JP2018122986A - Sorting conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sorting conveyor without requiring maintenance work by eliminating looseness between a plurality of conveying carriages.SOLUTION: A plurality of conveying carriages are connected at front and rear ends of a link forming a frame of a conveyor for a cross sorter, and a travel wheel is brought into sliding contact onto a pair of travel rails provided to a loop-shaped conveying route to travel along the conveying route, in a sorting conveyor. An attitude stabilization device 85 for stabilizing an attitude of the leading conveying carriage is arranged at the front end part of the leading conveying carrier 15. The attitude stabilization device comprises: a body link 86 which is rotatably connected to a link 21 of the leading conveying carriage with an extension direction of the link of the leading conveying carriage as a rotational shaft; guide wheel units 88, 89 brought into sliding contact onto each travel rail of a pair of the travel rails 16, 17; and a holding cross member 87 which is fixed to the body link with a direction orthogonal to the body link as an extension direction and rotatably holds guide wheels onto both ends in the extension direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting conveyor for traveling a plurality of connected transport carts along a loop-shaped transport route.

  The transport cart having the conveyor for placing the transported article (conveyed article) and transporting the article placed at a predetermined position in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction is made endless with the frame link of each transport cart. In general, sorting conveyors that drive a plurality of transport carts to send out a beam-shaped link that is a frame from the side using a friction drive type driving device and travel along a loop-shaped transport route are generally used. Known. In such a sorting conveyor, one of the connecting bodies is pivotally attached to the rear end portion of the leading transport cart among the two adjacent transport carts by a connecting pin, and the front end portion of the rear transport cart A method of connecting two adjacent carriages by pivotally attaching the other end of the connecting body to the connecting pin by a connecting pin is adopted (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-255331 A

  By the way, in a sorting conveyor in which a plurality of transport carts are connected in an endless manner, a beam-like link that is a frame of each transport cart is pushed out by the above-described friction drive type driving device, so that the frame is connected in an endless chain shape. The positional relationship between a certain beam-shaped link and the friction drive type driving device is strongly pulled immediately before being pulled into the driving device, and the beam-shaped link that is a frame that is driven by the driving device is in an extruded state, Tension changes are likely to occur at the connecting part of two transport carts that match. The change in tension at the connecting portion of two adjacent transport carts causes wear of the connecting portion of two adjacent transport carts, and the total length of the beam-like link that is the frame of a plurality of endlessly connected transport carts It may be longer than the entire length of the transport route. As a result, slack occurs between the plurality of transport carts, each transport cart travels meandering, and abnormal noise or vibration occurs when the transport cart travels. In addition, when the wear of the connecting parts of two adjacent carriages is severe, the connecting parts of the two adjacent carriages are damaged, and the head part of the unconnected carriage is lowered and the rail cross member This causes troubles in the drive of the sorting conveyor, such as multiple collisions.

  Therefore, in a sorting conveyor in which a plurality of transport carts are connected endlessly, a maintenance operation for eliminating slack of the plurality of transport carts is required. For example, in the sorting conveyor disclosed in Patent Document 1, the length adjustment member included in the coupling body is made detachable from the coupling body, so that the total length of the plurality of transport carriages is adjusted to coincide with the total length of the transport route. Propose that. However, when adjusting the total length of the plurality of transport carts so as to coincide with the total length of the transport route, the spacing between the transport carts is uniform in each of all the connected bodies between the transport carts connected endlessly. It is necessary to adjust so that the adjustment work is difficult. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a sorting conveyor that does not require maintenance work to eliminate slack in a plurality of transport carts.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sorting conveyor that can stably carry articles by a sorting conveyor without performing maintenance work for eliminating slack in a plurality of carriages.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a sorting conveyor according to the present invention includes a cross sorter conveyor, a link extending in one direction forming a frame of the cross sorter conveyor, a rear end of the link, and the cross sorter conveyor. A plurality of traveling carriages disposed at both ends of the conveying direction in the transport direction, and connected at the front and rear ends of the link, and the traveling wheels are slidably contacted on a pair of traveling rails provided in a loop-shaped transportation route. A plurality of transport carts traveling along the transport route, wherein the plurality of transport carts are connected to each other at the front and rear ends of the link so that the total length of the loop transport route is increased. On the other hand, the total length of the links is set short, and among the plurality of transport carts, the top transport is placed at the front end of the top transport cart. A posture stabilizing device for stabilizing the posture of the vehicle is disposed, and the posture stabilizing device is rotatable about the link of the leading transport cart with the extending direction of the link of the leading transport cart as a pivot axis. A main body link to be connected; a first auxiliary wheel that is slidably contacted with each of the traveling rails of the pair of traveling rails; a direction orthogonal to the main body link as an extending direction; And holding cross members that rotatably hold the first auxiliary wheel at both ends in the outgoing direction.

  In addition, the posture stabilizing device has a derailing prevention mechanism that prevents the first auxiliary wheel from derailing from each traveling rail of the pair of traveling rails in front of the first auxiliary wheel. Features.

  Further, the posture stabilizing device includes the first auxiliary wheel, a first guide wheel that is slidably contacted at a different position on the outer peripheral surface of the traveling rail, and the plurality of guide wheels, and the transport route. And a bracket for rotating the first auxiliary wheel and the first guide wheel in accordance with the radius of curvature of the pair of travel rails provided on the first guide wheel unit. To do.

  In this case, the first guide wheel unit is disposed between the bracket and the main body link, and the front end portion of the first auxiliary wheel is the first auxiliary wheel in the extending direction of the main body link. It is preferable to have a first spring that biases the first guide wheel unit so as to be positioned closer to the main body link side than the rear end portion.

  Further, the first conveying cart is urged toward the last conveying cart between the posture stabilizing device and the last conveying cart among the plurality of linearly coupled conveying carts. 2 springs are arranged.

  In this case, the attachment length of the second spring disposed between the rearmost transport carriage and the posture stabilizing device is such that the transport carriage travels along the curve of the transport route. A value obtained by adding the displacement amount of the second spring based on the thrust load and the natural length of the second spring is preferable.

  A second guide wheel unit including a second auxiliary wheel slidably contacted on the traveling rail and a second guide wheel slidably contacted at a different position on an outer peripheral surface of the traveling rail; and the holding cross member A connecting link that pivotally supports the second guide wheel unit on the free end side so that the second guide wheel unit is positioned in front of the first guide wheel unit; A gas spring whose one end is pivotally supported by the bracket of the guide wheel unit and whose other end is pivotally supported by the rotating shaft of the second guide wheel unit pivotally supported by the connection link, The first guide wheel unit is caused by a change in the position of the second guide wheel unit as the connecting link rotates. Characterized by rotating the extension of the serial gas spring.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the conveyance of the articles | goods by a sorting conveyor can be performed stably, without performing the maintenance operation | work for eliminating the slack of a some conveyance trolley | bogie. Further, according to the present invention, the guide wheel unit included in the posture stabilizing device can be driven while being pressed against the corresponding traveling rail, so when the leading traveling carriage enters the curve from the straight line of the transport route, The guide wheel unit is prevented from colliding with the traveling rail when entering a straight line from the curve of the transport route. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent meandering travel of the leading transport carriage and occurrence of vibrations and abnormal noises during travel of the transport carriage.

It is a top view of the sorting conveyor of the present invention. It is a top view which shows one Embodiment of a structure of a conveyance trolley. It is a side view of the conveyance trolley shown in FIG. It is a figure when the conveyance trolley shown in FIG. 2 is visually recognized from the front. It is a top view of the attitude | position stabilizer provided in front of the front conveyance trolley. It is a side view of the attitude | position stabilizer shown in FIG. It is a figure when the attitude | position stabilizer shown in FIG. 5 is visually recognized from the front. It is sectional drawing which shows the connection part of the beam-shaped link of the head conveyance trolley, and the auxiliary link of an attitude | position stabilizer. It is a top view of the sorting conveyor which connected the some conveyance trolley in the loop shape. It is a top view of the attitude | position stabilizer which provided the spring which urges | biases a guide wheel unit to the auxiliary link side. FIG. 6 is a top view of the posture stabilizing device when a spring is disposed between the last transport carriage and the posture stabilizing device. It is a top view of the attitude | position stabilizer which further provided the auxiliary | assistant guide wheel unit other than the guide wheel unit. It is a side view of the attitude | position stabilizer shown in FIG. It is a figure when the attitude | position stabilizer shown in FIG. 12 is visually recognized from the front.

  Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a top view showing an example of the sorting conveyor 10. The sorting conveyor 10 of the present embodiment connects the beam-shaped links forming the frames of the respective transport carts, but the plurality of transport carts 15 in which the beam-shaped links at both ends form ends and are connected to be shorter than the entire length of the loop-shaped transport route. Is made to travel along a loop-shaped conveyance route. A pair of travel rails are installed on the loop-shaped transport route, and when the sorting conveyor 10 is driven, each connected transport cart 15 travels while its travel direction is restricted by the pair of travel rails. Each rail of the pair of running rails is a member made of a hollow round pipe-shaped metal material. Hereinafter, of the pair of traveling rails, the traveling rail positioned inside is referred to as an inner rail 16, and the traveling rail positioned outside is referred to as an outer rail 17.

  The sorting conveyor 10 is driven by a driving device 18 and a driving device 18 ′ installed at a predetermined position on the transport route and between the inner rail 16 and the outer rail 17. Examples of the driving device 18 and the driving device 18 ′ include a friction drive type driving device. Although not described in detail, the friction drive type driving device has a pair of friction belts pressed against both side surfaces of the beam-shaped link 21 of the transport carriage 15, and the beam-shaped link 21 of the transport carriage 15 is connected to the forward side of the pair of friction belts. A plurality of friction rollers that are pressed in the direction in which they are pressed against each other, and a pair of speed reducers provided to drive the friction belt drive pulley by tensioning each of the pair of friction belts with a friction belt drive pulley and a friction belt driven pulley A drive device having a motor with a machine.

  The sorting conveyor 10 travels a plurality of transport carts 15 connected in a straight line when driven in a clockwise direction in FIG. 1 (A direction in FIG. 1). In the process in which each transport cart 15 moves in the direction A in FIG. 1, the transported material transferred by the loading conveyor 19 located inside the transport route is transferred to each transport cart 15, and the cross cart for the transport cart 15 has. A conveyed product is placed on the conveyor unit. Even after the conveyed product is placed on the cross sorter conveyor unit of the conveyance carriage 15, the conveyance carriage 15 moves in the direction A in FIG. When the transport cart 15 moves to a predetermined position, the cross sorter conveyor unit is driven to deliver the transported material from the transport cart 15 to the transport conveyor (dispensing conveyor) 20. In FIG. 1, the loading conveyor 19 for sending a conveyed product to each of the conveying carts 15 or the dispensing conveyor 20 for delivering the conveyed material from the conveying cart 15 is merely disclosed as an example. These positions are set as appropriate.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the transport carriage 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. In this embodiment, a case where two belt conveyor units 36 and 37 are juxtaposed in the traveling direction of the transport carriage 15 as a cross sorter conveyor unit provided in the transport carriage 15 will be described. However, one belt conveyor unit as a cross sorter conveyor unit is described. It is also possible to use.

  The transport carriage 15 includes a beam-shaped link 21 having the traveling direction of the transport carriage 15 as an extending direction, and three support cross members juxtaposed at a predetermined interval perpendicular to the extending direction of the beam-shaped link 21. 22, 23, and 24 as frame chassis portions forming a skeleton.

  The beam-shaped link 21 is a member made of a hollow metal material having a substantially square cross section perpendicular to the extending direction. The beam-shaped link 21 is a member that receives, on the side surface, a forward side portion of a pair of friction belts included in the above-described friction drive type driving device.

  The three support cross members 22, 23, 24 are members made of a hollow metal material whose cross section perpendicular to the extending direction has a substantially rectangular shape with the vertical direction as a long side. Of the three support cross members 22, 23, 24, the support cross member 22 holds the side frame 30, the support cross member 23 holds the central frame 31, and the support cross member 24 holds the side frame 32 on the upper surface. To do. Support members 34 and 35 are arranged between the side frame 30 and the center frame 31 with a predetermined interval. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, a supporting member is similarly arrange | positioned at predetermined intervals between the center frame 31 and the side part frame 32. FIG.

  The belt conveyor unit 36 is disposed in the gap formed between the side frame 30 and the center frame 31 with the side frame 30 and the center frame 31 as its own frame. Moreover, the belt conveyor unit 37 is arrange | positioned by using the center frame 31 and the side frame 32 as an own frame in the space | gap part formed between the center frame 31 and the side frame 32. FIG. Hereinafter, since the belt conveyor units 36 and 37 have the same configuration, only the belt conveyor unit 36 will be described, and the configuration of the belt conveyor unit 37 will be omitted.

  The belt conveyor unit 36 includes a drive pulley 41, a driven pulley 42, a plurality of rollers 43, an endless belt 44, a transmission mechanism 45, and a drive motor 46 other than the frame. Here, the driving pulley 41, the driven pulley 42, and the plurality of rollers 43 are arranged so that the pulleys and the vertices of the rollers are positioned on the same horizontal plane. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which a plurality of rollers 43 are provided between the drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42 as members that support the upper portion of the endless belt 44 (portion on which the conveyed product is placed) from below. Instead of providing a plurality of rollers 43, a support plate can be provided between the drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42.

  The drive pulley 41 is disposed at the right end in the y direction in FIG. 2 in the gap between the side frame 30 and the center frame 31. One end portion 41 a of the rotation shaft of the drive pulley 41 protrudes from the side frame 30. A toothed pulley 48 that constitutes the transmission mechanism 45 is fixed to one end portion 41 a of the rotating shaft that protrudes from the side frame 30. The drive pulley 41 has V grooves 41b and 41c at both ends of a roller portion around which the endless belt 44 is wound.

The driven pulley 42 is disposed at the left end in the y direction in FIG. 2 in the gap between the side frame 30 and the center frame 31. Like the drive pulley 41, the driven pulley 42 has V grooves 42a and 42b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the roller portion around which the endless belt is wound.
The plurality of rollers 43 are disposed between the drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42. Further, the plurality of rollers 43 have V grooves 43a and 43b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the roller portion where the inner surface of the endless belt 44 is slidably contacted.

  The endless belt 44 is provided with protrusions (not shown) at both ends in the belt width direction and over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the belt. When the endless belt 44 is wound around the drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42, these protrusions enter V grooves provided in each pulley and each roller. Thereby, the meandering of the endless belt 44 when the endless belt 44 travels is prevented.

  The transmission mechanism 45 includes two toothed pulleys 48 and 49 and a drive timing belt 50. Of the two toothed pulleys 48, 49, the toothed pulley 48 is fixed to one end 41 a of the rotation shaft of the drive pulley 41 protruding from the side frame 30, and the toothed pulley 49 is a rotation shaft 46 a of the drive motor 46. Fixed to. The drive timing belt 50 is wound around two toothed pulleys 48 and 49. Therefore, the toothed pulley 49 fixed to the rotating shaft 46a of the drive motor 46 is the main driving pulley, and the toothed pulley 48 fixed to the one end 41a of the rotating shaft of the driving pulley 41 protruding from the side frame 30 is the driven pulley. Become.

  The drive motor 46 is fixed to the side frame 30 via the bracket 51. As the drive motor 46, for example, a servo motor is used. The drive motor 46 is electrically connected, for example, between the central frame 31 and the side frame 32 so that power can be supplied and control signals can be transmitted and received from the controller unit 52 held on the upper surface of the beam-shaped link 21. The

  The transport carriage 15 described above has guide wheel units 55 and 56 at both ends of the side frame 32 in the width direction of the transport carriage 15.

  Of the pair of traveling rails provided on the conveyance route, the guide wheel unit 55 is a traveling wheel 61 that rotates while sliding in the vicinity of the apex of the outer rail 17 at the straight portion or the vicinity of the apex at the curved portion, and the straight portion of the outer rail 17. A guide wheel 62 that rotates while being slidably contacted in the vicinity of the bottom point or a guide wheel 63 that is rotated while being slidably contacted from the side of the outer rail 17 at the bottom point or the curve portion. The traveling wheel 61 is fixed to the rotating shaft 65 a of the generator 65 fixed to the bracket 64. The traveling wheel 61 supports the weight of the transport carriage 15 and transmits most of the weight of the carriage to the outer rail 17 while being in sliding contact with or near the top of the outer rail 17. Further, the guide wheel 62 is spaced a little wider than the outer diameter of the outer rail 17 between the guide wheel 62 and the rotating shaft of the traveling wheel 61 (specifically, the rotation of the generator 65). It is pivotally supported on the bracket 64 so as to be parallel to the shaft 65a). The guide wheel 63 is pivotally supported by the bracket 64 so that the rotation axis thereof is orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 61 and the guide wheel 62. The bracket 64 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 66 provided on the side frame 32. Reference numeral 67 in FIG. 2 is a rotation shaft of the guide wheel unit 55.

  The generator 65 generates electricity in response to the traveling wheel 61 rotating while sliding in contact with or near the top of the outer rail 17. Electric power obtained by the power generation by the generator 65 is supplied to the drive motors 46 of the belt conveyor units 36 and 37 via the controller unit 52.

  In the guide wheel unit 55 of the present embodiment, the guide wheel that rotates while being slidably contacted from the side of the outer rail 17 is one guide wheel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two guide wheels are used. It is also possible.

  In the guide wheel unit 55 of the present embodiment, the traveling wheel 61 is fixed to the rotating shaft 65 a of the generator 65, and electric power is generated in the generator 65 by the rotation of the traveling wheel 61. However, instead of the generator 65, a non-contact power supply mechanism may be used. Although not shown, the non-contact power supply mechanism includes, for example, a loop coil provided obliquely above and outward of the outer rail, and a pickup coil provided in the guide wheel unit of the transport carriage, through which the loop coil is inserted. Coil portion. In this non-contact power supply mechanism, the loop coil functions as a primary coil, and the pickup coil included in the coil section functions as a secondary coil. Therefore, when a high frequency current is passed through the loop coil, an electromagnetic induction action occurs between the loop coil and the pickup coil included in the coil portion, and the high frequency current flowing through the loop coil is applied to the pickup coil included in the coil portion. Communicated. The high-frequency current transmitted to the pickup coil included in the coil unit is supplied to the controller unit via an A / D converter, a converter, etc., not shown.

  Of the pair of traveling rails provided on the conveyance route, the guide wheel unit 56 is a traveling wheel 71 that rotates while sliding in the vicinity of the apex at the straight portion of the inner rail 16 or the vicinity of the apex at the curve portion, and the straight portion of the inner rail 16. A guide wheel 72 that rotates while sliding in the vicinity of the bottom point or a guide wheel 73 that rotates while sliding from the side of the inner rail 16 is provided at the bottom point or the curve portion. The traveling wheel 71 is pivotally supported by the bracket 75. The traveling wheel 71 supports the weight of the transport carriage 15 and transmits most of the carriage weight to the inner rail 16 while sliding in contact with or near the top of the inner rail 16. Further, the guide wheel 72 is spaced from the traveling wheel 71 by a distance slightly wider than the outer diameter of the inner rail 16, and the rotation axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the traveling wheel 71. Is pivotally supported. The guide wheel 73 is pivotally supported by the bracket 74 so that the rotation axis thereof is orthogonal to the rotation axis of the traveling wheel 71 and the rotation axis of the guide wheel 72. The bracket 74 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 75 provided on the support cross member 24. Reference numeral 76 in FIG. 2 is a rotation shaft of the guide wheel unit 56.

  In the guide wheel unit 56 of the present embodiment, the guide wheel that rotates while being slidably contacted from the side of the inner rail 16 is used as one guide wheel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two guide wheels are used. It is also possible.

  The guide wheel unit 55 is slidably contacted with the traveling wheel 61 at or near the top of the outer rail 17, and the guide wheel 62 is slidably contacted at or near the bottom point of the outer rail 17. The position of the carriage 15 with respect to the rail 17 in the vertical direction is restricted. Further, the guide wheel 63 is brought into sliding contact from the side of the outer rail 17, thereby restricting the transport carriage 15 from moving toward the inner rail 16.

  The guide wheel unit 56 is configured such that the traveling wheel 71 is slidably contacted at or near the top of the inner rail 16 and the guide wheel 72 is slidably contacted at or near the bottom point of the inner rail 16. The position of the transport carriage 15 with respect to the rail 16 in the vertical direction is restricted. Further, the guide wheel 73 is slidably contacted from the side of the inner rail 16, thereby restricting the transport carriage 15 from moving toward the outer rail 17.

  Therefore, in the process in which the transport cart 15 travels, the transport cart 15 has a pair of travel rails (the inner rail 16 and the outer rail 17) installed by the guide wheel units 55, 56 along the transport route in the travel direction of the transport cart 15. ) And is prevented from falling off the pair of travel rails when the transport carriage 15 travels.

  As for the some conveyance trolley 15 which comprises the sorting conveyor 10 of this embodiment, two adjacent conveyance trolleys 15 are connected via the connection mechanism 80. FIG. Although not described in detail, the coupling mechanism 80 has a mechanism that rotates in three axial directions, ie, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions. Therefore, when two adjacent transport carts 15 are connected using the connection mechanism 80, one of the two transport carts 15 has one transport cart 15 with respect to the other transport cart 15 in the x-axis, y-axis, and It becomes possible to rotate around at least one of the z-axis. Further, when two adjacent transport carts 15 are connected using the connecting mechanism 80, the rotation center E around the z axis is the guide wheel of the leading transport cart 15 of the two transport carts 15. It is located on a straight line H connecting the center 67a of the rotation shaft 67 of the unit 55 and the center 76a of the rotation shaft 76 of the guide wheel unit 56. Thereby, when the guide wheel units 55 and 56 of the leading transport carriage 15 of the two transport carriages 15 move from the straight line of the transport route to the curve, or when the guide wheel units 55 and 56 move from the curve of the transport route to the straight line. It is possible to prevent the connection portion between the two transport carriages 15 from dropping.

  Of the plurality of transport carts 15 that are connected to each beam-shaped link 21 forming the frame of the transport cart in an end shape and shorter than the entire length of the traveling rail forming the loop-shaped transport route, the top transport cart 15 includes An attitude stabilizing device 85 that stabilizes the attitude of the transport carriage 15 during travel is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the posture stabilization device 85 includes a main body link 86, a holding cross member 87, and guide wheel units (corresponding to a first guide wheel unit) 88 and 89. The main body link 86 is a member made of a hollow metal material having a substantially square cross section perpendicular to the extending direction that is the conveying direction of the conveying carriage 15. The main body link 86 has a shape that tapers from the vicinity of the center in the extending direction toward one end on the distal end side. Since the main body link 86 is tapered toward one end on the front end side, the main body link 86 is conveyed between the pair of friction belts of the friction drive type driving device 18 or the driving device 18 ′ via the main body link 86. It is possible to reliably guide the beam-shaped link 21 included in the carriage 15.

  The body link 86 is provided with a shielding plate 90 at the other end of both ends in the extending direction. A screw hole 90 a is formed in the center of the shielding plate 90. On the other hand, a shielding plate 92 for connecting the coupling mechanism 80 described above is formed at the tip of the beam-shaped link 21. An insertion hole 92 a is formed in the shielding plate 92, and a slide bearing 93 is press-fitted from the side facing the main body link 86. Reference numeral 94 denotes a collar inserted through the slide bearing 93.

  An upper surface of the tip of the beam-shaped link 21 described above is opened. Bolts 97 inserted into the spring washer 95 and the washer 96 from this opening are inserted into the collar 94. The bolt 97 inserted through the collar 94 is screwed into a screw hole 90 a provided in the shielding plate 90 of the main body link 86. Therefore, the beam-shaped link 21 and the main body link 86 can be rotated relatively with the extending direction of the beam-shaped link 21 as a rotation axis (the main body link 86 is twisted with respect to the beam-shaped link 21). .

  The holding cross member 87 is a member made of a hollow metal material whose cross section perpendicular to the extending direction has a substantially rectangular shape having a long side in the vertical direction. The holding cross member 87 is fixed to the upper part of the main body link 86 so that the extending direction is orthogonal to the extending direction of the main body link 86.

  The guide wheel unit 88 is a traveling wheel (corresponding to the first auxiliary wheel) 100 that rotates while sliding in the vicinity of the apex at the rectilinear portion of the inner rail 16 provided on the conveyance route or in the vicinity of the apex at the curve portion. The guide wheel (corresponding to the first guide wheel) 101 that rotates while being slidably contacted with the bottom point at the bottom portion or the vicinity of the bottom point at the curve portion and the guide wheel (first guide) that rotates while slidably contacting the side surface of the inner rail 16 102 (corresponding to a wheel). The traveling wheel 100 is pivotally supported by the bracket 103. In addition, the guide wheel 101 is spaced from the traveling wheel 100 by a distance that is slightly wider than the outer diameter of the inner rail 16, and the rotation axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the traveling wheel 100. It is pivotally supported. The guide wheel 102 is pivotally supported on the bracket 103 such that each of the rotation axes is orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 100 and the guide wheel 101. The bracket 103 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 104 provided on the holding cross member 87. Note that reference numeral 105 in FIG. 5 is a rotation shaft of the bracket 103.

  Similarly, the guide wheel unit 89 is a traveling wheel (corresponding to a first auxiliary wheel) 110 that rotates while sliding in the vicinity of the apex at the straight part of the outer rail 17 provided on the conveyance route or near the apex at the curve part, A guide wheel (corresponding to the first guide wheel) 111 that rotates while being slidably contacted at the bottom point in the straight part of the rail 17 or near the bottom point at the curve part, and a guide wheel that rotates while slidably contacting the side surface of the outer rail 17 ( 112 (corresponding to the first guide wheel). The traveling wheel 110 is pivotally supported by the bracket 113. Further, the guide wheel 111 is spaced from the traveling wheel 110 by a distance slightly wider than the outer diameter of the outer rail 17 and the rotation axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the traveling wheel 110. It is pivotally supported. The guide wheel 112 is pivotally supported by the bracket 113 such that each of the rotation axes is orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 110 and the guide wheel 111. The bracket 113 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 114 provided on the holding cross member 87. In addition, the code | symbol 115 in FIG.

  A stopper for preventing wheel removal (corresponding to a mechanism for preventing wheel removal) 121 includes a holding bracket 122 provided at one end in the extending direction of the holding cross member 87 and an L-shaped bracket fixed to the lower end of the holding bracket 122. 123. The derailment prevention stopper 121 is provided such that the bottom surface of the L-shaped bracket 123 is positioned slightly higher than the apex of the inner rail 16. The derailment prevention stopper 121 prevents the traveling wheel 100 of the guide wheel unit 88 from derailing from the inner rail 16. In addition, although the stopper 121 for preventing wheel removal is constituted by two members of the holding bracket 122 and the L-shaped bracket 123, it can also be constituted by one member.

  A stopper for preventing wheel removal (corresponding to a mechanism for preventing wheel removal) 125 is a holding bracket 126 provided at the other end in the extending direction of the holding cross member 87 and an L-shape fixed to the lower end of the holding bracket 126. And a bracket 127. The derailing prevention stopper 125 is provided such that the bottom surface of the L-shaped bracket 127 is positioned slightly higher than the apex of the outer rail 17. The derailing prevention stopper 125 prevents the traveling wheel 110 of the guide wheel unit 89 from derailing from the outer rail 17. In addition, although the stopper 125 for preventing wheel removal is constituted by two members, that is, the holding bracket 122 and the L-shaped bracket 123, it can also be constituted by one member.

  A monitoring camera 130 is provided on the upper surface of the above-described main body link 86 via a bracket 131. The monitoring camera 130 is provided to detect the presence or absence of a fallen object along the transport route. Although details are not shown in detail, the monitoring camera 130 is a device-side communication device that performs wireless LAN communication represented by Wi-Fi (registered trademark) with an external communication device that controls the driving of the sorting conveyor 10 ( Router). The apparatus-side communication device includes a strain gauge 135 provided at a connecting portion between the beam-shaped link 21 and the main body link 86 of the leading transport carriage 15, distance sensors 136 and 137 provided in the guide wheel units 88 and 89, and a leading transport carriage. 15 is connected to an accelerometer 138, a controller unit 52, and the like, which are provided by integrating a plurality of transport carts 15. The controller unit 52 that supervises a plurality of transport carts 15 operates the drive motor 46 appropriately while holding information on the address and transported items of the transport carts in a wired manner along the connecting mechanism 80 portion between the transport carts 15. The control signal is output as a command to drive the drive pulley 41 to operate the endless belt 44, and the information of the strain gauge 135, the distance sensors 136, 137, and the accelerometer 138 is calculated to calculate the difference from a predetermined specified value. Then, it judges normality / abnormality and outputs it to the device side communication device. Then, the device-side communication device transmits a detection signal from each unit and a signal from the controller unit 52 to the external communication device via the device-side communication device. Further, the apparatus-side communication device receives the driving signal of the address of each transport carriage and the information signal of the transported object from the external communication device.

  The strain gauge 135 detects strain between the beam-shaped link 21 and the main body link 86 of the leading transport carriage 15. By providing the strain gauge 135, foreign matter is caught between the traveling wheel 100 of the guide wheel unit 88 and the inner rail 16 of the posture stabilizing device 85 and between the traveling wheel 110 and the outer rail 17 of the guide wheel unit 89. Foreign object biting can be detected. Further, by providing the strain gauge 135, bearings in the traveling wheel 100 and guide wheels 101 and 102 of the guide wheel unit 88 are damaged, bearings in the traveling wheel 110 and guide wheels 111 and 112 of the guide wheel unit 89 are damaged, It is possible to detect damage or the like of the slide bearing 93 press-fitted into the insertion hole 92a of the shielding plate 92 of the beam-shaped link 21 of the leading transport carriage 15.

  The distance sensor 136 is provided in the guide wheel unit 88 and detects the distance to the inner rail 16. The distance sensor 137 is provided in the guide wheel unit 89 and detects the distance to the outer rail 17. By providing these distance sensors 136 and 137, it is possible to detect the wear state of the traveling wheels 100 and 110 of the guide wheel units 88 and 89.

  The accelerometer 138 is disposed on the beam-shaped link 21 of the leading transport carriage 15. The accelerometer 138 detects accelerations in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, respectively, so that the traveling wheel 61, the guide wheels 62 and 63 of the guide wheel unit 55 of the leading transport carriage 15 and the guide wheel unit 56 In addition to the wear of the traveling wheel 71 and the guide wheels 72 and 73, the abnormality of the inner rail 16 and the outer rail 17 can be detected.

  The controller unit 52 supplies electric power obtained by the power generation by the generator 65 to the drive motors 46 of the belt conveyor units 36 and 37, respectively. At this time, the controller unit transmits the amount of power supplied to the drive motors 46 of the belt conveyor units 36 and 37 to the external communication device via the device-side communication device. As a result, it is possible to monitor the weight of the conveyed product placed on the belt conveyor units 36 and 37 in addition to the driving state (driving days and driving time) of the belt conveyor unit.

  The sorting conveyor 10 ′ shown in FIG. 9 is, for example, a loop-shaped transport route in which the transport route has a track shape, and a plurality of transport carts 15 are connected endlessly. In such a sorting conveyor 10 ', a transport carriage 15' positioned above the drive device 18 provided on the transport route and a transport carriage 15 'positioned above the drive device 18' are driven by the drive devices 18, 18 '. By transmitting the force directly, the force is sent out in the direction B in FIG. As a result, the transport carriage 15 ′ to which the driving force of the driving devices 18, 18 ′ is not directly transmitted is pressed by the driving force acting on the transportation cart 15 ′ to which the driving force of the driving devices 18, 18 ′ is directly transmitted. It is possible to travel on the transport route by transmitting the pressure or tensile force to the other transport carriage 15 ′. For this reason, a tension fluctuation occurs at the connecting portion between the transport carriages 15 ′, and wear of the connecting portion occurs. As a result, as the driving time of the sorting conveyor becomes longer, an event occurs in which the entire length of the transport cart connected endlessly becomes longer than the total length of the transport route, and each transport cart travels in a meandering manner.

  On the other hand, in the sorting conveyor 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of transport carts 15 connected in a straight line are caused to travel on a loop-shaped transport route in which the transport route is a track shape, for example. In this case, when the driving force of the driving device 18 or the driving device 18 ′ provided on the transport route is directly transmitted to the leading transport carriage 15, the leading transport cart 15 is sent in the direction A in FIG. 1. After the leading transport carriage 15 is sent out by the driving device 18 provided on the transport route, the transport cart 15 travels on the transport route by the pressing force based on the driving force acting on the subsequent transport cart 15. Therefore, as the number of the leading transport carts up to the transport cart 15 pushed out by the driving devices 18 and 18 ′ increases, the pushing force pushed out by the transport cart 15 pushed out by the driving devices 18 and 18 ′ is dispersed, The propulsive force of the transport cart 15 is reduced. Therefore, in the sorting conveyor 10 according to the present embodiment, by providing the posture stabilizing device 85 in the leading transport cart 15, the leading transport cart 15 is stabilized even when the propulsive force of the leading transport cart 15 is reduced. And run. As a result, meandering traveling of the leading transport carriage 15 is suppressed, and vibrations and abnormal noises caused by collision between the guide wheel units 55 and 56 of the transport carriage 15 and the curved section entry portion of the traveling rail can be prevented.

  Further, in the sorting conveyor 10 of the present embodiment, a plurality of transport carts 15 are connected to the beam-shaped links 21 forming the frame of the transport cart 15 shorter than the total length of the traveling rails that form a loop-shaped transport route. In this state, run the transport route. Therefore, in the sorting conveyor 10 ′ in which the plurality of transport carts 15 ′ are connected in an endless manner, the entire length of the plurality of transport carts connected is transported due to wear caused by a change in tension generated in the coupling mechanism that connects the transport carts 15 ′. Although it may be longer than the total length of the route, in the sorting conveyor 10 of this embodiment, each beam-shaped link 21 forming the frame of the transport carriage is end-shaped and shorter than the total length of the traveling rail forming the loop-shaped transport route. By connecting the plurality of transport carts 15, the total length of the plurality of transport carts is set to be shorter than the total length of the transport route. Therefore, the overall length of the plurality of transport carts connected in a straight line is not longer than the total length of the transport route, and the adjustment (maintenance) operation is performed so that the total length of the connected transport carts is the same as the total length of the transport route. There is no need.

  In the above-described embodiment, the posture stabilizing device 85 in which the guide wheel units 88 and 89 are pivotally supported at both ends of the holding cross member 87 has been described. However, in the case of the posture stabilizing device 85 described above, the guide wheel 102 of the guide wheel unit 88 is moved to the side of the traveling rail 16 in the process in which the leading transport carriage 15 travels on the curve provided on the transport route, or The guide wheel 112 of the guide wheel unit 89 may not contact the side of the traveling rail 17 in some cases. In such a case, the difference in frictional force generated between the traveling wheel 100 and the traveling rail 16 of the guide wheel unit 88 or between the traveling wheel 110 and the traveling rail 17 of the guide wheel unit 89 or the leading transport carriage. 15 may cause the guide wheel unit 88 or the guide wheel unit 89 to oscillate, and the traveling locus of the leading transport carriage 15 may not be stable, resulting in meandering traveling. Further, the guide wheel 102 of the guide wheel unit 88 collides with the traveling rail 16 or the guide wheel 112 of the guide wheel unit 89 collides with the traveling rail 17 due to the swinging of the guide wheel unit 88 or the guide wheel unit 89. In addition to generating sound, it causes vibration to the leading transport carriage 15.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, a spring (corresponding to the first spring) 140 is disposed between the bracket 103 of the guide wheel unit 88 and the main body link 86, and the traveling wheel 100 is extended in the extending direction of the main body link 86. The guide wheel unit 88 is urged in the direction D1 in FIG. 10 so that the front end portion of the travel wheel 100 is positioned closer to the main body link 86 than the rear end portion of the traveling wheel 100. Further, a spring (corresponding to a first spring) 141 is disposed between the bracket 113 of the guide wheel unit 89 and the main body link 86, and the front end portion of the traveling wheel 110 is the traveling wheel 110 in the extending direction of the main body link 86. The guide wheel unit 89 is urged in the direction D2 in FIG. 10 so as to be positioned closer to the main body link 86 than the rear end portion. As described above, the spring 140 is arranged between the bracket 103 of the guide wheel unit 88 and the main body link 86, and the spring 141 is arranged between the bracket 113 of the guide wheel unit 89 and the main body link 86, respectively. 102 and 112 follow the side surfaces of the traveling rails 16 and 17 better, the posture of the guide wheel units 88 and 89 with respect to the traveling rail is stabilized, and noise is generated when the leading transport carriage 15 travels on the transport route. And the occurrence of vibrations can be suppressed.

  In addition, the driving force of the last transport cart is added to the first transport cart by connecting the posture stabilizer and the last transport cart with a spring (equivalent to the second spring). By supporting the direction change by the spring connection, the thrust load of the direction change at the curved portions of the traveling rails 16 and 17 of the guide wheel units 88 and 89 in the posture stabilizing device 85 of the leading transport carriage 15 can be achieved. It is also possible to reduce and stabilize the traveling of the leading transport carriage. As shown in FIG. 11, a bracket 145 is provided on the rearmost support cross member 24, and a bracket 146 is provided on the main body link 86 of the posture stabilizing device 85. Then, a spring 147 is disposed on the brackets 145 and 146. Here, it is preferable to set the attachment length L1 of the spring 147 to the following.

  For example, assuming that the centrifugal force related to the center of gravity of the leading transport cart 15 when the leading transport cart 15 transports on the transport route is F, the traveling wheels 100 and 110 of the guide wheel units 88 and 89 of the posture stabilizing device 85, and The thrust load Fs applied to the traveling wheels of the guide wheel units 55 and 56 of the leading transport carriage 15 is Fs = F / 2.

  When the weight of the transport carriage is M, the transport speed is V, the radius of the curve of the transport route is R, and the gravity is g, the centrifugal force F is expressed by the following formula (1).

F = (M × V ² ) / (R × g) (1)
For example, when the spring 147 bears about 1/3 of the above-described thrust load Fs, the load Ps generated in the spring 147 is Ps = (Fs / 3) / sin θ. The angle θ is an angle formed between the longitudinal direction of the spring 147 and the extending direction of the beam-shaped link 21 of the transport carriage 15 when the transport carriage 15 travels.

For example, when the free length of the spring is L ₀ , the spring constant is k, and the initial tension relating to the spring 141 is Pi, the displacement amount of the spring 141 when traveling on the curve of the transport route is represented by the symbol δ. It is represented by the following formula (2).

δ = (Ps−Pi) / k (2)
Therefore, when the natural length of the spring 147 is L0, the attachment length L1 is expressed by the following formula (3).

L1 = L0 + δ (3)
Therefore, the mounting length of the spring disposed between the bracket of the rearmost transport carriage and the bracket of the posture stabilizing device is set to be the mounting length L1 represented by the expression (3). .

Although the example in which the mounting length L1 of the spring 147 is set based on the thrust load related to the transport carriage is taken as an example, the spring is based on, for example, the thrust of the transport carriage pushed out by the drive device 18 or the drive device 18 ′. It is also possible to set a mounting length L1 of 147. In this case, if the thrust of the drive unit 18 or the driving device 18 'has a _{T P,} the load Ps occurring spring 147 is represented by Ps = α × _{T P.} The symbol α is a coefficient.

  In the present embodiment, the posture stabilizing device 85 in which the guide wheel units 88 and 89 are respectively disposed at both ends of the holding cross member 87 is described. However, the guide wheel units 88 and 89 provided at both ends of the holding cross member 87 are described. It is also possible to further provide an auxiliary guide wheel unit in front of the. As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the posture stabilizing device 150 includes an auxiliary link 151, a holding cross member 152, a guide wheel unit (corresponding to the first guide wheel unit) 153 and 154, and an auxiliary guide wheel unit (first 2) (corresponding to 2 guide wheel units).

  The guide wheel unit 153 has a traveling wheel (corresponding to the first auxiliary wheel) 161 that rotates while being in sliding contact with the apex at the straight part of the inner rail 16 or near the apex at the curve part, and a bottom point at the straight part of the inner rail 16. Alternatively, the curved portion includes a guide wheel 162 that rotates while being slidably contacted in the vicinity of the bottom point, and guide wheels 163a and 163b that are rotated while being slidably contacted to the side surface of the inner rail 16 from the outside. The guide wheel 162 is pivoted to the bracket 164 so that the distance between the guide wheel 162 and the traveling wheel 161 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the inner rail 16, and the rotational axis is parallel to the rotational axis of the traveling wheel 161. Be supported. Further, the guide wheels 163a and 163b are pivotally supported by the bracket 164 so that each of the rotation axes is orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 161 and the guide wheel 162. The bracket 164 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 166 provided on the holding cross member 152. The guide wheels 163a and 163b may be a single guide wheel.

  The guide wheel unit 154 has a traveling wheel (corresponding to a first auxiliary wheel) 171 that rotates while being in sliding contact with the apex at the straight portion of the outer rail 17 or near the apex at the curve portion, and a bottom point at the straight portion of the outer rail 17. Alternatively, the curved portion has a guide wheel 172 that rotates while being in sliding contact with the vicinity of the bottom point, and guide wheels 173 a and 173 b that are rotated while being in sliding contact with the side surface of the outer rail 17 from the outside. The guide wheel 172 is pivoted to the bracket 174 so that the distance between the guide wheel 172 and the traveling wheel 171 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer rail 17, and the rotational axis is parallel to the rotational axis of the traveling wheel 171. Be supported. Further, the guide wheels 173a and 173b are pivotally supported by the bracket 174 such that each of the rotation axes is orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 171 and the guide wheel 172. The bracket 174 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 176 provided on the holding cross member 152. The guide wheels 173a and 173b may be a single guide wheel.

  The auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 is a traveling wheel (corresponding to the second auxiliary wheel) 181 that rotates while being in sliding contact with the apex at the straight portion of the inner rail 16 or near the apex at the curve portion, and the bottom at the straight portion of the inner rail 16. At the point or the curve portion, the guide wheel (corresponding to the second guide wheel) 182 that rotates while being slidably contacted near the bottom point and the guide wheel that is rotated while being slidably contacted to the side surface of the inner rail 16 (second Equivalent to a guide wheel) 183a, 183b. The guide wheel 182 is spaced from the traveling wheel 181 at a distance slightly wider than the outer diameter of the inner rail 16, and the guide wheel 182 is attached to the bracket 184 so that the rotation axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the traveling wheel 181. Be supported. Further, the guide wheels 183a and 183b are pivotally supported by the bracket 184 so that the respective rotation axes are orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 181 and the guide wheel 182. The guide wheels 183a and 183b may be a single guide wheel.

  The auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 includes a traveling wheel (corresponding to a second auxiliary wheel) 191 that rotates while being in sliding contact with the apex at the straight portion of the outer rail 17 or near the apex at the curve portion, and the bottom at the straight portion of the outer rail 17. A guide wheel (corresponding to a second guide wheel) 192 that rotates while being slidably contacted in the vicinity of the bottom point at a point or a curve portion, and a guide wheel that rotates while being slidably contacted with the side surface of the outer rail 17 (second Equivalent to a guide wheel) 193a, 193b. The guide wheel 192 is spaced from the traveling wheel 191 by a distance that is slightly wider than the outer diameter of the outer rail 17, and the rotation axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the traveling wheel 191. Be supported. Further, the guide wheels 193a and 193b are pivotally supported by the bracket 194 so that the respective rotation axes are orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 191 and the guide wheel 192. The guide wheels 193a and 193b may be a single guide wheel.

  The auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 is held in front of the guide wheel unit 153 by a link (corresponding to a connecting link) 201 and a gas spring 202. One end of the link 201 in the longitudinal direction is pivotally attached to the holding cross member 152, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is pivotally attached to the bracket 184 of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155. Therefore, when the gas spring 202 is not attached, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 rotates around one end portion (reference numeral 201 a) of the link 201 as a rotation shaft, and the link 201 is attached to the holding cross member 152. The other end portion (reference numeral 201b) to be pivoted is rotated as a rotation axis.

  The gas spring 202 is pivotally attached to the bracket 184 of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 so that one end in the longitudinal direction is coaxial with the other end of the link 201. The gas spring 202 is pivotally attached to the bracket 164 of the guide wheel unit 153 at the other end in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the gas spring 202 presses the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 to press the guide wheels 183 a and 183 b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 against the side of the inner rail 16.

  The auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 is held in front of the guide wheel unit 154 by the link 203 and the gas spring 204. One end of the link 203 in the longitudinal direction is pivotally attached to the holding cross member 152, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is pivotally attached to the bracket 194 of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156. Therefore, when the gas spring 204 is not attached, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 rotates around one end portion (reference numeral 203a) of the link 203 as a rotation axis, and the link 203 is attached to the holding cross member 152. The other end (reference numeral 203b) to be pivoted is pivoted about a pivot axis.

  The gas spring 204 is pivotally attached to the bracket 194 of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 so that one end in the longitudinal direction is coaxial with the other end of the link 203. The gas spring 204 is pivotally attached to the bracket 174 of the guide wheel unit 154 at the other end in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the gas spring 204 presses the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 and presses the guide wheels 193 a and 193 b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 against the side of the outer rail 17.

  For example, when the leading transport carriage 15 that travels reaches a curve that curves to the right from the straight line of the transport route, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 is pushed to the right as the curvature of the curve increases by the side of the inner rail 16. Therefore, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 is rotated in the direction D3 in FIG. In response to this, the gas spring 202 presses the bracket 164 of the guide wheel unit 153 while contracting. Accordingly, the guide wheel unit 153 rotates in the direction D4 in FIG. As a result, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 steers the guide wheel unit 153 in accordance with the curve curvature at the tip, and the guide wheels 183a and 183b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 move to move the guide wheels of the guide wheel unit 153. 163 a and 163 b are pressed against the side of the inner rail 16. The shift in the copying movement due to the difference between the curvature of the curve at the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 at the front side and the curvature of the curve at the guide wheel unit 153 on the conveyance carriage side is absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the gas spring 202.

  On the other hand, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 moves to the right when the outer rail 17 bends to the right, but is pushed toward the outer rail 17 when the gas spring 204 extends. Therefore, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 is rotated in the direction D5 in FIG. In accordance with this, the guide wheel unit 154 is pulled by the gas spring 204 and rotates in the direction D6 in FIG. Accordingly, not only the guide wheels 193 a and 193 b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 but also the guide wheels 173 a and 173 b of the guide wheel unit 154 are pressed against the side of the outer rail 17. In this way, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 turns the guide wheel unit 154 in accordance with the curve curvature.

  Thereafter, when the leading transport carriage 15 traveling reaches a straight line from the curve of the transport route, the gas spring 202 extends. As a result, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 is pressed toward the inner rail 16. Accordingly, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 rotates in the direction D7 in FIG. In accordance with this, the guide wheel unit 153 rotates in the direction D8 in FIG. Accordingly, not only the guide wheels 183 a and 183 b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 but also the guide wheels 163 a and 163 b of the guide wheel unit 153 are pressed against the side of the inner rail 16.

  On the other hand, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 is pressed by the outer rail 17. Accordingly, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 rotates in the direction D9 in FIG. In response, the gas spring 204 presses the bracket 174 of the guide wheel unit 154 while contracting. Therefore, the guide wheel unit 154 rotates in the direction D10 in FIG. Accordingly, not only the guide wheels 193 a and 193 b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 but also the guide wheels 173 a and 173 b of the guide wheel unit 154 are pressed against the side of the outer rail 17.

  When the leading transport carriage that travels reaches a curve that curves to the left from the straight line of the transport route, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 rotates in the direction D9 in FIG. It rotates in the middle D10 direction. As a result, not only the guide wheels 193 a and 193 b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156 but also the guide wheels 173 a and 173 b of the guide wheel unit 154 are pressed against the side of the outer rail 17. At the same time, the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 rotates in the direction D7 in FIG. 12, and the guide wheel unit 153 also rotates in the direction D8 in FIG. As a result, not only the guide wheels 183 a and 183 b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 155 but also the guide wheels 163 a and 163 b of the guide wheel unit 153 are pressed against the side of the inner rail 16.

  As described above, the auxiliary guide wheel units 155 and 156 are provided in front of the guide wheel units 153 and 154, and the auxiliary guide wheel units 155 and 156 are held by the links 201 and 203 and the gas springs 202 and 204. Not only the guide wheels 183a and 183b of the unit 155 and the guide wheels 193a and 193b of the auxiliary guide wheel unit 156, but also the guide wheels 163a and 163b of the guide wheel unit 153 and the guide wheels 173a and 173b of the guide wheel unit 154 are used as a transport route. Each can be pressed against the provided traveling rail, and the posture of the leading transport carriage 15 can be stabilized.

  Even in this case, the meandering traveling of the leading transport cart 15 is suppressed, and the meandering traveling of the leading transport cart 15 is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of vibrations and abnormal noise due to the collision between the transport carriage 15 and the traveling rail.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Sorting conveyor, 15 ... Conveying cart, 55, 56, 88, 89, 153, 154 ... Guide wheel unit, 61, 71, 100, 110 ... Traveling wheel, 85, 150 ... Posture stabilizer, 86 ... Body link, 87, 152 ... holding cross member, 121, 125 ... stopper for preventing wheel removal, 101, 102, 111, 112 ... guide wheel, 140, 141 ... spring, 147 ... spring, 155, 156 ... auxiliary guide wheel unit, 201, 203 ... Link, 161, 171 ... Traveling wheel, 181, 191 ... Traveling wheel, 202, 204 ... Gas spring

Claims (7)

Conveyance having a cross sorter conveyor, a link extending in one direction forming a frame of the cross sorter conveyor, and traveling wheels disposed at both ends of the rear end of the link and in the conveying direction of the cross sorter conveyor A plurality of carriages are connected at the front and rear ends of the link, and the traveling wheels are slidably contacted with each other on a pair of traveling rails provided on a loop-shaped conveyance route, so that the plurality of conveyance carts travel along the conveyance route. A sorting conveyor that allows
A plurality of the transport carts are connected to each other at the front and rear ends of the link, so that the total length of the links is set short with respect to the total length of the loop-shaped transport route,
A posture stabilizing device for stabilizing the posture of the leading transport carriage is disposed at the front end of the leading transport carriage among the plurality of transporting carriages,
The posture stabilizer is
A main body link pivotally connected to the link of the leading transport cart, with the extending direction of the link of the leading transport cart as a pivot axis;
A first auxiliary wheel that is slidably contacted on each traveling rail of the pair of traveling rails;
A holding cross member fixed to the main body link with the direction orthogonal to the main body link as an extending direction, and rotatably holding the first auxiliary wheel at both ends of the extending direction;
A sorting conveyor characterized by comprising: The sorting conveyor according to claim 1,
The posture stabilizing device includes a derailing prevention mechanism that prevents the first auxiliary wheel from derailing from each traveling rail of the pair of traveling rails in front of the first auxiliary wheel. Sorting conveyor to do. In the rail for the sorting conveyor according to claim 1 or 2,
The posture stabilizer is
The first auxiliary wheel;
A first guide wheel slidably contacted at a different position on the outer peripheral surface of the traveling rail;
A bracket that pivotally supports the plurality of guide wheels, and that rotates the first auxiliary wheel and the first guide wheel in accordance with a radius of curvature of the pair of traveling rails provided in the transport route; A sorting conveyor comprising: a first guide wheel unit having: In the rail for a sorting conveyor according to claim 3,
The first guide wheel unit includes:
The front end portion of the first auxiliary wheel is disposed between the bracket and the main body link, and the front end portion of the first auxiliary wheel is located closer to the main body link side than the rear end portion of the first auxiliary wheel in the extending direction of the main body link. A sorting conveyor comprising a first spring for biasing the first guide wheel unit. The sorting conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A second biasing unit that biases the leading transport cart toward the last transport cart between the posture stabilizing device and the last transport cart among the plurality of transport carts linearly connected. A sorting conveyor characterized by the arrangement of springs. The sorting conveyor according to claim 5,
The mounting length of the second spring disposed between the last transfer carriage and the posture stabilizing device is the thrust load applied to the transfer carriage when the transfer carriage travels the curve of the transfer route. A sorting conveyor having a value obtained by adding a displacement amount of the second spring based on the above and a natural length of the second spring. The sorting conveyor according to claim 3,
A second guide wheel unit including a second auxiliary wheel that is slidably contacted on the traveling rail and a second guide wheel that is slidably contacted at different positions on the outer peripheral surface of the traveling rail;
A connecting link that is pivotally supported by the holding cross member and pivotally supports the second guide wheel unit on a free end side so that the second guide wheel unit is positioned in front of the first guide wheel unit; ,
A gas spring having one end pivotally supported by the bracket of the first guide wheel unit and the other end pivotally supported by the rotation shaft of the second guide wheel unit pivotally supported by the connection link; Have
The first guide wheel unit is rotated by the extension of the gas spring caused by the change of the position of the second guide wheel unit with the rotation of the connection link. .

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