JP2019137476A - Support unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a support unit exhibiting excellent operability when transporting and supporting a transported article having heavy weight.SOLUTION: A support unit comprises: a base part 2; a plurality of spheres 3 each capable of supporting a transported article at an upper end; a movable plate 4 having a plurality of through-holes 42 capable of projecting the plurality of spheres 3 and arranged movably between a lower limit position where an upper face 41 is lower than the upper end of each of the plurality of spheres 3 and an upper limit position where the upper face 41 is at or above the upper end of the sphere 3; and driving means 5 for vertically driving the movable plate 4 between the lower limit position and the upper limit position. The driving means 5 comprises a support part attached to the base part 2 to support the movable plate 4 and for vertically moving the movable plate 4 via vertical expansion-contraction by controlling atmospheric pressure; an air cylinder connected to the inside of the support part and for controlling the atmospheric pressure inside the support part via the expansion-contraction; and an operation part 51 for expanding and contracting the air cylinder.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a support unit.

  Conventionally, a support unit has been used to support an object to be conveyed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The support unit of Patent Literature 1 includes a support, a plurality of rolling elements, a placement unit, and a moving unit.

  The plurality of rolling elements are provided on the moving means in a rotatable state. The plurality of rolling elements support the conveyed object at their upper ends. The placement portion is disposed above the plurality of rolling elements and provided on the support. A plurality of through-holes capable of projecting a plurality of rolling elements are provided on the upper surface of the mounting portion. The placement unit supports the object to be transported on its upper surface. The moving means is configured to move the plurality of rolling elements up and down by operating the operation unit.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-067373

  However, in the support unit of Patent Document 1, a plurality of rolling elements are moved upward so that the object to be conveyed can be conveyed. For this reason, when the weight of the conveyed object increases, it is necessary to move the operation unit with a large force when moving the plurality of rolling elements upward. Therefore, when transporting and supporting a heavy object to be transported, there remains a problem in terms of improving the operability of the support unit.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides a support unit having excellent operability when transporting and supporting a heavy object to be transported.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a support unit according to the present invention includes a base, a plurality of rotating bodies that are rotatably provided on the base, and are capable of supporting an object to be conveyed at an upper end, and the plurality of rotating bodies. A plurality of projecting through holes are provided, and the upper surface is disposed so as to be movable between a lower limit position below the upper ends of the plurality of rotating bodies and an upper limit position above the upper ends of the rotating bodies. And a driving means for driving the moving plate up and down between the lower limit position and the upper limit position.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to support the object to be conveyed by raising the moving plate. At this time, the contact area between the moving plate and the transported object is larger than the number of contact areas between the plurality of rotating bodies and the transported object. For this reason, even if the weight of the object to be conveyed increases, the object to be conveyed can be easily supported by the contact between the moving plate and the object to be conveyed. Thereby, when conveying and supporting a heavy object to be conveyed, the operation unit can be moved with a small force as compared with the conventional technique. Therefore, it is possible to provide a support unit that is superior in operability as compared with the prior art.

  The driving means is attached to the base and supports the moving plate, and is connected to the supporting portion and a supporting portion that moves the moving plate up and down by expanding and contracting by controlling the atmospheric pressure. And an air cylinder that controls the air pressure in the support part by extending and contracting, and an operation part that expands and contracts the air cylinder.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to manually move the moving plate up and down with a smaller force. Therefore, it is possible to provide a support unit that is superior in operability as compared with the prior art.

  In addition, the base is a frame formed in a rectangular frame shape, a plurality of first attached members that are arranged in a lattice shape in the frame body, and whose both ends are coupled to the frame, and a plurality of first attached members A plurality of first attached members, and the plurality of first attached members, and the plurality of first attached members; The support portion is attached to the other of the plurality of second attached members.

  According to the present invention, since it is possible to arrange a plurality of rotating bodies in alignment, when the moving plate is located at the lower limit position, the plurality of rotating bodies can stably support the object to be conveyed. Is possible. In addition, since the plurality of support portions can be arranged and arranged, the moving plate can be stably supported by the plurality of support portions. Therefore, the movable plate can stably support the object to be conveyed when it is located at the upper limit position. Therefore, the support unit of the present invention can stably convey and support the object to be conveyed.

  The air cylinder is provided in the frame body along a length direction of one side portion of the frame body, and the operation portion is provided movably along the length direction of the one side portion. It is characterized by being.

  According to this invention, even if it is a case where an operation part is provided in the one side part of a frame, it can suppress that the frame of a support unit becomes thick. Therefore, the support unit of the present invention can be thinned.

  Further, a movable plate side positioning portion is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the movable plate, and the plurality of rotating bodies protrude from the plurality of through holes at positions corresponding to the movable plate side positioning portion of the base portion. As described above, a base side positioning portion for positioning the moving plate is provided.

  According to the present invention, when the moving plate is arranged in the assembly operation of the support unit, the plurality of rotating bodies are easily protruded from the plurality of through holes by combining the base side positioning portion and the moving plate side positioning portion. It becomes possible. Therefore, the support unit of the present invention can improve the workability of the assembly work.

  In addition, the moving plate includes a first moving plate and a second moving plate provided on the upper surface of the first moving plate, and the friction coefficient of the second moving plate is the first moving plate. It is characterized by being set higher than the friction coefficient of the plate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the coefficient of friction between the moving plate and the object to be transported as compared with the case where the moving plate is formed of only the first moving plate (single plate). Therefore, the support unit of the present invention can stably support the object to be conveyed when the object to be conveyed is supported by the moving plate.

  Further, the plurality of rotating bodies are provided inside the base portion, and an auxiliary rotating body is provided in a rotatable state on an upper surface of an outer peripheral portion of the base portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to move a transported object by bringing the transported object into contact with the auxiliary rotating body when placing the transported object on the support unit or unloading the transported object from the support unit. Become. Therefore, the support unit of the present invention can improve the transport workability of the transported object.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to support the object to be conveyed by raising the moving plate. At this time, the contact area between the moving plate and the transported object is larger than the number of contact areas between the plurality of rotating bodies and the transported object. For this reason, even if the weight of the object to be conveyed increases, the object to be conveyed can be easily supported by the contact between the moving plate and the object to be conveyed. Thereby, when conveying and supporting a heavy object to be conveyed, the operation unit can be moved with a small force as compared with the conventional technique. Therefore, it is possible to provide a support unit that is superior in operability as compared with the prior art.

It is a perspective view of the support unit of a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of a support unit. It is a figure which shows the moving range of a moving board. It is a top view of the state which removed the moving plate from the support unit shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of a ball transfer. It is a side view of the trolley | bogie in which the support unit is installed. It is explanatory drawing of the other usage example of a support unit. It is a perspective view of the support unit of 2nd embodiment.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to configurations having substantially the same or similar functions. And those overlapping descriptions may be omitted.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a support unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the support unit.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the support unit.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support unit 1 includes a base 2, a plurality of spheres 3, a moving plate 4, and driving means 5. 1 and the subsequent drawings, the front is defined as an arrow F, the left as an arrow L, and the upper as an arrow U.

  The base 2 includes a frame body 21. The frame body 21 is formed in a rectangular frame shape. The plurality of spheres 3 are entirely disposed within the frame body 21. A plurality of base-side positioning portions 20 are provided on the upper portion of the inner peripheral surface 29 of the frame body 21. Specifically, the plurality of base-side positioning portions 20 are respectively provided on the upper portion of the inner peripheral surface 29 of the front side portion 211 of the frame body 21, the upper portion of the inner peripheral surface 29 of the left side portion 212, and the upper portion of the inner peripheral surface 29 of the right side portion 213. Is provided. Each base-side positioning portion 20 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface 29 toward the inside of the frame body 21. Each base side positioning portion 20 is formed in a rectangular shape.

  A long hole 28 is provided through the outer peripheral surface 215 of the rear side portion 214 of the frame body 21. The long hole 28 is disposed in the right half of the outer peripheral surface 215. The long hole 28 is formed to extend in the length direction of the outer peripheral surface 215.

  The plurality of spheres 3 are formed in a spherical shape. The plurality of spheres 3 are arranged in parallel in the front-rear and left-right directions of the frame body 21 in the frame body 21. The plurality of spheres 3 are formed so as to be able to support the transported object 100 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) at the upper end 39. The plurality of spheres 3 are arranged to be rotatable in all directions (arbitrary directions).

  The moving plate 4 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape. The moving plate 4 is disposed so as to cover the inside of the frame body 21. The moving plate 4 is formed to be able to support the object to be transported 100 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) on its upper surface 41. A plurality of through holes 42 are provided on the upper surface 41 of the moving plate 4. The plurality of through holes 42 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of spheres 3. The spherical body 3 protrudes from each through hole 42. The moving plate 4 is arranged to be movable up and down.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a moving range of the moving plate. In FIG. 4, a solid line indicates when the moving plate 4 is at the lower limit position A, and a two-dot chain line indicates when the moving plate 4 is at the upper limit position B.
The moving plate 4 is arranged to be movable up and down so that the upper surface 41 of the moving plate 4 moves between the lower limit position A and the upper limit position B. The lower limit position A is set below the upper ends 39 of the plurality of spheres 3. The upper limit position B is set at the same height position as the upper ends 39 of the plurality of spheres 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of movable plate side positioning portions 40 are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the movable plate 4. The plurality of moving plate side positioning portions 40 are provided at positions corresponding to the base side positioning portion 20 on the outer periphery of the moving plate 4. Specifically, the plurality of moving plate side positioning portions 40 are provided on the front side portion 411, the left side portion 412, and the right side portion 413 of the moving plate 4, respectively. Each moving plate-side positioning portion 40 is recessed from the outer periphery of the moving plate 4 toward the inside. Each moving plate side positioning portion 40 is formed in a concave shape in plan view. In each moving plate side positioning portion 40, the base side positioning portion 20 is arranged. The base side positioning unit 20 and the moving plate side positioning unit 40 position the moving plate 4 so that the plurality of spheres 3 protrude from the plurality of through holes 42.

The drive means 5 moves the moving plate 4 up and down between the lower limit position A and the upper limit position B manually. The drive unit 5 includes an operation unit 51 for performing manual operation.
The operation unit 51 includes a connection unit 511 and an operation lever 512.
The connecting portion 511 is disposed in the long hole 28 of the frame body 21. The connecting portion 511 is connected to a rod 532 (see FIG. 4) of the air cylinder 53 described later. The operation lever 512 is formed in a rod shape. One end of the operation lever 512 is coupled to the connection portion 511. The operation lever 512 is disposed outside the long hole 28. The operation unit 51 is configured to hold the operation lever 512 and move along the elongated hole 28. The drive unit 5 moves the moving plate 4 up and down between the lower limit position A and the upper limit position B by the operation unit 51 moving along the long hole 28.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drive unit 5 has the movable plate 4 disposed at the lower limit position A when the operation unit 51 is located at the right end (initial position) of the long hole 28. When the operation unit 51 moves from the initial position of the elongated hole 28 to the left end (predetermined position), the driving unit 5 moves the moving plate 4 upward from the lower limit position A and arranges it at the upper limit position B. When the operation unit 51 moves from a predetermined position of the elongated hole 28 to the initial position, the driving unit 5 moves the moving plate 4 from the upper limit position B to the lower limit position A.

The support unit 1 is provided with a lock unit 6 that fixes the operation unit 51 at a predetermined position. The lock unit 6 includes a locked portion 61 and a locking portion 62.
The locked portion 61 is provided in the vicinity of the connection portion 511 of the operation portion 51. The locked portion 61 is formed in a plate shape. The to-be-latched part 61 is formed outside the long hole 28.
The locking portion 62 is disposed to face a predetermined position of the long hole 28. The left side portion of the locking portion 62 is attached to the frame body 21 via the lock releasing portion 7. The right side portion of the locking portion 62 is formed so that the locked portion 61 can be locked. When the operation unit 51 is positioned at a predetermined position, the lock unit 6 fixes the operation unit 51 at a predetermined position by the locked portion 61 being locked to the right side portion of the locking portion 62.

  The lock release unit 7 releases the fixed state of the operation unit 51 fixed at a predetermined position by the lock unit 6. The lock release unit 7 includes a release operation unit 71. The lock release unit 7 presses the release operation unit 71 to release the locked state between the locked portion 61 and the lock portion 62 and release the fixed state of the operation portion 51.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the moving plate is removed from the support unit shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the base 2 includes the frame body 21, a plurality of first attached members 22, a plurality of second attached members 23, and a third attached member 24.

  The plurality of first attached members 22 are formed in a bar shape. The plurality of first attached members 22 extend in the front-rear direction of the frame body 21. The plurality of first attached members 22 are arranged in the frame 21 so as to be separated from each other in the left-right direction. Both end portions of the plurality of first attached members 22 are coupled to the front side portion 211 and the rear side portion 214 of the frame body 21.

  The plurality of second attached members 23 are formed in a bar shape. The plurality of second attached members 23 extend in the left-right direction. The plurality of second attached members 23 are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction in the frame body 21. The plurality of second attached members 23 are arranged so as to intersect with the plurality of first attached members 22 in a lattice shape. Both end portions of the plurality of first attached members 22 are coupled to the left side portion 212 and the right side portion 213 of the frame body 21.

  The third attached member 24 is formed in a rod shape. The third attached member 24 is disposed so as to intersect with the plurality of first attached members 22 other than the leftmost first attached member 22. Both end portions of the third attached member 24 are coupled to the first attached member 22 and the right side portion 213 of the frame body 21.

  A plurality of ball transfers 30 are attached to the upper surfaces of the plurality of second attached members 23 at predetermined intervals. The ball transfer 30 is disposed on both sides in the left-right direction on the upper surface of each second mounted member 23 with the first mounted member 22 interposed therebetween. Each ball transfer 30 is provided with the sphere 3 described above.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the ball transfer.
Here, the configuration of the ball transfer 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
The ball transfer 30 includes a pedestal 31, a main body part 32 having a quadrangular cross section protruding upward from the pedestal 31, and a plurality of semicircular arc-shaped concave parts 33 opening above the main body part 32. The small sphere 34 and the sphere 3 which is one large sphere accommodated in the recess 33 and rotatably supported by the plurality of small spheres 34 are provided.

The upper end 39 of the sphere 3 protrudes upward from the main body portion 32. The pedestal 31 is provided with mounting holes 35 located at both ends and mounting screws 36 extending downward from the center of the pedestal 31.
The ball transfer 30 is attached to the upper surface of the second attached member 23 by inserting a screw (not shown in FIG. 5) through the attachment hole 35. Further, the ball transfer 30 is attached to the upper surface of the second attached member 23 with an attachment screw 36.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of support portions 52 are entirely attached to the upper surfaces of the plurality of first attached members 22 and the upper surface of the third attached member 24. The plurality of support portions 52 support the moving plate 4. The arrangement position of the support part 52 will be specifically described.
The support part 52 is arrange | positioned at one front part and the rear part of the adjacent 1st to-be-attached members 22 and 22. FIG. A part of the support portion 52 disposed at the rear portion of the first attached member 22 is attached to the third attached member 24. Furthermore, the support part 52 is spaced apart from the other intermediate part of the adjacent first attached members 22, 22. The support portion 52 is disposed between the adjacent second attached members 23 and 23.

  As described above, the driving unit 5 manually moves the moving plate 4 between the lower limit position A and the upper limit position B up and down. The drive unit 5 includes an operation unit 51, a plurality of support units 52, and an air cylinder 53.

The support portion 52 is vertically expanded and contracted to move the movable plate 4 up and down by supplying air to the inside and controlling the internal air pressure.
The support part 52 includes a supplied part 521 and a support part main body 522. The supplied portion 521 is attached to the upper surface of the first attached member 22. The supplied portion 521 is formed so that air is supplied to the inside thereof.

  The support portion main body 522 is provided on the upper surface of the supplied portion 521. The support body 522 supports the moving plate 4. The support portion main body 522 is connected to the inside of the supplied portion 521. The support portion main body 522 moves up and down by controlling the air pressure of the air supplied into the supplied portion 521. When a predetermined amount of air is supplied to the supply target portion 521 while the support portion main body 522 is positioned at the initial position, the support portion main body 522 moves to a predetermined upper position. When a predetermined amount of air is discharged from the supplied portion 521 while the support portion main body 522 is positioned at a predetermined position, the support portion main body 522 moves to the initial position.

  The air cylinder 53 is formed to be manually extendable and contractible. The air cylinder 53 is connected to the inside of the support part 52 (inside the supplied part 521) via the connection pipe 54. The air cylinder 53 controls the air pressure in the support part 52 (in the supplied part 521) by manually expanding and contracting. The air cylinder 53 supplies a predetermined amount of air into the support portion 52 when the air cylinder 53 is maximally contracted from the fully extended state. The air cylinder 53 discharges a predetermined amount of air from the support portion 52 when the air cylinder 53 is extended to the maximum from the state where it is maximally contracted. The air cylinder 53 is disposed in the frame body 21 along the length direction of the rear side portion 214. The air cylinder 53 includes a cylinder 531, a rod 532, and a piston (not shown).

  The cylinder 531 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The tip of the cylinder 531 is closed. The cylinder 531 is disposed along the left half portion of the rear side portion 214 of the frame body 21. The distal end portion of the cylinder 531 is connected to the supplied portion 521 of each support portion 52 through the connection pipe 54.

The rod 532 is disposed along the rear side portion 214 of the frame body 21. The rod 532 is disposed along the long hole 28 (see FIG. 1) of the rear side portion 214 of the frame body 21. The distal end side of the rod 532 is inserted and arranged from the proximal end side of the cylinder 531.
The piston is coupled to the tip of the rod 532. The piston is fitted in the cylinder 531. The piston is formed so as to be movable in the length direction of the rod 532 (the expansion and contraction direction of the air cylinder 53).

  The operation unit 51 is connected to the air cylinder 53. The operation unit 51 is configured to manually expand and contract the air cylinder 53. More specifically, the operation unit 51 includes a connecting portion 511 (see FIG. 1) coupled to a proximal end portion of the rod 532 through a long hole 28 (see FIG. 1) in the rear side portion 214 of the frame body 21. Yes. The operation portion 51 is configured to extend the air cylinder 53 by moving the rod 532 by grasping the operation lever 512 and moving along the length direction of the rear side portion 214 (the long hole 28). .

  Next, a method for moving the moving plate 4 by the driving means 5 will be described.

In a state where the operation part 51 is located at the initial position (the right end of the long hole 28), the support part main body 522 of each support part 52 is located at the initial position. Accordingly, the movable plate 4 is disposed at the lower limit position A.
When the operation unit 51 moves from the initial position to a predetermined position (the left end of the long hole 28), the rod 532 moves to the tip side of the cylinder 531, and the volume of the air cylinder 53 is minimized. As a result, the piston moves to the tip side in the cylinder 531. As a result, a predetermined amount of air is supplied from the cylinder 531 through the connecting pipe 54 into the supplied part 521 of each support part 52. Thereby, the support part main body 522 of each support part 52 moves to an upper predetermined position from an initial position. As a result, the moving plate 4 moves from the lower limit position A to the upper limit position B.

  When the operation unit 51 moves from the predetermined position to the initial position, the rod 532 moves to the proximal end side of the cylinder 531 and the volume of the air cylinder 53 is maximized. Accordingly, the piston moves to the proximal end side in the cylinder 531. As a result, a predetermined amount of air is returned from the supplied portion 521 of each support portion 52 into the cylinder 531 through the connection pipe 54. Thereby, the support part main body 522 of each support part 52 returns to an initial position from a predetermined position. As a result, the moving plate 4 moves from the upper limit position B to the lower limit position A.

Next, the usage method of the support unit 1 is demonstrated.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the carriage on which the support unit is installed.
The carriage 101 conveys the article 100 to be conveyed. The cart 101 includes a cart body 102 and a hand pushing portion 103. The hand pushing portion 103 is erected on the rear portion of the upper surface of the carriage main body 102. The support unit 1 is installed on the upper surface of the carriage main body 102.

  When the transported object 100 is transported on the carriage 101, the operation lever 512 of the support unit 1 is moved from the initial position to a predetermined position while the carriage 101 is stopped first, and the movable plate 4 is moved to the upper limit position B. To place. Thereby, the moving plate 4 and the plurality of spheres 3 are positioned at substantially the same height position (see FIG. 3). Next, the transported object 100 is placed on the moving plate 4 and the plurality of spheres 3. In this state, the hand pushing unit 103 is pushed to move the carriage 101 to convey the object to be conveyed 100.

  When the transported object 100 is unloaded from the carriage 101, the operation lever 512 of the support unit 1 is returned from the predetermined position to the initial position while the carriage 101 is stopped, and the moving plate 4 is arranged at the lower limit position A. As a result, the conveyed object 100 is supported only by the plurality of spheres 3. Therefore, the to-be-conveyed object 100 can be easily moved by rotating the plurality of spheres 3. Using this, the object to be transported 100 can be easily lowered from the carriage 101.

Next, another method of using the support unit 1 will be described.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of another example of use of the support unit, and is a diagram illustrating a method of changing the transport direction of the object to be transported using the support unit.
As shown in FIG. 7, the two belt conveyors 111 and 111 are arranged in parallel on the left and right. The support unit 1 is disposed between the two belt conveyors 111 and 111. At this time, the plurality of spheres 3 of the support unit 1 are positioned above the moving plate 4. A branch conveyance path 112 is disposed on the front side of the support unit 1.

The article to be conveyed 100 is conveyed in the conveyance direction D by the left belt conveyor 111 and placed on the support unit 1. At this time, the transported object 100 is supported by a plurality of spheres 3. Here, it is determined whether or not the transported object 100 is separated from the transport direction D.
At this time, the operator stops the conveyed object 100 and moves the operation lever 512 of the support unit 1 from the initial position to a predetermined position to place the movable plate 4 at the upper limit position B. Thereby, the to-be-conveyed object 100 can be easily stopped on the support unit 1. For example, the worker inspects the object 100 to be transported, and determines whether or not the object 100 is to be separated from the transport direction D.

When it is determined that the transported object 100 is not separated, the transported object 100 is moved in the transport direction D by rotating the plurality of spheres 3. As a result, the object to be conveyed 100 is placed on the belt conveyor 111.
If it is determined that the transported object 100 is to be separated, the plurality of spheres 3 are rotated to move the transported object 100 forward of the support unit 1 (a direction different from the transport direction D). As a result, the object to be conveyed 100 is placed on the branch conveyance path 112.

  According to the support unit 1 of the first embodiment, it is possible to raise the moving plate 4 and support the object to be conveyed 100. At this time, the contact area between the movable plate 4 and the transported object 100 is larger than the number of contact areas between the plurality of spheres 3 and the transported object 100. For this reason, even if the weight of the transported object 100 increases, the transported object 100 can be easily supported by the movable plate 4 and the transported object 100 coming into contact with each other. Thereby, when transporting and supporting the heavy object 100, the operation unit can be moved with a smaller force than in the related art. Therefore, it is possible to provide a support unit that is superior in operability as compared with the prior art.

  Further, according to the support unit 1 of the first embodiment, the drive unit 5 includes the air cylinder 53 that controls the air pressure in the support portion 52 by extending and contracting, and the operation unit 51 that expands and contracts the air cylinder 53. Therefore, the moving plate 4 can be manually moved up and down with a smaller force. Therefore, it is possible to provide the support unit 1 that is superior in operability as compared with the prior art.

  Further, according to the support unit 1 of the first embodiment, it is possible to arrange a plurality of spheres 3 in an aligned manner. Therefore, when the movable plate 4 is located at the lower limit position A, the plurality of spheres 3 are It becomes possible to support the conveyed object 100 stably. In addition, since the plurality of support portions 52 can be arranged and arranged, the movable plate 4 can be stably supported by the plurality of support portions 52. Therefore, the movable plate 4 can stably support the conveyed object 100 when it is located at the upper limit position B. Therefore, the support unit 1 of the first embodiment can stably transport and support the transported object 100.

  The air cylinder 53 is provided on the frame body 21 along the length direction of the rear side portion 214 of the frame body 21, and the operation portion 51 is provided so as to be movable along the length direction of the rear side portion 214. Therefore, even if the operation part 51 is provided in the rear side part 214 of the frame 21, it can suppress that the frame 21 of the support unit 1 becomes thick. Therefore, the support unit 1 of the first embodiment can be thinned.

  Further, according to the support unit 1 of the first embodiment, when the movable plate 4 is arranged in the assembly operation of the support unit 1, by combining the base side positioning portion 20 and the movable plate side positioning portion 40, a plurality of positions can be obtained. The sphere 3 can be easily protruded from the plurality of through holes 42. Therefore, the support unit 1 of the first embodiment can improve the workability of the assembly work.

(Second embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 8, the support unit 201 of 2nd embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the support unit of the second embodiment.
In the support unit 201 of the second embodiment, a plurality of spheres 3 are provided on the inner side (inside the frame body 21) of the base 2 as in the support unit 1 of the first embodiment. A plurality of rollers 202 (auxiliary rotating bodies) are provided on the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the frame body 21 in a rotatable state. The plurality of rollers 202 are provided on the side portions (front side portion 211, left side portion 212, right side portion 213) of the frame body 21. Each roller 202 is formed in a cylindrical shape. In other words, each roller 202 has a circular cross section. Each roller 202 is provided so as to be rotatable in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the side portion.

  Next, an example of how to use the support unit 201 will be described. The transported object 100 is transported in the transport direction D by the left belt conveyor 111, moves by contacting the left roller 202 of the support unit 201, and is placed on the support unit 201. At this time, the transported object 100 is supported by a plurality of spheres 3. Here, it is determined whether or not the transported object 100 is to be sorted.

  When it is determined that the transported object 100 is to be separated, the transported object 100 is moved to the front of the support unit 1 by rotating the plurality of spheres 3 by moving the transported object 100 to the front of the support unit 1. Next, the transported object 100 is brought into contact with the front roller 202. As a result, the front roller 202 is rotated to move the transported object 100 further forward and put on the branch transport path 112.

  If it is determined that the objects to be conveyed 100 are not separated, the objects 100 are moved to the right of the support unit 1 by rotating the plurality of spheres 3 by moving the object 100 to the right of the support unit 1. Move to. Next, the conveyed object 100 is brought into contact with the right roller 202. As a result, the right roller 202 is rotated to further move the transported object 100 to the right and place it on the right belt conveyor 111.

  In the support unit 201 of the second embodiment, the roller 202 is used as the auxiliary rotating body. However, instead of the roller 202, for example, a sphere (spherical member) or the like may be used.

  According to the support unit 201 of the second embodiment, when the object 100 is placed on the support unit 201 or when the object 100 is lowered from the support unit 201, the object 100 is brought into contact with the auxiliary rotating body 202. As a result, the object 100 can be moved. Therefore, the support unit 201 of the second embodiment can improve the transport workability of the transported object 100.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment described with reference to the drawings, and various modifications can be considered within the technical scope thereof.

  In the above embodiment, the ball transfer 30 having the sphere 3 is used as the rotating body that supports the object 100 to be transported, but a roller (cylindrical member) or the like may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the movable plate 4 is formed by a single plate, but may be formed by stacking two plates. That is, the moving plate may include a first moving plate and a second moving plate provided on the upper surface of the first moving plate. In this case, the friction coefficient of the second moving plate is set higher than the friction coefficient of the first moving plate. As a result, it is possible to increase the coefficient of friction between the moving plate and the conveyed object as compared with the case where the moving plate is formed of only the first moving plate (single plate). Therefore, the support unit including the moving plate can support the conveyed object more stably when the conveyed object is supported by the moving plate.

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

1,201 Support unit 2 Base 3 Sphere (Rotating body)
4 moving plate 5 driving means 20 base side positioning portion 21 frame 22 first attached member 23 second attached member 39 upper end 40 of sphere moving plate side positioning portion 41 upper surface 42 of moving plate through hole 51 operation portion 52 support portion 53 Air cylinder 100 Conveyed object 202 Roller (auxiliary rotating body)
214 Rear side of frame (one side)
A Lower limit position B Upper limit position

Claims (7)

The base,
A plurality of rotating bodies provided in a rotatable state at the base, and capable of supporting an object to be conveyed at the upper end;
A plurality of through-holes capable of projecting the plurality of rotating bodies, an upper surface having a lower limit position below the upper ends of the plurality of rotating bodies, and an upper surface having an upper limit position equal to or higher than the upper ends of the rotating bodies. A moving plate arranged to be movable between,
Drive means for driving the movable plate up and down between the lower limit position and the upper limit position;
A support unit comprising: The driving means includes
A support portion attached to the base to support the moving plate, and to move the moving plate up and down by expanding and contracting vertically by controlling the atmospheric pressure;
An air cylinder connected to the support portion and controlling the air pressure in the support portion by expanding and contracting;
An operating section for extending and contracting the air cylinder;
The support unit according to claim 1, further comprising: The base is
A frame formed in a rectangular frame shape;
A plurality of first attached members and a plurality of second attached members which are arranged in a lattice shape in the frame body and whose both ends are coupled to the frame body;
With
The plurality of rotating bodies are attached to one of the plurality of first attached members and the plurality of second attached members, and the other of the plurality of first attached members and the plurality of second attached members. The support unit according to claim 2, wherein the support portion is attached to the support unit.   The air cylinder is provided in the frame body along a length direction of one side portion of the frame body, and the operation portion is provided movably along the length direction of the one side portion. The support unit according to claim 3. A movable plate side positioning portion is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the movable plate,
A base side positioning portion that positions the moving plate so that the plurality of rotating bodies protrude from the plurality of through holes is provided at a position corresponding to the moving plate side positioning portion of the base portion. The support unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The moving plate includes a first moving plate and a second moving plate provided on the upper surface of the first moving plate,
6. The support unit according to claim 1, wherein a friction coefficient of the second moving plate is set higher than a friction coefficient of the first moving plate. The plurality of rotating bodies are provided inside the base,
The support unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an auxiliary rotating body is rotatably provided on an upper surface of an outer peripheral portion of the base portion.

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