JP2009149199A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of friction roller type drive devices installed on a horizontal curve-like route, to simplify control, and to reduce cost. <P>SOLUTION: A means to be engaged which is positioned inside a radius of a curvature direction than the horizontal curve-like route C1 is provided on a non-connected non-self-traveling type carrier, and a trolley 7 provided with a traveling wheel 7B and a rod 8 to be driven are alternately connected to form a loop-like shape. The conveying device is provided with an endless moving body in which side surfaces 7A, 8A of the trolley 7 and the rod 8 to be driven are made to be a drive surface approximately continued in an endless form and one of the rods 8 to be driven is made to be an expansion/contraction rod 10; an endless traveling rail 15 including a curved portion C2 installed inside in the radius of the curvature direction than the horizontal curve-like route C1 so that an engagement means provided on the trolley 7 is engaged with the means to be engaged and engaged with the traveling wheel 7B of the endless moving body 6; and a friction roller type drive device 16 for making a friction roller 16A pressure-contact with the drive surface of the endless moving body 6 to impart a propulsion force to the drive surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device that transports a plurality of non-connected self-propelled carriers along a horizontal curved path.

  Rotation drive device comprising a motor, a speed reducer, etc., as a transport device that supports a transported object by a plurality of non-self-propelled carriers that are not connected and transports these carriers along a transport path including a horizontal curved path. Is elastically supported by a support member fixed at a predetermined position on the conveyance path via a swing arm and a spring, and the output shaft of the rotation driving device is connected to a friction roller, and the friction roller is conveyed to the carrier. For example, a friction roller type driving device that applies a propulsive force by pressing against a driving surface formed over substantially the entire length of the direction side surface, for example, at intervals smaller than the total length of the driving surface in the conveying direction, from the horizontal curved path Also, there are some which are arranged inside the radius of curvature direction and convey the carrier while sequentially driving these driving devices (for example, See Patent Documents 1 to 3.).

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 44-19565 (Fig. 1) JP-A-60-48807 (FIGS. 1 and 3) JP 2006-205983 A (FIG. 1)

  In the conventional conveying apparatus as described above, particularly when the radius of curvature of the horizontal curved path is large and the path is long, the number of friction roller type driving devices that drive the carrier along the horizontal curved path increases. Therefore, the control for sequentially driving them becomes relatively complicated and the cost increases.

  Accordingly, in view of the above-described situation, the present invention intends to solve the problem that the number of friction roller type driving devices installed in the horizontal curved path can be reduced, and in particular, the curvature radius of the horizontal curved path is large. In the case where the length is long, the present invention is to provide a transport device that can be controlled more easily and cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional method.

  In order to solve the above problems, the transport device according to the present invention is configured to move a plurality of unconnected self-propelled carriers that can travel along a predetermined transport path including a horizontal curved path, to the horizontal curved path. An engagement means that is provided on the carrier and is located on the inner side in the radius of curvature direction than the horizontal curved path, a trolley including a traveling wheel, and a driven rod. Alternately connected to form a loop, the side surfaces of the trolley and the driven rod are endlessly substantially continuous driving surfaces, and at least one of the driven rods is a telescopic rod whose middle part can expand and contract And an endless moving body, and a curved portion installed on the inner side in the curvature radius direction than the horizontal curved path so that the engaging means provided on the trolley engages the engaged means of the carrier. An endless traveling rail with which the traveling wheels of the endless moving body are engaged, and a friction roller type driving device that applies a thrust force to the driving surface of the endless moving body by applying a friction roller. is there.

  Here, the telescopic rod has two rectangular tube-shaped outer cylinders whose end portions are opposed to each other, and a rectangular tube-like shape that is inserted into and fixed to one outer cylinder and projects toward the other outer cylinder. An inner cylindrical body, and the inner cylindrical body can be extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction by being inserted into the other outer cylindrical body. An opening with a substantially U-shaped cross section is provided, and an end of the other outer cylindrical body is provided with a substantially U-shaped cross section that is located above and opens downward. The upper end surface and the lower end surface extending in the longitudinal direction are opposed to each other with a sliding contact or a gap, so that the sliding contact or the facing of the end surfaces is maintained even when the telescopic rod expands and contracts. It is preferable that the side surface serving as the drive surface is substantially flush in plan view.

According to the transport apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of unconnected non-self-propelled carriers that can travel along a predetermined transport path including a horizontal curved path are transported along the horizontal curved path. It is a conveying device, and the engaged means provided on the carrier and located on the inner side in the radius of curvature direction than the horizontal curved path, and the trolley and the driven rod provided with traveling wheels are alternately connected. An endless moving body having a loop shape, the side surfaces of the trolley and the driven rod being endlessly substantially continuous driving surfaces, and at least one of the driven rods being a telescopic rod whose middle portion can be expanded and contracted And the endless movement including a curved portion installed on the inner side in the radius of curvature with respect to the horizontal curved path so that the engaging means provided on the trolley is engaged with the engaged means of the carrier. The endless traveling rail with which the traveling wheels engage and the friction roller type driving device that applies a thrust force by pressing the friction roller against the driving surface of the endless moving body. Since the engaging means provided on the trolley of the endless moving body and the engaged means provided on the carrier are engaged, for example, by driving the endless moving body by only one friction roller type driving device, A non-self-propelled carrier can be transported along a horizontal curved path.
Therefore, since the number of friction roller type driving devices installed on the horizontal curved path can be reduced, especially when the radius of curvature of the horizontal curved path is large and the path is long, many friction rollers are used as in the conventional system. Control can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as compared with a configuration that requires a drive system.

In addition, the telescopic rod has two rectangular tube-shaped outer cylinders whose ends are opposed to each other, and a rectangular tube-shaped inner tube that is fixedly inserted and fixed to one outer cylinder and projects toward the other outer cylinder. A cylindrical body, and the inner cylindrical body can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction by being inserted into the other outer cylindrical body. The end of one outer cylindrical body is positioned on the lower side and opened upward. The cross section is substantially U-shaped, and the end of the other outer cylindrical body is provided with a cross section having an approximately U-shape located on the upper side and opening downward. The upper end surface and the lower end surface extending in the longitudinal direction are opposed to each other with a sliding contact or a gap so that the sliding contact or the facing of the end surfaces is maintained even when the telescopic rod expands and contracts. When the side surface to be a surface is substantially flush in plan view, in addition to the above effects, the side surface of the telescopic rod is substantially Since there is no step on the drive surface of the telescopic rod, even if the telescopic rod expands and contracts at the connecting portion of the two outer cylinders, the side surface and the lower side of the upper U-shaped cross section Since the friction roller is pressed against at least one of the side surfaces of the substantially U-shaped section in the cross section, the contact area between the drive surface of the telescopic rod and the friction roller can be kept relatively large.
Therefore, since the endless moving body can be driven more smoothly by the friction roller type driving device, the carrier driven via the endless moving body can be transported more smoothly.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, and includes all the embodiments that satisfy the requirements described in the claims. It is a waste. In the present specification, the transport direction of the carrier 2 (see the arrow A in the figure) and the movement direction of the endless moving body 6 (see the arrow B in the figure) are the front, and the left and right refer to the front. To do. Further, a view (FIG. 2) viewed from the horizontal direction in a state where the center of the horizontal curved path C1 is the left end is a front view.

  1 to 8 are schematic views for explaining the configuration of a transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view, FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a carrier. 4 is a right side view (viewed from the inside of the horizontal curved path), FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the friction roller type driving device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a view seen from the direction of arrow C in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the endless moving body, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the telescopic rod. In FIG. 1, the carrier 2 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the conveyor containing the conveying apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention contains the non-self-propelled carrier 2, ... which is not connected, and the horizontal curve-shaped path | route C1. It is transported along two upper and lower horizontal traveling rails 22U and 22L that are supported by side support frames 21 and that extend in the transport direction, constituting a predetermined transport path (for example, a loop-shaped transport path). The conveying device 1 conveys the carriers 2,... Along the horizontal curved path C1.

First, the configuration of the carrier 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the carrier 2 includes vertical struts 2 </ b> F and 2 </ b> B that are spaced apart from each other, upper and lower horizontal members 2 </ b> U and 2 </ b> L that connect upper and lower ends of the vertical struts 2 </ b> F and 2 </ A hanger 2H that supports the object W, a driven frame 5 that is driven by, for example, a friction roller type driving device (not shown) other than the horizontal curved path C1, and an endless moving body 6 that will be described later in the horizontal curved path C1 (see, for example, FIG. 1). .) Engaged means 13A and 13B (see, for example, FIG. 7), the engaged means 5A located on the inner side in the curvature radius direction than the horizontal curved path C1, and the upper horizontal traveling rail 22U. Front and rear upper trolleys 3U, 4U provided with horizontal rollers 25 that engage with the lower horizontal traveling rail 22L, and front and rear lower trolleys 3 provided with vertical rollers 23 and horizontal rollers 24 , Consisting of 4L, and the like.

Next, a configuration for applying a propulsive force to the carrier 2 through the horizontal curved path C1 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the endless moving body 6 has a loop shape by alternately connecting the trolley 7 and the driven rod 8 via a connecting portion 9 that can swing around a vertical axis and a horizontal axis. For example, eight trolleys 7,... And eight driven rods 8,. The number of the trolleys 7,... And the driven rods 8,... Is the configuration of a swing arm of a friction roller type driving device 16 to be described later for driving the endless moving body 6, and the radius of curvature of the horizontal curved path C1. However, it is only necessary to connect six or more trolleys 7,... And the same number of driven rods 8,.

  The front, rear, left and right traveling wheels 7B of the endless movable body 6 are supported by substantially U-shaped yokes 14 that open downward as shown in FIGS. In order to engage with the endless traveling rail 15 constituted by a pair of left and right cross-sectionally substantially U-shaped rails with the openings facing each other, the trolley 7 of the endless moving body 6, and the driven rod 8, The left and right side surfaces 7A, 8A,... That are substantially endlessly continuous are used as driving surfaces, and a friction roller 16A of one friction roller type driving device 16 to be described later is pressed against the driving surface. The endless moving body 6 moves along the endless traveling rail 15 (see arrow B in FIG. 1).

  Further, a part of the trolleys 7 of the endless moving body 6 determined by the distance between the engaged means 5A and 5A before and after the carriers 2 and 2 before and after being conveyed along the conveying path, for example, As shown in FIG. 7, front and rear engaging means 13A and 13B are attached to the first and fifth of the eight trolleys 7,. Since the joining means 13A, 13B includes a curved portion C2 (see FIG. 1) installed on the inner side in the curvature radius direction than the horizontal curved path C1 so as to engage with the engaged means 5A of the carrier. The carrier 2 in which the engaged means 5A is engaged with the engaging means 13A, 13B of the endless moving body 6 by the movement of the endless moving body 6 driven by the friction roller type driving device 16 is connected to the rear side. By the feeding plate 13C of the combining means 13B While being pressed, it is conveyed to the downstream side along the horizontal curve shape path C1.

In this way, in the horizontal curved path C1, the engaging means 13A, 13B provided on the trolleys 7,... Of the endless moving body 6 and the engaged means 5A provided on the carrier 2 are engaged. By driving the endless moving body 6 with only the friction roller type driving device 16, the non-self-propelled carrier 2 can be conveyed along the horizontal curved path C1.
Therefore, since the number of friction roller type driving devices installed in the horizontal curved path C1 can be reduced, particularly when the radius of curvature of the horizontal curved path C1 is large and the path is long, a large number of like the conventional method. Control can be simplified and cost can be reduced as compared with a configuration requiring a friction roller type driving device.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the friction roller type drive device 16 is an endless moving body connected to a vertical output shaft of a rotary drive device 20 which is a geared motor having an orthogonal shaft configuration using, for example, a hypoid gear or a bevel carrier. The horizontal friction roller 16A located on the left side of the endless moving body 6 and the horizontal backup roller 16B located on the right side of the endless moving body 6 sandwich the left and right side surfaces of the endless moving body 6, and these rollers 16A, 16B While being supported so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction, it is elastically biased so as to be in pressure contact with the left and right side surfaces of the endless moving body 6.

  In other words, the friction roller type driving device 16 has a base end supported by a frame (bracket) 26 via a vertical support shaft 27A located inside the endless traveling rail 15, and is swingable in a horizontal direction. The movable arm 17A, the rotary drive device 20 connected to the tip thereof, the horizontal friction roller 16A connected to the vertical output shaft, and the frame 26 via the vertical support shaft 27B positioned outside the endless traveling rail 15 A swing arm 17B supported at the base end and swingable in the horizontal direction, a horizontal backup roller 16B connected to the tip thereof, and a swing arm 17A swinging integrally with the swing arm 17A. Swing link 18B positioned on the upper side of the swing arm 17B swinging integrally with the swing arm 17B, A horizontal connecting rod 19 that rotatably connects the distal ends of the moving links 18A and 18B around a vertical axis, and a torsion coil that biases the swing link 18A in a direction approaching the endless traveling rail 15 (endless moving body 6). It comprises a spring 18C, a compression coil spring 19A that urges the ends of the swing links 18A and 18B to be compressed.

  Therefore, the friction roller 16A and the backup roller 16B are brought into contact with the left and right side surfaces 7A, 8A,... Of the endless moving body 6 and are elastically biased in the direction in which these rollers 16A, 16B approach each other. Since the friction roller 16A is pressed against the driving surface (left side surface) of the body 6, the driving torque of the rotational driving device 20 is reliably transmitted to the endless moving body 6 by the friction roller 16A, and propulsive force is applied.

  Here, the trolleys 3U, 4U (3L, 4L) before and after the carrier 2 are engaged with the horizontal traveling rail 22U (22L), and the engaged means 5A is on the left side of the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the carrier 2, The engaged means 5A is located inside the radius of curvature in the horizontal curved path C1, and the engaging means 13A of the endless moving body 6 that moves along the endless running rail 15 to the engaged means 5A. , 13B need to be engaged, and it is necessary to provide a running section for engagement and disengagement between the engaged means 5A of the carrier 2 and the engaging means 13A, 13B of the endless moving body 6 Therefore, the shape of the loop-shaped endless traveling rail 15 does not have the same radius of curvature in plan view. Therefore, since the endless moving body 6 in which the trolleys 7 and the driven rods 8 are alternately connected in the sections having different curvature radii of the endless traveling rail 15 is moved, the entire length of the endless moving body 6 is increased. Since it is necessary to adjust, one of the driven rods 8,...

That is, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the telescopic rod 10 is in a state in which the end portions are opposed to the two rectangular cylindrical outer cylinders 11, 12 and a part of the outer cylinder 12 is inserted. The inner cylindrical body 12B having a rectangular tube shape that is welded and fixed to the outer cylindrical body 11 and protrudes toward the outer cylindrical body 11 side can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction by inserting the inner cylindrical body 12B into the outer cylindrical body 11. ing.
Also, a lower end surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the substantially U-shaped cross section 11A located on the upper side formed on one outer cylinder 11 and opened downward, and a lower side formed on the other outer cylinder 12 Then, the upper end surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the substantially U-shaped section 12A that opens upward is opposed to the sliding surface or with a gap, and the sliding surfaces of the end surfaces are also slid even when the telescopic rod 10 is expanded or contracted. The lengths in the longitudinal direction of the U-shaped portions 11A and 12A are set so that the contact or the opposite is maintained, and the side surface 10A serving as the driving surface of the telescopic rod 10 is substantially flush in plan view.

Therefore, since the side surfaces 10A and 10A of the telescopic rod 10 are substantially flush with each other in plan view, there is no step on the drive surface of the telescopic rod 10, and the telescopic rod 10 is connected at the connecting portion between the two outer cylinders 11 and 12. The friction roller 16A is in pressure contact with at least one of the side surface 10A of the upper U-shaped section 11A and the side surface 10A of the lower U-shaped section 12A. The contact area between the drive surface of the rod 10 and the friction roller 16A can be kept relatively large.
Therefore, since the endless moving body 6 can be driven more smoothly by the friction roller type driving device 16, the carrier 2 driven via the endless moving body 6 can be transported more smoothly.

In the above description, the configuration in which only one friction roller type driving device 16 for moving the endless moving body 6 along the endless running rail 15 is provided is shown. However, a plurality of friction roller type driving devices 16 are provided. May be installed.
Further, one of the driven rods 8 of the endless moving body 6 is used as the telescopic rod 10, but a plurality of the telescopic rods 10 may be used.
Furthermore, the configuration of the conveyor including the transfer device 1 is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment, and may be a general overhead conveyor or a floor conveyor.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is also a front view. It is a top view of a carrier. Similarly, it is a right side view (a view seen from the inside of a horizontal curved path). FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the friction roller type driving device shown in FIG. 1. It is the figure seen from the arrow C direction of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the endless moving body from the side. It is a disassembled perspective view of an expansion-contraction rod.

Explanation of symbols

A Carrier transport direction B Endless moving body moving direction C1 Horizontal curved path C2 Horizontal curved path side curved portion W of endless traveling rail W Conveyed object 1 Transport device 2 Carriers 2F, 2B Vertical support 2U, 2L Horizontally mounted Member 2H Hanger 3U, 4U Upper trolley 3L, 4L Lower trolley 5 Driven frame 5A Engagement means 6 Endless moving body 7 Trolley 7A Side surface 7B Traveling wheel 8 Driven rod 8A Side surface 9 Connecting portion 10 Telescopic rod 10A Side surface 11, 12 Outer cylinder 11A, 12A U-shaped section 12B Inner cylinder 13A, 13B Engaging means 13C Push plate 14 Yoke 15 Endless travel rail 16 Friction roller type driving device 16A Friction roller 16B Backup rollers 17A, 17B Oscillation Arm 18A, 18B Swing link 18C Torsion coil spring 19 Connecting rod 19A Condensation coil spring 20 rotary drive device 21 supporting Frame 22U, 22L horizontal running rail 23 vertical rollers 24 and 25 horizontal rollers 26 frames (brackets)
27A, 27B Vertical spindle

Claims (2)

A transport device that transports a plurality of unconnected non-self-propelled carriers that can travel along a predetermined transport path including a horizontal curved path along the horizontal curved path,
Engaged means provided on the carrier, located on the inner side in the radius of curvature direction than the horizontal curved path,
A trolley having a traveling wheel and a driven rod are alternately connected to form a loop, and a side surface of the trolley and the driven rod is an endless substantially continuous driving surface, and at least one of the driven rods is , An endless moving body whose middle part is a telescopic rod that can expand and contract,
The endless moving body of the endless moving body includes a curved portion disposed on the inner side in the radius of curvature than the horizontal curved path so that the engaging means provided on the trolley engages with the engaged means of the carrier. An endless traveling rail with which the traveling wheel engages;
A friction roller type driving device that applies a propulsive force by pressing a friction roller against the driving surface of the endless moving body;
A conveying apparatus comprising: The telescopic rod has two rectangular cylindrical outer cylinders whose ends are opposed to each other, and a rectangular cylindrical inner cylindrical body that is inserted into and fixed to one outer cylindrical body and protrudes toward the other outer cylindrical body. The inner cylinder is inserted into the other outer cylinder so that it can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction. At the end of one outer cylinder, the cross is located on the lower side and opened upward A substantially U-shaped surface is provided, and an end of the other outer cylinder is provided with a substantially U-shaped cross section that is located on the upper side and opens downward, and the longitudinal direction of these substantially U-shaped sections. The upper end surface and the lower end surface extending in a sliding manner are opposed to each other with a gap or a gap, and the sliding contact or facing of the end surfaces is maintained even when the telescopic rod expands and contracts. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the side surface is substantially flush with the planar view.

Images