JP2007008593A - Roller conveyor rail and carrier conveying method in roller conveyor rail - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To certainly convey a carrier in a connection roller conveyor rail for connecting two or more roller conveyor rails provided at different heights and/or different inclination angles. <P>SOLUTION: A roller module 11b is retained to a horizontal position and the carrier 5 is conveyed from a conveyor 12. When completion of intrusion of the carrier 5 is detected by a detection sensor, a drive roller of the roller module 11b is stopped, rotation action is operated by a ball screw and it is rotated in the inclined state. The drive roller is driven and the carrier 5 is conveyed to the roller module 11a retained in the inclined state. When completion of intrusion of the carrier 5 is detected by the detection sensor, the drive roller of the roller module 11a is stopped, the rotation action is operated by the ball screw and it is rotated in the horizontal state. The drive roller is driven and the carrier 5 is conveyed to the conveyor 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a roller conveyor rail composed of a plurality of roller modules laid in a factory for conveying a carrier, and a carrier conveying method in the roller conveyor rail.

  In factories that produce semiconductors and liquid crystal display devices, a plurality of roller conveyor rails composed of a plurality of roller modules are installed so as to connect various manufacturing devices and stockers installed in a clean room. . Then, the products in the manufacturing process (for example, in the case of a semiconductor product manufacturing facility, processing objects such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, and an optical disk substrate) are stored in a carrier, Is conveyed via a roller conveyor rail.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 are prior arts of a roller conveyor system in which roller conveyor rails suspended from the ceiling are laid by connecting facilities installed in a factory and a carrier is transported between these facilities. .

Special table 2003-524544 gazette Special table 2003-506289 gazette

  However, in recent years, factories that produce semiconductors and liquid crystal display devices need to add new factories to their previous factory buildings in order to increase production scale and upgrade to production lines that support the latest generation devices. May occur. Since new factories are usually planned with the latest technology, there are mismatches in various ways with previous factories built on the basis of previous technology. For example, it may be difficult to match the height of the factory building between the new factory and the previous factory. That is, there are cases where factories with different ceiling heights are connected, and a carrier in which a substrate or the like is stored is transported by a roller conveyor rail system through both factories.

  A specific example of the prior art in such a case will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 9A and 9B show examples of laying of a ceiling transport type roller conveyor rail laid between factories having different ceiling heights in the prior art, where FIG. 9A is a side view and FIG. 9B is a top view. As shown in FIG. 9, the height from the floor 17 of the building A to the ceiling 13 is Sa, the height from the floor 17 of the building B to the ceiling 14 is Sb, and both satisfy Sa> Sb. There is a relationship. Here, the height Ha of the conveyor rail 10 suspended from the ceiling 13 of the building A by the suspension member 15 and the ceiling 14 of the building B due to the effective use of the building space and the convenience of the installed equipment. Therefore, there is a difference in the height Hb of the conveyor rail 12 suspended and laid by the suspension member 16. And as an adjustment area which connects between this conveyor rail 10 and the conveyor rail 12, installation of the inclination conveyor rail 11 which is a roller conveyor rail for connection is essential.

  Next, a problem when the carrier is transported on the inclined conveyor rail 11 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a portion of the conventional transporting roller conveyor rail laid between factories with different ceiling heights in the prior art, in which the conveyor 12 of the building B laid horizontally is connected to the inclined conveyor 11. FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, when the carrier 5 is transported from the conveyor 12 of the building B to the inclined conveyor 11 in the direction of the arrow, the bottom surface of the carrier 5 cannot uniformly contact each drive roller 45, and F1 in FIG. And the situation where contact occurs only at two locations of F2. When the contact between the carrier 5 and the driving roller 45 falls into the state as shown in FIG. 10, slipping occurs because there are few contact points, and it becomes difficult to normally transport the carrier.

  That is, Patent Documents 1 and 2, which are prior arts of the roller conveyor system for transporting the above-described carrier between these facilities, are intended for roller conveyor rails laid substantially horizontally, and the same problem occurs.

  Therefore, the present invention is a roller conveyor rail composed of a plurality of roller modules laid in a factory for transporting a carrier, and has two or more laid at different heights and / or different inclination angles. The present invention provides a roller conveyor rail that can reliably convey a carrier in a connecting roller conveyor rail that connects the roller conveyor rails, and a carrier conveying method in the roller conveyor rail.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The roller conveyor rail according to the present invention is laid at different heights and / or at different inclination angles among roller conveyor rails composed of a plurality of roller modules laid in a factory for conveying carriers. A roller conveyor rail for connection composed of one or two or more roller modules connecting two or more roller conveyor rails, with one side end portion as a rotation center and the other side end portion in a vertical direction It is characterized by having rotatable rotating means.

  Thereby, the roller conveyor rail for connection is rotated in the vertical direction by the rotating means, and the height and / or the inclination angle at the connection portion of the two or more roller conveyor rails and the roller conveyor rail for connection are made to coincide with each other. Two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different heights and / or different inclination angles using the connecting roller conveyor rails without causing slippage by causing the roller conveyor rails to contact each other uniformly and constantly. By connecting, the carrier can be reliably conveyed.

  Here, the roller conveyor rail according to the present invention is arranged at the same height so that a side end located on the entrance side in the traveling direction of the carrier is adjacent to one of the two or more roller conveyor rails, An inlet-side roller module having rotating means that can rotate in a vertical direction at a side end located on the outlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier, with a side end located on the inlet side in the traveling direction as a rotation center; A side end located on the entrance side in the advancing direction is disposed adjacent to the entrance side roller module, and a side end located on the exit side in the advancing direction of the carrier is one of the two or more roller conveyor rails. Arranged at the same height so as to be adjacent to each other, and on the inlet side in the carrier traveling direction with the side end located on the outlet side in the carrier traveling direction as the rotation center It may be formed from a pair of rollers module configured from the exit side roller module having a rotatable rotating means side end portion in the vertical direction to position.

  Thereby, the entrance side roller module is arranged at the same height as one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side end located on the entrance side in the carrier traveling direction, and the exit side roller module is arranged in the carrier traveling direction. Located at the same height as one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side edge located on the outlet side, when the carrier enters the inlet side roller module, the carrier is currently mounted on the inlet side roller module. When the carrier has entered the entrance roller module, the entrance roller module and the exit roller module are respectively rotated by means of rotation provided respectively. Connect with the same inclination angle and move the carrier from the inlet roller module to the outlet roller module When the carrier is completed to enter the exit side roller module, by rotating the exit side roller module to the same inclination angle as the destination roller conveyor rail by the rotating means, by conveying the carrier, The carrier and the roller conveyor rail are in constant contact with each other to prevent slippage, and using the roller conveyor rail for connection consisting of a pair of the inlet side roller module and the outlet side roller module, different heights and / or By connecting two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different inclination angles, the carrier can be reliably conveyed.

  The roller conveyor rail according to the present invention may further include lifting means that can be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction.

  Thus, for example, when the rotation center of the rotating means is fixed, the connecting roller conveyor rails are rotated in the vertical direction by the rotating means so that the connecting portions of the two or more roller conveyor rails and the connecting roller conveyor rails are connected. By matching the inclination angle and rotating the connecting roller conveyor rail in the vertical direction by the lifting means to match the height at the connecting portion of the two or more roller conveyor rails and the connecting roller conveyor rail, Two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different heights and / or at different inclination angles are connected by using a roller conveyor rail for connection without causing slippage by constantly contacting the roller conveyor rail uniformly. Thus, the carrier can be reliably conveyed.

  In addition, the roller conveyor rail according to the present invention includes a sensor that detects the start of entry of a carrier in the vicinity of a side end located on the entrance side in the traveling direction of the carrier, and a side end that is located on the exit side in the traveling direction of the carrier. A pair of detection sensors may be further provided in the vicinity of the part, each sensor being configured to detect completion of entry of the carrier.

  This detects the start of carrier entry near the side end located on the inlet side in the carrier traveling direction and detects the completion of carrier entry near the side end located on the outlet side in the carrier traveling direction. When a pair of detection sensors composed of sensors is used to detect the start of carrier entry by the detection sensor, the advancement of the carrier arranged in advance by the rotation means (rotation means and lift means if there is a lift means) The same height and / or the same as one of two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side edge located on the inlet side in the direction (or the inlet side roller module if the carrier has entered the outlet side roller module) Rotating means (rotating means and elevating means if there are elevating means when holding the state of the inclination angle and detecting completion of the carrier by the detection sensor) At the same height as one of two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side edge located on the exit side in the direction of travel of the carrier (or the exit side roller module if the carrier has entered the entrance side roller module) And / or by rotating until the same inclination angle is obtained, the carrier and the roller conveyor rail are kept in constant contact with each other without causing slippage. By connecting two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different angles and / or different inclination angles, the carrier can be conveyed more reliably.

  The roller conveyor rail according to the present invention may stop the carrier conveyance when the detection sensor detects the completion of the entry of the carrier.

  As a result, the detection sensor detects the completion of the entry of the carrier and the rotating means performs the rotating operation, or when the rotating means has the lifting means, the rotating means and the lifting means perform the rotating operation and the lifting operation. By stopping the carrier transport and starting the carrier transport after the rotating operation of the rotating means is completed, or when the rotating means and the lifting means are rotated and lifted up when the lifting means is provided. The carrier and the roller conveyor rail are brought into contact with each other uniformly, and the connecting roller conveyor rail is used to connect two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different heights and / or different inclination angles, and more The carrier can be transported safely and reliably.

  Moreover, the roller conveyor rail which concerns on this invention may be mounted on the turntable apparatus rotatable in a horizontal surface direction.

  Thereby, by rotating the roller conveyor rail according to the traveling direction of the carrier using the turntable device, using the roller conveyor rail for connection, at different heights and / or different inclination angles and different traveling directions By connecting two or more roller conveyor rails laid in, the carrier can be reliably conveyed.

  Further, in the roller conveyor rail according to the present invention, the rotation means rotates the roller conveyor in the vertical direction by forming the roller conveyor rail so as to be rotatable about one end of the roller conveyor rail and fixing a ball screw to the other end. A ball screw method, a rack and pinion method in which one end of the roller conveyor rail is formed to be rotatable about the rotation center and a rack and a pinion are fixed to the other end to rotate the roller conveyor rail in a vertical direction, and one end of the roller conveyor rail is A jack system that rotates the roller conveyor rail in the vertical direction by fixing the elastic member at the other end while being freely formed as a rotation center, and is formed rotatably at one end of the roller conveyor rail. A wedge-shaped slide part under the other end It may be used any of a wedge sliding manner to rotate the roller conveyor rail in the vertical direction by the insertion and retraction.

  This makes it possible to rotate freely around one end of the roller conveyor rail and to rotate the roller conveyor vertically by fixing the ball screw to the other end, and to rotate freely around one end of the roller conveyor rail. A rack and pinion system in which a roller conveyor rail is rotated in the vertical direction by fixing a rack and a pinion to the other end, and a telescopic member that is formed to be rotatable around one end of the roller conveyor rail and expandable to the other end. It is a jack system that rotates the roller conveyor rail in the vertical direction by fixing it, and it is formed to be rotatable around one end of the roller conveyor rail, and a wedge-shaped slide member is inserted and withdrawn under the other end, so that the roller conveyor rail Wedge to rotate vertically Using any of the ride system, it is possible to realize the rotating means.

  And the carrier conveyance method in the roller conveyor rail which concerns on this invention WHEREIN: Different height and / or different in the roller conveyor rail comprised from several roller modules laid in the factory in order to convey a carrier A carrier transport method in a connecting roller conveyor rail that connects two or more roller conveyor rails laid at an inclination angle, the side end portion of the connecting roller conveyor rail positioned on the inlet side in the carrier traveling direction When detecting the start of entry of the carrier in the vicinity, it is the same height as one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side end located on the entrance side in the traveling direction of the carrier arranged in advance. Maintaining the same inclination angle, the traveling direction of the carrier of the connecting roller conveyor rail When the completion of entry of the carrier is detected in the vicinity of the side end located on the mouth side, the carrier advances by rotating the other side end in the vertical direction with one side end as the rotation center. The side end located on the inlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier, with the same height and / or the same inclination angle as one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side end located on the outlet side in the direction The carrier is transported from one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the part to one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to a side end located on the exit side in the carrier traveling direction. It is characterized by that.

  As a result, when detecting the start of entry of the carrier from the roller conveyor rail adjacent to the side end located on the inlet side in the carrier traveling direction, the connecting roller conveyor rail is moved to the inlet side in the carrier traveling direction. The side end that is located on the exit side in the carrier traveling direction when holding the state of the same height and / or the same inclination angle as the roller conveyor rail adjacent to the side end portion and detecting the completion of the carrier entry Rotate until it becomes the same height and / or the same inclination angle as the roller conveyor rail adjacent to the section, and convey the carrier to the roller conveyor rail adjacent to the side end located on the exit side in the carrier traveling direction By using the roller conveyor rail for connection, the carrier and the roller conveyor rail are brought into contact with each other uniformly without causing slippage. Height and / or connecting two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different tilt angles becomes, it is possible to reliably convey the carrier.

  The best mode for carrying out the roller conveyor rail and the carrier conveying method in the roller conveyor rail according to the present invention will be described below with reference to a specific example with reference to the drawings.

  First, the roller module which comprises the roller conveyor rail which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated below based on FIG.2 and FIG.3. 2A and 2B are views showing a state where the carrier is placed on the roller module constituting the roller conveyor rail according to the present embodiment, where FIG. 2A is a side view and FIG. 2B is a front view. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a roller driving mechanism forming a roller module constituting the roller conveyor rail according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the roller module 2 on which the carrier 5 is placed includes a drive rail 47 having a drive roller 45 and a follower rail 48 having a follower roller 46. The rail 48 is connected by a connector 49.

  The roller driving mechanism of the driving rail 47 includes a plurality of driving rollers 45 (five in the example of FIG. 3). In the example of FIG. 2, eight drive rollers 45 are provided, and the number of the drive rollers 45 may be changed according to the length of the drive rail 47 or the like. The drive roller 45 has the load support portion 33 and the flange 31 integrally inserted into the rotary shaft 32, but may be formed by integral molding. Here, the load support portion 33 supports the bottom surface of the carrier 5 and conveys the carrier 5 by rotating with a drive pulley 34 described later. Therefore, the surface of the load support portion 33 is covered with urethane rubber or the like in order to mitigate an impact such as vibration in the conveyance of the carrier 5 and to play a role of preventing slipping by a high friction coefficient. Further, the flange 31 is formed with a diameter larger than that of the load support portion 33, and regulates the position in the left-right direction by contacting the side surface portion of the carrier 5. The rotation shafts 32 inserted into the five drive rollers 45 are rotatably fixed to the roller support frame 35 at equal intervals. Further, a driving pulley (toothed pulley) 34 is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 32 inserted into the five driving rollers 45. A timing belt 44 is wound around each of the five driving pulleys 34, and a meshing drive motor 38 attached as a rotation shaft of a toothed pulley 39 that is also wound around the timing belt 44 is driven to rotate. The drive pulley 34 is rotationally driven. The timing belt 44 is provided with a tension roller 43 in contact with the toothless surface of the timing belt 44 in order to apply tension to the timing belt 44. The roller drive mechanism of the drive rail 47 forms a loop by engaging the drive pulley 34, the toothed pulley 39, and the tension roller 43 with the timing belt 44.

  In the case where a plurality of roller modules 2 are assembled on a roller conveyor rail in a straight line, the rotation speed of the drive motor 38 is individually controlled in the roller drive mechanism of the drive rail 47 of each roller module 2 to drive each drive. It is possible to transport the motors 38 at a constant speed while synchronizing the rotational speeds of the motors 38, and it is also possible to transport the drive motors 38 with the rotational speeds being asynchronous. This function is an effective function for preventing contact of the carrier 5 on the roller module 2.

  On the other hand, the roller driving mechanism of the driven rail 48 has a simplified configuration except for the function related to driving from the roller driving mechanism of the driving rail 47 described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the roller driving mechanism of the driven rail 48 includes a plurality of driven rollers 46. Although eight driven rollers 46 are provided in the example of FIG. 2, the number thereof may be changed according to the length of the driven rail 48. And although this follower roller 46 has the load support part 33 and the collar 31 integrally inserted in the rotating shaft 32, it may be produced by integral molding. Here, the load support portion 33 supports the bottom surface of the carrier 5 and conveys the carrier 5 by rotating with a drive pulley 34 described later. Therefore, the surface of the load support portion 33 is covered with urethane rubber or the like in order to mitigate an impact such as vibration in the conveyance of the carrier 5 and to play a role of preventing slipping by a high friction coefficient. Further, the flange 31 is formed with a diameter larger than that of the load support portion 33, and regulates the position in the left-right direction by contacting the side surface portion of the carrier 5. The rotating shafts 32 inserted into the plurality of driven rollers 46 are rotatably fixed to the roller support frame 35 at equal intervals. The roller driving mechanism of the driven rail 48 does not require a function related to driving, and therefore is not provided with a driving pulley, a toothed pulley, a tension roller, and a timing belt.

  2 (a) and 2 (b), the roller support frame 35 of the driven rail 48 includes a frame rotation shaft 24 and a rotation shaft support member 23, a ball screw support member 36 and a ball screw constituting the rotation means. 40 are formed at both ends thereof. One end of the roller support frame 35 is fixed to the rail base plate 37 by the frame rotation shaft 24 and the rotation shaft support member 23. The other end of the roller support frame 35 of the drive rail 47 is fixed to the rail base plate 37 by a ball screw support member 36 and a ball screw 40. The frame rotation shaft 24 is rotatable, and rotates in a predetermined angle range around the frame rotation shaft 24 in the direction of the arrow in the direction of the arrow by forward / reverse rotation of the reduction motor of the ball screw 40 configured integrally with the reduction motor. . In addition, the structure of a rotation means is not restricted to this. For example, both ends of the roller support frame 35 of the driven rail 48 are configured to be fixed to the rail base plate 37 by a ball screw support member 36 and a ball screw 40 which are rotating means, and the ball screws provided at both ends of the roller support frame 35. The other end may be rotated with one end of 40 as the center of rotation. Further, the rotating means is formed on the roller support frame 35 of the driven rail 48, but may be formed on the roller support frame 35 of the drive rail 47.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the carrier detection means including the detection sensor 41 and the detection sensor 42 is provided on the side surface of one of the roller support frames 35 of the driven rail 48 (in FIG. 2, the roller support frame 35 of the driven rail 48). A pair of reflection type photosensors to be attached, which are approximately the same distance as the width of the carrier 5 near the side end portion on the entrance side in the traveling direction of the carrier 5 and near the side end portion on the exit side in the traveling direction of the carrier 5. Is installed. Note that the detection sensor 41 and the detection sensor 42 may be attached to the side surface of the roller support frame 35 of the drive rail 47. When there is an object such as the carrier 5 on the front surface facing the detection sensor 41 and the detection sensor 42, the reflected light reflected from the object is reflected and returned, and the presence of the object on the front surface of the detection sensors 41 and 42 is detected. The presence or absence of this is discriminated. That is, the detection sensor 41 detects the start of entry of the carrier 5. The detection sensor 42 detects the completion of entry of the carrier 5 onto the roller module 2. When the detection sensor 42 detects the completion of the entry of the carrier 5 onto the roller module 2, it stops the conveyance of the carrier 5 by stopping the driving roller 45 via a control device (not shown), and the rotation of the roller module 2. When is finished, it is preferable to restart the conveyance of the carrier 5 by starting the driving of the driving roller 45 via a control device (not shown). Thereby, the safety of conveyance of the carrier 5 can be ensured. In the present embodiment, the detection sensors 41 and 42 are both in the detection state of the carrier 5 when the carrier 5 completes the entry onto the roller module 2, but not limited thereto, only the detection sensor 42 detects the carrier 5. The carrier 5 may be separated from the detection area of the detection sensor 41.

  Instead of the rail base plate 37 shown in FIG. 2, a turntable device may be provided. Here, the detail of a turntable apparatus is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing a state where a carrier is placed on a roller module provided with a turntable device constituting a roller conveyor rail according to the present embodiment, (a) is a side view, (b) Is a front view.

  In the turntable mechanism 3, a rotating shaft 54 is rotatably supported on a base plate 56 via a bearing 55, and the drive motor 50 is similarly fixed on the base plate 56. A gear 52 is fixed to the rotation shaft 51 of the drive motor 50 and meshes with a gear 53 fixed to the rotation shaft 54. The upper end of the rotation shaft 54 supports the turntable 57, and the rotation of the drive motor 50 causes the turntable 57, that is, the roller module 2 on the turntable 57 to rotate. The mechanism above the turntable 57 has the same configuration as the roller module shown in FIG.

  Next, a roller conveyor rail (connection roller conveyor rail) 11 using the roller module 2 described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a roller conveyor rail according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, from a conveyor (two or more roller conveyor rails) 12 to a conveyor (two or more roller conveyor rails) 10, an inclined conveyor (connection roller conveyor rail) 11 is used. It is assumed that the carrier 5 is transported. The conveyors 10 and 12 are rotated from the roller module 2 shown in FIG. 2 by rotating means (the frame rotating shaft 24 and the rotating shaft supporting member 23, the ball screw supporting member 36 and the ball screw 40) and carrier detecting means (detecting sensor 41 and It is formed by combining a plurality of elements excluding the detection sensor 42).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inclined conveyor 11 includes two roller modules 11a and 11b. The two roller modules 11a and 11b have the same configuration as the roller module 2 shown in FIG. In the roller module (entrance side roller module) 11b, the side end adjacent to the conveyor 12 is the same height as the conveyor 12, and one side end is rotatable about the side end adjacent to the conveyor 12 as a rotation center. Are laid like so. The roller module (exit-side roller module) 11a has a side end adjacent to the conveyor 10 having the same height as the conveyor 10, and one side end is rotatable about the side end adjacent to the conveyor 10 as a rotation center. Are laid like so. Each of the roller modules 11a and 11b is configured integrally with the reduction motor in a range from a horizontal state (a dotted line position shown in FIG. 1) to a state where the same inclination angle is obtained (a solid line position shown in FIG. 1). The ball screw 40 can be rotated by forward and reverse rotation of a reduction motor. In addition, it is preferable that the roller modules 11a and 11b are installed with a width that does not contact each other in a state where they have the same inclination angle (the positions indicated by solid lines in FIG. 1).

  Next, the carrier conveyance method using the roller conveyor rail mentioned above is demonstrated based on FIG. That is, on the roller conveyor rail 1, the carrier 5 is conveyed from the conveyor 12 to the conveyor 10 through the inclined conveyor 11 by the following steps.

[Step 1]
The carrier 5 is conveyed on the conveyor 12 in the direction of the inclined conveyor 11. At this time, the roller module 11b is held at a horizontal position 11b-2 indicated by a dotted line.

[Step 2]
The pair of detection sensors 41 and 42 attached to the roller module 11b detects that the carrier 5 has completed entering the roller module 11b, and stops driving the drive roller 45 via a control device (not shown).

[Step 3]
The rotation operation of the roller module 11b is activated by forward / reverse rotation of the reduction motor of the ball screw 40 configured integrally with the reduction motor installed in the roller module 11b, and the roller module 11b is moved from the horizontal state 11b-2 indicated by a dotted line. Rotate to 11b-1 tilted state shown by solid line.

[Step 4]
The driving roller 45 of the roller module 11b is driven through a control device (not shown), and the carrier 5 is conveyed to the roller module 11a held in an inclined state 11a-1 shown by a solid line.

[Step 5]
The pair of detection sensors 41 and 42 attached to the roller module 11a detects that the carrier 5 has completed entering the roller module 11a, and stops driving of the drive roller 45 via a control device (not shown).

[Step 6]
The rotation operation of the roller module 11a is activated by forward and reverse rotation of the reduction motor of the ball screw 40 configured integrally with the reduction motor installed in the roller module 11a, and the roller module 11a is moved from the inclined state of 11a-1 shown by a solid line. Rotate to the horizontal state 11a-2 indicated by the dotted line.

[Step 7]
The driving roller 45 of the roller module 11 a is driven via a control device (not shown), and the carrier 5 is conveyed to the conveyor 10.

  In the transporting process described above, the bottom surface of the carrier 5 is constantly in contact with the driving roller 45 of the conveyors 10 to 12 without any transport failure.

  Thus, according to the carrier conveyor method using the roller conveyor rail and the conveyor rail according to the present embodiment, the carrier and the roller conveyor rail are always brought into contact with each other without causing slippage, and the connecting roller conveyor. By using the rail, two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different heights and / or different inclination angles can be connected to convey the carrier safely and reliably.

  As mentioned above, although this invention is described in said preferable embodiment, this invention is not restrict | limited only to it. Various other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, in this embodiment, although the effect | action and effect by the structure of this invention are described, these effect | actions and effects are examples and do not limit this invention. In addition, the specific examples illustrate the configuration of the present invention and do not limit the present invention.

  For example, the rotating means of the roller module 2 is not limited to the rotating means using the ball screw system configured by the ball screw 40 shown in FIG. 2 described above, and rotating means using various other systems can be used. A rotating means using a method other than the ball screw method will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B are views showing a roller module having a rotating means using a rack and pinion system, wherein FIG. 5A is a side view and FIG. 5B is a front view. FIG. 6 is a front view showing rotating means using a jack method. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a roller module having rotating means using a wedge slide system.

  First, the rotating means using the rack and pinion method will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating means using the rack and pinion system is composed of a rack 63 and a pinion 62. The rack 63 is fixed to the side wall of the roller support frame 35. The pinion 62 is fixed to the rotary shaft 61 of the drive motor 60 installed on the motor support member 64. The roller support frame 35 rotates about the frame rotation shaft 24 by forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 60. Note that the tooth shapes of the rack 63 and the pinion 62 are meshing tooth shapes corresponding to the arc motion.

  Next, the rotation means using the jack method will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating means using the jack method is composed of an elastic member 67, a screw 66, and a motor 65. The screw 66 is formed in a reverse direction with a substantially central point as a boundary, and the height of the expansion / contraction member 67 is expanded / contracted by forward / reverse rotation of the motor 65. Then, the roller support frame 35 can be rotated by installing a rotation means using a jack system instead of the rotation means using the ball screw 40 under the roller support frame 35 in FIG.

  Next, the rotating means using the wedge slide method will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the rotating means using the wedge slide system is constituted by a wedge slide member 68, a motor 69, and a screw member 70. By rotating the screw member 70 fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 69 forward and backward, the wedge-shaped slide member 68 attached to the tip of the screw member 70 enters and retreats under the roller support frame 35, thereby The support frame 35 can be rotated.

  Moreover, the roller conveyor rail for connection is not limited to the example of FIG. 1 described above, and can be applied to various cases, and can be applied to, for example, branching in two or three directions. The case where it applies to the roller conveyor rail branched in 3 directions using FIG. 8 is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a view showing a case where the roller conveyor rail according to the present embodiment is used to connect the roller conveyor rail branched in three directions, (a) is a top view, and (b) is Q- It is Q section arrow view, (c) is a PP section arrow view.

  In FIG. 8, it is assumed that the carrier 5 is transported from the horizontal roller conveyor rail 26 to the inclined conveyor rail 27 or the inclined conveyor rail 28 via the connecting roller conveyor rail 1. The connecting roller conveyor rail 1 shown in FIG. 8 has the same configuration as the roller module 2 including the turntable device 3 shown in FIG. Further, the horizontal conveyor rail 26 and the inclined conveyor rails 27 and 28 are provided with rotating means (the frame rotating shaft 24 and the rotating shaft supporting member 23, the ball screw supporting member 36 and the ball screw 40) and the carrier from the roller module 2 shown in FIG. It is formed by combining a plurality of elements excluding the detection means (detection sensor 41 and detection sensor 42).

  After the carrier 5 that has been transported on the horizontal conveyor rail 26 has entered the connecting roller conveyor rail 1, the driving of the driving roller 45 of the connecting roller conveyor rail 1 is stopped via a control device (not shown). Next, the turntable device 3 is rotated so that the conveying direction coincides with the inclined conveyor rail 27 or the inclined conveyor rail 28. The inclination angle of the connecting roller conveyor rail 1 is changed to the inclined conveyor rail 27 or the inclined conveyor in the conveying direction by forward / reverse rotation of the reduction motor of the ball screw 40 configured integrally with the reducing motor installed on the connecting roller conveyor rail 1. The rotating operation of the connecting roller conveyor rail 1 is operated until the rail 28 is matched. The drive roller 45 of the connecting roller conveyor rail 1 is driven via a control device (not shown), and the carrier 5 is conveyed to the inclined conveyor rail 27 or the inclined conveyor rail 28.

  Furthermore, the roller module according to the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, the roller module shown in FIG. 2 may be provided with an elevating means for allowing the roller module 2 itself to move up and down below the rail base plate 37. As the elevating means, a mechanism other than the mechanism that is rotatable as a rotation center formed at one end of the roller conveyor rail in the above-described ball screw system, rack pinion system, or jack system can be used. In such a case, it is possible to make the heights of the roller conveyor rails to be connected using the lifting means coincide with the heights of the connecting roller conveyor rails.

It is a side view which shows the roller conveyor rail which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state in which the carrier was mounted in the roller module which comprises the roller conveyor rail which concerns on this embodiment, (a) is a side view, (b) is a front view. It is a side view which shows the roller drive mechanism which forms the roller module which comprises the roller conveyor rail which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state in which the carrier was mounted in the roller module provided with the turntable apparatus which comprises the roller conveyor rail which concerns on this embodiment, (a) is a side view, (b) is a front view. is there. It is a figure which shows the roller module which has a rotation means using a rack and pinion system, (a) is a side view, (b) is a front view. It is a front view which shows the rotation means using the jack system. It is a side view which shows the roller module which has a rotation means using a wedge slide system. It is a figure shown about using the roller conveyor rail concerning this embodiment to connect the roller conveyor rail branched in three directions, (a) is a top view, (b) is a QQ section arrow view It is a figure, (c) is a PP cross-sectional arrow view. The example of installation of the roller transport rail of a ceiling transport type laid between the factories from which ceiling height differs in a prior art is shown, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view. It is a side view which shows the site | part to which the conveyor of the building laid horizontally is connected with an inclination conveyor in the installation example of the ceiling transport type roller conveyor rail laid between the factories from which ceiling height differs in a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

1 Roller conveyor rail 2 Roller module 3 Turntable mechanism 5 Carrier 10 Conveyor (two or more roller conveyor rails)
11 Inclined conveyor (roller conveyor rail for connection)
11a Roller module (entrance side roller module)
11b Roller module (exit side roller module)
12 conveyors (two or more roller conveyor rails)
23 Rotating shaft support member (Rotating means)
24 Frame rotation axis (rotating means)
26 Horizontal roller conveyor rails (two or more roller conveyor rails)
27 Inclined conveyor rail (two or more roller conveyor rails)
28 Inclined conveyor rail (two or more roller conveyor rails)
36 Ball screw support member (rotating means)
40 Ball screw (rotating means)
41. Detection sensor (carrier detection means)
42 Detection sensor (carrier detection means)

Claims (8)

1 connects two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different heights and / or at different inclination angles among roller conveyor rails composed of a plurality of roller modules laid in a factory for transporting carriers. Or a roller conveyor rail for connection composed of two or more roller modules,
A roller conveyor rail characterized by comprising a rotating means that can rotate any one side end portion in the vertical direction with one side end portion as a rotation center.   The roller conveyor rail is arranged at the same height such that a side end located on the inlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier is adjacent to one of the two or more roller conveyor rails, and the inlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier An inlet-side roller module having rotating means that can rotate in the vertical direction at the side end located on the outlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier, with the side end located at the center of rotation as the center of rotation, and on the inlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier The side end located is arranged so as to be adjacent to the entrance side roller module, and the side end located on the exit side in the traveling direction of the carrier is the same so as to be adjacent to one of the two or more roller conveyor rails. A side end portion that is arranged at a height and that is located on the inlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier with the side end portion positioned on the outlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier as a rotation center Roller conveyor rail according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed from a pair of rollers module configured from the exit side roller module having a rotatable rotating means vertically.   The roller conveyor rail according to claim 1, wherein the roller conveyor rail further includes elevating means capable of elevating in the vertical direction.   The roller conveyor rail includes a sensor for detecting the start of carrier entry in the vicinity of the side end portion located on the inlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier, and a carrier in the vicinity of the side end portion located on the outlet side in the traveling direction of the carrier. The roller conveyor rail according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pair of detection sensors including sensors for detecting completion of entry.   5. The roller conveyor rail according to claim 4, wherein when the detection sensor detects completion of entry of the carrier, conveyance of the carrier is stopped.   The roller conveyor rail according to claim 1, wherein the roller conveyor rail is placed on a turntable device that is rotatable in a horizontal plane direction.   The rotating means is formed so as to be rotatable about one end of the roller conveyor rail and a ball screw system for rotating the roller conveyor in a vertical direction by fixing a ball screw to the other end, and rotates one end of the roller conveyor rail. A rack and pinion system in which the roller conveyor rail is vertically rotated by fixing the rack and pinion to the other end while being rotatable about the center, and the other end is formed to be rotatable about one end of the roller conveyor rail as the center of rotation. A jack system in which the roller conveyor rail is rotated in a vertical direction by fixing an extendable elastic member to the roller, and is formed to be rotatable around one end of the roller conveyor rail, and a wedge-shaped slide member is provided below the other end. By inserting and retracting the roller co Roller conveyor rail according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized by using one of the wedge sliding manner to rotate the Beareru vertically. A connection connecting two or more roller conveyor rails laid at different heights and / or at different inclination angles among roller conveyor rails composed of a plurality of roller modules laid in the factory for transporting carriers. A carrier conveying method in a roller conveyor rail for
When the start of entry of the carrier is detected in the vicinity of the side end portion of the connecting roller conveyor rail located on the entrance side of the carrier in the traveling direction, it is located on the entrance side in the traveling direction of the carrier arranged in advance. Maintaining the same height and / or the same inclination angle as any one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side ends,
When the completion of entry of the carrier is detected in the vicinity of the side end located on the exit side in the traveling direction of the carrier of the connecting roller conveyor rail, the other side with the one side end as the rotation center The end is rotated in the vertical direction so that the same height and / or the same inclination angle as any of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side end located on the exit side in the traveling direction of the carrier. ,
The two or more rollers adjacent to the side end located on the outlet side in the carrier traveling direction from one of the two or more roller conveyor rails adjacent to the side end located on the inlet side in the carrier traveling direction A carrier conveying method in a roller conveyor rail, wherein the carrier is conveyed to any one of the conveyor rails.

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