JP2005306551A - Article classification conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article classification conveyor device mounted with an inexpensive, small and light switch rail change-over actuator of reduced number of parts. <P>SOLUTION: This article classification conveyor device to flow an article in an optional branching direction by oscillation of a switch rail at a branching point of the conveyor is constituted so that the oscillation of the switch rail is done by force generated by interaction of a vertical magnetic field generated by a permanent magnet and an electric current flowing in a coil wound around within a horizontal surface orthogonal to the vertical magnetic field. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an article sorting conveyor device that can carry an article and switch an article delivery destination based on predetermined sorting information. More specifically, the present invention relates to an article carrying direction by swinging a switch rail at a conveyor branch point. The present invention relates to an article sorting conveyor device that performs switching.

  Conventionally, there is a slat conveyor 400 as shown in FIG. 6, for example, as an article sorting conveyor device that can transport an article and switch the destination of the article based on predetermined sorting information. Although not shown, such a slat conveyor 400 is capable of bending a large number of slats 410 that receive the object to be conveyed M on a single chain traveling along a conveyance path or between several chains. It is configured to be installed continuously. And the to-be-conveyed object M mounted on the slat 410 is conveyed by circulating the chain.

  Each slat 410 is provided with a slide shoe 420 that can slide along its longitudinal direction (that is, a direction orthogonal to the running direction D of the conveyor). The slide shoe 420 has a leg portion sandwiched between the adjacent slats 410, and the leg portions are normally a pair of rectilinear guide rails 432 and 434 attached in parallel to the back of the conveying surface of the slat 410. In this state, the belt travels straight along with the running of the conveyor while stopped at one end of the slat 410.

  On the other hand, at the branch point of the slat conveyor 400, that is, at the place shown in FIG. 6, branch guide rails 442 and 444 are provided to branch from the straight guide rail 434 along the branch direction of the branch conveyance path B. . Although not shown at the branching point between the branching guide rails 442 and 444 and the straight traveling guide rail 434, in order to switch the traveling direction of the slide shoe 420, it can swing between the straight traveling direction and the branching direction. A pivoted switch rail is provided. FIG. 5 shows a switch rail switching device 450 that switches the direction of the switch rail. The switch rail 452 has a pointed shape and is pivotally supported by a swing shaft 454 so as to be swingable between a straight traveling direction and a branching direction.

  In FIG. 5A, the tip 452a of the point-shaped switch rail 452 is held in a direction along the linear guide rail 434 positioned inside, and the leg 422 of the slide shoe is fixed to the linear guide rails 432 and 434. It shows how the slide shoe goes straight after being guided. On the other hand, in FIG. 5B, the tip 452a of the pointed switch rail 452 is held in a direction along the linear guide rail 432 located outside, and the leg 422 of the slide shoe is connected to the branch guide rail 442. A state is shown in which the slide shoe travels along the branching direction by being guided by 444. As a result, the traveling direction of the transported object M that has traveled straight on the slat conveyor 400 is changed to the branch transport path B direction.

An iron core 453 is embedded in the switch rail 452 from the vicinity of the swing shaft 454 toward the tip end, and one of a pair of electromagnets 456 and 458 arranged so as to sandwich the iron core of the switch rail 452. The switch rail 452 is swung by energizing the power supply (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-10218 (page 4-5, FIGS. 1, 2 and 7)

  However, in the conventional article sorting conveyor apparatus as described above, electromagnets are required on both sides of the switch rail, which causes an increase in cost due to an increase in the number of parts, and complicates and enlarges the apparatus configuration. Moreover, in order to effectively use the attractive force of the electromagnet, the gap between the iron core embedded in the switch rail and the electromagnet must be reduced, so that the swing angle of the switch rail cannot be increased. Was pointed out.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an article sorting conveyor device that is equipped with a switch rail switching actuator that is inexpensive, small, and light, reducing the number of parts.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an article sorting conveyor device in which articles are allowed to flow in an arbitrary branching direction by swinging a switch rail at a branching point of the conveyor, and the swinging of the switch rail is generated by a permanent magnet. The above object is achieved by having a configuration performed by a force generated by an interaction between a magnetic field and a current flowing through a coil wound in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical magnetic field.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the article sorting conveyor apparatus in which articles are caused to flow in an arbitrary branching direction by swinging the switch rail at the branching point of the conveyor, the swinging of the switch rail is generated by the permanent magnet. The switch rail switching actuator is reduced in size and weight by adopting a configuration that is performed by the force generated by the interaction between the vertical magnetic field and the current flowing through the coil wound in the horizontal plane orthogonal to the vertical magnetic field. Moreover, since the operating rotation angle can be increased, the length of the switch rail can be shortened compared to the conventional case, the rotational torque of the switch rail switching actuator can be reduced, and space saving and energy saving can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view showing a switch rail switching actuator which is a main part of the present invention, and FIG. 1B shows the switch rail switching actuator shown in FIG. It is a schematic perspective view when seen from. 2 is a side view of the switch rail switching actuator shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a top view of the switch rail switching actuator shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the switch rail switching actuator 100 used in the article sorting conveyor of the present invention has two swing frames 112 and 114 arranged in parallel. On one side, that is, on the center of the swing frame 114, a switch rail support plate 110 to which the switch rail is fixed is suspended. As shown in FIG. 2, the switch rail support plate 110 is pivotally supported by the swing shaft 120 by an arm 111 extending horizontally from one side of the vertical side. Further, the permanent magnets 130a and 130b having different polarities are fixed to the opposite sides of the center line of the opposing surfaces of the two swing frames 112 and 114, that is, on both sides of the mounting position of the switch rail support plate 110. Thus, a vertical magnetic field with different orientation across the center line is generated.

  Further, an air-core coil 140 is wound between the permanent magnets 130a and 130b, supported by two coil frames 132 and 134. As shown in FIG. 3, the air-core coil 140 has a substantially trapezoidal shape in which two sides are inclined in the direction of the swing shaft 120. As apparent from FIG. 2, the air core coil 140 is wound in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets 130a and 130b. And a current flowing through the coil generate a force in a direction orthogonal to both the direction of the vertical magnetic field and the direction of the current flowing through the coil. Since the air-core coil 140 is fixed to the article sorting conveyor device by the housings 152 and 154, the swing frames 112 and 114 swing around the swing shaft 120.

  The operation principle of the above-described switch rail switching actuator will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, for the sake of simplicity, the shape of the swing frame is rectangular, the shape of the air-core coil is square, and the members corresponding to the switch rail switching actuator described above are represented by the last two digits. The numbers in the 200s are unified. That is, the members denoted by reference numerals 212 and 214 are swing frames arranged in parallel, and the permanent magnets 230a and 230b are fixed so that the north and south poles face each other. The permanent magnets 230a and 230b generate a vertical magnetic field that passes through the air-core coil 240. At this time, the number of turns of the air-core coil is N (number of turns), the length of the coil crossing the vertical magnetic field is L (m), the current flowing through the coil is I (A), and the magnetic flux density of the vertical magnetic field is B (T). Then, the coil receives a thrust of F (N) = B (T) × I (A) × L (m) × N (number of turns) × 2 according to Fleming's left-hand rule. Here, the last multiplier of 2 means that the same force acts on the left and right sides of the square coil. The direction of the thrust F (N) acts in a direction perpendicular to both the direction of the vertical magnetic field and the current flowing through the coil. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the direction of thrust applied to the coil can be reversed by reversing the energization direction to the air-core coil. At this time, by fixing the coil, the swing frames 212 and 214 swing by receiving the thrust due to the reaction of the thrust F (N) generated in the coil.

  In the above-described embodiment, the frame facing the permanent magnet is held swingably, and the switch rail support plate is suspended from the frame, but the frame facing the permanent magnet is fixed, It is also possible to hold the coil frame supporting the air-core coil in a swingable manner, and to hang a switch rail support plate on the coil frame. In addition, the present invention is widely applicable to an article sorting conveyor device that controls the traveling direction of the slide shoe by swinging the switch rail and thereby causes the conveyed object to flow in an arbitrary branching direction. The configuration of the apparatus is not limited to that described with reference to FIG.

It is a perspective view of a switch rail switching actuator mounted on the article sorting conveyor device of the present invention. It is a side view of the switch rail switching actuator shown in FIG. It is a top view of the switch rail switching actuator shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the principle of operation of the switch rail switching actuator mounted in the goods sorting conveyor apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the switch rail switching actuator for the conventional goods sorting conveyor apparatus. It is a figure explaining the structure of the conventional goods sorting conveyor apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Switch rail switching actuator 110 ... Switch rail support plate 111 ... Arm 112, 114, 212, 214 ... Swing frame 120 ... Swing shaft 130a, 130b, 230a, 230b · Permanent magnets 140, 240 ... Air core coils 152, 154 ... Housing

Claims (1)

In an article sorting conveyor device that allows articles to flow in any branching direction by swinging the switch rail at the branching point of the conveyor,
Swing of the switch rail is performed by a force generated by an interaction between a vertical magnetic field generated by a permanent magnet and a current flowing in a coil wound in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical magnetic field. Sorting conveyor device.

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