JP2018184290A - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate trouble of lengthening transportation cycle time like a constitution comprising a drop lifter without degrading space efficiency, to suppress increase of component management cost and manufacturing cost, and to improve travelling stability.SOLUTION: A conveyor device 1 transports a carrier 2 along a predetermined transportation path 10. The transportation path 10 includes a first path part 11 and a second path part 12, having a height difference, and a relay path part 13 which is a lifting or lowering path part. The carrier 2 comprises a trolley having a pair of upper and lower wheels sandwiching a conveyor rail CR from the upper and the lower sides. This device further comprises a first delivery rail device A1 which rotates around an axis H1 in a left and right direction and supports the carrier 2 at a rail RA1 to deliver between the first path part 11 and the relay path part 13, and a second delivery rail device A2 which rotates around an axis H2 in a left and right direction and supports the carrier 2 at a rail RA2 to deliver between the second path part 12 and the relay path part 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor device that conveys a carrier supported by a conveyor rail along a conveyance path including a path portion having a height difference.

As a conveyor device that conveys a carrier supported by a conveyor rail along a conveyance path including a path portion having a height difference, there is a conveyor device that conveys the carrier between upper and lower floors using a drop lifter (for example, Patent Documents). 1).
In addition, there is a conveyor device that transfers a conveyed product by a drop lifter between a floor conveyor and an overhead conveyor (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).
Furthermore, as a carrier structure for supporting a conveyed product, the main body is formed into a slender and compact body with three frame bodies, and the frame bodies are connected to each other in a swingable manner in the left and right and up and down directions via a connecting device. There is one that can travel along a curved route (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2008-178803 A JP-A-61-1119479 JP 2000-334627 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-033230

  In the conventional conveyor apparatus such as Patent Document 1, since the carrier is transported between the upper and lower floors by the drop lifter, for example, when the carrier is continuously transported from the lower floor to the upper floor, The next carrier cannot be raised unless the drop lifter is returned from the raised position to the lowered position. Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the transfer cycle time becomes long especially when the height difference between the upper and lower floors is large.

In the conventional conveyor devices such as Patent Documents 2 and 3, the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor are different, and the cross sections of the conveyors are different, so that they cannot enter each other. Therefore, as described above, the conveyed product is transferred by the drop lifter between the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor, and the conveyed product is conveyed by different carriers in each conveyor. Therefore, since the types of conveyors and types of parts increase, parts management costs and manufacturing costs increase.
In addition, since the transported object is transferred by a drop lifter, similarly to the inconvenience of the conventional conveyor device such as Patent Document 1, the transport cycle time is particularly large when the height difference between the upper and lower path portions is large. There is the inconvenience of becoming longer.

When transporting a carrier that supports a transported object along a transport path including a path portion with a large height difference, if the carrier is transported continuously without using a lift between the path portions with a large height difference, the height difference is It is necessary to provide a relay route portion including a route portion that rises or falls at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction between large route portions.
When the carrier as in Patent Document 4 is caused to travel along such a transport route, the predetermined angle of the route portion that rises or falls in the relay route portion is less than 45 degrees, for example, 30 degrees or less. Since it is technical common sense, the space efficiency of the production line is greatly reduced.
In addition, in the configuration of the conventional conveyor device as in Patent Document 4, guided devices (30, 31, 32) are provided below the main body (11) formed by three frame bodies (12, 13, 14). Is provided. And the channel-shaped rail (3) which supports and guides the supported roller (36) of the guided device (30, 31, 32) is arranged at the center in the left-right direction of the transport path. Therefore, the transported object supported above the main body is liable to fall down in the left-right direction and easily become unstable, so that the running stability cannot be increased.

  Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned situation, the present invention intends to solve the problem that the conveyance cycle time becomes long as in the configuration including the drop lifter without reducing the space efficiency of the production line. It is possible to provide a conveyor device that can suppress an increase in parts management cost and manufacturing cost, and has high traveling stability, and conveys a carrier supported by a conveyor rail along a conveyance path including a path portion having a height difference. It is in.

The conveyor device according to the present invention is a conveyor device that conveys a carrier supporting a conveyed object along a predetermined conveyance path in order to solve the above-described problem,
The transport path is
A first path portion and a second path portion having a height difference;
A relay path between the first path and the second path, which is a path that rises or falls;
Including
In the first path part and the second path part, and the relay path part, a conveyor rail provided with rails on the left and right sides is laid.
The carrier includes a trolley having a pair of upper and lower wheels that sandwich the rail from above and below,
A first delivery rail device that rotates around a left-right axis, and supports and delivers the carrier with left and right rails between the first route portion and the relay route portion, and the second route portion and the relay route. A second delivery rail device that pivots around a left-right axis is provided between the parts, supporting and delivering the carrier with left and right rails (Claim 1).

According to such a configuration, the delivery of the carrier between the first route part and the relay route part and between the second route part and the relay route part is supported around the left and right rails and delivered around the left and right axis. Since the first delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device that rotate in the direction are used, delivery of the carrier can be reliably performed by the delivery rail device.
In addition, since the delivery of the carrier between the first route unit and the relay route unit is performed by the first delivery rail device, the delivery of the carrier between the second route unit and the relay route unit is performed by the second delivery rail device. There is no inconvenience that the transport cycle time becomes long as in the configuration including the drop lifter.
In addition, the configuration including the delivery rail device eliminates the need to consider the interference between the carrier and the conveyor rail, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in route design and saving the conveyor device. Therefore, the space efficiency of the production line can be improved.

In addition, when the carrier is delivered by the first delivery rail device or the second delivery rail device from the relay route portion to the higher one of the first route portion and the second route portion, it is around the left-right axis. By changing the rotation direction of the rotating delivery rail device, the form of the conveyor when delivering the carrier can be changed to a floor conveyor or an overhead conveyor, so that the degree of freedom in route design becomes higher.
Furthermore, since a common carrier can be used for the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor, the types of conveyors and types of parts can be reduced, so that the part management cost can be reduced, and the common parts can be mass-produced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
In addition, since the carrier has a structure in which the trolley sandwiches the left and right rails with a pair of upper and lower wheels, the carrier is railed on the first path part, the second path part, the relay path part, and the delivery rail device. In addition, the transported object supported above the trolley is less likely to fall down in the left-right direction and is stable, so that traveling stability is improved.

  Here, in a preferred embodiment, the direction of the relay path portion is substantially vertical (claim 2).

  According to such a configuration, since the direction of the relay route portion between the first route portion and the second route portion, which is the route portion that rises or descends, is substantially vertical, it is excellent in space saving, so the production line The space efficiency can be further improved.

  In a more preferred embodiment, the first path part and the second path part include a horizontal curved path (Claim 3).

  According to such a configuration, the route direction can be changed in the plane by the horizontal curved route, so the degree of freedom in route design of the first route portion and the second route portion is increased.

  Furthermore, the trolley is a further preferred embodiment in which a front trolley and a rear trolley separated in the front-rear direction are connected so as to be independently rotatable around a vertical rotation shaft (claim 4). ).

  According to such a configuration, the trolley can be rotated in accordance with the horizontal curved rail of the horizontal curved path, so that the carrier can smoothly travel along the horizontal curved path and the radius of curvature of the horizontal curved path can be reduced. .

  Furthermore, the carrier is supported by the left and right rails and passed to the downstream path from the upstream path to the intermediate path of at least one of the first path part and the second path part. It is a further preferred embodiment that includes a delivery rail device that rotates (claim 5).

  According to such a configuration, the floor conveyor or overhead conveyor on the upstream side of the delivery rail device that rotates around the longitudinal axis can be easily changed to the overhead conveyor or floor conveyor on the downstream side of the delivery rail device. The degree of freedom in route design is further increased.

Further, at least one of the first path portion and the second path portion includes a plane path that can move in a plane in a horizontal plane,
More preferably, the intermediate path in the planar path is provided with a delivery rail device that rotates around the vertical axis and supports the carrier with the left and right rails from the upstream path to the downstream path. This is an embodiment (claim 6).

  According to such a configuration, the path direction on the upstream side of the delivery rail device that rotates about the vertical axis can be easily changed on the downstream side, and for example, a branch path or a merge path can be formed. The degree becomes even higher.

  Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the carrier is driven by pressing a friction roller of a friction roller type driving device against a driving surface provided on the carrier.

According to such a configuration, since the carrier is driven by pressing the rotating friction roller against the driving surface of the carrier, the first delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device that rotate around the left-right axis, the front-rear direction In the delivery rail device that rotates around the axis, or in the delivery rail device that rotates around the vertical axis, the carrier driving and the drive control in other delivery paths are simplified.
In addition, since the carrier is driven by pressing the rotating friction roller against the driving surface of the carrier using the friction roller type driving device, the chain is not used like the chain type driving device. Noise can be suppressed.

Furthermore, a predetermined section when the carrier moves along the first path section, a predetermined section when the carrier moves along the second path section, and a predetermined section when the carrier moves down the relay path section. In the flick roller type driving device arranged in at least one predetermined section of the section,
In a more preferred embodiment, the distance between the friction rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction is longer than the length of the drive surface in the transport direction (Claim 8).

  According to such a configuration, since the number of drive devices can be reduced, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and the maintenance cost while being excellent in energy saving.

  Further, it is a more preferable embodiment that the protection member covers the left and right sides of the route in which the work in the transport route is not performed (claim 9).

  According to such a configuration, since the worker cannot enter the transport path at the place covered with the protective member, safety can be improved.

  Furthermore, it is a further preferred embodiment in which the conveyor path is formed by connecting conveyor units manufactured for each appropriate length in the conveying direction (claim 10).

  According to such a configuration, the installation work of the conveyor device is facilitated, and in the event of a failure, it can be restored by replacing the failed conveyor unit, so that the average restoration time can be shortened.

As described above, according to the conveyor device according to the present invention, in the conveyor device that transports the carrier supported by the conveyor rail along the transport path including the path portion having the height difference, the following effects are mainly provided. Play.
(1) The carrier passing between the first path part and the relay path part and between the second path part and the relay path part is supported around the carrier by the left and right rails. This can be reliably performed by the one delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device.
(2) Since the first delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device are used, there is no inconvenience that the transport cycle time becomes longer as in the configuration including the drop lifter.
(3) With the configuration including the delivery rail device, it is not necessary to consider the interference between the carrier and the conveyor rail, so that the space efficiency of the production line can be improved.
(4) When the carrier is delivered from the relay route portion to the higher one of the first route portion and the second route portion, the turning direction of the delivery rail device that turns around the left-right axis is changed. By this, since the form of the conveyor at the time of delivering a carrier can be changed to a floor conveyor or an overhead conveyor, the freedom degree in route design becomes higher.
(5) Since a common carrier can be used for the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor, the types of conveyors and the types of parts can be reduced, so that the parts management cost can be reduced and the common parts can be mass-produced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
(6) Since the carrier has a structure in which the trolley sandwiches the left and right rails between a pair of upper and lower wheels, the carrier does not fall off from the rails, and the conveyed object supported above the trolley is less likely to fall in the left-right direction. Since it is stable, the running stability becomes high.

It is a schematic front view of the conveyor apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Similarly, it is a schematic plan view. It is the figure which looked at an example of the conveyor unit from back. It is a perspective view of the carrier and conveyor rail which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional front view of the conveyor unit containing the 1st delivery rail apparatus rotated around a left-right direction axis | shaft, The state which delivered the carrier to the said 1st delivery rail apparatus is shown. Similarly it is the figure seen from back. It is a partial longitudinal cross-section front view which shows the state which driven the said 1st delivery rail apparatus and the right and left rail which supported the carrier was made vertical. It is a partial longitudinal cross-section front view of the conveyor unit containing the 2nd delivery rail apparatus rotated about the left-right direction axis | shaft, and has shown the state which delivered the carrier to said 2nd delivery rail apparatus. It is a partial longitudinal cross-section front view which shows the state which driven the said 2nd delivery rail apparatus, and made the right and left rail which supported the carrier horizontal and made it the overhead conveyor. Similarly it is the figure seen from back. It is a partial longitudinal cross-section front view which shows the state which driven the said 2nd delivery rail apparatus and left and right rail which supported the carrier was leveled, and was made into the floor conveyor. It is the principal part enlarged plan view around the pusher installed in the horizontal curved path part, (a) is the state immediately before driving the front trolley of the carrier with the pressing piece of the oscillating body, and (b) is the pressing piece. A state after the front trolley is pushed and driven is shown. It is a principal part enlarged plan view similarly, (a) is the state which pushes and drives the back trolley of a carrier with the pressing piece of an oscillating body, (b) is the state after driving the back trolley with the pressing piece. Is shown. It is the figure which looked at the state which pushes and drives the back trolley of a carrier with the pressing piece of the rocking body of a pusher from back. It is a partial longitudinal cross-section schematic front view around a conveyor unit including a delivery rail device that rotates around a longitudinal axis. It is a partial cross-sectional top view of the conveyor unit containing the delivery rail apparatus rotated around the front-back direction axis | shaft. It is the fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at the conveyor unit containing the said delivery rail apparatus from back. It is the fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the back which shows the state which turned the right and left rail which supported the carrier by driving the said delivery rail apparatus 180 degree | times around the front-back direction axis | shaft, and was the overhead conveyor from the floor conveyor. It is a schematic plan view around a conveyor unit including a delivery rail device that rotates about a vertical axis. It is a schematic plan view of the conveyor unit. It is also a front view. It is a schematic front view which shows the structural example of the conveyor apparatus provided with three steps | paragraphs of the horizontal direction planar path | route.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the present specification, front, rear, left and right are defined in the transport direction (see arrow F in the figure) with reference to the state in which the carrier 2 is traveling on the horizontal plane paths P1, P2.
Note that the vertical direction is defined in the above-mentioned reference when the condition indicating the vertical direction is not specified for the vertical direction.

<Conveyor device>
As shown in the schematic front view of FIG. 1 and the schematic plan view of FIG. 2, the conveyor apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention moves a carrier 2 supporting a transported object (not shown) along a predetermined transport path 10. The carrier 2 is driven by bringing the friction roller FR of the friction roller type driving device D into pressure contact with the driving surface (refer to the driving surface E in FIGS. 3 and 4) provided on the carrier 2.
By connecting the conveyor units U, U,... Manufactured at appropriate lengths in the conveying direction F to form the conveying path 10, the installation work of the conveyor device 1 is facilitated, and in the event of a failure, the failure location Since it can be recovered by exchanging the conveyor unit U, the average recovery time (MTTR) can be shortened.

Since the conveyance path 10 includes the first path part 11 at the low position and the second path part 12 at the high position, there is a height difference.
Between the 1st path | route part 11 and the 2nd path | route part 12, the relay path | route part 13 which is a path | route part which rises or descends substantially perpendicularly is provided.
The first path portion 11 that is a plane path P1 that can be moved in a horizontal plane and the second path section 12 that is a plane path P2 that can be moved in a horizontal plane are horizontal curved path portions 14 and 14. , ...

A conveyor rail CR having rails R and R on the left and right sides is laid on the first route portion 11, the second route portion 12, and the relay route portion 13.
As shown in the rear view of FIG. 3 and the perspective view of FIG. 4, the conveyor rail CR is provided with left and right circular rails R supported by a yoke 9 and separated in the left-right direction. The distance between the rails R and R is preferably about 50 cm to 1 m, for example.

Between the 1st path | route part 11 and the relay path | route part 13, it equips with the 1st delivery rail apparatus A1 rotated around the left-right direction axis | shaft H1, and between the 2nd path | route part 12 and the relay path | route part 13, the left-right direction axis | shaft H2 is provided. A second delivery rail device A2 that rotates around is provided.
A midway path of the second path portion 12 includes a delivery rail device B that rotates about a front-rear direction axis (see the front-rear direction axis H3 in FIGS. 17 and 18).
The conveyor device 1 changes the form of the conveyor when delivering the carrier 2 by changing the rotation direction of the second delivery rail device A2 when delivering the carrier 2 from the relay route portion 13 to the second route portion 12. It can be changed to a conveyor FC (FIG. 11) or an overhead conveyor OC (FIG. 9).
Further, the conveyor device 1 can change the floor conveyor FC (FIG. 17) or the overhead conveyor OC on the upstream side by the delivery rail device B to the overhead conveyor OC (FIG. 18) or the floor conveyor FC on the downstream side of the delivery rail device B. .

<Career>
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 4, the carrier 2 includes a trolley 3 having a pair of upper and lower wheels 5 and 5 that sandwich the rail R from above and below, and a cover 8.
The trolley 3 is formed by connecting a front trolley 3A and a rear trolley 3B separated from each other by a connecting bar 4, and the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B rotate independently around the rotary shafts 6A and 6B in the vertical direction. .

When the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B are floor conveyors FC, the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B are formed in a reverse U-shape when viewed from the front or rear, which includes a horizontal portion extending in the left-right direction and a hanging portion depending from the left and right of the horizontal portion It is arranged so as to straddle the left and right rails R, R.
Wheels 5 and 5 that rotate about the left and right rotation shafts 7A and 7A are provided above and below the left and right hanging parts of the front trolley 3A, and left and right of the hanging parts on the left and right of the rear trolley 3B. Wheels 5 and 5 rotating around the rotation shafts 7B and 7B are provided.
The wheel 5 is a drum-shaped wheel having an arcuate groove 5A that engages with the rail R having a circular cross section on the outer peripheral surface, and the upper and lower wheels 5 and 5 sandwich the rail R from above and below.
The wheel 5 may be a so-called angle wheel in which a V groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface instead of the drum wheel.

<First delivery rail device that rotates around the horizontal axis>
As shown in the schematic front view of FIG. 1, the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. 5, the rear view of FIG. 6, and the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. The first delivery rail device A1 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the first path part 11 and the relay path part 13 by the left and right rails RA1 and RA1.
The first delivery rail device A1 causes the rails RA1 and RA1 supported by the frame body 17 via the support member 19 by rotating the frame body 17 about the left and right axis H1 by the driving device MA1 (FIG. 6). It is rotated around the horizontal axis H1 and includes a balance weight 15.

The carrier 2 is moved from the first path portion 11 onto the first delivery rail device A1 and stopped. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rail RA1 is sandwiched between the wheels 5 and 5 of the carrier 2, and the carrier 2 is supported by the left and right rails RA1 and RA1.
The drive device MA1 is driven to rotate the left and right rails RA1 and RA1 by 90 ° around the left and right axis H1 as indicated by the arrows in FIG. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the left and right rails RA <b> 1 and RA <b> 1 become vertical and are connected to the left and right rails R and R of the conveyor rail CR of the relay path unit 13.
In this state, the friction roller FR of the friction roller type driving device D shown in FIG. 7 is kept stopped by the brake device, so that the carrier 2 in which the friction roller FR is pressed against the driving surface E does not fall.
In this state, by driving the friction roller type driving device D and rotating the friction roller FR, the carrier 2 can be raised and transferred to the relay path portion 13 (FIG. 1).
In the above operation, the left and right friction rollers FR, FR installed in the first delivery rail device A1 function as a substitute for the stopper when the left and right rails RA1, RA1 supporting the carrier 2 rotate. Therefore, the friction roller FR, FR also serves as a stopper function during carrier delivery operation using a stopper with a drop lifter or the like, so that the configuration and control of the apparatus are simplified.

<Second delivery rail device that rotates around the horizontal axis>
As shown in the schematic front view of FIG. 1, the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. 8, the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. 9, the rear view of FIG. 10, and the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. The second delivery rail device A2 that rotates about the left-right axis H2 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the second path portion 12 and the relay path portion 13 with the left and right rails RA2 and RA2.
The second delivery rail device A2 causes the rails RA2 and RA2 supported by the frame body 18 via the support member 20 by rotating the frame body 18 about the left-right axis H2 by the driving device MA2 (FIG. 10). It rotates around the left and right axis H2 and includes balance weights 16,16.

The second delivery rail device A2 is driven to make the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 vertical, thereby connecting to the left and right rails R and R of the conveyor rail CR of the relay path portion 13.
Next, the carrier 2 is moved from the relay path part 13 onto the second delivery rail device A2 and stopped as shown in FIG. In this state, the friction roller FR of the friction roller type driving device D in FIG. 8 is held in a stopped state by the brake device, so that the carrier 2 in which the friction roller FR is pressed against the driving surface E does not fall.
In this state, when the drive device MA2 (FIG. 10) is driven and the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 are rotated by 90 ° around the left and right axis H2 as shown by the arrow I in FIG. Thus, the carrier 2 for the overhead conveyor OC is obtained.
Further, when the drive device MA2 (FIG. 10) is driven and the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 are rotated by 90 ° around the left and right axis H2 as shown by the arrow J in FIG. 8, the floor conveyor FC is formed as shown in FIG. It becomes carrier 2 for.
Then, the carrier 2 can be delivered to the second path portion 12 (FIG. 1) by driving the friction roller type driving device D of the second delivery rail device A2 to rotate the friction roller FR.

<Drive device in horizontal curved path>
2 is a schematic plan view, FIG. 12 (a) and FIG. 12 (b) are enlarged views of main parts, FIG. 13 (a) and FIG. As shown in the figure, in the horizontal curved path 14, the carrier 2 is moved by the pushing drive by the pusher K.
The pusher K includes pressing pieces 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B at the tip of a swinging body 21 having a substantially fan shape in a plan view that is driven to swing around a vertical swinging axis N.

A case where the carrier 2 is transported in the transport direction F shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B and FIGS. 13A and 13B will be described.
The carrier 2 enters the horizontal curved path 14 by being driven by the friction roller type driving device D as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12B, the carrier 2 is driven by the pressing piece 22A of the oscillating body 21 of the pusher K so as to push back the drooping portion of the front trolley 3A of the carrier 2 so that the carrier 2 has a horizontal curved path 14. To move.
As shown in FIGS. 12 (b) to 13 (a) and 13 (b), the carrier 2 is driven by pushing the hanging portion of the rear trolley 3B of the carrier 2 by the pressing piece 22B of the rocking body 21 of the pusher K. 2 passes through a horizontal curved path 14.
The carrier 2 can be reliably conveyed along the horizontal curved path 14 by the pusher K having such a simple structure.

<Delivery rail device that rotates around the longitudinal axis>
As shown in the schematic plan view of FIG. 2, the partial vertical cross-sectional schematic front view of FIG. 15, the partial cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 16, and the partial vertical cross-sectional views seen from the rear of FIGS. (FIGS. 17 and 18) The delivery rail device B that rotates around supports and transfers the carrier 2 with the left and right rails RB, RB from the upstream side path to the downstream side path. Is located at the midpoint of the line segment connecting the centers of the left and right rails RB, RB (FIGS. 17 and 18).
By the delivery rail device B that rotates around the longitudinal axis H3, the upstream floor conveyor or overhead conveyor can be changed to the overhead conveyor or floor conveyor on the downstream side.

The delivery rail device B is a rail RB, RB supported by the rotating body 23 via the support member 25 by rotating the rotating body 23 about the longitudinal axis H3 by the driving device MB (FIGS. 16 to 18). Is rotated around the longitudinal axis H3.
The rotating body 23 is guided by guide rollers 24, 24,... So as to be rotatable about the front-rear direction axis H3, and is rotated by pressing the friction roller 26 of the driving device MB against the cylindrical surface 23A of the rotating body 23. The body 23 is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 15, on the left and right rails RB and RB of the delivery rail device B, the carrier 2 for the floor conveyor FC is connected to the left and right rails R and R of the conveyor rail CR on the upstream side of the delivery rail device B. To stop as shown in FIGS.
In this state, if the driving device MB (FIGS. 16 and 17) is driven and the left and right rails RB and RB are rotated by 180 ° around the longitudinal axis H3, the carrier for the overhead conveyor OC as shown in FIG. 2
In this state, the carrier 2 is driven by the friction roller type driving device D shown in FIG. 18 and delivered to the overhead conveyor OC on the downstream side shown in FIG.

<Delivery rail device rotating around the vertical axis>
As shown in the schematic plan views of FIGS. 19 and 20 and the front view of FIG. 21, the delivery rail device C1 that rotates about the vertical axis V1 has the left and right rails RC1, RC1 from the upstream path to the downstream path. RC1 supports and transfers the carrier 2.
Further, the delivery rail device C2 that rotates about the vertical axis V2 shown in FIG. 19 supports and delivers the carrier 2 from the upstream path to the downstream path by the left and right rails RC2 and RC2.

The delivery rail device C1 causes the rails RC1 and RC1 supported by the support member 28 connected to the disc 27 by rotating the disc 27 about the vertical axis V1 by the drive device MC1 (FIGS. 19 to 21). Rotate around the vertical axis V1.
The disk 27 is supported by a support member 28 so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis V1, and the disk 27 is rotated by pressing the friction roller 29 of the driving device MC1 against the outer peripheral surface 27A of the disk 27.
The delivery rail device C2 has the same structure as the delivery rail device C1, and is rotated by the support member 28 connected to the disk 27 by rotating the disk 27 around the vertical axis V2 by the drive device MC2 (FIG. 19). The supported rails RC2 and RC2 are rotated around the vertical axis V2.

As shown in FIG. 19, with the left and right rails RC1 and RC1 of the delivery rail device C1 connected to the left and right rails R and R of the upstream conveyor rail CR, the carrier 2 is moved onto the left and right rails RC1 and RC1. To stop as shown in FIG.
In this state, the drive device MC1 is driven to rotate the left and right rails RC1, RC1 and the carrier 2 by 90 ° as indicated by arrows in FIG. 20, and the left and right rails RC1, RC1 are moved to the left and right rails of the branch-side conveyor rail CRB. Connect to R, R.
In this state, the carrier 2 is transferred to the branch-side conveyor rail CRB by a friction roller type driving device (not shown), and the carrier 2 is moved in the lateral direction T by a friction roller type driving device (not shown).

The drive rail device C2 is driven by the drive device MC2 shown in FIG. 19 to rotate the rails RC2 and RC2 by 90 ° around the vertical axis V2, and the left and right rails RC2 and RC2 are moved to the left and right rails R of the merging-side conveyor rail CRJ. , R.
In this state, the carrier 2 (not shown) that has moved in the lateral direction T is driven by a friction roller type drive device (not shown), and moved and stopped on the left and right rails RC2 and RC2 of the delivery rail device C2.
In this state, the delivery rail device C2 is driven by the drive device MC2 to rotate the rails RC2, RC2 and the carrier 2 by 90 ° around the vertical axis V2, and the left and right rails RC2, RC2 are moved to the left and right rails of the conveyor rail CR. Connect to R, R.
In this state, the carrier 2 is delivered to the downstream conveyor rail CR by a friction roller type driving device (not shown).

<Arrangement example of flicker roller type drive device>
In the example of the transport path 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2, a predetermined section when the carrier 2 moves through the first path section 11, a predetermined section when the carrier 2 moves through the second path section 12, and a relay path section. In the friction roller type driving devices D, D,... Disposed in at least one of the predetermined sections when the carrier 2 descends, the interval L between the friction rollers FR, FR adjacent in the transport direction F is set to The length of the drive surface E shown in FIG.
Thereby, since the number of drive devices can be reduced, it is excellent in energy saving, and manufacturing cost and maintenance cost can be reduced.

<Protective member>
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 11, the portions covered with the protective members G and G are covered with the protective members G and G, which are transparent acrylic plates, for example, on the left and right sides of the route in which the work in the conveying route 10 is not performed. Then, since an operator cannot enter into a conveyance route, safety can be improved.

<Operational Effect of Conveyor Device According to Embodiment of the Present Invention>
According to the conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, delivery of the carrier 2 between the first path portion 11 and the relay path portion 13 is supported by the left and right rails RA1 and RA1. The delivery is performed by the first delivery rail device A1 that rotates about the left and right axis H1, and the delivery of the carrier 2 between the second route portion 12 and the relay route portion 13 is performed by the left and right rails RA2 and RA2. Since the second delivery rail device A2 that rotates around the left and right axis H2 is supported and delivered, delivery of the carrier 2 can be reliably performed by the delivery rail devices A1 and A2.
In addition, the delivery of the carrier 2 between the first route unit 11 and the relay route unit 13 is performed by the first delivery rail device A1, and the delivery of the carrier 2 between the second route unit 12 and the relay route unit 13 is performed by the second delivery. Since it is performed by the rail device A2, there is no inconvenience that the transport cycle time becomes long as in the configuration including the drop lifter.
In addition, since the configuration including the delivery rail devices A1 and A2 eliminates the need to consider interference between the carrier 2 and the conveyor rail CR, the degree of freedom in route design increases and the conveyor device 1 saves space. Become. Therefore, the space efficiency of the production line can be improved.

In addition, when the carrier 2 is delivered from the relay path part 13 by the second delivery rail apparatus A2 that rotates about the left-right axis H2 to the second path part 12 at the high position, the second delivery rail apparatus A2 By changing the rotation direction, the form of the conveyor when delivering the carrier 2 can be changed to the floor conveyor FC or the overhead conveyor OC, so that the degree of freedom in route design becomes higher.
Furthermore, since the common carrier 2 can be used in the floor conveyor FC and the overhead conveyor OC, the types of conveyors and the types of parts can be reduced, so that the part management cost can be reduced and the common parts can be mass-produced to reduce the manufacturing cost. it can.
In addition, since the carrier 2 has a structure in which the trolley 3 sandwiches the left and right rails between a pair of upper and lower wheels 5, 5, the first path part 11, the second path part 12, the relay path part 13, and the delivery rail On the devices A1 and A2, the carrier 2 does not fall off from the rails, and the transported object supported above the trolley 3 is stable against falling down in the left-right direction, so that traveling stability is improved.

Moreover, since the direction of the relay path part 13 between the first path part 11 and the second path part 12, which is the path part that rises or descends, is substantially vertical, the space efficiency of the production line is excellent because of excellent space saving. Can be further improved.
Further, since the first path portion 11 and the second path portion 12 include the horizontal curved path 14, 14,..., The path direction can be changed in the plane by the horizontal curved path 14, so that the first path section 11 and The degree of freedom in route design of the second route portion 12 is increased.
Furthermore, since the trolley 3 of the carrier 2 is formed by connecting the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B separated in the front-rear direction so as to be independently rotatable around the rotary shafts 6A, 6B in the vertical direction. Since the trolley 3 can be rotated in accordance with the horizontal curved rail of the horizontal curved path 14, the carrier 2 can smoothly travel on the horizontal curved path section 14, and the curvature radius of the horizontal curved path 14 can be reduced.

In addition, the second path portion 12 is provided with a delivery rail device B that rotates around the front-rear direction axis H3 that supports and delivers the carrier 2 with the left and right rails RB, RB from the upstream path to the downstream path. Therefore, the floor conveyor FC or the overhead conveyor OC on the upstream side of the delivery rail device B rotating around the longitudinal axis H3 can be easily changed to the overhead conveyor OC or the floor conveyor FC on the downstream side of the delivery rail device B. Therefore, the degree of freedom in route design is further increased.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, the carrier 2 is supported by the left and right rails RC1 and RC1 and transferred around the vertical axis V1 from the upstream path to the downstream path in the middle of the plane path. In the configuration including the delivery rail device C1 and the delivery rail device C2 that rotates around the vertical axis V2 and supports the carrier 2 with the left and right rails RC2 and RC2 from the upstream route to the downstream route. Further, the upstream path direction of the delivery rail devices C1 and C2 rotating around the vertical axes V1 and V2 can be easily changed on the downstream side, and for example, a branch path or a merge path can be formed. Becomes even higher.

Furthermore, the main drive device drives the carrier 2 by pressing the friction roller FR of the friction roller type drive device D against the drive surface E provided on the carrier 2, and the rotating friction roller FR is driven by the carrier. Since the carrier 2 is driven by being in pressure contact with the drive surface E of No. 2, the first delivery rail device A1 and the second delivery rail device A2 that rotate about the left and right direction axes H1 and H2, and the rotation about the front and rear direction axis H3. In the delivery rail device B or the delivery rail devices C1 and C2 that rotate about the vertical axes V1 and V2, the carrier 2 is delivered and the other transport paths are driven, and the configuration and drive control of the carrier 2 are simple. Become.
In addition, since the carrier 2 is driven by pressing the rotating friction roller FR against the driving surface E of the carrier 2 using the friction roller type driving device D, a structure that does not use a chain like the chain type driving device. Therefore, noise can be suppressed.

  In the above description, the configuration including two plane paths P1 and P2 that are spaced apart in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 1 is shown. However, as shown in the schematic front view of FIG. May be configured to include three plane paths P1, P2, and P3 that can move in a plane, and four or more such plane paths may be provided.

The conveyor apparatus 1 in FIG. 22 includes one first delivery rail device A1 and two second delivery rail devices A2. That is, the first delivery rail device A1 that rotates about the left-right axis H1 is provided in the lower plane path P1, and the second delivery rail device A2 that is rotated about the left-right direction axis H2A is provided in the middle-stage plane path P2. The upper plane path P3 includes a second delivery rail device A2 that rotates about the horizontal axis H2B.
The first delivery rail device A1 in the lower planar path P1 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the planar path P1 and the relay path unit 13A with the left and right rails RA1 and RA1.
The second delivery rail device A2 in the upper planar path P3 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the planar path P3 and the relay path unit 13B with the left and right rails RA2 and RA2.
The second delivery rail device A2 for the intermediate plane path P2 supports the carrier 2 with the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 between the plane path P2 and the relay path section 13A, and transfers the relay path section 13A and the relay path section. The carrier 2 is supported and transferred by the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 between 13B.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor apparatus 2 Carrier 3 Trolley 3A Front trolley 3B Rear trolley 4 Connecting bar 5 Wheel 5A Circular groove 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B Rotating shaft 8 Cover 9 Yoke 10 Transport path 11 First path part 12 Second path part 13, 13A , 13B Relay path portion 14 Horizontal curved path portions 15, 16 Balance weights 17, 18 Frame body 19, 20 Support member 21 Oscillator 22A, 22B Press piece 23 Rotating body 23A Cylindrical surface 24 Guide roller 25 Support member 26 Friction roller 27 Disk 27A Outer peripheral surface 28 Support member 29 Friction roller A1 First delivery rail device A2 rotating around the left-right axis Second delivery rail device B turning around the left-right axis Delivery rail device rotating around the front-rear axis C1, C2 Delivery rail device CR that rotates around the vertical axis Conveyor rail CRB Branch-side conveyor rail CRJ Merge-side conveyor rail D Friction roller type drive E Drive surface F Conveying direction FC Floor conveyor FR Friction roller G Protective member H1, H2, H2A, H2B Left-right axis H3 Longitudinal axis I, J Rotation direction K Pusher L Spacing between adjacent friction rollers MA1, MA2, MB, MC1, MC2 Driving device N Vertical swing axis OC Overhead conveyor P1, P2, P3 Planar path R, RA1, RA2, RB, RC1 , RC2 Rail T Horizontal direction U Conveyor unit V1, V2 Vertical axis

Claims (10)

A conveyor device that conveys a carrier supporting a conveyed object along a predetermined conveyance path,
The transport path is
A first path portion and a second path portion having a height difference;
A relay path between the first path and the second path, which is a path that rises or falls;
Including
In the first path part and the second path part, and the relay path part, a conveyor rail provided with rails on the left and right sides is laid.
The carrier includes a trolley having a pair of upper and lower wheels that sandwich the rail from above and below,
A first delivery rail device that rotates around a left-right axis, and supports and delivers the carrier with left and right rails between the first route portion and the relay route portion, and the second route portion and the relay route. A second delivery rail device that rotates around a horizontal axis is provided between the parts, supporting and delivering the carrier with left and right rails,
Conveyor device. The direction of the relay path is substantially vertical;
The conveyor apparatus of Claim 1. The first path portion and the second path portion include a horizontal curved path,
The conveyor apparatus of Claim 1 or 2. The trolley is configured such that a front trolley and a rear trolley separated in the front-rear direction are connected so as to be independently rotatable around a vertical rotation axis.
The conveyor apparatus of Claim 3. Rotate around the front-rear axis, supporting the carrier with left and right rails from the upstream path to the downstream path on at least one of the first path section and the second path section. Comprising a delivery rail device,
The conveyor apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4. At least one of the first path part and the second path part includes a plane path that can move in a plane in a horizontal plane,
The intermediate path in the planar path is provided with a delivery rail device that rotates around a vertical axis, supporting and delivering the carrier with left and right rails from an upstream path to a downstream path.
The conveyor apparatus of any one of Claims 1-5. Driving the carrier by pressing a friction roller of a friction roller type driving device against a driving surface provided on the carrier;
The conveyor apparatus of any one of Claims 1-6. At least a predetermined section when the carrier moves along the first path section, a predetermined section when the carrier moves along the second path section, and a predetermined section when the carrier moves down the relay path section In the flick roller type driving device disposed in any predetermined section,
The distance between the friction rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction is longer than the length of the drive surface in the transport direction.
The conveyor apparatus of Claim 7. Covering the left and right of the route not carrying out the work in the transport route with a protective member,
The conveyor apparatus of any one of Claims 1-8. Conveyor units manufactured for each appropriate length in the transport direction are connected to form the transport path,
The conveyor apparatus of any one of Claims 1-9.

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