JP2013151350A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying device configured to reduce the thickness of the conveying device and to prevent operation stop due to a minute component entering the inside of the conveying device.SOLUTION: A conveying device includes a driving mechanism 40 configured to rotatably support a slat 30, to apply a driving force to the slat 30 to move the slat 30, to turn back, at a front end of a conveying part 2, each of the slats 30 from the conveying part 2 to a backward feed part 3 without inverting the slat 30, and to turn back, at a rear end of the backward feed part 3, each of the slats 30 from the backward feed part 3 to the conveying part 2 without inverting the slat 30. The upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30 positioned at both front and rear ends of the backward feed part 3 are inclined in the front-and-rear direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device, and more particularly to a transport device using a slat conveyor.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an automobile assembly facility or a distribution facility, a transport device using a so-called slat conveyor in which a plurality of slats (transport plates) are spanned between a pair of chains is used (for example, Patent Document 1). See). In the transport device, the work is transported by rotating the chain while the work is placed on the upper side of the slat, or the worker is moved by rotating the chain while the worker is standing on the upper side of the slat. Or let it be.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the transport device described in Patent Document 1 attaches and fixes a slat to an annular chain, moves the slat by rotating the chain with a sprocket, and moves the upstream end and downstream of the transport device. At the side end, the upper and lower surfaces of the slat are reversed and folded back.

  In such a transport apparatus, it is necessary to form a gap between the slats adjacent in the transport direction so that the folded slat and the slat adjacent on the upstream side in the transport direction do not interfere with each other.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the fine component enters the inside of the conveying device (inside the circular trajectory of the chain) through the gap and gets on the plate of the chain, and the fine component bites into the sprocket. There is a possibility that it will be. That is, the operation of the transport device may stop.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, there is a possibility that the fine parts are caught in the gap between the slats and the slats cannot be folded back, and the operation of the transport device is stopped.
Furthermore, since a driving unit such as a sprocket having a diameter larger than the width in the conveyance direction of the slats is required, the thickness of the conveyance device increases.

JP 2009-286545 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the situation as described above, and provides a transport device that can prevent the stop of the operation caused by fine parts while reducing the thickness of the transport device.

  According to claim 1, the plurality of slats are continuously moved in the transport direction along the transport unit, and the reverse feed is arranged at a distance longer than the thickness of the slats with respect to the transport unit. A transport device that continuously moves along a portion in a direction opposite to the transport direction, wherein the slat is rotatably supported, a driving force is applied to the slat to move the slat, and the transport unit The slats are folded one by one from the transport unit to the reverse feed unit at the downstream end in the transport direction without inverting the upper and lower surfaces of the slats, and the reverse feed unit is downstream in the transport direction. Drive means for folding back the slats one by one from the reverse feed unit to the transport unit without reversing the upper and lower surfaces of the slats at the side end, and the transport direction of the reverse feed unit The upper and lower surfaces of the slats located upstream end and a downstream end for definitive tilting with respect to the transport direction is intended.

  In Claim 2, The shape of the upstream end surface in the said conveyance direction of the said slat is formed in the shape corresponding to the rotation locus | trajectory of the upstream edge part in the said conveyance direction of the said slat, and the downstream in the said conveyance direction of the said slat The shape of the end surface is formed into a shape corresponding to the shape of the upstream end surface in the transport direction of the slats.

  In Claim 3, with respect to the slats located on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the reverse feed unit, the height positions on the upstream side and the downstream side of the reverse feed unit are lowered. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the drive means rotatably supports the slat with the upstream side in the transport direction of the slat as a rotation center.

  In Claim 5, The said drive means is provided with the chain which provides a driving force to the said slat by circling along the said conveyance direction, The said reverse feed part supports the said slat, The circling of the said chain It is formed on the upper surface of the slat receiving guide that lowers the height position with respect to the locus and inclines the upper and lower surfaces of the slats located on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the reverse feeding portion.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the slat is supported by the chain via a block attached to a lower surface.

  The present invention has an effect that it is possible to prevent the operation from being stopped due to the fine parts entering the inside of the conveying device while reducing the thickness of the conveying device.

The right view which shows a conveying apparatus typically. The rear view which shows a conveying apparatus typically. Explanatory drawing of a slat. (A) Right side view. (B) The figure which shows the relationship with the slat adjacent to a rear side. The figure which shows the operation | movement which drops the rear-end part of a slat from a conveyance part to a reverse feed part. (A) The figure which shows the state before dropping. (B) The figure which shows the state after dropping. The figure which shows the operation | movement which moves the front-end part of a slat from a conveyance part to a reverse feed part. (A) The figure which shows the state in movement. (B) The figure which shows the state immediately after a movement. (C) The figure after the movement. The figure which shows the motion of a fine component when folding a slat from a conveyance part to a reverse feed part. The figure which shows the slat which moves a driven side low conveyance surface. (A) The figure which shows the state before a movement. (B) The figure which shows the state in movement. (C) The figure which shows the state which moved to the rear-end part of a driven side low conveyance surface. The figure which shows the operation | movement which moves the front-end part of a slat from a reverse feed part to a conveyance part. (A) The figure which shows the state in movement. (B) The figure which shows the state moved to the upper side rather than the slat adjacent to a rear side. (C) The figure after the movement. Explanatory drawing of the slat which has the front-back both end surfaces of a shape parallel to an up-down direction. (A) Right side view. (B) The figure which shows the relationship with the slat adjacent to a rear side. The figure which shows the operation | movement which folds back the slat which supported the rear side so that rotation is possible from a conveyance part to a reverse feed part. (A) The figure which shows the state before a movement. (B) The figure which shows the state which slats interfere. The figure which shows the operation | movement which moves a slat from a reverse feed part to a conveyance part, without making upper and lower surfaces incline. (A) The figure which shows the state before a movement. (B) The figure which shows the state which slats interfere. (C) The figure which shows the state which the slat and the block interfere. The figure which shows the structure of the conventional conveying apparatus. The figure which shows the state in case operation | movement of a conveying apparatus stops due to a fine component. (A) The figure which shows the state which a fine component bites into a sprocket. (B) The figure which shows the state where the fine component was pinched | interposed into the clearance gap between slats.

  Below, the conveying apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport apparatus 1 drives a plurality of slats 30 on which a transported object is placed in an endless manner to transport the transported object (for example, a person, a product, a vehicle, or the like). This is a so-called slat conveyor.
The transport apparatus 1 includes a slat receiving guide 10, a transport frame 20, a plurality of slats 30, a drive mechanism 40, a plate 50, and the like.

  In the following, for convenience of explanation, the “front-rear direction of the transport device 1” is defined with the direction of the arrow F shown in FIG. Further, the “up and down direction of the conveying device 1” is defined with the arrow U direction shown in FIG. Then, the “left-right direction of the conveyance device 1” is defined with the arrow L direction shown in FIG. 2 as the left direction.

  The slat receiving guide 10 supports the slat 30 that moves inside the transport apparatus 1. On the upper surface of the slat receiving guide 10, a high conveyance surface 11, a driving side low conveyance surface 12, and a driven side low conveyance surface 13 are formed.

  The high conveyance surface 11 is a horizontal plane formed in the front-rear halfway part of the slat receiving guide 10 and extending in the front-rear direction. The height position of the high conveyance surface 11 is higher than the height positions of the low conveyance surfaces 12 and 13.

  The drive-side low transport surface 12 is formed at the front end portion of the slat receiving guide 10 (upstream end portion in the moving direction of the slat 30 in the reverse feed portion 3 described later). The drive-side low transport surface 12 extends along the front direction after inclining forward and downward from the front end portion of the high transport surface 11.

The driven side low transport surface 13 is formed at the rear end portion of the slat receiving guide 10 (the downstream end portion in the moving direction of the slat 30 in the reverse feed portion 3 described later). The driven-side low conveyance surface 13 extends along the rear direction after inclining rearward and downward from the rear end portion of the high conveyance surface 11.
The low transport surfaces 12 and 13 are located at substantially the same height.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport frame 20 supports a slat 30 that moves above the transport device 1. A gap larger than the thickness of the slat 30 (the vertical dimension of the slat 30) is formed between the conveyance surfaces 11 to 13 of the slat receiving guide 10 and the conveyance frame 20, and the gap is formed in the slat receiving guide. The slats 30 located on each of the 10 conveyance surfaces 11 to 13 pass.
The transport frame 20 is disposed at both left and right ends of the transport device 1.

In the transport apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the upper surface of the transport frame 20 is formed as the transport unit 2. Moreover, the upper surface (each conveyance surface 11-13) of the slat receiving guide 10 is formed as the reverse feeding part 3 arrange | positioned with respect to the conveyance part 2 at a distance longer than the thickness of the slat 30. FIG.
The transport unit 2 and the reverse feed unit 3 are configured on a smooth plane having a low friction coefficient so that the slats 30 can move smoothly.

The slat 30 is a substantially plate-like member made of plastic, iron, aluminum, or the like, and is disposed in the transport unit 2 and the reverse feed unit 3 in a state adjacent to the front-rear direction.
One block 33 is attached to each of the left and right ends of the lower surface of the slat 30.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A, the block 33 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a hole having a substantially circular shape in a side view is formed in the front end portion. The block 33 is disposed on the front side of the slat 30. Between the left and right blocks 33, the left and right transport frames 20 are disposed.
The slat 30 is rotatably supported by the drive mechanism 40 by inserting a connecting pin 44 a of a chain 44 of the drive mechanism 40 described later into the hole of the block 33.

The rear end surface 31 of the slat 30 is formed in a shape corresponding to the rotation locus 30T of the slat 30. That is, when the slat 30 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 with the connecting pin 44a as the center of rotation, as shown in FIG. 3B, the rear end surface 31 of the slat 30 rotates along its shape. .
The rear end surface 31 of the slat 30 of the present embodiment is formed in a linear shape with both upper and lower ends positioned on the rotation locus 30T.

  Note that the rear end surface of the slat is not limited to the present embodiment, and may be, for example, a curved shape along the rotation trajectory of the slat.

  The front end surface 32 of the slat 30 is formed in a shape corresponding to the rear end surface 31 of the slat 30, specifically, substantially the same shape as the rear end surface 31 of the slat 30. That is, the slat 30 is formed in a substantially parallelogram shape in a side view.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the driving mechanism 40 moves the slat 30. The drive mechanism 40 includes a drive sprocket 41, a driven shaft 42, a driven sprocket 43, a chain 44, a cover 45, and the like.

The sprockets 41 and 43, the chain 44, and the cover 45 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides of the transport device 1.
Therefore, only the sprockets 41 and 43, the chain 44, and the cover 45 arranged on the right side will be described below.

The drive sprocket 41 is disposed in front of the transport unit 2 at a predetermined interval and is located to the right of the slat 30. Below the drive sprocket 41, the drive-side low transfer surface 12 of the slat receiving guide 10 is located.
For example, the transport device 1 connects a driving sprocket 41 and a sprocket disposed on the right side of the driving sprocket 41 by a connecting shaft 41a so as to be integrally rotatable, and rotates the sprocket by a driving force from a motor or the like. As a result, the drive sprocket 41 is rotated.

  The driven shaft 42 is disposed at the rear end portion of the transport device 1 and supports the driven sprockets 43 disposed on the left and right sides of the transport device 1 with the left-right direction as the axial direction.

  The driven sprocket 43 is disposed behind the transport unit 2 with a predetermined interval and is located to the right of the slat 30. Below the driven sprocket 43, the driven side low transfer surface 13 of the slat receiving guide 10 is located.

The chain 44 is wound around the sprockets 41 and 43 and is located on the right side of the slat 30. Connecting pins 44 a extending leftward from the chain 44 are attached to the chain 44 at intervals corresponding to the intervals in the front-rear direction of the slats 30.
That is, the circular trajectory of the chain 44 has a track shape in which the wound portions of the sprockets 41 and 43 are linearly connected in a side view.

The connecting pin 44 a has an outer diameter dimension substantially the same as the hole portion of the block 33 and is inserted into the hole portion of the slat 30.
Thereby, the drive mechanism 40 supports the front side of the slat 30 via the block 33 so as to be rotatable.

The cover 45 is disposed above the chain 44 that goes around the lower side with a predetermined interval, and is located to the right of the slat 30. The cover 45 extends long in the front-rear direction from the front side to the rear side of the chain 44.
A cover similar to the cover 45 is also disposed above the chain 44 that circulates on the upper side.

  In the present embodiment, the gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction is reduced. Specifically, the pitch of the connecting pins 44a and the like are adjusted so that the gap is small enough to allow only the component tolerance of the slat 30.

The plate 50 is disposed at the front end of the transport unit 2 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. A gap larger than the thickness of the slat 30 is formed between the plate 50 and the transport unit 2.
The transport apparatus 1 is configured to be able to detect that the plate 50 has moved forward by a predetermined sensor.

  Next, the operation of the transport device 1 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 rotates the drive sprocket 41 and rotates the driven sprocket 43 via the chain 44 so that the chain 44 circulates in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the drive mechanism 40 applies a driving force to the slats 30 and moves the slats 30 (see arrows shown in FIG. 1).

At this time, the drive mechanism 40 moves the slats 30 positioned in the transport unit 2 in the forward direction, and folds the slats 30 from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3 at the front end of the transport unit 2.
Further, the drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30 located in the reverse feed unit 3 in the backward direction, and folds the slat 30 from the reverse feed unit 3 to the transport unit 2 at the rear end of the reverse feed unit 3.

As described above, the transport device 1 continuously moves the slats 30 in the forward direction along the transport unit 2 and continuously moves in the rear direction along the reverse feed unit 3.
That is, in the present embodiment, the transport direction is a forward direction in which the slat 30 located in the transport unit 2 is moved, and the direction opposite to the transport direction is a backward direction in which the slat 30 located in the reverse feed unit 3 is moved. .

  In the following, in FIG. 4A, the slat located on the upper side of the drive sprocket 41 is denoted as “slat 30A”. A slat located on the rear side of the slat 30A is referred to as “slat 30B”. A slat located on the rear side of the slat 30B is denoted as “slat 30C”.

  4 (b), FIG. 7 (c), FIG. 8 (a), FIG. 8 (b), and FIG. 11, the notation of each sprocket 41, 43, etc. is omitted in order to make the slat 30 easier to see. ing. In addition, in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 10, the notation of the plate 50 is omitted.

  Below, operation | movement at the time of returning the slat 30B from the conveyance part 2 to the reverse feed part 3 is demonstrated.

  The drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30 from the state shown in FIG. 4A, and drops the rear end portion of the slat 30B onto the upper surface of the slat 30A as shown in FIG. 4B.

After dropping the rear end of the slat 30B, the drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30. At this time, the front end portion of the slat 30B moves along the shape of the drive sprocket 41 as shown in FIG. 5A and FIG.
Thus, the drive mechanism 40 functions as a drive unit that folds the slats 30 one by one from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3 without inverting the top and bottom surfaces at the front end of the transport unit 2.

The slats 30 </ b> B that are turned back to the reverse feed unit 3 are supported by the drive-side low transport surface 12 of the slat receiving guide 10. At this time, the drive-side low transport surface 12 is positioned below the center of the connecting pin 44a that supports the slat 30B.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the slat 30B turned back to the reverse feeding portion 3 is in a state where the rear end portion is located below the front end portion. That is, the upper and lower surfaces are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction.

  At this time, the slat 30A is also supported by the drive-side low conveyance surface 12 of the slat receiving guide 10, and the upper and lower surfaces are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. A gap C1 is formed between the slat 30A and the slat 30B along the vertical direction.

  The drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30 from the state shown in FIG. At this time, the rear end portion of the slat 30B moves to the high conveyance surface 11 of the slat receiving guide 10 as shown in FIG.

The high conveyance surface 11 of the slat receiving guide 10 is located above the connecting pin 44a that supports the slat 30B.
The vertical distance from the high transport surface 11 to the center of the connecting pin 44a that supports the slat 30B is the vertical distance from the lower surface of the slat 30B that has a horizontal upper and lower surface to the center of the connecting pin 44a that supports the slat 30B. A distance substantially the same as the distance is set.

Therefore, the slat 30B rotates around the connecting pin 44a when the rear end moves to the high conveyance surface 11 of the slat receiving guide 10, and the upper and lower surfaces become horizontal.
At this time, the slat 30C is supported by the drive-side low conveyance surface 12, and the upper and lower surfaces are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, and a gap along the vertical direction is formed between the slat 30C and the slat 30B.

Here, the conveyance apparatus 1 conveys a to-be-conveyed object by moving the slat 30 in the state which mounted the to-be-conveyed object in the slat 30 located in the conveyance part 2. FIG.
For example, when the transport device 1 is installed in an automobile assembly facility for the purpose of transporting an operator, the worker accidentally drops a part or the like, and the slat 30 located in the transport unit 2 transports the part. There is a possibility that.

  If the component is transported to the front end of the transport unit 2, the component contacts the plate 50, and the plate 50 is pushed forward by the component and moves (see FIG. 1). The conveyance device 1 detects that the parts are being conveyed by detecting such movement of the plate 50.

  In such a configuration, a part having a shape smaller than the gap between the slat 30 and the plate 50 (hereinafter referred to as “fine part P”) passes through the gap between the slat 30 and the plate 50.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, when the slat 30 </ b> C is folded back from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3 while the micro component P is transported, the rear end of the slat 30 </ b> C has dropped. Occasionally, it rolls toward the upper surface of the slat 30B located in the reverse feed portion 3 (see arrows A1 and A2 shown in FIG. 6).
That is, when the slat 30C is turned back from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3, the fine component P enters the inside of the transport device 1, more specifically, the inside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44.

  If the fine part P that has entered the inside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44 gets on the plate of the chain 44, the fine part P is caught in the driven sprocket 43, and the operation of the transport device 1 stops. (See FIG. 13A).

  The transport device 1 according to the present embodiment supports the slat 30B folded back from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3 with the driving-side low transport surface 12 of the slat receiving guide 10 so that the upper and lower surfaces of the slat 30B are in the front-rear direction. It is inclined with respect to.

Accordingly, the fine component P that has entered the inside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44 rolls rearward and downward along the inclination of the upper and lower surfaces of the slat 30B. That is, the fine component P rolls toward the slat 30A.
Then, the fine component P enters the gap C1 between the slats 30A and slats 30B and is discharged to the outside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44 (see arrow A3 shown in FIG. 6).

In the state shown in FIG. 6, the conveying device 1 also tilts the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30 </ b> A with respect to the front-rear direction to form a gap along the vertical direction between the slats 30 </ b> A and the slats 30 located on the rear side. doing.
For this reason, even if the fine component P rolls on the upper surface of the slat 30A, the transport device 1 can discharge the fine component P from the gap between the slat 30A and the slat 30 located on the rear side.

According to this, since the conveying device 1 can positively discharge the fine component P that has entered the inside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44, the fine component P can be prevented from biting into the driven sprocket 43.
Therefore, the conveyance apparatus 1 can prevent the operation | movement stop resulting from the fine component P, and can convey a to-be-conveyed object smoothly. That is, the workability of the transport device 1 can be improved.

Although the transport apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured to incline the upper and lower surfaces of the slat 30B and the upper and lower surfaces of the slat 30A located on the rear side of the slat 30B folded back from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3, It is not limited to.
That is, the conveying device 1 is configured to incline the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30 positioned at the front end portion of the reverse feeding portion 3 with respect to the front-rear direction so that the fine parts P entering the inside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44 can be discharged. If it is.
Therefore, if the fine component P does not get on the slat 30A, only the slat 30B may be inclined.

  In this way, the transport device 1 tilts the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30A and 30B located at the front end portion (upstream end portion in the transport direction) of the reverse feeding portion 3 with respect to the front-rear direction (transport direction).

  In addition, the shape of the front and rear end faces of the slat is not limited to this embodiment. That is, like the slat 130 shown in FIG. 9A, the shape of the front and rear end faces 131 and 132 may be formed in a straight line along the vertical direction.

In this case, however, the upper end portion of the rear end surface 131 of the slat 130 falls through the rear side of the lower end portion of the rear end surface 131 of the slat 130 (see the rotation trajectories 130Ta and 130Tb shown in FIG. 9A). That is, the rear end surface 131 of the slat 130 falls along a trajectory in which the upper end portion swells rearward than the lower end portion.
For this reason, when the gap in the front-rear direction of the slat 130 is reduced, the slat 130 may interfere with the slat 130 located on the rear side when the rear end portion is dropped.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, it is necessary to form a gap between the slats 130 adjacent in the front-rear direction so that the rear end of the slat 130 can be dropped (shown in FIG. 9B). (See gap C10).

The shape of the rear end surface 31 (upstream end surface in the transport direction) of the slat 30 of the present embodiment is formed in a shape corresponding to the rotation locus 30T of the rear end portion (upstream end portion in the transport direction) of the slat 30. (See FIG. 3 (a)).
Thereby, as shown in FIG.4 (b), as for the conveying apparatus 1, the upper end part in the rear-end surface 31 of the slat 30B does not swell rearward rather than the lower end part in the rear-end surface 31 of the slat 30B. The rear end can be dropped.

The shape of the front end surface 32 (downstream end surface in the transport direction) of the slat 30 is formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the rear end surface 31 of the slat 30.
Accordingly, even when the gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction is reduced, the transport device 1 can drop the rear end portion of the slats 30B without interference of the slats 30B and 30C.

According to this, the conveying apparatus 1 can prevent the fine component P from entering the inside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44 from the gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 13A). Moreover, it can prevent that the fine components P are pinched | interposed into the clearance gap between the slats 30 adjacent to the front-back direction (refer FIG.13 (b)).
That is, the transport device 1 can more reliably prevent the operation from being stopped due to the fine component P.

  Hereinafter, in FIG. 7A, the slat located at the rear end portion of the high conveyance surface 11 of the slat receiving guide 10 is referred to as “slat 30D”. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the slat located on the rear side of the slat 30D is denoted as “slat 30E”.

  Below, operation | movement at the time of returning the slat 30D from the reverse feed part 3 to the conveyance part 2 is demonstrated.

  As shown to Fig.7 (a), since the slat 30D is supported by the high conveyance surface 11 of the slat receiving guide 10, an upper and lower surface is horizontal.

  The drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30 from the state shown in FIG. At this time, the slat 30D is supported by the driven low conveyance surface 13 of the slat receiving guide 10 as shown in FIG.

The height position of the driven side low conveyance surface 13 of the slat receiving guide 10 is substantially the same height position as the drive side low conveyance surface 12.
Therefore, the slat 30D is in a state where the rear end portion is positioned below the front end portion. That is, the upper and lower surfaces are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction.

The drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30 from the state shown in FIG. At this time, the slats 30 </ b> C and 30 </ b> D are supported by the driven-side low transfer surface 13 of the slat receiving guide 10 as shown in FIG.
Accordingly, the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30D and 30E are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, and a gap C2 is formed between the slats 30D and the slats 30E along the vertical direction.

The drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30 from the state shown in FIG. At this time, the front end portion of the slat 30D moves along the shape of the driven sprocket 43 as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b).
That is, the front end portion of the slat 30D moves so as to draw a substantially semicircular locus in a side view. On the other hand, the slat 30E moves backward.

Therefore, when the front end portion of the slat 30D moves along the shape of the driven sprocket 43, the distance in the front-rear direction between the slats 30D and 30E is reduced. That is, the slat 30E approaches the slat 30D.
Therefore, the transport device 1 causes the rear end portion of the slat 30E to enter the gap C2 by forming the gap C2 between the slat 30D and the slat 30E.

The drive mechanism 40 moves the slat 30 from the state shown in FIG. At this time, the front end portion of the slat 30D moves to the upper side of the driven sprocket 43 as shown in FIG.
Then, the drive mechanism 40 further moves the slat 30 to bring the lower surface of the slat 30D into contact with the rear end portion of the transport frame 20, and rotates the slat 30 around the connection pin 44a as the center of rotation. The end is moved to the reverse feed unit 3.

In this way, the drive mechanism 40 folds the slats 30 one by one from the reverse feed unit 3 to the transport unit 2 without inverting the upper and lower surfaces at the rear end of the transport unit 2.
Accordingly, the transport device 1 can use the sprockets 41 and 43 having an outer diameter shorter than the dimension of the slat 30 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the thickness of the transport device 1 can be reduced.

Here, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the slat 30D is folded back from the reverse feed unit 3 to the transport unit 2 without tilting the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30D and 30E with respect to the front-rear direction, the slat 30E There is a possibility of touching 30D.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11B, the rear end surface 31 of the slat 30E comes into contact with the front end surface 32 of the slat 30D, or, as shown in FIG. 11C, the rear end surface 31 of the slat 30E. The end surface 31 may come into contact with the front end surface of the block 33 of the slat 30D.

That is, when the slat 30D is folded back from the reverse feed unit 3 to the transfer unit 2, the slats 30D and 30E may interfere with each other and the operation of the transfer device illustrated in FIG.
For this reason, it is necessary to form a gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction so that the slats 30D and 30E do not interfere with each other.

In particular, when the block 33 is attached to the lower surface of the slat 30 as in the present embodiment, the slat 30E can contact the slat 30D until the front end surface of the block 33 of the slat 30D is moved above the slat 30E. There is sex.
For this reason, it is necessary to further increase the gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the transport device 1 of the present embodiment tilts the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30 </ b> D and 30 </ b> E with respect to the front-rear direction before the slat 30 </ b> D is folded back from the reverse feed unit 3 to the transport unit 2. By forming the gap C2, the slat 30D escapes from the slat 30E.

  Thereby, even if the conveyance apparatus 1 reduces the clearance gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction, the slats 30D can be folded back from the reverse feeding unit 3 to the conveyance unit 2 without interference of the slats 30D and 30E.

Therefore, the conveying device 1 can prevent the fine component P from entering the inside of the conveying device 1 or the fine component P from being sandwiched between the slats 30.
That is, the transport device 1 can prevent the operation from being stopped due to the fine component P while reducing its thickness.

  Even if the fine component P cannot be dropped at the rear end portion of the reverse feed portion 3, the transport device 1 causes the fine component P to pass through the clearance of the chain 44 through the gap C2 between the slat 30D and the slat 30E. Can be discharged outside.

In this case, the conveying device 1 needs to convey the fine component P from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the reverse feed unit 3 without the fine component P being on the plate of the chain 44.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport device 1 is provided with a cover 45 above the chain 44 that circulates in the lower side to prevent the fine parts P from getting on the plate of the chain 44. That is, the transport device 1 is configured to reliably transport the fine component P from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the reverse feed portion 3.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7C, the slats 30 </ b> D and 30 </ b> E are inclined when the slat 30 </ b> D is folded back from the reverse feed unit 3 to the transport unit 2, but is not limited thereto. .
That is, the transport device 1 only needs to be able to form a gap between the slats 30D and 30E so that the slats 30D and 30E do not interfere when the slat 30D is folded back from the reverse feed unit 3 to the transport unit 2.
Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 7C, only the upper and lower surfaces of either the slat 30D or the slat 30E may be inclined to form a gap that does not interfere with the slats 30D and 30E.

  As described above, the transport device 1 tilts the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30D and 30E located at the rear end portion (downstream end portion in the transport direction) of the reverse feed portion 3 with respect to the front-rear direction (transport direction).

Here, the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30D and 30E are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction by notching the front end surface of the slat 30D block 33 and forming the block 33 in a shape that does not contact the rear end surface 31 of the slat 30E. Instead, a configuration in which the gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction is reduced is conceivable.
However, when such a configuration is applied to the transport apparatus 1 already installed in an automobile assembly facility or the like, it is necessary to replace or process all the blocks 33.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the slats 30D and 30E from interfering only by replacing the slat receiving guide 10 or simply processing the rear end portion of the slat receiving guide 10.

That is, by tilting the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30 located on the rear side of the reverse feed unit 3 with respect to the front-rear direction, all the blocks 33 can be obtained even when the transport device 1 is already installed in an automobile assembly facility or the like. Need not be replaced or processed.
For this reason, the cost required when applying this invention to the conveying apparatus 1 already installed in the assembly equipment of a motor vehicle, etc. can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the low conveying surfaces 12 and 13 are formed in the slat receiving guide 10 so that the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30 positioned at both front and rear end portions of the reverse feeding portion 3 are inclined with respect to the front and rear direction. However, it is not limited to this.
In other words, the transport device moves the chain trajectory up and down with respect to the horizontal reverse feed section from the front end portion to the rear end portion, so that the slat upper and lower surfaces located at the front and rear end portions of the reverse feed portion are moved in the front-rear direction. You may make it incline with respect.

However, when moving the chain trajectory up and down, in addition to the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket, it is necessary to provide a sprocket separately.
That is, from the viewpoint of reducing the cost required for the transport device 1, the low transport surfaces 12 and 13 are formed on the slat receiving guide 10 as in the present embodiment, and the slats 30 positioned at both front and rear ends of the reverse feed unit 3. It is preferable to incline the upper and lower surfaces with respect to the front-rear direction.

In this way, the transport device 1 is configured so that the front and rear end portions of the reverse feed unit 3 are higher than the slats 30 positioned at the front and rear end portions (upstream end and downstream end in the transport direction) of the reverse feed unit 3. Lower the position.
Further, the reverse feed unit 3 lowers the height position of the chain 44 with respect to the circular trajectory, and tilts the upper and lower surfaces of the slats 30 located at both front and rear ends of the reverse feed unit 3 (the respective upper surfaces of the slat receiving guides 10). Surface 11-13).

In addition, it is not always necessary to attach a block to the slat. That is, the chain may directly support the slat (see FIG. 10).
However, the height dimension of the slat 30 can be adjusted by the slat 30 being supported by the chain 44 via the block 33 attached to the lower surface as in the present embodiment.

Therefore, even when a large-sized chain is used to transport a heavy object to be transported, the size of the slat can be increased to the size of the chain without using a slat having a large thickness (that is, without replacing the slat 30). The size can be adjusted.
For this reason, the cost of the conveying apparatus 1 required when conveying a heavy to-be-conveyed object can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the front side of the slat 30 is supported by the chain 44, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, the rear side of the slat 230 may be supported by the connecting pin 244a as in the chain 244 shown in FIG.

  However, in this case, when the slat 230A is folded back from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3, the rear end of the slat 230A is moved along the shape of the drive sprocket 41. For this reason, when the slat 230B located on the rear side of the slat 230A turns the slat 230A back from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3, the front end surface 231 may come into contact with the rear end surface 231 of the slat 230A. .

  That is, when the slat 230B is folded back from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3, the slats 230A and 230B may interfere with each other.

Therefore, in the transport device 1 according to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, the drive mechanism 40 rotatably supports the slat 30 around the rear side (upstream side in the transport direction) of the slat 30. Thus, before the front end portion of the slat 30B is moved along the shape of the drive sprocket 41, the rear end portion of the slat 30B is dropped.
Thereby, the conveyance apparatus 1 has escaped the rear-end part of the slat 30B from the front-end part of the slat 30C, when returning the slat 30B from the conveyance part 2 to the reverse feed part 3. FIG.

  According to this, even when the gap between the slats 30 adjacent in the front-rear direction is reduced, the transport device 1 can fold the slats 30B from the transport unit 2 to the reverse feed unit 3 without interference of the slats 30B and 30C. .

  For this reason, since the conveyance device 1 can prevent the fine component P from entering the inside of the circular trajectory of the chain 44 or the fine component P is sandwiched between the slats 30, the conveyance device 1 is more reliably attributed to the fine component P. Can be prevented from stopping.

In the present embodiment, the slats 30 are moved in a state where the upper and lower surfaces are horizontal in the middle part before and after the reverse feed part 3, but the present invention is not limited to this.
In other words, the transport device may move the slats while the upper and lower surfaces of the slats positioned in the reverse feeding unit are always inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. However, from the viewpoint of reducing slat wear, it is preferable to move the upper and lower surfaces of the slats in a horizontal state in the middle part before and after the reverse feed part.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance apparatus 2 Conveyance part 3 Reverse feed part 30 Slat 40 Drive mechanism (drive means)

Claims (6)

The plurality of slats are continuously moved in the transport direction along the transport unit, and the transport is performed along the reverse feed unit that is disposed at a distance longer than the thickness of the slat with respect to the transport unit. A transport device that continuously moves in a direction opposite to the direction,
The slat is rotatably supported, and the slat is moved by applying a driving force to the slat, and the upper and lower surfaces of the slat are reversed at the downstream end in the transport direction of the transport unit without reversing the upper and lower surfaces of the slat. The slats are folded one by one from the transport unit to the reverse feed unit, and the slats are turned one by one at the downstream end in the transport direction of the reverse feed unit without inverting the upper and lower surfaces of the slats. Drive means for turning back from the reverse feed section to the transport section;
Comprising
The upper and lower surfaces of the slats positioned at the upstream end and the downstream end in the transport direction of the reverse feed section are inclined with respect to the transport direction;
Conveying device. The shape of the upstream end surface in the transport direction of the slat is formed into a shape corresponding to the rotation trajectory of the upstream end portion in the transport direction of the slat,
The shape of the downstream end face in the transport direction of the slat is formed into a shape corresponding to the shape of the upstream end face in the transport direction of the slat.
The transport apparatus according to claim 1. With respect to the slats positioned at the upstream end and the downstream end in the transport direction of the reverse feed unit, the height position of the upstream end and the downstream end of the reverse feed unit is lowered,
The transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The driving means includes
With the upstream side in the transport direction of the slat as a center of rotation, the slat is rotatably supported.
The conveying apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1- Claim 3. The driving means includes
A chain that applies a driving force to the slats by circling along the conveying direction;
With
The reverse sending part
A slat that supports the slat and lowers the height position with respect to the circular trajectory of the chain to incline the upper and lower surfaces of the slat located at the upstream end and the downstream end in the transport direction of the reverse feed portion. Formed on the upper surface of the receiving guide,
The conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1- Claim 4. The slat is
Supported by the chain via a block attached to the lower surface,
The transport apparatus according to claim 5.

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