JP2004155529A - Conveyor chain - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply and securely fix a connection pin to an insertion hole of a link and mount and dismount the connection pin in/from the insertion hole repeatedly. <P>SOLUTION: The connection pin 6 has a substantially cylindrical shape and has a gap 14 extending from a one end part in the axial direction to the other end part in its peripheral wall part 6a. The link 5 has the insertion holes 11, 12 which have substantially cylindrical cross section and in which the connection pin is inserted in both end parts in the direction of its travel. The insertion hole 11 on one side has smaller inside diameter dimension than that of the insertion hole 12 on the other side. The connection pin 6 is press-fitted by elastic deformation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a conveyor chain that moves along a track composed of a pair of rails.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A chain conveyor, which is one of conveyor devices for transporting articles, is configured such that an endless annular conveyor chain formed by connecting a number of links by connecting pins is moved along a track. The connecting pin is made of, for example, stainless steel, and after being inserted into the insertion hole of each link, is caulked at both ends thereof, and is fixed to the insertion hole in a state where it cannot be removed.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, a conveyor chain generally has a long overall length and a large number of links. For this reason, in the method of caulking both ends of the connecting pin and fixing the connecting pin to the insertion hole as described above, the operation is troublesome and time-consuming. In addition, there is a problem that the connecting pin cannot be easily removed from the insertion hole because the swaged portion interferes.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor capable of easily and securely fixing a connecting pin to a through hole of a link, and further, easily removing the connecting pin from the through hole. Is to provide a chain.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the conveyor chain according to the first aspect of the present invention, the connecting pin for connecting the links has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gap extending from one end to the other end in the axial direction is provided on the peripheral wall thereof, and the gap width is small. And one of the insertion holes, which is provided at both ends in the moving direction of the link and has a substantially circular cross-section and through which the connection pin is inserted, has a smaller inner diameter than the other, and the connection is performed. The pin is elastically deformed and press-fitted.
[0006]
According to the above configuration, the connecting pin can be fixed in a press-fit state into one of the insertion holes having a small inner diameter, so that the operation can be performed easily and in a short time. Moreover, unlike the related art in which both ends of the connecting pin are swaged for fixing, the connecting pin can be easily removed from the insertion hole.
[0007]
The conveyor chain according to claim 2 of the present invention, wherein the link comprises a top plate on which an article is placed on an upper surface and a connecting portion provided below the top plate and having an insertion hole, and the connecting pin is connected to the connecting portion. It is characterized by being made of a harder material.
[0008]
According to the above configuration, since the connecting pin is harder than the connecting portion, even if the connecting portion rubs against the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin, there is no damage.
[0009]
In this case, it is preferable that both the connecting pin and the connecting portion are made of a metal material (the invention of claim 3).
[0010]
It is also preferable that the connecting pin and the connecting portion are made of the same metal material, and the connecting pin is hardened by quenching than the connecting portion (the invention of claim 4). According to the above configuration, it is easy to select the material of the connecting pin and the connecting portion.
[0011]
In this case, both the connecting pin and the connecting portion are preferably made of stainless steel (the invention of claim 5). According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent rust from being generated on the connecting pin and the connecting portion. Moreover, since stainless steel can be made very hard and strong by quenching, the strength of the connecting pin can be improved.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a schematic configuration of a part of the chain conveyor according to the present embodiment. The chain conveyor 1 is composed of a track 3 composed of a pair of rails 2 and 2 arranged opposite to each other, and a conveyor chain 4 moved along the track 3.
[0013]
Generally, the rails 2 and 2 are fixed on a support table (not shown), and a driving sprocket and a driven sprocket (both are shown) inside the support table and at both ends of the track 3 in the traveling direction. ) Are arranged respectively. The conveyor chain 4 has a number of links 5 connected endlessly by connecting pins 6 and is stretched between the sprockets.
[0014]
The track 3 is configured by appropriately combining linear portions and curved portions depending on the use of the chain conveyor 1 and restrictions on the installation location. FIG. 1 shows a curved portion of a track 3, in which a pair of plastic rails 2 having a substantially trapezoidal cross section is used. The upper surface of the rail 2 is a horizontal transfer surface 2a, and the inner surface is a guide surface 2b inclined outward from the upper part to the lower part. Although not shown, the straight portion of the track 3 is formed of a rail having an L-shaped cross section.
[0015]
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show a part of the conveyor chain 4. The link 5 is made of stainless steel and has a flat top plate 7 mounted on the transfer surface 2a of the rail 2. First and second connecting portions 8 and 9 are provided at front and rear ends of the top plate 7 in the moving direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIGS. 3 and 4), respectively.
[0016]
Specifically, a substantially rectangular notch 10 is provided at the center of the front end of the top plate 7, and a first connecting portion 8 is provided at a lower portion on both sides thereof. The connecting portion 8 is formed by bending a pair of tongue-like pieces extending from the front end of the top plate 7 into a cylindrical shape on the lower surface side of the top play 7.
[0017]
The second connecting portion 9 protrudes rearward from the center of the rear end of the top plate 7, and like the first connecting portion 8, the tongue-shaped piece extending from the top plate 7 is attached to the lower surface of the top plate 7. It is constituted by bending a cylindrical shape on the side. The width dimension and the projection dimension of the second connecting portion 9 are set such that the second connecting portion 9 is located within the notch portion 10 with a slight gap therebetween.
[0018]
According to the above configuration, both the first and second connecting portions 8 and 9 are provided integrally with the top plate 7, and the insertion holes 11 and 12 are formed inside the top and bottom surfaces of the top plate 7. You. At this time, the inner diameter of the insertion hole 11 is configured to be smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 12.
[0019]
A pair of ribs 13 are provided on the lower surface of the top plate 7 so as to face each other in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction. The rib 13 is guided by the guide surface 2b when the top plate 7 moves on the rail 2.
[0020]
Next, the configuration of the connecting pin 6 will be described with reference to FIG. The connecting pin 6 is formed by rolling a flat plate of stainless steel into a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a gap 14 extending from one axial end to the other end in a part of the peripheral wall 6a. The end faces of the peripheral wall portion 6a opposed to each other with the gap 14 interposed therebetween have a sawtooth shape, and the teeth on one end face are inserted between the teeth on the other end face. Therefore, the gap 14 has a zigzag shape.
[0021]
Further, both ends in the axial direction of the connection pin 6 are tapered, so that the connection pins 6 can be easily inserted into the insertion holes 11 and 12.
[0022]
After being bent into a substantially cylindrical shape, the connecting pin 6 having the above configuration is treated so as to be very hard and strong by quenching. Accordingly, the connecting pin 6 is harder than the connecting portions 8 and 9, and is elastically deformable in a direction in which the opposite end surfaces are sandwiched with the gap 14 therebetween and the width of the gap 14 is reduced. The outer diameter of the hardened connection pin 6 is set to be larger than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 11 and smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 12.
[0023]
The link 5 has the second connecting portion 9 disposed in the notch 10 of the adjacent link 5, and the connecting pin 6 is inserted through one of the connecting pins 6 in a state where the axes of the insertion holes 11 and 12 are substantially aligned. By inserting the holes 11, the insertion holes 12, and the other insertion holes 11 in this order, the adjacent links 5 are connected.
[0024]
At this time, since the outer diameter of the connecting pin 6 is larger than the insertion hole 11, the connection pin 6 is elastically deformed when entering the one insertion hole 11, and is inserted into the insertion hole 12 and the other insertion hole 11 in this state. You. As a result, the connecting pin 6 is fixed in each insertion hole 11 in a press-fit state by the restoring force. On the other hand, the connecting pin 6 is loosely inserted into the insertion hole 12 because its outer diameter is smaller than the insertion hole 12.
[0025]
The connection pin 6 is inserted into the insertion holes 11 and 12 such that the gap 14 is located at the front or rear in the moving direction. Thereby, even if the pulling force acts on both sides of the connecting pin 6 in the moving direction, the connecting pin 6 can be prevented from being elastically deformed as much as possible. In FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, the connection pins 6 are illustrated so that the gap 14 is located at the lower part.
[0026]
On the other hand, the connecting pin 6 can be easily pulled out from the insertion holes 11 and 12 by strongly pressing the end thereof.
[0027]
According to this embodiment, the connecting pin 6 is configured to be elastically deformable by providing the gap 14 in the peripheral wall portion 6a and fixed to the insertion holes 11 and 12 by press-fitting. Work and removal can be performed easily and in a short time. Moreover, it can be repeatedly attached to and detached from the insertion holes 11 and 12.
[0028]
Further, since the gap 14 of the connecting pin 6 is formed in a zigzag shape, the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin 6 can be a pseudo circumferential surface. Thereby, it is possible to suppress as much as possible that the smooth rotation of the second connecting portion 9 is hindered by the gap 14.
[0029]
By the way, the link 5 moving along the curved rail 2 has a different moving direction from the adjacent link 5, and the axial center of the connecting pin 6 does not coincide with the axial center of the insertion hole 12. For this reason, the top plate 7 vibrates slightly due to a scratch on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin 6, and the transferred object on the top plate 7 falls. In order to prevent such a phenomenon, it is conceivable to supply oil between the connecting pin 6 and the insertion hole 12, but when the conveyed object is, for example, food or medicine, lubricating oil cannot be used for sanitation.
[0030]
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the connecting pin 6 is made harder than the connecting portions 8 and 9, the connecting pin 6 and the connecting portion 9 are rubbed by the rotation of the link 5 without lubricating oil. The outer peripheral surface of No. 6 is not damaged.
[0031]
In this embodiment, both the link 5 and the connecting pin 6 are made of stainless steel, and the connecting pin 6 is hardened by quenching. Therefore, the entire conveyor chain 4 can be made excellent in water resistance and chemical resistance.
[0032]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the following modifications are possible.
In the link, the top plate and the connecting portion may be configured separately. Further, the connecting pin and the connecting portion may be made of different metals. Further, the connection pin and the connection portion may be made of a material other than metal, for example, a resin.
[0033]
The gap provided on the peripheral wall of the connecting pin may be spiral or linear. In particular, in the case of a resin link in which the top plate and the connecting portion are integrally formed, the cross-sectional shape of the insertion hole is generally substantially D-shaped. In this case, it is preferable that the gap is formed in a linear shape and the connecting pin is inserted so that the gap is located in a flat portion of the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole. According to such a configuration, it is possible to obtain an effect that the connecting pin can be fixed to the insertion hole in a detented state.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, the present invention presses the connection pin into the insertion hole of the link by elastic deformation, so that the work of fixing the connection pin to the insertion hole can be performed easily and in a short time. In addition, the work of attaching and detaching the connecting pin to and from the insertion hole can be easily performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a part of a chain conveyor showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing FIG. 1 as viewed from an arrow direction. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a part of a conveyor chain. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a part of the conveyor chain, showing a part of a connecting portion cut away. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a connecting pin.
In the figure, 1 is a chain conveyor, 2 is a rail, 3 is a track, 4 is a conveyor chain, 5 is a link, 6 is a connecting pin, 6a is a peripheral wall, 7 is a top plate, 8 is a first connecting part, 9 is The second connecting portion, 11 and 12 indicate insertion holes, and 14 indicates a gap.

Claims (5)

In a conveyor chain composed of a number of links interconnected by connecting pins and moved along a track consisting of a pair of separated rails,
The connection pin has a substantially cylindrical shape and a peripheral wall portion having a gap extending from one axial end to the other end, and is configured to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the gap width decreases.
The link has an insertion hole having a substantially circular cross-section at both ends in the moving direction and through which the connection pin is inserted, and one of the insertion holes has an inner diameter smaller than the other and the connection pin is elastically deformed. A conveyor chain configured to be press-fitted. The link includes a top plate on which an article is placed on an upper surface, and a connecting portion having insertion holes provided at both ends in the movement direction of the top plate,
The conveyor chain according to claim 1, wherein the connecting pin is made of a material harder than the connecting portion. 3. The conveyor chain according to claim 2, wherein both the connecting pin and the connecting portion are made of a metal material. The conveyor chain according to claim 1, wherein the connecting pin and the connecting portion are made of the same metal material, and the connecting pin is configured to be harder than the connecting portion by quenching. The conveyor chain according to claim 4, wherein both the connection pin and the connection portion are made of stainless steel.

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