JP2014159329A - Ball bear and ball bear unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball bear capable of being coupled and released easily and excellent in versatility, and to provide a ball bear unit formed by coupling a plurality of ball bears.SOLUTION: The ball bear comprises: a main ball 21 supporting the transported object; and a body part 30 supporting the main ball 21. The main ball 21 projects from one main surface 31 of the body part 30, and supports the transported object mounted on the one main surface 31 so that the object moves freely toward an optional transportation direction along the one main surface 31 by rotating. The body part 30 has engagement claws 41 disposed on a first body side surface 35a and a second body side surface 35b, and engagement recesses 43 disposed on a third body side surface 35c and a fourth body side surface 35d and having a shape corresponding to the engagement claws 41.

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball bear and a ball bear unit for transporting various articles, such as packages, containers, trays, and the like that contain industrial products.

  Many transport equipment for transporting articles uses a structure that supports the transported article (conveyed object) in a transportable manner by using a ball bear having a structure in which a main ball rotatable in all directions is projected. Has been.

  For example, a ball bear described in Patent Document 1 includes a main sphere that supports an object to be conveyed, and a main body having an opening that accommodates the main sphere, and a plurality of receiving balls are provided on the inner surface of the opening of the main body. A spherical support recess that rotatably supports the main sphere is formed. The main sphere protrudes from one and the other surfaces of the main body, and the object to be conveyed placed on the one surface side is conveyed by rotation. It is possible. An insertion hole through which the support shaft is inserted is formed in the main body, and a plurality of ball bears constituting one row are supported by two support shafts. The support shaft is constructed between a pair of support bases, and both end portions of the support shaft are inserted into insertion holes of the substrate part, and are fixed to the substrate part of the support base by a fixture.

  By the way, the usage mode of a ball bear is various. Specifically, for example, it is provided between the belt conveyors and used to change the transport direction of the transported object, or used to move the transported object when loading or unloading the transported object on a vehicle or the like. Can be considered. Therefore, versatility is required for a ball bear unit in which a plurality of ball bears are combined.

JP 2012-30914 A

  However, in the ball bear described in Patent Document 1, since a plurality of ball bears are connected by the support shaft, the support base, and the fixture, it is complicated to connect and release the ball bears. Accordingly, there is room for improvement in that the ball bear is connected and released in accordance with various use modes of the ball bear to form a ball bear unit having an arbitrary shape corresponding to the use manner.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a ball bear that can be easily connected and released, and excellent in versatility, and a ball bear unit in which a plurality of ball bears are connected.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a ball bear of the present invention includes a rotatable main sphere that supports an object to be transported, and a main body that rotatably supports the main sphere, and the main sphere includes the main body. Projecting from at least one main surface of the part, and supporting the object to be transported placed on the one main surface by rotating so as to be movable in any transport direction along the one main surface, Is provided with an engagement claw provided on at least one side surface and an engagement recess provided on at least the other side surface and having a shape corresponding to the shape of the engagement claw.

  According to the present invention, the main body of the ball bear includes an engagement claw provided on at least one side surface and an engagement recess provided on at least the other side surface and having a shape corresponding to the shape of the engagement claw. By simply engaging and releasing the engaging claws of one ball bear and the engaging recesses of the other ball bear, a plurality of ball bears can be easily connected and released. In addition, since a plurality of ball bears can be easily connected and released so as to have an arbitrary shape corresponding to the use mode, a ball bear excellent in versatility can be obtained.

  Further, when viewed from the normal direction of the one main surface, the outer shape of the distal end portion of the engaging claw is formed larger than the outer shape of the proximal end portion of the engaging claw.

  According to the present invention, when viewed from the normal direction of the one main surface, the outer shape of the distal end portion of the engaging claw is formed larger than the outer shape of the proximal end portion of the engaging claw. When the engaging claws and the engaging recesses of the other ball bears are engaged and connected, it is possible to prevent the ball bears from separating from each other in the transport direction along the one main surface. Therefore, it is possible to easily connect and release the plurality of ball bears and to prevent the ball bears from being released from each other when the object to be transported is transported.

  Further, the main body portion is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the first main body side surface and the second main body portion side surface sandwiching the first main body corner portion among the four corner portions of the main body portion, respectively, An engaging claw is formed, and the engaging recess is formed on each of the third main body side surface and the fourth main body side surface sandwiching the second main body corner that is opposite to the first main body corner. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, the main body portion is formed in a rectangular plate shape, the engaging claws are formed on the first main body portion side surface and the second main body portion side surface, respectively, and the third main body portion side surface and the fourth main body portion side surface are formed. Since each engaging recess is formed, when connecting a plurality of ball bears, either one of the first main body side surface and the second main body side surface of one ball bear and the third main body side surface of the other ball bear And any one of the side surfaces of the fourth body portion can be arranged so as to be along each other. Therefore, when a plurality of ball bears are connected, it is possible to suppress the formation of a large gap between the plurality of ball bears, and it is possible to connect the plurality of ball bears efficiently.

  The four corners of the main body are chamfered, respectively.

  According to the present invention, since the four corner portions of the main body portion are chamfered, the corner portions of the main body portion are formed by the operator when, for example, transporting the ball bear or when connecting and releasing a plurality of ball bears. It can be suppressed from being caught by a hand or the like. Accordingly, it is possible to improve workability when the ball bear is transported or when a plurality of ball bears are connected and released.

  In addition, a base portion having a shape corresponding to the main body portion is provided on the other main surface side of the main body portion, and the first base portion side surface corresponding to the first main body portion side surface and the second main body portion side surface of the main body portion is provided. Each of the one base portion side surface and the second base portion side surface is arranged on the outer side than the distal end portion of the engaging claw.

  According to the present invention, since the first base portion side surface and the second base portion side surface of the base portion are respectively disposed outside the front end portion of the engaging claw, the front end portion of the engaging claw is, for example, the hand of the operator. It can suppress being caught in etc. Accordingly, it is possible to improve workability when the ball bear is transported or when a plurality of ball bears are connected and released. Moreover, since it can suppress that the front-end | tip part of an engaging claw contacts other components directly etc., it can prevent that an engaging claw is damaged.

  Further, the main body portion is provided with a main body fixing hole at a side of the engaging recess, and the base portion is provided with a base fixing hole at a side of the engaging claw. It is said.

  According to the present invention, the main body portion is provided with the main body portion fixing hole on the side of the engaging recess, and the base portion is provided with the base portion fixing hole on the side of the engaging claw. After one ball bear is connected to another ball bear, one ball bear and the other ball bear can be fixed by, for example, screwing a fixing means such as a tapping screw into the main body fixing hole and the base fixing hole. it can. Therefore, a plurality of ball bears can be connected and firmly fixed.

  The four corner portions of the base portion are each chamfered.

  According to the present invention, since the four corner portions of the base portion are chamfered, the corner portions of the base portion can be used when the ball bear is transported or when a plurality of ball bears are connected and released. It can be suppressed from being caught by a hand or the like. Accordingly, it is possible to improve workability when the ball bear is transported or when a plurality of ball bears are connected and released.

  The ball bear unit of the present invention includes a plurality of the above-described ball bears, and the plurality of ball bears are formed by engaging the engagement claws of one ball bear with the engagement recesses of the other ball bear. It is characterized by being connected to each other.

  According to the present invention, the ball bear unit can be easily formed by engaging the engagement claw of one ball bear and the engagement recess of the other ball bear. In addition, since a ball bear unit can be easily formed by connecting a plurality of ball bears so as to have an arbitrary shape corresponding to the usage mode, a ball bear unit having excellent versatility can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, the main body of the ball bear includes an engagement claw provided on at least one side surface and an engagement recess provided on at least the other side surface and having a shape corresponding to the shape of the engagement claw. By simply engaging and releasing the engaging claws of one ball bear and the engaging recesses of the other ball bear, a plurality of ball bears can be easily connected and released. In addition, since a plurality of ball bears can be easily connected and released so as to have an arbitrary shape corresponding to the use mode, a ball bear excellent in versatility can be obtained.

It is a perspective view of the ball bear concerning an embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. It is a top view of the ball bear concerning an embodiment. It is a top view of a ball bear unit. It is explanatory drawing of the usage condition of a ball bear unit. It is explanatory drawing of the other usage condition of a ball bear unit.

  Below, the ball bear and ball bear unit concerning the embodiment of the present invention are explained. In the following, first, the schematic configuration of the ball bear will be described, and then the ball bear unit will be described.

(Ball bear)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ball bear 10 according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the ball bear 10 is a member that is supported when transporting an object to be transported (not shown in FIG. 1) such as a package, a container, or a tray that contains industrial products, for example, a bearing 20, And a support member 60 that supports the bearing 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bearing 20 is mainly arranged in the main ball 21 that supports the object to be transported, the main ball receiver 22 and the cap member 25 that store the main ball 21, and the main ball receiver 22. The plurality of receiving balls 28 and a ring plate member 29 interposed between the main ball receiving portion 22 and the cap member 25 are configured.

The main sphere 21 is a sphere that supports an object (not shown), and can be formed of, for example, a metal material, a ceramic material, or a resin material.
As the metal material, for example, general steel materials, stainless steel materials, aluminum alloy materials, and the like can be used.
General steel materials include, for example, general structural rolled steel, carbon steel for mechanical structure, carbon tool steel, alloy tool steel, chromium molybdenum steel, free-cutting steel, high carbon chromium bearing steel, cold rolling Steel plate, hot rolled steel plate, etc. can be used.
As the stainless steel material, for example, an austenitic or martensitic steel material can be used.
As the aluminum alloy material, for example, A2000, A5000, A6000, A7000 series and the like can be used.
As the ceramic, for example, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon nitride or the like can be used.
As the resin material, for example, a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin can be used. Specifically, for example, PAI (polyamideimide), PBI (polybenzimidazole), PCTFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene), PEEK (polyethylene). Ether ether ketone), PEI (polyetherimide), PI (polyimide), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), melamine resin, aromatic polyamide resin (aramid resin), LCP (liquid crystal polymer), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), PES ( Polyether sulfone) can be used.
Moreover, as a rubber-type material, a thermoplastic elastomer etc. can be used, for example. The hardness of the rubber material (rubber hardness, conforming to JIS K6253) is preferably 70 or more, for example.

The main sphere receiving portion 22 is a member made of a metal material such as a general steel material, stainless steel material, or aluminum alloy material, for example, and has a receiving concave portion 23 formed in a concave curved surface and a diameter at an opening edge portion 23a of the receiving concave portion 23. And a receiving flange portion 24 projecting outward in the direction.
The receiving recess 23 is formed in a semi-concave spherical shape having a larger radius than the main sphere 21, for example. Thereby, a part of the main sphere 21 can be accommodated inside the receiving recess 23.
The flange portion 24 is formed in a ring shape when viewed from the opening side of the receiving recess 23. The flange portion 24 is formed with a pair of through holes 24a. The through holes 24a are formed at a pitch of 180 ° when viewed from the opening side of the receiving recess 23.

The cap member 25 includes a ring-shaped flange portion 26 that covers the flange portion 24 of the main ball receiving portion 22, and a lid portion 27 that projects radially inward from the inner peripheral edge portion of the flange portion 26.
The diameter of the flange portion 26 is larger than the diameter of the flange portion 24 of the main ball receiving portion 22, and a through hole 26 a is formed at a position corresponding to the through hole 24 a of the flange portion 24. Further, the outer edge portion 26 b of the flange portion 26 is bent inward in the radial direction and is crimped to the flange portion 24 of the main ball receiving portion 22. Thereby, the cap member 25 and the main ball receiving portion 22 are fixed to each other.
The lid portion 27 is a ring-shaped member that is convex on the opposite side of the main sphere receiving portion 22 from the receiving concave portion 23, and a main sphere protruding hole 27 a is formed at the center. The diameter of the main sphere protruding hole 27 a is smaller than the diameter of the main sphere 21. When the cap member 25 and the main sphere receiving portion 22 are fixed to each other in a state where the main sphere 21 is accommodated inside the main sphere receiving portion 22, the lid portion 27 and the opening edge of the main sphere protruding hole 27a A clearance is provided between the main sphere 21 and a part of the main sphere 21 protrudes outward (upward in FIG. 2). As a result, the main sphere 21 can be rotatably held without jumping out from the main sphere receiving portion 22, and a non-illustrated transported object can be brought into contact with the protruding portion of the main sphere 21.

  The plurality of receiving balls 28 are interposed between the main ball receiving portion 22 and the main ball 21 and roll along the inner surface of the receiving recess 23 as the main ball 21 rotates, thereby receiving the receiving recess 23. The main sphere 21 is rotatably supported inside.

A through hole 29 a is formed in the ring plate member 29 at a position corresponding to the through hole 24 a of the flange portion 24 and the through hole 26 a of the flange portion 26.
The outer diameter of the ring plate member 29 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the flange portion 24 of the main ball receiving portion 22.
The inner diameter of the ring plate member 29 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the main sphere 21, and a clearance is formed between the inner edge portion 29 b of the ring plate member 29 and the main sphere 21. This clearance is set to be narrower than the diameter of the receiving ball 28. Thereby, the ring plate member 29 can prevent the receiving ball 28 from jumping out of the receiving recess 23 from between the inner edge portion 29 b of the ring plate member 29 and the main ball 21.

  The support member 60 that supports the above-described bearing 20 is a plate-like member formed of, for example, a resin material, and has a main body portion 30 formed in a rectangular plate shape and an outer shape substantially the same size as the main body portion 30. And a base portion 50 formed as described above. The main body portion 30 and the base portion 50 are formed so as to have substantially the same thickness, and are integrally formed so as to overlap each other in the thickness direction. In FIG. 2, the boundary between the main body portion 30 and the base portion 50 is illustrated by a two-dot chain line.

  The support member 60 is formed with an accommodation opening 61 that penetrates in the thickness direction of the support member 60. The bearing 20 is in a state in which a part of the main sphere 21 is arranged inside the accommodation opening 61 by screwing the tapping screw 12 inserted through the through holes 24a, 26a, and 29a into the main body 30. It is fastened and fixed to the support member 60. In the following description, the main surface on the side to which the bearing 20 is fixed (the main surface on the upper side in FIG. 2) of both main surfaces of the main body 30 is defined as one main surface 31. The opposite surface will be described as the other main surface 32. 2 is the central axis of the accommodation opening 61 (that is, the central axis of the main sphere 21) and indicates the normal H of the one main surface 31 of the support member 60. By fixing the bearing 20 to the support member 60 as described above, the main body portion 30 rotatably supports the main sphere 21 of the bearing 20. Further, the main sphere 21 protrudes from the one main surface 31 of the main body 30, and an object (not shown) placed on the one main surface 31 side by rotating can be moved along an arbitrary main surface 31. Supports movement in the transport direction.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the ball bear 10 when viewed from the normal H direction of the one principal surface 31.
As shown in FIG. 3, the support member 60 is formed with a plurality of installation holes 62 penetrating in the thickness direction. Four installation holes 62 of the present embodiment are formed around the bearing 20 at a substantially 90 ° pitch. For example, a bolt or the like (not shown) can be inserted into the installation hole 62. The ball bear 10 is installed firmly fixed to the mounted body by screwing bolts or the like inserted through the installation holes 62 into the mounted body such as the floor. The installation hole 62 of the present embodiment is a stepped hole having an enlarged diameter portion 62a and a reduced diameter portion 62b. Thereby, when fixing the ball bear 10 to a to-be-attached body using a volt | bolt, since the head of a volt | bolt can be accommodated in the enlarged diameter part 62a, the volt | bolt head protrudes from the one main surface 31 of the main-body part 30. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the object to be conveyed and the head of the bolt from coming into contact when the object to be conveyed is conveyed along the one main surface 31.

The four corners 34a to 34d formed in the main body 30 are each rounded and rounded.
Engaging claws 41 are respectively formed on the first main body side surface 35a and the second main body side surface 35b that sandwich the first main body corner 34a among the four corners 34a to 34d. Here, the engaging claw 41 formed on the first main body side surface 35a and the engaging claw 41 formed on the second main body side surface 35b have the same shape. Therefore, hereinafter, the engaging claw 41 formed on the first main body side surface 35a will be described, and the description of the engaging claw 41 formed on the second main body side surface 35b will be omitted.

  The engagement claw 41 is formed so as to protrude outward from a position corresponding to the center of the main sphere 21 on the first main body side surface 35a when viewed from the normal H direction. Further, the engagement claw 41 is formed in a substantially T shape in which the width of the distal end portion 41a is wider than the width of the proximal end portion 41b when viewed from the normal H direction. That is, the outer shape of the distal end portion 41a of the engaging claw 41 is formed larger than the outer shape of the proximal end portion 41b. The corners and corners of the engaging claws 41 are chamfered and curved.

  In addition, an engagement recess 43 is formed in each of the third main body side surface 35c and the fourth main body side surface 35d that sandwich the second main body corner 34b that is opposite to the first main body corner 34a. Here, the engaging recess 43 formed on the third main body side surface 35c and the engaging recess 43 formed on the fourth main body side surface 35d have the same shape. Therefore, hereinafter, the engaging recess 43 formed in the third main body side surface 35c will be described, and the description of the engaging recess 43 formed in the fourth main body side surface 35d will be omitted.

  When viewed from the normal H direction, the engaging recess 43 is formed inwardly from a position corresponding to the center of the main sphere 21 on the third main body side surface 35c. The engagement recess 43 has a shape corresponding to the engagement claw 41 when viewed from the normal H direction. More specifically, the engagement recess 43 has an engagement recess whose width of the inner portion 43 a of the engagement recess 43 corresponding to the distal end portion 41 a of the engagement claw 41 corresponds to the base end portion 41 b of the engagement claw 41. It is formed in a substantially T-shape that is wider than the width of the outer portion 43 b of 43. Further, the size of the outer shape of the engaging recess 43 is substantially the same as or slightly larger than the size of the engaging claw 41. Thereby, the engagement claw 41 of the one ball bear 10 and the engagement recess 43 of the other ball bear 10 can be engaged, and the one ball bear 10 and the other ball bear 10 can be connected to each other.

The base portion 50 is provided on the other main surface 32 (see FIG. 2) side of the main body portion 30. Four corners (only three corners are shown in FIG. 3) formed on the base 50 are rounded and rounded.
Among the base portion side surfaces 55a to 55d, the first base portion side surface 55a and the second base portion side surface 55b of the base portion 50 corresponding to the first main body portion side surface 35a and the second main body portion side surface 35b of the main body portion 30 are respectively the main body. The engaging claw 41 formed on the first main body side surface 35a and the second main body side surface 35b of the portion 30 is disposed outside the front end portion 41a.
Further, among the side surfaces 55a to 55d of the base portion 50, the third base portion side surface 55c and the fourth base portion side surface of the base portion 50 corresponding to the third main body portion side surface 35c and the fourth main body portion side surface 35d of the main body portion 30. 55d is arranged inside the inner portion 43a of the engaging recess 43 formed on the third main body side surface 35c and the fourth main body side surface 35d of the main body 30, respectively.

Here, the main body portion 30 of the ball bear 10 of the present embodiment is provided with main body portion fixing holes 37 on both sides with the engagement recess 43 interposed therebetween. The main body fixing hole 37 penetrates the main body 30, for example, and is a stepped hole having an enlarged diameter portion 37 a and a reduced diameter portion 37 b. For example, fixing means such as a tapping screw (not shown) can be inserted into the main body fixing hole 37.
Further, the base portion 50 has a base portion fixing hole at a position corresponding to the body portion fixing hole 37 of the other ball bear 10 when it is connected to the other ball bear 10 on both sides of the engaging claw 41. 57 is provided. The base portion fixing hole 57 has a smaller diameter than the reduced diameter portion 37 b of the main body portion fixing hole 37.
As a result, when one ball bear 10 and another ball bear 10 are connected to each other, the tapping screw inserted into the main body fixing hole 37 of the one ball bear 10 is screwed into the base fixing hole 57 of the other ball bear 10. Can be worn. Therefore, one ball bear 10 and another ball bear 10 can be firmly fixed. In addition, by making the main body part fixing hole 37 into a stepped hole, the head of the tapping screw can be stored in the enlarged diameter part 37a. Therefore, the head of the tapping screw is prevented from protruding from the one main surface 31 of the main body 30, and when the object to be conveyed is conveyed along the one main surface 31, the object to be conveyed and the head of the tapping screw are Contact can be prevented.

(Ball bear unit)
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ball bear unit 1.
As shown in FIG. 4, the ball bear unit 1 includes a plurality of the ball bears 10 described above. The ball bear unit 1 is formed by connecting a plurality of ball bears 10 to each other by engaging an engagement claw 41 of one ball bear 10 and an engagement recess 43 of another adjacent ball bear 10. The ball bear unit 1 of the present embodiment has nine pieces in total, three in the longitudinal direction (up and down direction in FIG. 4) and in the lateral direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4) along the extending direction of the one main surface 31. The ball bears 10 are connected to form a substantially square shape. The number of ball bears 10 connected and the shape of the ball bear unit 1 formed by connecting the ball bears 10 are not limited to those shown in FIG. Therefore, for example, a substantially rectangular ball bear unit 1 may be used.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the tapping screw 14 is inserted into the main body fixing hole 37 of each ball bear 10 and screwed to the base portion 50 of another adjacent ball bear 10. Thereby, each ball bear 10 is firmly fixed to each other.

(Usage of ball bear unit)
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a usage mode of the ball bear unit 1.
As shown in FIG. 5, the ball bear unit 1 is a package (for example, referred to as “conveyed object W” hereinafter) containing, for example, an industrial product, which is a load unloaded from the truck 3, for example, on the floor F. Used when transporting.
An unloading rail 5 is spanned between the loading platform 3a of the truck 3 and the floor F in an inclined state from the loading platform 3a of the truck 3 to the floor F. Further, the ball bear unit 1 is provided so as to be adjacent to the end of the unloading rail 5 on the floor F side. The ball bear unit 1 extends from a position adjacent to the end on the floor F side of the unloading rail 5 toward an arbitrary conveyance destination (not shown) by connecting a plurality of ball bears 10 in an arbitrary shape. Has been.

  The transported object W moves down toward the floor F along the inclined surface of the unloading rail 5 after being unloaded from the loading platform 3a of the truck 3. Thereafter, the conveyed object W moves onto the ball bear unit 1 adjacent to the end of the unloading rail 5. The conveyed object W is placed on the one main surface 31 side of the ball bear unit 1 in a state where it is in contact with the main ball 21 protruding from the one main surface 31 in the main body 30 of the ball bear 10 forming the ball bear unit 1. Placed. Thereby, an operator (not shown) can easily move the article W to be conveyed on the ball bear unit 1 in an arbitrary conveyance direction.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of another usage mode of the ball bear unit 1.
As shown in FIG. 6, the ball bear unit 1 is disposed between, for example, a plurality of belt conveyors 7 (7 a, 7 b), and the object to be conveyed W conveyed by the belt conveyor 7 is branched into the branch conveyance path 8. It may be used for branching.
Between the pair of belt conveyors 7a and 7b, a ball bear unit 1 formed in a substantially square shape is provided.

The article to be conveyed W is conveyed by one (left side in FIG. 6) belt conveyor 7a and moves onto the ball bear unit 1. The conveyed object W is placed on the one main surface 31 side of the ball bear unit 1 in a state where it is in contact with the main ball 21 protruding from the one main surface 31 in the main body 30 of the ball bear 10 forming the ball bear unit 1. Placed. An operator (not shown) performs determination of the object to be transported W on the ball bear unit 1 and the like. When the object to be transported W is to go to the branch transport path 8, an operator (not shown) changes the moving direction of the transported object W on the ball bear unit 1, and the branch transport path 8 The conveyed object W is moved toward. Thereby, the to-be-conveyed object W can move on the branch conveyance path 8 (refer to the to-be-conveyed object W of the solid line after passing the ball bear unit 1 in FIG. 6).
On the other hand, when the article to be conveyed W is to be conveyed by the other (right side in FIG. 6) belt conveyor 7b, an operator (not shown) The conveyed object W is moved toward the other belt conveyor 7b without changing the moving direction. Thereby, the to-be-conveyed object W can move on the other belt conveyor 7b (refer to the to-be-conveyed object W of the two-dot chain line after passing the ball bear unit 1 in FIG. 6).
In this way, the ball bear unit 1 can easily separate the transported object W and change the moving direction.

(effect)
According to the present embodiment, the body portion 30 of the ball bear 10 includes the engaging claws 41 provided on the first body portion side surface 35a and the second body portion side surface 35b, the third body portion side surface 35c, and the fourth body portion. Since the engagement recesses 43 are provided on the side surfaces 35d and have shapes corresponding to the shapes of the engagement claws 41, the engagement claws 41 of one ball bear 10 and the engagement recesses 43 of the other ball bear 10 are provided. By simply engaging and releasing, the plurality of ball bears 10 can be easily connected and released. Moreover, since connection and cancellation | release of the some ball bear 10 can be easily performed so that it may become the arbitrary shapes corresponding to a use aspect, it can be set as the ball bear 10 excellent in versatility.

  Further, when viewed from the normal H direction of the one main surface 31, the outer shape of the distal end portion 41a of the engaging claw 41 is formed larger than the outer shape of the proximal end portion 41b of the engaging claw 41. When the engagement claws 41 of the ball bear 10 and the engagement recesses 43 of the other ball bears 10 are engaged and connected, it is possible to prevent the ball bears 10 from separating from each other in the transport direction along the one main surface 31. Accordingly, the connection and release of the plurality of ball bears 10 can be facilitated, and the connection between the ball bears 10 can be prevented from being released during the transfer of the article W to be transferred.

  The main body 30 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the engaging claws 41 are formed on the first main body side 35a and the second main body side 35b, respectively, and the third main body side 35c and the fourth main body side. Since the engagement recesses 43 are respectively formed in 35d, when the plurality of ball bears 10 are connected, the first main body side surface 35a in one ball bear 10, the third main body side surface 35c in the other ball bear 10, and the one The second main body side surface 35b of the ball bear 10 and the fourth main body side surface 35d of the other ball bear can be arranged so as to be along each other. Therefore, when the plurality of ball bears 10 are connected, it is possible to suppress the formation of large gaps between the plurality of ball bears 10 and to connect the plurality of ball bears 10 with high space efficiency.

  Further, since the four corners 34a to 34d of the main body 30 are chamfered, for example, when the ball bear 10 is transported or when the plurality of ball bears 10 are connected and released, each corner of the main body 30 is set. It can suppress that parts 34a-34d are caught in an operator's hand etc. Accordingly, it is possible to improve workability when the ball bear 10 is transported or when a plurality of ball bears 10 are connected and released.

  Further, since the first base portion side surface 55a and the second base portion side surface 55b of the base portion 50 are respectively disposed outside the tip end portion 41a of the engagement claw 41, the tip end portion 41a of the engagement claw 41 is, for example, a work Can be restrained from being caught in a person's hand. Accordingly, it is possible to improve workability when the ball bear 10 is transported or when a plurality of ball bears 10 are connected and released. Moreover, since it can suppress that the front-end | tip part 41a of the engagement nail | claw 41 contacts another component etc. directly, it can prevent that the engagement nail | claw 41 is damaged.

  Further, the main body 30 is provided with main body fixing holes 37 on both sides of the engaging recess 43, and the base 50 is provided with base fixing holes 57 on both sides of the engaging claw 41. After connecting one ball bear 10 and another ball bear 10, for example, fixing means such as a tapping screw is screwed into the main body fixing hole 37 and the base fixing hole 57. The ball bear 10 can be fixed. Therefore, a plurality of ball bears 10 can be connected and firmly fixed.

  Since the four corners of the base part 50 are chamfered, for example, when the ball bear 10 is transported or when a plurality of ball bears 10 are connected and released, the corner part of the base part 50 is It can be suppressed from being caught by a hand or the like. Accordingly, it is possible to improve workability when the ball bear 10 is transported or when a plurality of ball bears 10 are connected and released.

  Further, the ball bear unit 1 can be easily formed by engaging the engagement claw 41 of one ball bear 10 and the engagement recess 43 of another ball bear 10. Moreover, since the ball bear unit 1 can be easily formed by connecting a plurality of ball bears 10 so as to have an arbitrary shape corresponding to the usage mode, the ball bear unit 1 having excellent versatility can be obtained.

  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.

The shapes, materials, etc. of the bearing 20 and the support member 60 constituting the ball bear 10 are not limited to the embodiment.
Further, the shape and number of the engaging claws 41 and the engaging recesses 43 of the main body 30 are not limited to the embodiment. The shapes of the engaging claws 41 and the engaging recesses 43 can be variously changed as long as they can be engaged with each other.

  The main body 30 of the ball bear 10 according to the embodiment is provided with main body fixing holes 37 on both sides of the engaging recess 43, and the base 50 is fixed to the base on both sides of the engaging claw 41. A hole 57 is provided, and one ball bear 10 and the other ball bear 10 are fastened and fixed by the tapping screw 14. On the other hand, the fixing means for one ball bear 10 and the other ball bear 10 is not limited to the tapping screw 14, and may be an adhesive or the like, for example. Further, the main body fixing hole 37 and the base fixing hole 57 may not be provided.

  In the ball bear 10 of the embodiment, the installation hole 62 for installing the ball bear 10 on the mounted body is provided, but the installation hole 62 may not be provided.

  Although each corner | angular part 34a-34d of the main-body part 30 in the ball bear 10 of embodiment and each corner | angular part of the base part 50 were chamfered, it may be chamfered.

  The usage mode of the ball bear unit 1 is not limited to the embodiment. For example, the ball bear unit 1 may be arranged on the unloading rail 5 shown in FIG. 5, or the ball bear unit 1 may be arranged on the branch conveyance path 8 shown in FIG.

  In addition, it is possible to appropriately replace the components in the above-described embodiments with known components without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 ball bear unit 21 main sphere 30 main body 31 one main surface 32 other main surface 34a first main body corner 34b second main body corner 35a first main body side 35b second main body side 35c third main body side 35d first Four main body side surfaces 37 Main body portion fixing hole 41 Engaging claw 41a Front end portion 41b Base end portion 43 Engaging recess 50 Base portion 55a First base portion side surface 55b Second base portion side surface 57 Base portion fixing hole H Normal line W object

Claims (8)

A rotatable main sphere that supports the object to be conveyed;
A main body that rotatably supports the main sphere;
With
The main sphere protrudes from at least one main surface of the main body and can move the object to be transferred placed on the one main surface in an arbitrary conveyance direction along the one main surface by rotating. To support
The main body is
An engaging claw provided on at least one side surface;
An engagement recess provided on at least the other side surface and having a shape corresponding to the shape of the engagement claw;
A ball bear characterized by comprising: The ball bear according to claim 1,
When viewed from the normal direction of the one main surface,
A ball bear characterized in that an outer shape of a distal end portion of the engaging claw is formed larger than an outer shape of a proximal end portion of the engaging claw. The ball bear according to claim 1 or 2,
The main body is formed in a rectangular plate shape,
The engaging claws are formed on the first main body side surface and the second main body side surface that sandwich the first main body corner portion among the four corner portions of the main body portion, and are diagonal to the first main body corner portion. A ball bear, wherein the engaging recess is formed on each of the third and fourth main body side surfaces sandwiching the second main body corner. The ball bear according to claim 3,
The ball bear characterized in that four corners of the main body are chamfered. The ball bear according to claim 3 or 4,
A base portion having a shape corresponding to the main body portion is provided on the other main surface side of the main body portion,
The first base portion side surface and the second base portion side surface of the base portion corresponding to the first main body portion side surface and the second main body portion side surface of the main body portion are respectively disposed outside the front end portion of the engaging claw. A ball bear characterized by The ball bear according to claim 5,
The main body is provided with a main body fixing hole at a side of the engaging recess, and the base is provided with a base fixing hole at a side of the engaging claw. Ball bear. The ball bear according to claim 5 or 6,
The ball bear characterized in that the four corners of the base part are chamfered. A plurality of ball bears according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A plurality of the ball bears are connected to each other by engaging the engagement claws of one ball bear and the engagement recesses of the other ball bear.

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