JP2001270435A - Suspended type lifting conveying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure travel on a branch path of conveyance by means of a simple arrangement. SOLUTION: A truck 23 can be made to stably travel from a linear path of conveyance to a branch path of conveyance, because even if either a travel roller 26 or another coaxial travel roller 26 is derailed, the other of the rollers travels on a surface of travel 22a. Thus, the need to use a lateral slip prevention mechanism for the addition of travel rollers and guide rollers as in conventional techniques is eliminated, and only the travel rollers 26 need to be added, so that stable travel is made possible by means of a simple arrangement without significant increases in the number of part items and man hours for assembly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a suspension type lifting / lowering apparatus used in semiconductor manufacturing, hospitals and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 10 to 13 show a conventional suspension type lifting / lowering transport device. A first prior art suspension type lifting / lowering transporting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 10 includes a transporting rail 2, a transporting trolley 3 traveling along the transporting rail 2 while holding an object W to be lifted up and down, and a transporting trolley 3. A drive source (not shown) is provided. As shown in FIG. 11, the transport rail 2 has a box shape in cross section with a gap formed in the lower portion, and both sides of the lower portion form a running surface 2a, and a gap 2b is formed between the running surfaces 2a. I have.

On the other hand, the transport carriage 3 has an elevating unit at its lower part for raising and lowering the transported object W. The upper part of the carrier 3 has a bogie structure, and a traveling roller 6 and a guide roller 7 are attached to the bogie 4 via a frame 5.
Are rotatably mounted. Running roller 6
Is for making the transport vehicle 3 travel by rolling on the traveling surface 2a of the transport rail 2, and two are provided at the front and rear portions of the transport vehicle 3. The guide rollers 7 guide the traveling of the transport carriage 3 by rolling on both side walls of the transport rail 2.

The driving source has a primary side 8 mounted on the upper part of the transporting carriage 3 and a secondary side 9 installed on the upper inner wall of the transporting rail 2 so as to face the primary side 8. Constructs a DC motor. The linear DC motor is driven and controlled by an inverter (not shown) provided in the transport trolley 3 when receiving power supply from a power supply unit (not shown) provided in the transport rail 2. ,
The carrier 3 is run.

[0005] When the transport object W is transported, the transport vehicle 3 first travels on the travel surface 2a by controlling the drive of a linear DC motor as a drive source.
Is moved to above and stopped, and in that state, the elevating unit is lowered to the position of the transported object W. At the time when the transported object W and the elevating unit are fixed, the transported unit W is moved up to the desired height by the elevating unit and stopped, and then the linear DC motor is driven again to move the transport cart 3. Thus, the article W is transported to a position above the unloading position. When the transport vehicle 3 reaches above the unloading position, the transport vehicle 3
Is stopped, the conveyed object W is lowered by the elevating unit,
Further, after being placed at a predetermined place, the fixing of the transported object W and the elevating unit is released, and the elevating unit is rolled up, thereby completing the transfer operation.

Further, in the above-mentioned prior art, as shown in FIG. 12, it is configured to be able to travel between a straight conveying path 2A and a curved branch conveying path 2B. That is, the branch guide 10a is attached to the linear transport path 2A on the transport rail 2 as shown on the left side of FIG.
A branch guide 10b is attached to B as shown on the right side of FIG. A movable rod 12 is provided above the bogie section 5 of the transport carriage 3 so as to be movable left and right along the horizontal direction, and branching rollers 11 are attached to both ends of the movable rod 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the transport carriage 3 is moved from the straight transport path 2A to the right branch transport path 2B.
When the vehicle travels to the right side, the branching roller 11 is moved to the right by driving the moving rod 12 at a position where there is no branch guides 10a and 10b, and in this state, the transport carriage 3 is moved forward. By being guided along the branch guide 10b, the transport carriage 3 is moved along the branch transport path 2
It is configured to travel along B.

[0007]

By the way, the above-mentioned conventional suspension type elevating / lowering transport device is used either when traveling on the transport rail 2 of the linear transport path 2A or when branching and traveling to the branch transport path 2B. Also had the problems described below.

That is, for example, when traveling from the linear transport path 2A to the transport rail of the branch transport path 2B, the transport carriage 3
Of the branch roller 11 is the branch guide 10 of the branch conveying path 2B.
12B, the traveling locus X shown in FIG. 12 is taken. At this time, the traveling roller 6b on the right side in FIG.
When moving along the running surface of B, the left running roller 6a
Must pass through the gap 2b of the transport rail 2 of the linear transport path 2A, so that the left traveling roller 6a is de-wheeled and smoothly moves on the traveling surface 2a of the branch transport path 2B. Can not be done.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13, the transport vehicle 3 is formed in a long shape, and a further pair of traveling rollers 1 is provided between the front wheels and the rear wheels of the traveling rollers 6 of the transport vehicle 3.
3, when the guide rollers 14 are respectively added to move from the transport rail 2 on the linear transport path 2A onto the transport rail on the branch transport path 2B, one of the traveling rollers 6 and 13 on the left side has a gap 2b. It is conceivable to allow the transport carriage 3 to travel to the branch transport path 2B so that even if the wheel is derailed, the other set of traveling rollers can be maintained in a state in which it does not derail.

However, in order to allow the vehicle to travel to the branch conveyance path 2B without any problem, if a pair of traveling rollers 13 and guide rollers 14 are newly added as described above, the vehicle travels in a curve around a point on a vertical line from the center of the vehicle body. In this case, the distance from the center to the rollers on the front and rear sides of the vehicle body is equal, but the distance from the center to the rollers 14 is different therefrom, so that the added center rollers 14 cause side slip. For this reason, a prevention mechanism for preventing the center roller from skidding is required, which leads to an increase in the number of parts of the side slip prevention mechanism, resulting in an increase in the number of assembly steps and an increase in cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art,
An object of the present invention is to provide a suspension type ascending / descending transport device that can reliably branch and travel on a branch transport path with a simple configuration and can achieve stable travel.

[0012]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a transport rail fixed at an upper position and having a running surface on both sides at a lower portion and having a gap between the running surfaces, and an object to be transported held up and down, In addition, in a suspension type lifting / lowering transporting device including a transport vehicle traveling along a transport rail and a drive source for driving the transport vehicle, a plurality of travel rollers are provided on one side coaxially. If one of the traveling rollers has a plurality of rollers on one side on the same axis, even if one of the traveling rollers is derailed, the other travels on the traveling surface of the transport rail, and is transported from the linear transport path to the branch transport path. Can be run stably, so that it is not necessary to use a side slip prevention mechanism for adding a traveling roller and a guide roller as in the prior art, and only the traveling roller is added. It is possible to realize stable running with a simple configuration without causing a large increase in the number of assembly steps.

According to the present invention, the plurality of traveling rollers are arranged at a distance. Thus, when one of the traveling roller and the traveling roller attempts to derail, the other traveling roller can prevent the transport vehicle from tilting, and the transport vehicle can travel reliably without tilting.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the transport rail is formed so as to be able to travel with the transported vehicle in a form in which the transported object and the transport vehicle are housed. At one intersection, an auxiliary traveling surface is provided in which one traveling surface for the branch transport path is continuous with the corresponding traveling surface of the linear transport path. According to the present invention, when the transport trolley travels between the straight transport path and the branch transport path, the travel rollers can travel reliably without derailing, and the transported object can be transported stably.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of spheres for independently and rotatably holding a plurality of spheres are mounted on both sides of the carrier in the longitudinal direction of the carrier.
Since each sphere of the sphere wheel runs on the running surface of the transport rail, when the sphere from the front sphere in the sphere wheel is separated from the front sphere in the gap on the side of the branch transport path, the other spheres except the derailed portion move on the running surface. Since the vehicle is always traveling, the transport vehicle can travel stably along the branch transport path.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 show an embodiment of a suspension type elevating and conveying apparatus of the present invention. The suspension type lifting / lowering transport device 20 includes a transport rail 22 and a transport vehicle 2
3 and a drive source (not shown) for the transport vehicle 23.

The transport rail 22 is fixed to a ceiling 21 as shown in FIG.
And a gap 22 between the running surfaces 22a, 22a.
b is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, a branch guide 30 is attached to one side of the transfer rail 22 along a straight transfer path 22A and a curved transfer path 22B. The transport vehicle 23 has an elevating unit for elevating and lowering the article W to be transported, and also has a transport rail 2
A traveling roller 26 that travels on the second traveling surface 22a, a guide roller 27 that guides the traveling of the transport vehicle 23, and a branching roller 31 that is guided by a branching guide 30 are attached.

The running roller 26 is supported on a frame 25 attached to a bogie section 24 on the upper part of the transport carriage 23 by a supporting member 25.
a so as to be rotatable via guide rollers 2
7 is rotatably attached to the frame 25 via a support member 25b. Both the traveling roller 26 and the guide roller 27 are provided on the front, rear, and both sides of the transport carriage 23, respectively. When the course is changed between the straight conveyance path 22 </ b> A and the branch conveyance path 22 </ b> B, the branching roller 31 moves when the conveyance carriage 23 moves to the retreat position of the both conveyance paths (the position without the branch guide 30). It is selectively moved left or right by a rod 32 and is guided by a branch guide 30 of a transport path to be traveled.
The moving rod 32 includes a driving unit 33 mounted on the frame 25.
Work by. The drive source has a primary side 28 attached to the upper part of the bogie section 24 and a secondary side 29 installed on the upper inner wall of the transport rail 22 so as to face the primary side 28 to provide a linear DC motor. When the power is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown) in the transport rail 22, the drive is controlled by an inverter (not shown) provided in the transport vehicle 3 so that the vehicle travels on the transport vehicle 3. Let it. In the present invention, the traveling roller 26
Are mounted on the same axis. That is, the plurality of traveling rollers 26 are rotatably mounted on the frame 25 by the support members 25a and 25c, are arranged coaxially with each other, and are provided on both sides of the transport carriage 23, respectively. Therefore, when the transport carriage 23 travels, the traveling surface 2 of the transport rail 22 together with the traveling roller 26 is used.
Roll 2a. As shown in FIG. 2, when the transport vehicle 23 travels from the linear transport path 22A to the branch transport path 22B, the travel rollers 26a (26b) travel between the travel rollers 26a (26b) and the travel rollers 26a (26b). Roller 2
6a (26b), when one of the rollers is disengaged in the gap 22b of the linear conveyance path 22A, the other roller
a, the transport carriage 23 is separated from the gap 22b.
Are set so that they can pass over the road.

As described above, when the transport vehicle 23 has a plurality of coaxial traveling rollers 26, when the transport vehicle 3 travels along the branch transport rail 22 from the linear transport rail 2, the transport vehicle 23 first Roller 31 at the retracted position
Is moved rightward along the branch guide 30 of the branch transport path 22B, and the transport carriage 23 is caused to travel toward the branch point in this state. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport cart 23 is guided by the branch roller 31 along the branch guide 30 of the branch transport path 22B, and the traveling roller 26 rolls on the traveling surface 22a on the branch transport path 22B side. As a result, the vehicle travels in the direction of the branch transport path 22B.

At this time, of the traveling rollers 26 of the transport carriage 23, as shown by broken lines in FIG.
Although it rolls up, it may reach the gap 22b in the direction of the linear conveyance path 22A as the two front running rollers 26a move forward, and may lose wheels. However, the two front running rollers 26a are coaxially attached to each other, and when the inner running roller 26a of the two running rollers 26a is derailed, the outer running roller 26a runs therefrom. Since the roller 22a rolls on the surface 22a, the vehicle can travel in the direction of the branch transport path 22B even when one of the traveling rollers 26a is out of the wheel. Then, as the traveling of the transport vehicle 23 further proceeds, the traveling roller 26a on the front left outside reaches the gap 22b as shown by a solid line in FIG. The left inner traveling roller 26a reaches the traveling surface 22a near the branch transport path, and accordingly, the front left inner traveling roller 2a
6a and one of the outer running rollers 26a is running on the running surface 22a.
3 can travel smoothly along the branch conveyance path 22B without being inclined. Although such a state is not shown, the same operation is performed when either one of the rear left inner running roller 26 and the outer running roller 26 coaxial with it runs off.

As a result, when the traveling rollers 26 are provided coaxially with the traveling rollers 26, respectively, the traveling rollers 26 and the traveling rollers 26 travel on the traveling surface 22a before one of the traveling rollers 26 attempts to derail. Since the transport carriage 23 can travel in a stable state from the straight transport path 22A to the branch transport path 22B, the traveling rollers 1
3. It is not necessary to use a side slip prevention mechanism for adding the guide roller 14, and only the running roller 26 is added, so that the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are not greatly increased, and the Stable traveling can be realized with a simple configuration. In the present embodiment, only the case where the vehicle travels from the linear transport path 22A to the branch transport path 22B has been described, but the same applies to the case where the vehicle travels from the branch transport path 22B to the straight transport path 22A. Needless to say.

In this embodiment, the branch guide 30 is provided on the inner wall of the transport rail 22 corresponding to the prior art shown in FIG. 11, and the branch roller 31 is also positioned inside the transport rail 22 so as to match the guide. Although the above example has been described, a modification shown in FIG. 4 may be used. That is, in the suspension type elevating and conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the branch guides 30 are attached to both sides of the bottom of the running surface 22 a of the conveying rail 22. The branch guide 30 is bent downward at the bottom of the running surface 22a, and the bent ends are bent inward to each other and further upward. And each branch guide 30,
The branching roller 31 is positioned between the transfer carts 30.
Mounted on top of Even with such a configuration, the transport carriage 23 can travel between the straight transport path 22A and the branch transport path 22B.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the suspension type lifting / lowering transport device. In this case, the transport rail 22 is formed to have a size such that the transported vehicle 23 can travel with the transported object W suspended thereon being lifted to the uppermost position.

More specifically, the transport rail 22
Means that the dimension L1 between the side walls 22 'and 22' is
3 and the width of the transferred object W is larger than that of the transferred object W, and when the transfer cart 23 raises the transferred object W to the highest position,
The side walls 22 ', 22' are formed such that the running surface 22a is at a lower position with an appropriate dimension L2 than the bottom surface of the transported object W. Therefore, the transport rail 22 is
Has a shape capable of traveling with the transported object W and the transport trolley 23 stored when the transported object W is raised to the uppermost position. Therefore, the traveling surface 2 of the transport rail 22
2a does not need to be cut at the intersection of the linear transport path 22A and the branch transport path 22B, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the auxiliary travel surface 35 extends across the gap 22b of the linear transport path 22A. Is provided. However, in this case, when the transport rail 22 is formed over the entire length of the transport path, there is a possibility that the material used will increase. Therefore, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to form a plurality of frames in which portions except for the branch guides 30 are intermittently arranged so that desired strength can be maintained. In addition, the transport vehicle 23 is
A traveling roller 26 is attached to a lower part of a support member 25d extending downward and extending on both sides of the transport carriage 23, and the transported object W raised to the highest position.
1 is lower than the bottom of FIG.
Since the configuration is almost the same as that described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

As described above, when the transport object W suspended by the transport vehicle 23 is raised to the uppermost position as the transport rail 22, the transport object W and the transport vehicle 23 are transported in a stored state. It is formed so that the carriage 23 can run,
In addition, at the intersection of the straight conveyance path 22A and the branch conveyance path 22B, one of the traveling surfaces 22 for the branch conveyance path 2B is used.
The auxiliary traveling surface 35 is provided so that a is continuous with the corresponding traveling surface 22a of the linear transport path 2A. Therefore, when the transport carriage 23 travels between the linear transport path 22A and the branch transport path 22B, the traveling roller The wheel 26 can travel reliably without derailing, and the article W can be stably conveyed.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show another embodiment of the suspension type elevating / lowering transport device. In this embodiment, the traveling roller used so far is abolished, and instead of the traveling roller, a sphere wheel 40 in which a plurality of spheres 41 are held so as to roll on the traveling surface 22a is used. The spherical ring 40
As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of spheres 41 are attached to the bottom of a housing 42 at the bottom of a housing 42, respectively, as shown in FIG. It is held rotatably. As shown in FIG. 9, each of the spheres 42 is rotatably held in an arbitrary direction by a small ball array 43. The small ball row 43 is supported in a state in which a sphere 44 smaller than the sphere 41 is in contact with an upper portion of the sphere 41 in the housing 42.
Can rotate in any direction. Note that the configuration other than the traveling unit is substantially the same as that of FIG. 1, and a description thereof will be omitted.

When the transport carriage 23 having such a configuration travels from the linear transport path 22A to the branch transport path 22B, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the wheel is derailed from the front sphere 41 in the sphere wheel 40 in the gap 22b on the branch conveyance path 22B side,
Except for the departed portion, other spheres 41 are always running on the running surface. Therefore, the transport carriage 23 can move toward the branch transport path 22 </ b> B by the branch roller 31 being guided by the branch guide 30 and the guide roller 27 being guided by the side wall of the transport rail 22. It is possible to travel in a stable state along the road 22B. Therefore, in the suspension type lifting / lowering transport device of the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 23 is mounted on both sides of the transport vehicle 23 along the length direction thereof, and the sphere wheel 40 traveling on the travel surface 23 of the transport rail 22 is moved. By having this, it is possible to reliably travel to the branch transport path B in a stable state, and basically the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

By applying the spherical ring 41 of the present embodiment,
The following configuration is also possible. That is, the sphere 41 is buried along the running surface of the transport rail 22 along the running surface,
The transport cart 23 may be configured to slide on the sphere 41.

[0030]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, even if one of the traveling roller and the traveling roller provided coaxially attempts to derail, the other traveling roller is conveyed. Since the transport trolley is configured to run on the rail running surface and stably travel from the linear transport path to the branch transport path, stable travel can be realized with a simple configuration.

According to the second aspect, since the plurality of traveling rollers are arranged at a distance from each other, there is an effect that the carriage can travel reliably without tilting.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the transport rail is formed so as to be capable of running the transport vehicle in a state in which the transported object and the transport vehicle are stored, and the intersection between the linear transport path and the branch transport path. In one portion, one traveling surface for the branch transport path is provided with an auxiliary traveling surface that is continuous with the corresponding traveling surface of the linear transport path, so that when the transport vehicle travels, the traveling rollers may derail. There is no effect at all, and it is possible to travel reliably and stably transport the transported object.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of spheres for independently and rotatably holding a plurality of spheres are attached to both sides of the carrier in a longitudinal direction of the carrier. Even if one of the spheres loses the wheel, the other spheres are always running on the running surface except for the part where the sphere has lost the wheel, so that there is an effect that a stable running of the transport vehicle can be obtained. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a suspension type elevating and lowering transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram when a transport vehicle passes through a gap between transport rails in a linear transport path.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a straight conveyance path and a branch conveyance path.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a modification of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the suspension type lifting device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a transport rail at an intersection of a straight transport path and a branch transport path.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a transport rail at the intersection of the straight transport path and the branch transport path.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a traveling state showing still another embodiment of the suspension type elevating and conveying device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a main part of a traveling unit.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conventional suspension type elevating transport device.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 10 showing the configuration of the conventional suspension type lifting / lowering transport device.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a case where the vehicle travels in a branch from a straight transport path to a branch transport path.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration for solving a problem caused by a conventional suspension type lifting / lowering transport device.

[Explanation of symbols]

20: suspension type lifting / lowering transport device, 22: transport rail, 23 ...
Conveying cart, 26: running roller, 27: guide roller, 4
0 ... sphere ring, 41 ... sphere.

Claims (4)

[Claims] A transport rail fixed to an upper position and having a running surface on both lower sides and having a gap between the running surfaces, a transportable object is held up and down, and travels along the transport rail. A suspension type elevating / lowering transport device comprising a transport vehicle to be driven and a drive source for driving the transport vehicle to travel, wherein a plurality of traveling rollers are provided on one side on the same axis. 2. The suspension type elevating and conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of traveling rollers are arranged at a distance. 3. A transport rail fixed to an upper position and having a running surface on both sides at a lower portion and having a gap between the running surfaces, an object to be transported being held up and down, and running along the transport rail. The transport rail is formed such that the transport vehicle can travel in a form in which the transported object and the transport vehicle are stored, in a suspension type lifting / lowering transport device including a transport vehicle to be driven and a drive source for driving the transport vehicle to travel. And at the intersection of the linear transport path and the branch transport path, one travel surface for the branch transport path is provided with an auxiliary travel surface that is continuous with a corresponding travel surface of the linear transport path. Suspended lifting and lowering transport device. 4. A transport rail fixed to an upper position and having a running surface on both sides at a lower portion and having a gap between the running surfaces, a transportable object held up and down, and running along the transport rail. And a suspension type lifting / lowering transporting device having a drive source for driving the transporting vehicle, wherein a plurality of spheres are independently rotatable on both sides of the transporting vehicle along the length direction of the transporting vehicle. A suspension type ascending and conveying device, wherein a holding spherical ring is attached.