JP2014152025A - Turnaround device for material to be conveyed - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a turnaround device for a material to be conveyed capable of easily carrying out the operations of belt exchange, maintenance and the like.SOLUTION: A turnaround device 1 is provided with a roller unit 2 for conveying a material to be conveyed to a first direction, a belt unit 3 for conveying the material to a second direction, and a parallel cam mechanism 5. The belt unit 3 comprises a plurality of sub-units 21, a motor roller 22 and a support frame 23, and the sub-unit 21 comprises a belt 20, a plurality of pulleys 26 and brackets 25. Each sub-unit 21 is attachable to and detachable from the support frame 23 in such a state that a part of the peripheral surface of the motor roller 22 is pressed to a part of the peripheral surface of the motor roller 22.

Description

  The present invention relates to a direction change device for a conveyed object.

  For example, in the field of physical distribution systems, when an arbitrary transported object such as a product or a container is transported to a desired place, the transport direction may be changed in the middle of a path for transporting the transported object. In this case, a direction changing device for the conveyed object has been used conventionally. As an example of a conventional direction changing device, a device has been proposed in which a belt is lifted from between adjacent rollers of a roller conveyor, and the object to be conveyed is lifted by the belt from the conveying surface of the roller conveyor (for example, the direction is changed). (See Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). Alternatively, as another example, the roller side frame member that supports the transport roller and the belt side frame member that supports the belt are alternately raised and lowered to change the direction without moving the transported object up and down. An apparatus has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent No. 5114246 JP 2003-176020 A JP 2011-6166 A

  In the above direction changing device, the belt responsible for the conveyance in one direction is made of, for example, a resin or the like, and is a member that directly contacts the object to be conveyed. Therefore, wear due to long-term use is unavoidable, and belt replacement work is required. However, many conventional direction changing devices have a configuration in which a belt is wound around a driving pulley, and it is necessary to disassemble and remove the driving pulley when replacing the belt. For this reason, there has been a problem that it takes time to replace the belt. Also, the drive mechanism for the conveyor belt is often composed of an induction motor and a gear. In the case of this configuration, there is a problem that the unit including the belt and its driving means needs to have a certain height, leading to an increase in the size of the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a direction change device for an object to be conveyed that can easily perform each operation such as a belt replacement operation and a maintenance operation. To do. Another object of the present invention is to provide a direction change device for a conveyed object provided with a belt conveyance mechanism that can contribute to downsizing of the device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the direction change device for an object to be transported according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of rollers, and the object to be transported placed on the upper surface of the roller serving as a transport surface, A first transport unit that transports in a first direction within the transport surface by the rotation of the roller, and a plurality of endless members, and an object to be transported placed on the upper surface of the endless member that becomes the transport surface A second transport unit that transports the endless member in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction in the transport surface by rotation of the endless member, and at least the second transport unit is approximately the transport surface. An elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers in a third direction orthogonal to each other, wherein the second transport unit includes a plurality of subunits including the endless member, a driving roller that rotates the endless member, and the plurality of The subunit and the drive roller A support frame, and the subunit includes the endless member, a plurality of pulleys around which the endless member is wound, and a bracket that rotatably supports the plurality of pulleys. Each of the plurality of subunits can be attached to and detached from the support frame in a state where a part of the outer peripheral surface of the endless member is pressed against a part of the outer peripheral surface of the drive roller. And

  In other words, in the direction change device for a transported object according to one aspect of the present invention, the second transport unit that transports the transported object in one direction rotates a plurality of subunits including an endless member and the endless member. And a support frame that supports the plurality of subunits and the drive roller. The subunit includes an endless member, a plurality of pulleys around which the endless member is wound, and a bracket that rotatably supports the plurality of pulleys. Each of the plurality of subunits can be attached to and detached from the support frame in a state where a part of the outer peripheral surface of the endless member is pressed against a part of the outer peripheral surface of the drive roller.

  According to this configuration, since each subunit is detachable from the support frame, the state where the endless member is pressed by the driving roller is released by removing each subunit from the support frame. At this time, since the endless member is exposed to the outside, the user can easily contact the endless member. As described above, in the direction change device for the conveyed object according to one aspect of the present invention, since the endless member is not wound around the drive pulley, it is not necessary to disassemble the drive pulley, and the endless member is replaced. Work and maintenance work can be easily performed.

  In the direction change device for an object to be conveyed according to one aspect of the present invention, the lifting mechanism is configured to raise and lower the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit alternately in the third direction. Is preferred.

  According to this structure, the structure which delivers a to-be-conveyed object between a 1st conveyance unit and a 2nd conveyance unit is realizable, without changing the height of a conveyance surface. In this case, it is not necessary to lift the conveyed object when delivering the conveyed object between the two units. In other words, when the transferred object is transferred between the two units, the potential energy of the transferred object does not change. Therefore, as compared with a device that lifts the object to be conveyed, the influence of the load of the object to be conveyed on the lift drive source and the lifting mechanism can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced. Further, the object to be conveyed is not subjected to an impact during delivery, and the conveying direction of the object to be conveyed can be smoothly changed.

  In the direction change device for the conveyed object according to one aspect of the present invention, the drive is performed in a state in which the bracket is provided with a notch and a part of the endless member is disposed along an edge of the notch. When a roller is inserted into the notch, and the drive roller is viewed in cross section on a plane including the main surface of the bracket, the entire circle corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the drive roller is located inside the notch. It is preferable.

  According to this configuration, when the side on which the notch portion of the bracket is provided is the upper side or the lower side, the driving roller does not protrude outward from the upper side or the lower side of the bracket, and the range in the height direction of the bracket Fits within. Therefore, the second transport unit can be made thinner, and the direction changing device can be made smaller and thinner.

  In the direction change device for the conveyed object according to one aspect of the present invention, two pulleys of the plurality of pulleys are arranged on both sides of the notch, and the rotation shafts of the two pulleys and the drive It is preferable that the rotation axis of the roller is arranged substantially in a straight line in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis.

  According to this configuration, as described above, the position of the driving roller can be reliably set within the range in the height direction of the bracket, and the endless member can be wound around the two pulleys and the driving roller without difficulty. Can turn.

  In the direction change device of the conveyed object according to one aspect of the present invention, a base unit including the elevating mechanism and an elevating mechanism supporting member that supports the elevating mechanism, the first conveying unit for the base unit, and the first Positioning means for determining a position of the second transport unit in a plane parallel to the transport surface, and each of the first transport unit and the second transport unit is detachable from the base unit. It is preferable that

  According to this configuration, the user can easily remove the first transport unit and the second transport unit from the base unit, and can easily perform each work such as installation work, moving work, and maintenance work of the direction changing device. Can be done. Moreover, since each unit which comprises a direction change apparatus can be handled separately, it is also possible to produce each unit by division of labor, for example, or to transport each unit separately and to assemble on-site.

  In the direction change device for the conveyed object according to one aspect of the present invention, the positioning means includes a positioning pin having one end fixed to the upper surface of the lifting mechanism support member and the other end extending in the third direction, A first hole provided in the first transport unit and into which the positioning pin can be inserted; and a second hole provided in the support frame of the second transport unit and through which the positioning pin can be inserted. Preferably, it is configured.

  According to this configuration, the user inserts the positioning pin into both the first hole and the second hole, and connects the first transport unit and the second transport unit from above the positioning pin to the base unit. Just by placing it on top, the redirection device can be easily assembled. Further, the direction changing device can be easily disassembled by simply pulling the first transport unit and the second transport unit above the positioning pins. Further, by providing the second hole in the support frame of the second transport unit, the support frame can be used not only as a member that supports the plurality of subunits and the drive roller, but also as a positioning means.

  As described above, according to the conveyed object direction changing apparatus of one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily perform each operation such as a belt replacement operation and a maintenance operation. In addition, the second transport unit can be thinned, and the direction changing device can be miniaturized and thinned.

It is a perspective view which shows the direction change apparatus of the conveyed product of this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the direction change apparatus of the conveyed product of this embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which decomposed | disassembled the direction change apparatus of the to-be-conveyed object of this embodiment for every unit from diagonally upward. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which decomposed | disassembled the direction change apparatus of the to-be-conveyed object of this embodiment for every unit from diagonally downward. It is a side view of a belt unit. (A) It is a perspective view which shows only the part of a belt and a bracket among belt units, (B) It is a perspective view which shows the whole belt unit. It is a front view of a base unit. It is a side view of a base unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the raising / lowering operation | movement of a roller unit and a belt unit, and is a front view of the state which the roller unit is supporting the to-be-conveyed object. It is a figure for demonstrating the raising / lowering operation | movement of a roller unit and a belt unit, and is a front view of the state in which the belt unit is supporting the to-be-conveyed object. It is a top view which shows a part of conveyance equipment of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the delivery operation | movement of the to-be-conveyed object on the (A) and (B) to-be-conveyed object direction change apparatus.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As an example, the direction change device for a transported object according to the present embodiment is used in a transport facility that transports a transported object such as a luggage or a container at a site such as a distribution center or a factory. Moreover, it can also be used for a production facility, a sorting facility, a delivery facility, etc. of a so-called process center that collectively purchases, processes, and delivers fresh food. The above uses are merely examples, and are not limited to these.
Hereinafter, for the sake of brevity, the “direction changing device for the object to be conveyed” is simply referred to as “direction changing device”. For convenience of explanation, the front end side of the arrow F shown in FIG. 1 is the front side of the apparatus, and the front end side of the arrow B is the rear surface side of the apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the direction changing device 1 of the present embodiment includes a roller unit 2 (first transport unit), a belt unit 3 (second transport unit), and a base unit 4. I have. The roller unit 2 is a unit that transports the object to be transported in the first direction within the transport surface. The belt unit 3 is a unit that conveys the object to be conveyed in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction in the conveyance surface. The base unit 4 supports the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 as well as a parallel cam mechanism 5 (elevating mechanism) and an elevating motor 6 (driving means) for moving the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 up and down. It is a unit equipped with.

  As will be described later, in the roller unit 2, the upper surfaces of the plurality of rollers 8 are in contact with the lower surfaces of the objects to be conveyed and are conveyed while supporting the objects to be conveyed. Therefore, in the following description, a horizontal surface including the upper surfaces of the plurality of rollers 8 is referred to as a conveyance surface of the roller unit 2. Further, in the belt unit 3, the upper surfaces of the plurality of belts 20 are in contact with the lower surfaces of the objects to be conveyed and are conveyed while supporting the objects to be conveyed. Therefore, in the following description, a horizontal surface including the upper surfaces of the plurality of belts 20 is referred to as a conveyance surface of the belt unit 3.

  The roller unit 2 includes a plurality of rollers 8 and a roller support frame 9 (roller support portion). The roller support frame 9 is for rotatably supporting the plurality of rollers 8. The roller 8 is comprised, for example with the metal cylinder. The roller 8 is supported by the roller support frame 9 at both ends of the rotating shaft 10 positioned at the central axis of the cylindrical body. The plurality of rollers 8 are arranged at intervals from each other in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the rotation shaft 10 of each roller 8.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the roller support frame 9 includes a side plate 12, a beam member 13, a front plate 14, and a rear plate 15. The side plate 12 is composed of a plate material in which an upper end portion 12a and a lower end portion 12c are bent at approximately 90 degrees with respect to the side plate portion 12b. The two side plates 12 are disposed so as to face each other, and are connected by two beam members 13, a front plate 14, and a rear plate 15. In FIG. 4, the base chassis, which will be described later, is not shown in order to make each member easy to see.

  Cam followers 17 (first cam followers) constituting the parallel cam mechanism 5 are respectively provided at the left and right ends of the front plate 14. Similarly, cam followers 17 are also provided on the left and right ends of the rear plate 15, respectively. The cam follower 17 is composed of, for example, a bearing. The parallel cam mechanism 5 will be described in detail later. Further, a hole 13h (first hole) for inserting a guide pin described later is provided on the lower surface of each beam member 13, and a bush is fitted into the hole 13h.

  In the present embodiment, among the plurality of rollers 8, one roller (for example, the third roller 8K from the top in FIG. 2) is the driving roller, and the other rollers (for example, 1, 2, 4 from the top in FIG. 2). The sixth roller 8J) is a driven roller. Although any form of drive roller may be used as the drive roller 8K, it is preferable to use a drive roller having a motor built in a cylindrical body, a so-called motor roller. When the motor roller is used, a space for separately arranging the motor is unnecessary, and the roller unit 2 can be reduced in size.

  A belt 18 is wound around the driving roller 8K and the driven roller 8J, and the rotation of the driving roller 8K is transmitted to the driven roller 8J via the belt 18. With the above configuration, the object to be conveyed placed on the upper surfaces of the plurality of rollers 8 serving as the conveyance surface is conveyed in a direction (first direction) perpendicular to the rotation axis 10 in the conveyance surface by the rotation of the roller 8. The In addition, although the roller unit 2 of this embodiment is provided with the six rollers 8, the number of the rollers 8 is not restricted to six.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the belt unit 3 includes a plurality of subunits 21 each including a belt 20, a motor roller 22 (drive roller), and a support frame 23. The motor roller 22 is a power source that drives the belt 20. The support frame 23 is a member that supports the plurality of subunits 21 and the motor roller 22. The belt unit 3 of the present embodiment includes four sets of subunits 21, but the number of subunits 21 is not limited to four sets. However, the number of the subunits 21 is a number that can be arranged in the space between the two adjacent rollers 8 of the roller unit 2 or in the space outside the rollers 8 at both ends.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the support frame 23 is made of a plate material in which a front end portion 23a and a rear end portion 23c are bent at approximately 90 degrees with respect to the bottom plate portion 23b. The motor roller 22 is supported by the front end portion 23 a and the rear end portion 23 c of the support frame 23 at both ends of the rotating shaft 24. The plurality of subunits 21 are arranged at intervals in the extending direction of the rotating shaft 24 of the motor roller 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the position of each subunit 21 in the belt unit 3 is set so that the belt 20 is positioned in the gap between two adjacent rollers 8 when combined with the roller unit 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the subunit 21 includes a bracket 25, a plurality of pulleys 26, and a belt 20 (an endless member). The bracket 25 is formed of a plate material having a notch portion 25h on the lower side, and a bent portion 25c in which lower ends on both sides of the notch portion 25h are bent at approximately 90 degrees. The plurality of pulleys 26 are disposed on the peripheral edge of the bracket 25 and are rotatably supported. The belt 20 is wound around a plurality of pulleys 26. For example, an endless belt made of polyurethane having excellent tensile strength and wear resistance is used for the belt 20, but a belt made of other materials may be used. With the above configuration, the belt 20 is rotatably supported by the bracket 25 via the plurality of pulleys 26.

  The subunit 21 of this embodiment includes a total of eight pulleys 26, six along the upper side of the bracket 25 and two on the lower side of the bracket 25. However, the number of pulleys 26 is not limited to eight. Further, the two pulleys 26 on the lower side of the bracket 25 are disposed on both sides of the notch 25h. As shown in FIG. 10, the rotation shafts of the two pulleys 26 and the rotation shaft of the motor roller 22 are arranged on a straight line indicated by a symbol L in a direction orthogonal to these rotation shafts.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the motor roller 22 is inserted into the notch 25h in a state where the belt 20 is disposed along the edge of the notch 25h of the bracket 25. At this time, a part of the belt 20 is pressed against a part of the outer peripheral surface of the motor roller 22 from the outside. As shown in FIG. 10, when the motor roller 22 is viewed in cross section on a plane including the main surface of the bracket 25, the entire circle corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the motor roller 22 is located inside the notch 25h. That is, the position of the motor roller 22 is within the range of the bracket 25 in the height direction, and does not protrude outside the bracket 25. As shown in FIG. 5, the subunit 21 and the support frame 23 are securely connected by fastening the bent portion 25c of the bracket 25 and the bottom plate portion 23b of the support frame 23 with fastening members 27 such as bolts and nuts. Fixed. In this way, the state in which the belt 20 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the motor roller 22 from the outside is maintained. Further, if the fastening by the fastening member 27 is released, the individual subunits 21 can be easily detached from the support frame 23. Thus, each subunit 21 can be attached to and detached from the support frame 23.

  In FIG. 6B, only one set of subunits 21 is shown, but the other three sets of subunits 21 are similarly fixed to the support frame 23. Thereby, the rotation of the motor roller 22 is simultaneously transmitted to the belts 20 of all the subunits 21 by the frictional force between the outer peripheral surface of the motor roller 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the belt 20. With the above configuration, the object to be conveyed placed on the upper surfaces of the plurality of belts 20 serving as the conveyance surface is conveyed in the extending direction (second direction) of the belt 20 in the conveyance surface by the rotation of the belt 20. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, among the four subunits 21, cam followers 29 (second cam followers) constituting a parallel cam mechanism are respectively provided at the left and right ends of the bracket 25 of the subunit 21 located at the forefront. ing. Similarly, cam followers 29 are also provided at both left and right ends of the bracket 25 of the subunit 21 located on the rear surface. The cam follower 29 is configured by a bearing similar to the cam follower 17 of the roller unit 2. The bottom plate portion 23b of the support frame 23 is provided with a hole 23h (second hole) through which a guide pin described later is inserted, and a bush is fitted into the hole 23h.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 7, and 8, the base unit 4 includes a parallel cam mechanism 5, a lift motor 6, a rotation transmission mechanism 31, a guide pin 32, and a base chassis 33. . The parallel cam mechanism 5 is an elevating mechanism for alternately elevating the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance surface, that is, in the vertical direction. The elevating motor 6 is a driving means for driving the parallel cam mechanism 5. The rotation transmission mechanism 31 transmits the rotation of the lifting motor 6 to the parallel cam mechanism 5. The guide pin 32 functions as a positioning unit that determines the position of the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 in the horizontal plane with respect to the base unit 4.

  The base chassis 33 includes a bottom plate portion 33b, a side plate portion 33s that rises in the vertical direction from four sides of the bottom plate portion, and a flange portion 33f in which the upper ends of a pair of opposing side plate portions 33s are bent sideways. Each member of the parallel cam mechanism 5, the lifting motor 6, the rotation transmission mechanism 31, and the guide pin 32 is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 33 b of the base chassis 33.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the direction changing device 1 is configured such that the flange portion 33 f of the base chassis 33 is fastened to the frame 41 of the upstream or downstream roller conveyor by a fastening member 42 such as a bolt and a nut. Fixed to a roller conveyor.

  As shown in FIG. 8, one set of parallel cam mechanisms 5 is provided on the left and right sides of the base chassis 33. The parallel cam mechanism 5 includes a cam shaft 37 having a pair of front and rear parallel cams each including a first plate cam 35 and a second plate cam 36. The camshaft 37 is fixed to the base chassis 33 by a bearing 38.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, each of the first plate cam 35 and the second plate cam 36 is a cam having the same shape and the same size, and has a 180 ° stop angle region X1, X2 and 180 °. It has allocation angle area | region Y1, Y2. These plate cams 35 and 36 have a radius from the rotation axis center in the allocation angle regions Y1 and Y2 smaller than a radius from the rotation axis center in the stop angle regions X1 and X2.

  The first plate cam 35 and the second plate cam 36 are fixed to the camshaft 37 in an arrangement in which the phase between the stop angle and the allocation angle of each plate cam 35, 36 is shifted by 180 °. In a state where the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 are placed above the base unit 4, the first plate cam 35 contacts the cam follower 17 of the roller unit 2, and the second plate cam 36 is connected to the belt unit 3. Contact the cam follower 29.

  For the rotation transmission mechanism 31, for example, a bevel gear is used. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating shaft of the lifting motor 6 is connected to the camshaft 37 of one of the two parallel cam mechanisms 5 via a bevel gear. The camshaft 37 of one parallel cam mechanism 5A and the camshaft 37 of the other parallel cam mechanism 5B are connected via a link rod 40. With this configuration, the rotation of the elevating motor 6 is transmitted to the camshaft 37 of one parallel cam mechanism 5A via the bevel gear, and is transmitted to the camshaft 37 of the other parallel cam mechanism 5B via the link rod 40. . As the elevating motor 6 rotates, the first plate cam 35 and the second plate cam located at the four corners of the base chassis 33 rotate in the same phase.

  In this embodiment, the link rod 40 is used as a rotation transmission mechanism between the cam shaft 37 of one parallel cam mechanism 5A and the cam shaft 37 of the other parallel cam mechanism 5A. However, for example, a chain or a timing belt is used. Also good. Further, although the bevel gear is used as the rotation transmission mechanism 31 that transmits the rotation of the elevating motor 6 to the camshaft 37 of the parallel cam mechanism 5, it may be replaced with another general rotation transmission mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the guide pins 32 are provided at two locations on the bottom plate portion 33 b of the base chassis 33. The guide pin 32 is fixed so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate portion 33b, that is, in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the belt unit 3 and the roller unit 2 are such that the guide pins 32 are sequentially inserted into the holes 23 h of the support frame 23 of the belt unit 3 and the holes 13 h of the beam member 13 of the roller unit 2. It is mounted above the base unit 4. That is, the belt unit 3 and the roller unit 2 are positioned in the horizontal plane with respect to the base unit 4 by the guide pins 32 and can be moved up and down along the guide pins 32 in the vertical direction.

  The base unit 4 does not include a member that restricts the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 from coming out of the guide pin 32. Therefore, the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 are detachable from the base unit 4 respectively. Further, since the guide pins 32 are provided at two positions apart on the base chassis 33, the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 do not rotate in a horizontal plane.

  In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the direction change apparatus 1 has each sensor based on the detection result of the sensor which detects that the to-be-conveyed object has been conveyed, the sensor for detecting the rotation angle of a cam shaft, and these sensors. The control part etc. which control operation | movement of are provided.

Hereinafter, operation | movement of the direction change apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. 9, FIG.
Here, an example of the operation in the case where the conveyed object W conveyed from the upstream side is received by the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 and then transferred to the belt unit 3 and sent out from the belt unit 3 to the downstream side is shown.

  When the article to be conveyed W has been conveyed to the position of the direction changing device 1, the first plate cam 35 of the parallel cam mechanism 5 has a stop angle region X 1 at the cam follower 17 of the roller unit 2 as shown in FIG. It is in the position to touch. Here, for example, when the lower surface of the base unit 4 is used as the reference plane P, the period during which the stop angle region X1 of the first plate cam 35 is in contact with the cam follower 17 of the roller unit 2 is the conveying surface H1 of the roller unit 2. The height T1 from the reference plane P is the highest ascending position.

  In this state, the plurality of rollers 8 of the roller unit 2 rotate and the conveyed object W is pulled in, and stops at a predetermined position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, the camshaft 37 rotates from the state in which the allocated angle area Y2 of the second plate cam 36 contacts the cam follower 29 of the belt unit 3 to the stop angle area X2, and the belt unit 3 Rises to the same height as the roller unit 2. At this time, the transported object W is supported by both the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3.

  When the camshaft 37 further rotates and the allocation angle area Y1 of the first plate cam 35 enters a period where the cam follower 17 of the roller unit 2 comes into contact, the conveying surface of the roller unit 2 descends from the position of the maximum height T1. start. Here, since the phase of the first plate cam 35 and the second plate cam 36 is shifted by 180 °, a period in which the allocation angle region Y1 of the first plate cam 35 is in contact with the cam follower 17 of the roller unit 2 starts. At the same time, a period in which the stop angle region X2 of the second plate cam 36 contacts the cam follower 29 of the belt unit 3 starts. Therefore, the lifting / lowering operation of the belt unit 3 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 10, during a period in which the stop angle region X2 of the second plate cam 36 is in contact with the cam follower 29 of the belt unit 3, the height T2 of the conveying surface H2 of the belt unit 3 from the reference surface P is Highest. At this time, since the conveyance surface of the roller unit 2 has already been lowered from the position of the maximum height T1, the conveyed object W is supported only by the belt unit 3. In this state, the belt 20 of the belt unit 3 rotates, and the conveyed object W is sent to the downstream side of the direction changing device 1. The height T1 of the conveyance surface H1 of the roller unit 2 is equal to the height T2 of the conveyance surface H2 of the belt unit 3. Further, since the first plate cam 35 and the second plate cam 36 have the same dimensions, the elevation width of the roller unit 2 is equal to the elevation width of the belt unit 3.

  As described above, in the parallel cam mechanism 5, the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 are raised and lowered alternately by rotating the cam shaft 37 in one direction. That is, when the roller unit 2 is in the raised position, the conveyance surface of the belt unit 3 is the same as or lower than the conveyance surface of the roller unit 2. On the contrary, when the belt unit 3 is in the raised position, the conveying surface of the roller unit 2 is the same as or lower than the conveying surface of the belt unit 3.

  Since the height T1 of the conveying surface H1 at the ascending position of the roller unit 2 and the height T2 of the conveying surface H2 at the ascending position of the belt unit 3 coincide with each other, the object W to be conveyed is the roller unit 2 and the belt unit. It is not necessary to lift the conveyed object W when transferring it to / from 3. In other words, the potential energy of the conveyed object W does not change when the conveyed object W is transferred between the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3. Therefore, compared with the apparatus of the type which lifts the to-be-conveyed object W, the influence of the load of the to-be-conveyed object W to the raising / lowering motor 6 and the parallel cam mechanism 5 can be reduced, and power consumption can be reduced. In addition, when the object to be transported W is transferred between the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3, the object to be transported W does not receive an impact, and the transport direction of the object to be transported W can be smoothly changed.

Hereinafter, an example of the conveyance facility provided with the direction changing device 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 11, the transport equipment 43 includes a first roller conveyor 44, a first direction changing device 45, a second roller conveyor 46, a second direction changing device 47, and a third roller. And a conveyor 48. That is, the transport equipment 43 has a configuration in which three roller conveyors and two direction change devices are combined. Here, the direction changing device 1 of the present embodiment is used for the first direction changing device 45 and the second direction changing device 47.

  The transported object W is transported on the first roller conveyor 44 from the upper side to the lower side of the paper in the direction of the arrow A1, and then the transport direction is changed by 90 ° by the first direction changing device 45. From the direction changing device 45 to the second roller conveyor 46. Further, the transported object W is transported on the second roller conveyor 46 from the right side to the left side of the sheet in the direction of the arrow A2, and then the transport direction is changed by 90 ° by the second direction changing device 47. 2 is sent in the direction of the arrow A3 toward the third roller conveyor 48.

  A conventional roller conveyor can be used for the first roller conveyor 44, the second roller conveyor 46, and the third roller conveyor 48. Therefore, the detailed description about these roller conveyors is omitted. For example, it is possible to use a roller conveyor that independently transmits the rotation of a drive shaft arranged perpendicular to the axial direction of the rollers one by one via a pulley and a belt.

  The first direction changing device 45 and the second direction changing device 47 have the same device configuration, but the conveyed object between the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 when the conveyed object W is conveyed. The delivery operation of W is different.

  Looking at the relationship between each direction changing device and the conveying direction, the rotation axis direction of each roller 8 of the first direction changing device 45 is parallel to the rotation axis direction of the roller 50 of the first roller conveyor 44 on the upstream side. It is. In other words, the rotation axis direction of each roller 8 of the first direction changing device 45 is orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the article W to be conveyed by the first roller conveyor 44 on the upstream side. On the other hand, the rotation axis direction of each roller 8 of the second direction changing device 47 is orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the rollers 50 of the second roller conveyor 46 on the upstream side. In other words, the rotation axis direction of each roller 8 of the second direction changing device 47 is parallel to the conveyance direction of the article W to be conveyed by the second roller conveyor 46 on the upstream side.

  With the difference in arrangement between each direction changing device and each roller conveyor, as described above, in the first direction changing device 45 and the second direction changing device 47, the roller when the article W to be conveyed is conveyed. The delivery operation of the conveyed object W between the unit 2 and the belt unit 3 is different. In the first direction changing device, after the transported object W transported from the first roller conveyor 44 is received by both units, it is transferred from the roller unit 2 to the belt unit 3, and from the belt unit 3 to the second roller. Send to conveyor 46.

  On the other hand, in the second direction changing device 47, after the article to be conveyed W conveyed from the second roller conveyor 46 is received by both units, it is transferred from the belt unit 3 to the roller unit 2, and the roller unit 2. To the third roller conveyor 48. In order to realize this kind of different operation, the phase of the cam shaft 37 of the parallel cam mechanism 5 may be shifted by 180 ° between the first direction changing device 45 and the second direction changing device 47. Thus, in the transfer equipment 43 of this embodiment, the two direction changing devices 45 and 47 having different delivery operations can be realized by the direction changing device having the same configuration.

  The transfer equipment 43 is installed at a certain height on a floor surface of a distribution center or a factory using legs such as a stand. The transported object W includes a plurality of rollers 50, a first direction changing device 45, and a second roller of the first roller conveyor 44, the second roller conveyor 46, and the third roller conveyor 48 over the entire transport path. It is conveyed in a state of being supported from below by the plurality of rollers 8 and the plurality of belts 20 of the direction changing device 47. Here, in each roller conveyor 44,46,48, let the plane containing the upper end of the some roller 50 be a conveyance surface.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the conveying surface H1 at the raised position of the roller unit 2 of each direction changing device 45, 47 and the conveying surface H2 at the raised position of the belt unit 3 are respectively The heights of the direction changing devices 45 and 47 and the roller conveyors 44, 46, and 48 are adjusted so as to form the same horizontal plane as the conveying surface H3 of the roller conveyors 44, 46, and 48. According to this configuration, there is no step at the place where the article to be conveyed W is transferred from the upstream roller conveyor to the direction changing device, or at the place where the object to be conveyed W is transferred from the direction changing apparatus to the downstream roller conveyor. The conveyed product W does not receive an impact.

  Conventionally, the drive mechanism of the conveyor belt is often realized by an induction motor and a gear. However, in the case of this configuration, the unit including the belt and its driving means needs to have a certain height, leading to an increase in the size of the apparatus. Further, since the belt is wound around the drive pulley, for example, when replacing the belt, it is necessary to disassemble and remove the drive pulley. For this reason, there has been a problem that it takes time to perform belt replacement work and maintenance work.

  On the other hand, in the belt unit 3 of the present embodiment, the motor roller 22 is inserted into the notch 25h provided in the bracket 25, and the outer surface of the belt 20 is pressed against the motor roller 22 at the insertion position. 20 is configured to be driven. In particular, the motor roller 22 is within the range of the bracket 25 in the height direction, and does not protrude outside the bracket 25. Therefore, a space for disposing the motor roller 22 on the outside of the bracket 25 becomes unnecessary, and the overall height of the belt unit 3 including the drive unit can be reduced. Thereby, size reduction and thickness reduction of the direction change apparatus 1 can be achieved. The user can easily separate the belt 20 and the motor roller 22 simply by removing the bracket 25 from the support frame 23. Therefore, it is not necessary to disassemble the drive pulley as in the prior art, and the belt 20 can be easily replaced and maintained.

  In the direction changing device 1 of the present embodiment, each of the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 is detachable from the base unit 4. Therefore, the user can easily remove the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 from the base unit 4, and can easily perform each work such as installation work, moving work, and maintenance work of the direction changing device 1. . Moreover, since each unit which comprises the direction change apparatus 1 can be handled separately, it is also possible to produce each unit by division of labor, for example, to transport each unit separately, and to assemble on-site. When assembling, it is only necessary to place each of the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3 on the base unit 4 in accordance with the position of the guide pin 32, and the direction changing device 1 can be easily assembled.

  Conventionally, an air cylinder and a link mechanism are sometimes used for raising and lowering rollers and belts. When this configuration is adopted, the control surface needs to be switched between forward and reverse between the ascending operation and the descending operation, and the control becomes complicated. On the other hand, in the direction changing device 1 of the present embodiment, the elevating motor 6 and the parallel cam mechanism 5 are used for the elevating operation of the roller unit 2 and the belt unit 3, so Elevating operation can be realized by rotation in one direction without performing reverse rotation control. Thereby, control of raising / lowering operation can be simplified. The forward / reverse control of the elevating motor 6 may be performed. In addition, since the parallel cam mechanism 5 has a simple structure, a lifting mechanism that is strong and reliable can be realized. Since the parallel cam composed of the first plate cam 35 and the second plate cam 36 is arranged at the four corners of the base chassis 33, each unit can be moved up and down stably.

  The conveyance equipment 43 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which there is no step over the entire conveyance path, and the height of the object to be conveyed W from the floor surface does not change. Therefore, the conveyed object W can be stably conveyed without receiving an impact or vibrating. For example, even when a relatively light and thin container is stacked and transported in multiple stages, the risk of collapsing can be reduced.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the belt is used as the endless member for transporting the object to be transported in the second transport unit. However, for example, a chain may be used instead of the belt. The positioning means is composed of the guide pins of the base unit and the holes of the roller unit and the belt unit. However, the positioning means is not limited to this configuration, and the base unit, the roller unit, and the belt unit are fitted between the three units. Other members may be used as long as they are suitable members.

In the present specification, the description that “the first transport unit (the roller unit in the embodiment) and the second transport unit (the belt unit in the embodiment) are alternately raised and lowered” is used. Means that when one transport unit is in the raised position over the entire period, the other transport unit is in the lowered position, and when one transport unit is in the lowered position, the other transport unit is in the raised position. Instead, it is a concept that includes a case where both transport units are both in the raised position or the lowered position during a part of the period.
In the above embodiment, an example in which the roller unit and the belt unit are alternately raised and lowered is shown. However, for example, the roller unit is not raised and lowered, and only the belt unit can be raised and lowered, and the height between the rollers is fixed. Therefore, the present invention can also be applied to a direction changing device in which the belt is lifted to receive the object to be conveyed.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a direction change device for an object to be transported used in, for example, transport equipment, product processing equipment, sorting equipment, and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Direction change apparatus, 2 ... Roller unit (1st conveyance unit), 3 ... Belt unit (2nd conveyance unit), 4 ... Base unit, 5 ... Parallel cam mechanism, 6 ... Lifting motor (drive means) , 8 ... roller, 9 ... roller support frame (roller support part), 13h ... hole (first hole), 17 ... cam follower (first cam follower), 20 ... belt (endless member), 22 ... motor roller ( Drive roller), 23 ... support frame (endless member support portion), 23h ... hole (second hole), 29 ... cam follower (second cam follower), 32 ... guide pin (positioning means), 33 ... base chassis ( Elevating mechanism support member), 35 ... first plate cam, 36 ... second plate cam, W ... conveyed object.

Claims (6)

A first transport unit that has a plurality of rollers and transports an object to be transported placed on an upper surface of the roller serving as a transport surface in a first direction within the transport surface by rotation of the roller;
An object to be transported, which has a plurality of endless members and is placed on the upper surface of the endless member serving as a transport surface, is substantially orthogonal to the first direction in the transport surface by the rotation of the endless member. A second transport unit for transporting in a second direction;
An elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers at least the second transport unit in a third direction substantially orthogonal to the transport surface;
The second transport unit includes a plurality of subunits including the endless member, a driving roller that rotates the endless member, and a support frame that supports the plurality of subunits and the driving roller. ,
The subunit includes the endless member, a plurality of pulleys around which the endless member is wound, and a bracket that rotatably supports the plurality of pulleys,
Each of the plurality of subunits can be attached to and detached from the support frame in a state where a part of the outer peripheral surface of the endless member is pressed against a part of the outer peripheral surface of the drive roller. The direction change device for the object to be conveyed.   2. The direction change device for an object to be conveyed according to claim 1, wherein the elevating mechanism raises and lowers the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit alternately in the third direction. The bracket is provided with a notch, and the drive roller is inserted into the notch in a state where a part of the endless member is disposed along the edge of the notch,
The whole circle corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the drive roller is located inside the notch when the drive roller is viewed in cross section on a plane including the main surface of the bracket. Item 3. A direction change device for an object according to Item 2.   Of the plurality of pulleys, two pulleys are disposed on both sides of the notch, and a rotation axis of the two pulleys and a rotation axis of the drive roller are substantially in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. 4. The direction change device for a conveyed object according to claim 3, wherein the direction changing device is arranged in a straight line. A base unit including the lifting mechanism and a lifting mechanism support member that supports the lifting mechanism;
Positioning means for determining a position in a plane parallel to the transport surface of the first transport unit and the second transport unit with respect to the base unit;
5. The cover according to claim 1, wherein each of the first transport unit and the second transport unit is detachable from the base unit. 6. Transport direction change device.   The positioning means has one end fixed to the upper surface of the elevating mechanism support member, the other end side is provided in the first transport unit, and the positioning pin is inserted through the positioning pin. The to-be-conveyed device according to claim 5, comprising: a first hole; and a second hole provided in the support frame of the second transport unit and into which the positioning pin can be inserted. Thing redirecting device.

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