JP2004231409A - Lift-up conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discharge chips in the other direction by one kind of conveyor by making the chip discharge direction of a lift-up conveyor adjustable. <P>SOLUTION: This lift-up conveyor has an endless upstream carrying belt 11, an endless downstream carrying belt 12 having the carrying passage starting end connected to the carrying passage tail end of the upstream carrying belt 11 and freely turnable around the vertical axis to the upstream carrying belt 11, a motor 36 for driving the downstream carrying belt 11 and a transmission mechanism 37 for transmitting motive power of the downstream carrying belt 12 to the upstream carrying belt 11 so that the transmission direction can be reversed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lift-up conveyor used for, for example, discharging chips from a machining center.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a lift-up conveyor of this type, the end of the transport path of the endless upstream transport zone is connected to the start end of the transport path of the endless downstream transport zone, and in this state, both the upstream transport zone and the downstream transport zone are There is a known one that is fixedly installed on a floor (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-57-75754
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional lift-up conveyor, the chips are discharged in only one direction in the length direction of the downstream transport belt. Therefore, in order to change the chip discharge direction in one machine tool, various types of lift-up conveyors corresponding to the required discharge direction must be prepared as units. This increases the number of man-hours for special design around the lift-up conveyor and complicates unit management.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a lift-up conveyor that enables the chip discharge direction of a lift-up conveyor to be adjusted so that chips can be discharged in another direction by one type of conveyor.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the lift-up conveyor according to the present invention, the end of the transport path of the endless upstream transport belt is connected to the start end of the transport path of the endless downstream transport belt, and the downstream transport belt can freely rotate around the vertical axis with respect to the upstream transport belt. It has been done.
[0007]
In the lift-up conveyor according to the present invention, the chip discharge direction of the lift-up conveyor can be adjusted by turning the downstream transport belt in an arbitrary direction with respect to the upstream transport belt. Therefore, chips can be discharged in the other direction by one type of conveyor.
[0008]
Furthermore, if the lift-up conveyor is provided with a motor for driving the downstream transport belt and a transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the downstream transport belt to the upstream transport belt, the drive source for the downstream transport belt and the upstream transport belt can be driven by one drive source. Both can be driven.
[0009]
Further, if the transmission direction of the power transmitted by the transmission mechanism is reversible, the conveyor type of the upstream transport belt can be switched between the hinge type and the scraper type.
[0010]
Also, below the end of the transport path of the upstream transport band, the start end of the transport path of the downstream transport band enters, and a transmission mechanism is disposed between the end of the transport path and the start end of the transport path, and a circular upper tooth is provided on the upper end surface. It is formed upward, and has a vertically rotating cylinder having circular lower teeth formed downward at the lower end surface, and extends in a direction intersecting the rotation axis of the rotating cylinder and is meshed with the upstream transport belt. A horizontal driven shaft, a horizontal drive shaft extending in a direction intersecting with the rotation axis of the rotating cylinder and meshing with the downstream conveyance belt, a driven gear meshed with the upper teeth and fixed to the driven shaft, and lower teeth And a driving gear fixed to the driving shaft, wherein a position where the driven gear meshes with the upper gear and a position where the driving gear meshes with the lower gear so that the driven gear and the driving gear are rotated in directions opposite to each other. Phase set It may be.
[0011]
Further, instead of the driven gear and the drive gear being rotated in opposite directions, the driven gear and the drive gear may be rotated in the same direction.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
In the following description, the front and rear refer to FIG. 1 as a reference, the left side is referred to as front, and the opposite side is referred to as rear, and the left and right refer to the left and right sides as viewed from the front.
[0014]
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lift-up conveyor includes an endless upstream transfer belt 11 installed in the machining center M, extending forward and horizontally over the entire length, and a portion outside the machining center M from below the front end of the upstream transfer band 11. And a downstream conveyance belt 12 whose middle portion is inclined upward and forward.
[0015]
The upstream conveyance belt 11 has a rear end as a conveyance path start end and a front end as a conveyance path end, and includes a pair of left and right endless upstream chains 21 and a plurality of scrapers 22 passed over both chains 21. ing. Both chains 21 are wound around front and rear sprockets 23,24. An upstream cover 25 covers the upstream transport zone 11 and the sprockets 23 and 24.
[0016]
The downstream conveyance belt 12 has a rear end as a conveyance path start end and a front end as a conveyance path end, and includes a pair of left and right endless downstream chains 31 and a plurality of hinges 32 passed over both chains 31. ing. Both chains 31 are wound around front and rear sprockets 33,34. The downstream transport belt 12 and the sprockets 33 and 34 are covered with a downstream cover 35. A motor 36 for rotationally driving the front sprocket 33 is provided at the front end of the downstream cover 35.
[0017]
A transmission mechanism 37 for transmitting the power of the downstream transport belt 12 to the upstream transport belt 11 is provided in a portion from the end of the transport route of the upstream transport belt 11 to the beginning of the transport route of the downstream transport belt 12.
[0018]
Referring to FIG. 3, the upstream cover 25 has a pair of left and right upstream side plates 41 and an upstream bottom plate 42. A communication hole 43 is formed in the upstream bottom plate 42. The downstream cover 35 has a pair of left and right downstream plates 44 and a downstream bottom plate 45.
[0019]
Annular outer sliding guide members 46 are fixed to both upstream side plates 41 so as to face the communication holes 43 from below. An annular inner sliding guide member 47 is fitted to the outer sliding guide member 46. The inner sliding guide member 47 is fixed to both downstream side plates 44. The outer sliding guide member 46 and the inner sliding guide member 47 are fitted so as to freely move in the rotational direction of each other, but restrict movement in the vertical direction.
[0020]
The transmission mechanism 37 is disposed between the end of the conveyance path and the start of the conveyance path so as to be surrounded by the inner sliding guide member 47, and is supported by the inner sliding guide member 47 via a bearing 51. 52. Circular upper teeth 53 are formed upward on the upper end surface of the rotary cylinder 52, and circular lower teeth 54 are formed downward on the lower end surface.
[0021]
A horizontal driven shaft 55 is disposed above the rotary cylinder 52, and a horizontal drive shaft 56 is disposed below the horizontal driven shaft 55. The driven shaft 55 and the drive shaft 56 extend in the left-right direction crossing the vertical rotation axis of the rotation cylinder 52. The driven shaft 55 is supported by the upstream plate 41 via a bearing 57. The drive shaft 56 is supported by the downstream plate 44 via a bearing 58. A driven sprocket 61 meshed with the upstream chain 21 and a driven gear 62 meshed with the upper teeth 53 are fixed to the driven shaft 55 side by side in the left-right direction. A drive sprocket 63 meshed with the downstream chain 31 and a drive gear 64 meshed with the lower teeth 54 are fixed to the drive shaft 56 side by side in the left-right direction.
[0022]
In FIG. 3, the driven gear 62 and the driving gear 64 are meshed with the upper teeth 53 and the lower teeth 54 at positions where the phases of the rotating cylinder 52 in the rotation direction are the same.
[0023]
When the drive gear 64 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 1, the rotating cylinder 52 is rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed from a plane as indicated by an arrow B. As a result, as shown by the arrow C, the driven gear 62 is rotated clockwise.
[0024]
When the front sprocket 33 is rotated counterclockwise by the motor 36, the upper movement path of the downstream chain 31 is moved forward, and the lower movement path thereof is moved rearward. By the movement of the downstream chain 31, the drive gear 64 is rotated counterclockwise. Then, as described above, the driven gear 62 is rotated clockwise. Thereby, the upper moving path of the upstream chain 21 is moved rearward, and the lower moving path thereof is moved forward.
[0025]
The chips to be discharged are received by the upstream bottom plate 42 of the upstream cover 25. The chips received by the upstream bottom plate 42 are transported forward while sliding on the upstream bottom plate 42 by the scrapers 22 on the lower movement path of the upstream chain 21. When the chips are carried to the communication hole 43, the chips fall from the communication hole 43. The dropped chips are received by the hinges 32 on the upper moving path of the downstream chain 31, carried to the front end of the upper moving path, and dropped and discharged therefrom.
[0026]
When changing the chip discharge direction, the upstream cover 25 may be fixed, and the downstream cover 35 may be turned in a desired direction about a vertical rotation axis of the rotation cylinder 52 by a desired angle. During this turning, the drive gear 64 is moved while rotating on the lower teeth 54 while being engaged with the lower teeth 54. The outer sliding guide member 47 is rotated while sliding on the inner sliding guide member 46 together with the downstream cover 35.
[0027]
FIG. 4 shows a modification of the transmission mechanism 37. 4, portions corresponding to those shown in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG.
[0028]
The drive gear 64 is meshed at the left end position of the lower teeth 54. On the other hand, the driven gear 62 is engaged at the right end position of the upper teeth 53. The meshing positions of the two gears 62 and 64 are shifted by 180 degrees in the rotation direction of the rotating cylinder 52. When the rotating cylinder 52 is rotated clockwise as viewed from a plane, the driven gear 62 is rotated clockwise in the example shown in FIG. 3, but in the example shown in FIG. In the clockwise direction.
[0029]
As in the example shown in FIG. 4, when the driven gear 62 is rotated clockwise, the upper moving path of the upstream chain 21 is moved forward, and the lower moving path is moved rearward. Therefore, it is preferable that the upstream transport zone 11 employs a hinge type instead of the scraper type. FIG. 4 shows an example of the hinge 71.
[0030]
FIG. 5 shows a modification of the upstream transport zone 11. Although the upstream transport zone 11 shown in FIG. 1 is horizontal over its entire length, the upstream transport zone 11 according to this modified example is such that a middle part of its length is inclined forward and upward.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lift-up conveyor in which the chip discharge direction of the lift-up conveyor can be adjusted so that chips can be discharged in another direction by one type of conveyor. This eliminates the need to prepare a lift-up conveyor for each required discharge direction.Moreover, when changing the layout of machine tools in a factory, it is also flexible when changing the chip discharge direction due to space in the factory. It is possible to respond.
[0032]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the two transport bands whose transport directions can be changed with each other are driven by a single motor, so that a motor and wiring are not required, and a simple and inexpensive configuration can be achieved.
[0033]
According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to set a rotation direction suitable for a scraper or a hinge selected as a transport band suitable for a chip to be discharged.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a lift-up conveyor according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along a line III-III in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a modification of the transmission mechanism 37 of the lift-up conveyor.
FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a modification of the upstream conveyance belt of the lift-up conveyor.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Upstream transport zone 12 Downstream transport zone 36 Motor 37 Transmission mechanism 52 Rotating cylinder 53 Upper teeth 54 Lower teeth 55 Drive shaft 56 Drive shaft 62 Drive gear 64 Drive gear

Claims (5)

A lift-up conveyor in which the end of the transport path of the endless upstream transport belt is connected to the start end of the transport path of the endless downstream transport belt, and the downstream transport belt is rotatable around the vertical axis with respect to the upstream transport belt. The lift-up conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising: a motor that drives the downstream transport belt; and a transmission mechanism that transmits power of the downstream transport belt to the upstream transport belt. The lift-up conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the transmission direction of the power transmitted by the transmission mechanism is reversible. Below the end of the transport route of the upstream transport zone, the start of the transport route of the downstream transport zone enters,
A vertical rotation in which a transmission mechanism is disposed between the end of the transport path and the start of the transport path, and upper circular teeth are formed upward on the upper end face, and circular lower teeth are formed downward on the lower end face. A cylinder, a horizontal driven shaft extending in a direction intersecting with the rotation axis of the rotating cylinder and meshing with the upstream conveyance band, and extending in a direction intersecting with the rotation axis of the rotation cylinder and meshing with the downstream conveyance band. A horizontal drive shaft, a driven gear meshed with the upper teeth and fixed to the driven shaft, and a drive gear meshed with the lower teeth and fixed to the drive shaft,
The lift-up conveyor according to claim 2, wherein a phase of a position where the driven gear meshes with the upper gear and a position where the drive gear meshes with the lower gear are set so that the driven gear and the driving gear are rotated in opposite directions. . Below the end of the transport route of the upstream transport zone, the start of the transport route of the downstream transport zone enters,
A vertical rotation in which a transmission mechanism is disposed between the end of the transport path and the start of the transport path, and upper circular teeth are formed upward on the upper end face, and circular lower teeth are formed downward on the lower end face. A cylinder, a horizontal driven shaft extending in a direction intersecting with the rotation axis of the rotating cylinder and meshing with the upstream conveyance band, and extending in a direction intersecting with the rotation axis of the rotation cylinder and meshing with the downstream conveyance band. A horizontal drive shaft, a driven gear meshed with the upper teeth and fixed to the driven shaft, and a drive gear meshed with the lower teeth and fixed to the drive shaft,
4. The lift-up conveyor according to claim 2, wherein a phase of a position where the driven gear meshes with the upper gear and a position where the drive gear meshes with the lower gear are set so that the driven gear and the drive gear are rotated in the same direction. .

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