link mechanism on the support base. A support bracket for supporting the movable body in a vertical parallel translation manner, and a rotating body supported by the supporting bracket; a plurality of chain elements are connected endlessly to engage with the rotating body; An endless chain mechanism arranged so as to move on a simple surface, wherein an endless chain mechanism in which an engagement member is provided on a part of the plurality of chain elements; and an engagement member of the endless chain mechanism. It is disposed at a position where it can be engaged, and guides the engaging member to move a predetermined height in the vertical direction with respect to the support while the engaging member moves a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction with respect to the support. And a guide member.

[0007] The article conveying apparatus of the present invention is, for example, a pair of a support table and a pair of support tables, which are arranged on the support table at a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction and connected via a beam. A support bracket, a first link fixed vertically to the support base, and a second link parallel to the first link and fixed to the beam, wherein the pair of support brackets are fixed to the support base. A parallel link mechanism that supports the pair of support brackets so as to be able to move in parallel in a vertical direction, and a pair of rotation shafts that extend in a vertical direction with respect to the pair of support brackets and that are supported in parallel at a predetermined distance in a horizontal direction. At least a pair of sprockets rotatably supported around each of the rotating shafts, a plurality of chain links are connected, and an extension member is provided on a part of the chain links, and is mounted between the pair of sprockets. Frame A chain, a driving device that drives the chain by rotating at least one of the pair of sprockets, and a position parallel to the chain and engageable with the extending member on the support base; A guide rail having a predetermined length along the chain and having a predetermined height with respect to the support stand may be provided. Therefore, in the transfer device according to the second aspect,
The pair of sprockets constitute a rotating body in the endless chain mechanism of the first aspect, and a chain mounted between the two constitutes a plurality of chain elements. The extending member constitutes the engaging member of the first aspect, and the guide rail constitutes the guiding member of the first aspect.

In the transfer device according to the second aspect,
The extending member provided on the part of the chain link is configured by a roller that extends a pin constituting the part of the chain link and rotatably supports the pin, as described in claim 3, The guide rail may be arranged at a position where the roller can roll on the guide rail.

[0009]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 4 relate to an embodiment of the article transport apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of support brackets (represented by 30) are provided on a support base 10 via a parallel link mechanism 60. In this manner, it is supported so that it can move in parallel in the vertical direction, that is, can move up and down in a state parallel to the support table 10. The pair of support brackets 30 are provided on the support base 10.
They are arranged side by side at a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction, and are connected via a beam 31. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a side rail 32 for preventing the article from falling off is fixed to the upper end of each support bracket 30.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the parallel link mechanism 60 includes an L-shaped bracket 11 fixed to the support 10.
Has a first link 61 fixed to the vertical plane of the first link and a second link 62 arranged parallel to the first link 61 and fixed to the beam 31. A link 63 is provided between the first and second links 61 and 62. , 64. The parallel link mechanism 60 allows the pair of support brackets 30
Can move in parallel with the support 10 in the vertical direction. 2 and 3 show a state where the support bracket 30 is located at the lower end, and FIG. 4 shows a state where the support bracket 30 is located at the upper end.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of rotating shafts 41 and 42 are arranged side by side at a predetermined distance on a support bracket 30 perpendicular to the support base 10. These rotating shafts 41,
Reference numeral 42 extends perpendicularly to the support bracket 30, that is, parallel to the support base 10, and a pair of sprockets 43 and 44 are rotatably supported around these. A chain 50 is mounted between the sprockets 43 and 44. In the present embodiment, one sprocket 44 is a driving sprocket connected to the motor 40, which is a driving device of the present invention, and the other sprocket 43 is a driven sprocket. Therefore, when the sprocket 44 is driven to rotate in one direction by the motor 40, the chain 50 is driven. The sprocket 43 is supported by the support bracket 30 via the positioning tool 70,
Thus, the tension of the chain 50 is adjusted.

The chain 50 is formed by connecting a plurality of chain links. As the chain links, there are a pin link and a roller link (reference numerals are omitted). These are alternately arranged, and can be mutually rotated by pins. It is connected to. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Part of 0 is composed of a plurality of special chain links (represented by 51). This special chain link 51
Is provided with a pair of extending rollers 52 extending to both sides from the pin, and the extending rollers 52 constitute the engaging member or the extending member of the present invention.

On the other hand, a pair of guide rails (represented by reference numeral 20) comprising walls arranged side by side with a gap through which only a normal chain link can pass is disposed on the support base 10. In other words, the special chain link 51 provided with the extension roller 52 cannot pass between the walls of the guide rail 20 as shown in FIG. 4 and moves on the upper end surface thereof. The guide rail 20 has a predetermined length along the chain 50 and has a predetermined height with respect to the support base 10. Therefore, when the chain 50 moves with the rotation of the sprocket 44, the normal chain link portion passes between the walls of the guide rail 20. Chain 5 at this time
The state of 0 is shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. On the other hand, the extension roller 52 of the special chain link 51 is
When it reaches the upper end surface of the guide rail 20, it cannot pass between the walls of the guide rail 20, so that it moves on the upper end surface. As a result, the support bracket 30 that supports the chain 50 via the sprockets 43 and 44 is lifted upward as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In this case, the chain 5
The state of 0 is shown by a solid line in FIG.

The operation of the transport apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described. The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is disposed, for example, between intersecting transport paths (not shown), and It is arrange | positioned so that an article (not shown) may be supported by an upper end surface. First, the sprocket 44 is driven to rotate about the rotation shaft 42 by the motor 40, and the chain 50 is driven. As a result, the chain 50 is connected to the sprocket 43,
44, while the normal chain link portion passes between the walls of the guide rail 20.
0 is at the lower end position shown by the solid line in FIG.

As the chain 50 moves, the extension rollers 5
2 reaches the upper end surface of the guide rail 20, the upper end surface of the guide rail 20 moves, the support bracket 30 rises vertically from below, and an article (such as a pallet) is placed on the upper end surface at the carry-in position on the sprocket 43 side. (Not shown), horizontally moves from the sprocket 43 side toward the sprocket 44. That is, as shown in FIG.
During the movement of the upper end surface of the guide rail 20, the support bracket 30 is at the upper end position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2).
, The chain 50 moves, and during this time, the article also moves therewith. Then, after the article is transferred to another conveyance path (not shown) at the unloading position on the sprocket 44 side, when all of the extension rollers 52 are separated from the upper end surface of the guide rail 20, the support bracket 30 is lowered. To the lower end position. Thus, the article can be transported in a stable supporting state.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the chain link can be moved in the horizontal direction by raising the chain 50 to a predetermined height by only one motor 40. Further, in the present embodiment, since the chain mechanism including the sprockets 43 and 44 and the chain 50 is used, it is possible to convey the articles in a stable state even if the moving distance in the horizontal direction is lengthened. Further, by adopting the parallel link mechanism 60, the guide rail 20, and the special chain link 51, the distance in the vertical direction can be shortened, so that the apparatus can be installed in a low place, which is impossible with the conventional apparatus.

Although the chain mechanism is used as the endless chain mechanism in the above embodiment, a belt mechanism including a pulley and a belt may be used. In the above embodiment, the sprocket 44 is directly driven by a motor. However, the sprocket 44 may be driven via a chain or a belt, or a gear train may be used.

[0018]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, if the article conveying device is configured as described in claims 1 and 2, the article can be reliably moved in the vertical and horizontal directions, and can be conveyed in a stable supporting state. In addition, since the height of the entire apparatus can be reduced, the apparatus can be installed in a low place.

Further, when the extension member is configured as described in claim 3, the lifting and lowering operation of the support bracket interlocking with the chain drive can be performed smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional left side view of the transport device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional right side view showing a state in which a support bracket is located at an upper end in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a movement locus of a chain according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 support base, 11 L-shaped bracket, 20 guide rail, 30 support bracket, 31 beam, 4
0 motor, 41, 42 rotating shaft, 43, 44 sprocket, 50 chain, 52 extension roller,
60 Parallel link mechanism

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A support table, a support bracket for supporting the support table so as to be able to move in a vertical direction via a parallel link mechanism, and a rotating body supported by the support bracket;
A plurality of chain elements are connected endlessly to engage with the rotating body,
An endless chain mechanism arranged to move on a plane perpendicular to the support base, wherein the endless chain mechanism includes an engagement member provided on a part of the plurality of chain elements. It is arranged at a position where it can be engaged with the engaging member of the chain mechanism, and while the engaging member moves a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction with respect to the support base, the engaging member moves vertically at a predetermined height relative to the support base. And a guide member for guiding the article to move. 2. A support, a pair of support brackets arranged side by side on the support at a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction, and connected via a beam, a first link fixed vertically to the support, and A parallel link mechanism that has a second link that is parallel to the first link and is fixed to the beam, and that supports the pair of support brackets so as to be movable in a vertical direction with respect to the support base; A pair of rotating shafts extending in the vertical direction with respect to the support bracket and supported in parallel with a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction are provided, and at least one pair of rotating shafts are supported rotatably around each of the pair of rotating shafts. A sprocket, connecting a plurality of chain links and providing an extension member to a part of the chain links, and rotating a chain mounted between the pair of sprockets and at least one of the pair of sprockets A driving device for driving the chain, and disposed on the support base in a position parallel to the chain and engageable with the extending member, having a predetermined length along the chain, and And a guide rail having a predetermined height. 3. An extension member provided on the partial chain link comprises a roller extending a pin constituting the partial chain link and rotatably supporting the pin. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide rail is arranged at a position where the guide rail can roll on the rail.