JP2001220007A - Curved belt conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a curved belt conveyor arranged for changing a carrying direction, capable of easily attaching/detaching a curved belt and preventing the inward meandering of the curved belt. SOLUTION: End rollers 4, 4 are provided at both ends of a structural member such as a sliding plate 3 formed in an approximately cut circle for mounting the curved belt 1 on the center side. The curved belt 1 to be mounted is formed with its inner end arriving near a rotational center and is supported at the inner end by a rotatable supporting member such as a supporting pin 2. Each end roller 4 composed of a plurality of independently rotatable short rollers 8, 7, is supported with its end roller shaft 4a having the inner end loosely movable and the outer end movable forward and backward in the rotating direction, so that its rotating angle is adjustable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a curved belt conveyor in which a conveyed article conveyed in a linear direction is turned at a predetermined angle, for example, 90 degrees, to change the conveying direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional general curved belt conveyor, end rollers are disposed at both ends of a curved belt wound around a substantially arcuate conveyance path, and the curved belt for winding the end rollers is formed inside a rotating belt. Various meandering prevention measures have been taken to prevent meandering. As a meandering preventing means, a locking edge is formed on an outer peripheral portion of a curved belt, and a guide roller is engaged with the locking edge.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-59837, a method has been considered in which the driving direction of the curve belt is directed outward from the tangential direction to prevent the curve belt from meandering inward.

[0003]

With a curved belt conveyor, it is not possible to avoid the generation of a force that causes the curved belt to meander inward. In a conventional method in which a locking edge is formed on an outer peripheral portion of a curved belt and a guide roller is engaged with the locking edge, it is necessary to attach and detach the guide rollers one by one when attaching and detaching the curve belt, which is troublesome. . In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention makes it possible to easily attach and detach the curve belt, and has no danger of the curve belt meandering without providing a special meandering prevention device. It is intended to realize a conveyor.

[0004] Curved belt conveyors are often installed between conveying means such as two belt conveyors installed in different directions to change the conveying direction.
However, there are cases where the directionality of the two linear conveying means does not always exactly match the turning angle of the curved belt. In this case, since a gap is formed on the outer peripheral side or inner peripheral side of the transfer portion, there is a possibility that a situation in which the transfer article cannot be smoothly transferred may occur. In particular, in curved belt conveyors that use tapered rollers as end rollers,
Since the radius of the outer peripheral side of the end roller is large, if a gap is generated in this portion, there is a tendency that transfer of the conveyed article becomes more difficult. In order to cope with such a situation, it is another object of the present invention to be able to easily adjust the turning angle of the curve belt conveyor.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a curved belt 1 whose inner end reaches the vicinity of the center of rotation in a curved belt conveyor that conveys articles conveyed by turning it at a fixed angle. Then, the inner end of the curved belt 1 is supported by a support member such as a support pin 2. As a result, the curved belt 1 cannot move inward, and the meandering of the curved belt 1 can be prevented without providing any special meandering preventing means.
That is, since the force acting on the curve belt 1 inward is supported by the support member, the curve belt cannot move inward. The force for moving the curve belt inward acts as a force for compressing the curve belt 1 itself in a direction parallel to the surface. Curve belt 1
In order for the curved belt 1 to withstand a compressive force acting in a direction parallel to the surface, the curved belt 1 is made stronger by forming a portion near the inner periphery thicker than a portion near the outer periphery.

The curve belt 1 of the above-mentioned curve belt conveyor is wound around an end roller 4 mounted on a structural member such as a slide plate 3 and is driven to rotate. A tension roller 5 is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the curve belt 1. By pushing this down, the curved belt 1 can be always kept in a taut state. Instead of moving the tension roller 5 up and down to adjust the tension of the curve belt 1, the driving roller 6 and the receiving roller 11 sandwiching the curve belt 1 between the receiving roller 11 and the driving roller 6 are moved up and down together. You can also adjust the tension. In the present invention, since the inner end of the curved belt is substantially extended to the center of turning, the inner end of the curved belt 1 is supported in a state where the support member functions as a fulcrum. Therefore, the tension roller 5 can adjust the tension of the entire curve belt by pushing down only the outer peripheral side of the curve belt 1.

The end rollers 4, 4 arranged at both ends of the turn for winding the curve belt 1 have a plurality of short rollers 7, which have a relatively small diameter and rotate independently on an end roller shaft 4a.
7 is preferably used. Accordingly, the conditions for the transfer of the conveyed article are the same on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side with the end roller having a relatively small diameter. The difference in the peripheral speed between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the curve belt appears as a difference in the rotation speed of each short roller. The end roller shafts 4a of the end rollers 4 are mounted on both ends of a structural member such as the slide plate 3 in the turning direction. At this time, the support portion on the inner peripheral side is allowed to move freely in the turning direction, and is urged in the turning extension direction (outward direction) by the spring 8, and the outer peripheral portion is supported by the supporting member 9 so as to be adjustable in the turning direction. Be able to fix in position. Accordingly, when the outer peripheral portion of the end roller shaft 4a is advanced and retracted while the curved belt 1 is wound,
It becomes possible to finely adjust the turning angle of the curve belt.

In addition, in order to rotate the curve belt 1, the drive roller 6 is rotated while the outer peripheral portion of the curve belt is sandwiched between the drive roller 6 and the tapered receiving roller 11 having a large outside diameter. Good. At this time, if the axial direction of the driving roller and the receiving roller is inclined with respect to the radial direction from the turning center of the curve belt conveyor and the curve belt is sent outward, The acting force can be somewhat counteracted. In addition, when the drive roller is rotated with the two receiving rollers 11 and 11 and one drive roller 6 sandwiching the curve belt 1, the curve belt can be reliably driven to rotate without causing slippage.

[0009]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a curved belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a plan view omitting a curved belt, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. The curve belt conveyor in the illustrated example is one used, for example, when a conveyed article sent by a straight belt conveyor is turned 90 degrees and sent to another belt conveyor.

The curved belt 1 used in the present invention
As shown in FIG. 4, the inner peripheral end of the rim is close to the center of the turning, so that the shape of the rim becomes a cone shape, and only a tip portion is cut off to form a small-diameter hole 10. The circumference of the lower end portion of the curved belt shown in a cone shape in FIG. 4 is a little more than half of the circumference having the radius of the slope L as a turning angle (for example, 90 degrees) in a state of being appropriately bent. And wound around the end rollers 4 and 4 arranged at the opening angle.

In FIG. 1, end rollers 4 and 4 are fixed to both ends in the turning direction of a sliding plate 3 which is a structural member formed into a substantially circular shape (a quarter circle) having a turning angle. With the support member at the inner end of the curve belt removed, the curve belt 1 is inserted into the sliding plate and the end roller from the center of rotation, and the inner end is supported by a support member such as a support pin 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the vicinity of the outer periphery of the curved belt 1 on the return side is sandwiched between the receiving roller 11 and the driving roller 6 and the driving roller 6 is driven to rotate by the motor 20, thereby turning with respect to the curved belt 1. To drive the curved belt 1.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment in which a rotatable pin 2 is used as a support member for an inner end of a curved belt 1. The support member is detachable from the main body frame 1. An example of a specific structure of the support member is shown in FIG. A pin 2 with a flange 2a rotatable by a bearing unit 14 is mounted on a vertical wall 13a of a mounting base 13 which is detachable from the main body frame 12. The pin 2 is positioned substantially at the center of the turn of the curve belt 1 and is inserted into the hole 10 of the curve belt 1 so that the inner end of the curve belt 1 is supported by the flange 2a. (The position of the pin 2 is located inward of the center of rotation by an amount corresponding to the shape of the curved belt whose cone-shaped tip has been removed.) Accordingly, the inward force acting on the curved belt is reduced by the flange of the pin 2.
Accepted by 2a. At this time, since the pins 2 are inserted into the holes 10, they do not come off, and the entire pins 2 rotate in response to the rotation of the curve belt, so that the curve belt 1 moves inward without generating an excessive sliding force. It can receive the power to move.

The support member at the inner end of the curved belt 1 includes
The pin 2 can be firmly held by using the pin 2, but it is also possible to make the cup-shaped support 16 support the inner end of the curved belt 1 as shown in FIG. In this case, it is preferable that the distal end of the curved belt 1 is not crushed by the compressive force acting on the curved belt. As a specific method, for example, a frustum-cone shaped synthetic resin shape retaining member 1a may be provided in a cone-shaped tip portion which is the inner end of the curved belt 1.

In either case of the pin 2 or the cup-shaped support 16, the support member is made rotatable by the bearing unit 14. Thereby, it can be received without causing slippage between the curved belt 1. In the curved belt conveyor, a force for moving the curved belt inward acts as the curved belt 1 rotates. In the present invention, since the force is received by the inner end of the belt, a compressive force acts on the curved belt 1 in a direction parallel to the surface. Therefore, in order to prevent buckling or compressive deformation of the curved belt, the inner peripheral portion where a large force may act may be formed thicker than the outer peripheral portion to be strong. In order to make the inner peripheral portion of the curved belt 1 thicker, only the inner peripheral portion is formed double as shown in FIG. 9 (a) or goes inward as shown in FIG. 9 (b). Therefore, it is formed so as to be gradually thick.

At the upper end of the mounting base 13, the horizontal wall 13b is extended to the upper surface of the curved belt 1, and its tip is turned downward.
Attach the rotatable holding roller 15 here, and press the holding roller 15
Is brought into contact with the upper surface of the curved belt 1 to prevent the rising of the curved belt 1. Presser roller 15
Is preferably an inner peripheral portion of the curve belt 1 and the above-mentioned thickened portion. The conveying surface as a curved belt conveyor is mainly in a range excluding the inner peripheral portion, but the center side of turning can be used as the conveying surface as compared with the conventional one.

As the end rollers 4 provided at both ends of the sliding plate 3 as a structural member in the turning direction, a roller in which a number of short rollers 7 having a fixed size are mounted on an end roller shaft 4a with a small-diameter collar 4b interposed therebetween is used. . As a result, an end roller having the same diameter on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the curve belt can be obtained, and it is possible to prevent a large gap from being formed in the transition portion as when a tapered roller is used. In a curved conveyor, the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side have different peripheral speeds. In the end roller of the illustrated embodiment, since the end roller is formed by a large number of short rollers 7, each of the short rollers 7, 7 rotates at a different number of revolutions, and is operated smoothly.

The end roller 4 is supported on the sliding plate 3 at two locations, ie, an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion. That is, the end roller shaft 4a is supported by an L-shaped support rod 17 fixed to the inner peripheral portion of the slide plate 3 in the drawing of FIG. Are urged by a spring 8 outward, that is, in the extension direction of the turning. On the other hand, the supporting member 9 at the outer peripheral portion is composed of a flat supporting rod 18 fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the slide plate 3 and an adjusting bolt 19 screwed to the supporting rod 18, and the end roller shaft 4 a is attached to the tip of the adjusting bolt 19. I support them. Therefore, the outer peripheral portion of the end roller 4 can be advanced and retracted in the extension direction of the rotation by moving the adjustment bolt 19 as shown by the dotted line in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the adjusting bolt 19 of one of the end rollers 4, 4 disposed at both ends of the turning position, which is located below the drawing, is extended.
Thereby, the turning angle of the curve belt conveyor becomes slightly large. If the inner end of the end roller 4 is located exactly at the center of the turning of the curve belt, the end roller is always inscribed in the curve belt. However, the inner end of the end roller 4 is located outside. Therefore, in the present invention, the support portion on the inner peripheral side of the end roller 4 is mounted on the slide plate 3 in a state where it can freely move in the turning direction by a certain size, and is urged by the spring 8 in the extending direction of the turning. As a result, the inner peripheral portion of the end roller 4 is constantly pressed against the inner surface of the curved belt, so that the end roller 4 can always be inscribed regardless of the position of the outer peripheral portion, in other words, a change in the turning angle. That is, if the inner peripheral portion of the end roller 4 is simply rotatably supported with respect to the slide plate 3, a gap is generated due to the expansion and contraction of the adjustment bolt 19, but in the illustrated embodiment, the size of the gap is reduced. The inner peripheral portion of the end roller 4 moves, and the inner peripheral portion of the curve belt is supported by a constant force of the spring 8.

The fact that the turning angle can be changed in the curved belt conveyor changes the required length of the curved belt. Therefore, the curve belt is formed in a shape that can be developed at a slightly large turning angle, and the tension roller 5 can be used so that the curve belt is always taut. The tension roller 5 is disposed only on the outer peripheral side of the curved belt 1 as shown in FIGS. The tension adjustment by the tension roller should be performed regardless of the position change of the end roller.However, even when the turning angle is changed by moving the end roller, the curve belt can be moved up and down by moving the tension roller up and down. Can always be kept taut.

In FIG. 7, the curve belt 1 is driven by a driving roller 6 at a fixed position, and the tension of the belt is adjusted by a tension roller 5 which can be moved up and down. On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the tension roller 5 is omitted, and the drive roller 6 and the receiving roller 11 can be moved vertically as a pair. That is, the drive roller 6 is moved up and down as shown by the solid line and the dotted line in FIG. 8, whereby the tension of the curve belt 1 can be adjusted.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show an example of a specific structure of the driving section of the curve belt 1. FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, one receiving roller 11 having a small diameter is mounted on the mounting base 21, and the mounting base 21 is urged upward by a spring 22 to thereby drive one driving roller having a large diameter fixed upward. The curve belt 1 is sandwiched between the rollers 6 and the drive belt 6 drives the curve belt 1. Therefore, the rotational force of the driving roller is transmitted to the holding portion between the receiving roller and one of the receiving rollers. In the drawing, reference numeral 23 denotes a lock nut of the mounting base 21.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, two small-diameter receiving rollers 11, 11 are arranged at a fixed interval on a mounting table 21, and one large-diameter driving roller fixed above the middle thereof is fixed. 6, the curved belt 1 is held therebetween. Therefore, the rotational force of the driving roller 6 is transmitted to the curve belt 1 at the two holding portions of the two receiving rollers and one driving roller, so that the power is reliably transmitted.

The receiving roller 11 and the driving roller 6 are arranged so that their axial directions are radiating from the center of rotation of the curve belt conveyor, and when driven in the tangential direction of rotation with respect to the curve belt 1, either forward or reverse. The direction can be freely switched and used. In this case, all inward forces generated in the curved belt 1 act as forces for pressing the inner supporting member, and a compressive force is generated in the curved belt. Therefore, when the receiving roller 11 and the driving roller 6 are paired and inclined with respect to the radial direction from the turning center, and the curve belt is driven outward from the tangential direction of the turning,
The inward force generated in the curved belt is offset, and smoother driving can be realized.

The receiving roller 11 and the driving roller 6 may be fixed to be inclined in a specific direction and used for conveyance in only one direction. However, the receiving roller 11 and the driving roller 6 may be inclined as a pair. If the direction and the angle can be freely changed, it is possible to adjust the component force in the outward direction and quickly respond to the change in the transport direction.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the driving roller 6 and the receiving roller 11 are mounted on a support 23 which rotates about a fulcrum 24. That is, a support base 23 that is rotatable about a fulcrum 24 and can be fixed at an arbitrary rotation position is provided on the main body frame of the curved belt conveyor. Then, the motor base 25 of the drive roller 6 is
Then, the mounting base substrate 26 of the receiving roller 11 is fixed. At a fixed position of the mounting base substrate 26, the mounting base 21 of the receiving roller 11 is fixed,
The forward and backward adjustment toward the drive roller 6 can be performed by the long hole 27. By moving the mounting board 26 toward and away from the drive roller, the force for holding the curve belt between the receiving roller 11 and the drive roller 6 can be adjusted.

[0026]

According to the curved belt conveyor of the present invention, the inner end of the curved belt is supported by the supporting member near the center of the turning of the curved belt.
The inward movement of the curve belt is reliably prevented, and there is no need to provide meandering prevention means, so that the entire mechanism can be extremely simplified. In order to attach and detach the curved belt, the support means for supporting the inner end of the curved belt can be removed so that the curved belt can be freely attached and detached from inside.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to make the strength superior to the inward compressive force acting on the curve belt itself.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the inner end of the curved belt is supported in a state where the belt is less slack near the inner periphery of the curved belt and the support member functions as a fulcrum.
Therefore, the tension of the curve belt can be easily adjusted by vertically moving the tension roller provided only near the outer periphery of the curve belt.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the tension roller of the third aspect is omitted, and the tension of the curve belt can be easily adjusted by moving the drive roller up and down.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the turning angle of the curve belt conveyor can be changed by adjusting the end roller. Therefore, the angle of the end roller is adjusted according to the installation location of the curve belt, and a gap that may be generated on the inner circumferential side of the turn between other conveying means such as a straight traveling conveyor is eliminated. Can be smoothly and reliably performed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the inward force generated in the curved belt can be offset by the driving direction of the drive roller, so that the curved belt is prevented from being strongly pressed against the support member. Can be. This reduces the compressive force on the curve belt itself, and minimizes damage to the curve belt.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the driving of the curve belt by the driving roller can be made more reliable, and the occurrence of slippage and the like can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a curved belt conveyor according to the present invention, in which a curved belt is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a support member that supports an inner end of the curved belt.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a curved belt;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing only one end roller portion,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a curved belt conveyor showing a state in which a turning angle is changed by adjusting an end roller;

FIG. 7 is a schematic elevation view showing a state of adjusting a tension of a curve belt by a tension roller;

FIG. 8 is a schematic elevation view showing a state of adjusting a tension of a curve belt by a vertical movement of a driving roller;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a change state of the thickness of the curve belt;

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the support member for supporting the inner end of the curve belt,

FIG. 11 is a front view showing an example of a driving unit including one receiving roller and one driving roller;

FIG. 12 is a front view showing an example of a driving unit including two receiving rollers and one driving roller;

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an example of a driving unit that can change the driving direction of the curve belt.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Curved belt, 1a: Shape retaining member, 2: Support pin,
2a: Tsuba, 3: Sliding plate, 4: End roller, 4a ...
End roller shaft, 4b color, 5 tension roller, 6 drive roller, 7 short roller, 8 spring, 9 support member, 10 hole, 11 receiving roller,
12… Main frame, 13… Mounting base, 13a… Vertical wall,
13b ... horizontal wall, 14 ... bearing unit, 15 ... press roller, 16 ... support, 17, 18 ... support rod, 19 ... adjustment bolt, 20 ... motor, 21 ... mounting base, 22 ... spring,
23 ... Support stand, 24 ... Support point, 25 ... Motor base, 26 ...
Mounting base board, 27 ... Long hole.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A curved belt conveyor which conveys an article by turning it at a fixed angle, using a curved belt whose inner end reaches near the center of turning, and supporting the inner end of the curved belt with a support member. A curved belt conveyor that prevents the belt from moving inward. 2. The curve belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the curve belt is formed such that a portion closer to an inner periphery is formed thicker than an outer periphery portion. 3. The curve belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein a tension roller for pushing down the curve belt is provided near an outer periphery on the return side of the curve belt. 4. A driving roller for driving a curved belt with a receiving roller interposed therebetween in the vicinity of an outer periphery on the return side of the curved belt, and moving the driving roller and the receiving roller vertically so as to move the curved belt. 3. The curved belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the tension adjustment is performed. 5. An end roller disposed at both ends of a turn for winding a curved belt, a plurality of short rollers having a relatively small diameter and independently rotating are disposed on an end roller shaft,
At the both ends of the structural member such as a sliding plate, the end roller shaft,
An inner peripheral side support portion is supported in a state in which it can freely move in a turning direction and is urged by a spring in a direction in which the turning direction is extended, and an outer peripheral portion of the end roller shaft is supported so as to be adjustable in the turning direction. 4. The curved belt conveyor according to any one of 4. 6. The driving roller and the receiving roller have the same axial direction.
The curve belt conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the curve belt conveyor is inclined with respect to a radial direction from a center of rotation of the curve belt conveyor, and the curve belt is driven outward from a tangential direction of the rotation. 7. The driving roller and the receiving roller each have a tapered shape having a large diameter on the outside, a curved belt is sandwiched between two receiving rollers and one driving roller, and the curved driving belt is driven by the rotational driving force of the driving roller. The curved belt conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the conveyor is driven.