JP2022187835A - Support roller exchange mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an exchange mechanism capable of exchanging a support roller in a shorter time.SOLUTION: An exchange mechanism for exchanging a support roller in a catenary type heat treatment furnace comprises: a first clamp small truck and a second clamp small truck having a function of grasping the support roller and respectively provided slidably in a direction made far from a direction made near to an opening; a support body respectively supporting the first clamp small truck and the second clamp small truck slidably; a truck mounting the support body; a first driving part slide-driving the first clamp small truck; a second driving part slide-driving the second clamp small truck; and a third driving part driving the support body so as to be replaceable between a position of the first clamp small truck and a position of the second clamp small truck.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to a replacement mechanism for replacing support rollers that support a workpiece in a catenary heat treatment furnace.

2. Description of the Related Art As a catenary type heat treatment furnace for heat-treating a workpiece such as a metal strip, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. In the heat treatment furnace of Patent Document 1, two support rollers for supporting the work are provided at each point, one roller is lifted and used as a work roller, and the other roller is made to stand by at a low position as a standby roller.

With the operation of the heat treatment furnace, scales adhere to the surface of the work roller, and the surface wears out due to abrasion with the work, so the standby roller is raised and the roller is switched. Rollers to which scales have adhered are replaced with new rollers when the operation of the heat treatment furnace is stopped.

Mechanisms described in Patent Documents 2 to 4 are known as support roller replacement mechanisms.

JP-A-52-24109 JP-A-51-52307 Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 51-59411 JP 2012-232332 A

The support rollers of the catenary type heat treatment furnace are heavy (for example, about 500 kg) and need to be transported by a crane or the like for replacement, which takes time. Including the replacement mechanisms described in Patent Documents 2 to 4, it is desired to replace the support rollers in a shorter time.

An object of the present disclosure is to solve the above problems, and to provide a support roller replacement mechanism capable of replacing the support rollers in a shorter time.

A support roller replacement mechanism according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a replacement mechanism for replacing a support roller that supports a work in a catenary heat treatment furnace through an opening in a side surface of the heat treatment furnace, and holds the support roller. a first small clamp carriage and a second small clamp carriage provided to be slidable in directions approaching and away from the opening, and the first small clamp carriage and the second small clamp carriage, respectively. a support that slidably supports, a carriage on which the support is placed, a first drive unit that slides the first clamp small carriage, a second drive unit that slides the second clamp small carriage, and a third driving section that drives the support so that the position of the first small clamp carriage and the position of the second small clamp carriage can be exchanged.

According to the above configuration, by holding a replacement support roller on one of the small clamp carriages and keeping it on standby, the support roller is removed from the heat treatment furnace and held by one of the small clamp carriages, and then the support body , the positions of the first and second clamp carriages can be immediately exchanged, and the supporting rollers gripped by the other clamp carriage can be mounted in the heat treatment furnace. Thereby, the support roller can be replaced in a short time.

In the support roller replacement mechanism, the third driving section may rotate the support. According to the above configuration, by using a so-called "revolver type" roller exchange mechanism, it is possible to achieve compactness by narrowing the width of the support and the carriage, etc., compared to the case where the support is linearly driven.

The support roller replacement mechanism may further include a fourth drive unit that slides the support in a direction crossing the slide direction of the small clamp carriage. According to the above configuration, the positions of the first clamp small carriage and the second clamp small carriage can be adjusted in the width direction of the carriage. We can handle both.

In the replacement mechanism for the support rollers, a rail may be further provided to allow the carriage to slide along the width direction of the heat treatment furnace. According to the above configuration, the position of the carriage can be adjusted with respect to the side surface of the heat treatment furnace, and the work space can be secured along the side surface of the heat treatment furnace by retracting the carriage when the rolls are not being replaced. can do.

In the support roller replacement mechanism, a rail may be further provided to allow the carriage to slide along the furnace length direction of the heat treatment furnace. According to the above configuration, the carriage can be moved along the side surface of the heat treatment furnace, and when a plurality of support rollers are provided in the heat treatment furnace, one carriage can support the support rollers at a plurality of locations.

In the support roller replacement mechanism, two sets of the first clamp small carriage, the second clamp small carriage, and the support may be provided and fixed to the carriage, respectively. According to the above configuration, it is possible to cope with the case where two openings are arranged side by side on the side surface of the heat treatment furnace, and it is possible to omit the structure and the drive section for sliding the support.

The support roller replacement mechanism further includes a control unit, the control unit driving the support by the third drive unit so that the second clamp small carriage is positioned at the replacement position, and the second drive unit The second driving unit slide-drives the second clamp small carriage so as to approach the opening and grips the used support roller, and the second drive unit grips the support roller. is driven away from the opening, and the third drive unit drives the support so that the first small clamp carriage that grips a support roller other than the support roller comes to the replacement position. and the first drive unit slides the first small clamp carriage so as to approach the opening, and mounts the another support roller gripped by the first small clamp carriage in the heat treatment furnace. According to the above configuration, the support roller can be automatically replaced in a short time.

According to the present disclosure, the support roller can be replaced in a shorter time.

Schematic cross-sectional view of a heat treatment furnace in an embodiment Schematic perspective view of heat treatment furnace and roller exchange mechanism in embodiment FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of a roller exchange mechanism including a plurality of driving units and control units according to the embodiment; Flowchart relating to replacement work of the support roller by the roller replacement mechanism in the embodiment Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flow chart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flow chart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flow chart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flow chart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flow chart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flow chart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flow chart shown in FIG. Flowchart relating to replacement work of the support roller by the roller replacement mechanism in the embodiment Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Explanatory diagram for performing replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. A schematic perspective view of a heat treatment furnace and a roller exchange mechanism in a modification Schematic cross-sectional view of a roller exchange mechanism in another modified example Schematic cross-sectional view of a roller exchange mechanism in yet another modified example

A preferred embodiment of a support roll replacement mechanism for a catenary type heat treatment furnace according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations of the following embodiments, and includes configurations based on similar technical ideas.

(embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment furnace 2 according to an embodiment.

The heat treatment furnace 2 is a catenary type heat treatment furnace for heat-treating a workpiece 3 as an object to be heated. The heat treatment furnace 2 of the embodiment is particularly an annealing furnace in which a strip-shaped work 3 (for example, a SUS steel strip) is heat-treated while being transported in the transport direction A, and then cooled.

The heat treatment furnace 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a furnace body 4 , a plurality of support rollers 6 , and a controller 8 . In FIG. 1, the constituent elements of the heat treatment furnace 2 are illustrated in a simplified manner.

The furnace body 4 is a housing for heat-treating the workpiece 3 . A strip-shaped workpiece 3 is loaded into the furnace body 4 and continuously transported in the transport direction A. As shown in FIG. The conveying direction A is substantially parallel to the furnace length direction B of the furnace body 4 . The interior of the furnace body 4 is hermetically sealed and kept at a pressure slightly lower than the atmospheric pressure.

The support roller 6 is a roller that supports the workpiece 3 inside the furnace body 4 from below. Each of the support rollers 6 consists of a set of two support rollers 6A, 6B, one of which is a work roller and the other a standby roller. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the support roller 6A is the lower standby roller and the other support roller 6B is the upper work roller. In the example shown in FIG. 1, three sets of support rollers 6A and 6B are illustrated, but any number of sets may be used.

Both ends of the support rollers 6A and 6B are supported by suspension mechanisms provided outside the furnace body 4, and are vertically movable.

The control unit 8 is a member for controlling each component of the heat treatment furnace 2 . The control unit 8 has, for example, a microcomputer.

Along with the operation of the heat treatment furnace 2, the surface of the support roller 6B, which is a work roller, is abraded by scale and worn by friction with the work 3. As shown in FIG. Before the support roller 6B is excessively scaled or the surface is worn, the upper work roller and the lower standby roller are reversed in vertical position to switch the rollers. The used support roller 6 retracted downward is replaced with a new support roller 6 . A replacement mechanism for replacing the support rollers 6 is provided outside the furnace body 4 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the heat treatment furnace 2 and the roller exchange mechanism 10 of the embodiment.

A roller exchange mechanism 10 shown in FIG. 2 is a mechanism for exchanging the support rollers 6 of the heat treatment furnace 2 . The roller exchange mechanism 10 is provided near the side surface 11 of the furnace body 4 outside the furnace body 4 . The roller exchange mechanism 10 has a length direction D and a width direction E. The length direction D is substantially parallel to the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2, and the width direction E is substantially parallel to the furnace length direction B. .

The roller exchange mechanism 10 includes two small clamp carriages 12 , 14 , a support 16 , a slider 18 and a carriage 20 .

The first small clamp carriage 12 and the second small clamp carriage 14 are members for gripping the support rollers 6 respectively. Each of the first clamp small carriage 12 and the second clamp small carriage 14 has a gripping portion for gripping the support roller 6, and the gripping portion is, for example, configured to manually fix an openable/closable member with a bolt.

The first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 are each slidably attached to the support 16 . The first clamping carriage 12 is slidable along the rails 22 of the support 16 in the sliding direction S1 and the second clamping carriage 14 is slidable along the rails 24 of the support 16 in the sliding direction S2. be. Both of the sliding directions S<b>1 and S<b>2 are directions toward/away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 . FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the second clamp small carriage 14 grips the support roller 6B and tries to extract it from the heat treatment furnace 2. As shown in FIG.

The support 16 is a member that slidably supports the first small clamp carriage 12 and the second small clamp carriage 14 . The support 16 has an elongated shape in the length direction D of the roller exchange mechanism 10, and is formed by extending rails 22 and 24 in the slide directions S1 and S2.

The support 16 is supported by the slider 18 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis P in the rotation direction R. As shown in FIG. The rotation axis P coincides with the length direction D of the roller exchange mechanism 10 . By rotating the support 16 in the direction of rotation R, the positions of the clamp carriages 12 and 14 can be interchanged.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the first clamp carriage 12 is in the side standby position and the second clamp carriage 14 is in the upper exchange position. The upper exchange position is a position for extracting the used support roller 6 from the heat treatment furnace 2 and a position for mounting a new support roller 6 on the heat treatment furnace 2 . The side standby position is a position for gripping and waiting for a new support roller 6 for replacement.

The slider 18 is a member that enables the support 16 to slide in the sliding direction S3. The sliding direction S<b>3 coincides with the width direction E of the roller exchange mechanism 10 . The slider 18 can ride on rails 28 on the upper surface of the carriage 20 and slide in the slide direction S3. By making the support 16 slidable by the slider 18, the positions of the clamp carriages 12 and 14 can be adjusted. As a result, one of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 can access the support rollers 6A and 6B spaced apart in the furnace length direction B of the heat treatment furnace 2 without moving the carriage 20 in the width direction E. .

The carriage 20 is a member that supports the support 16 and the clamp carriages 12 , 14 . In the example shown in FIG. 2, the truck 20 has a box-like shape and has four wheels 30 on its underside. The four wheels 30 are mounted on two rails 32 and are movable in the longitudinal direction D of the roller exchange mechanism 10 . By moving the carriage 20 along the rails 32 , the roller exchange mechanism 10 including the carriage 20 can move toward/away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 .

Openings 34A and 34B are formed in the side surface 11 of the furnace body 4 to expose the ends of the support rollers 6A and 6B. The end of the support roller 6A is passed through the opening 34A, and the end of the support roller 6B is passed through the opening 34B. The openings 34A and 34B are respectively sealed with doors (not shown) with both ends of the support rollers 6A and 6B exposed to the outside of the furnace.

Suspension mechanisms 36A and 36B for suspending the support rollers 6A and 6B are provided outside the furnace body 4 . Suspension mechanisms 36A and 36B have clamp portions 38A and 38B at their ends, respectively, and can move up and down. The clamp portion 38A pinches and grips the end portion of the support roller 6A, and the clamp portion 38B pinches and grips the end portion of the support roller 6B. In FIG. 2, the clamping portion 38A grips the end of the support roller 6A, and the clamping portion 38B is vertically separated.

The roller exchange mechanism 10 incorporates a plurality of driving units (not shown). The plurality of drive units are electrically connected to the control unit 8 and controlled by the control unit 8 . FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the control system of the roller exchange mechanism 10 including a plurality of drive units and control unit 8. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that the driving of the drive unit includes manual movement without using the control unit 8 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , a first drive section 40 , a second drive section 42 , a third drive section 44 and a fourth drive section 46 are connected to the control section 8 .

The first driving section 40 has a function of slidingly driving the first clamp small carriage 12 in the sliding direction S1. The second driving section 42 has a function of driving the second clamp small carriage 14 to slide in the slide direction S2. The third driving section 44 has a function of rotationally driving the support 16 in the rotational direction R. As shown in FIG. The fourth driving section 46 has a function of driving the slider 18 to slide in the sliding direction S3.

The control unit 8 controls each of the drive units 40, 42, 44, and 46 based on the input instructions from the operator and pre-stored programs.

The driving units 40, 42, 44, and 46 each include a motor (not shown) that is ON/OFF controlled by the control unit 8, and drives the target member by rotation of the motor. The first driving section 40, the second driving section 42, and the fourth driving section 46 include, for example, chains extending in the sliding directions S1, S2, and S3, and sprockets engaged with the chains. The member is slidably driven. The third drive unit 44 rotates the support 16 by, for example, rotating a rotating shaft that connects the support 16 to the slider 18 with a motor.

The replacement work of the support roller 6 by the roller replacement mechanism 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5A to 5G. FIG. 4 is a flowchart relating to the replacement work of the support roller 6 by the roller replacement mechanism 10, and FIGS. 5A to 5G are explanatory diagrams (cross-sectional views) when the roller replacement work is performed along the flowchart shown in FIG. be.

5A to 5G, (a) is a sectional view showing the rotational positions of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14, and (b) is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 and the support rollers 6. , (c) is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the support roller 6 and the work 3. FIG. 5A to 5G, the used (damaged or dirty) support rollers 6 are indicated by diagonal lines, and the new support rollers 6 are indicated by outline.

The control unit 8 first puts the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 on standby (S1). Specifically, by controlling the third drive unit 44 to rotate the support 16, the first clamp small carriage 12 is arranged at the side standby position, and the second clamp is moved as shown in FIG. 5A. The small carriage 14 is placed in the upper replacement position. As shown in (a), a new support roller 6C for replacement is attached to the first small clamp carriage 12 at the standby position. A method of mounting the support roller 6C will be described later (FIGS. 7A to 7E).

As shown in (c), of the two support rollers 6, the support roller 6A is the lower standby roller, and the support roller 6B is the upper work roller, and the heat treatment furnace 2 is operated. With the operation of the heat treatment furnace 2, the surface of the support roller 6B, which is a work roller, is covered with scales and the surface is worn. Therefore, the work roller and the standby roller are switched at desired timing.

The controller 8 advances the second clamp small carriage 14 (S2). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B , by controlling the second drive unit 42 to slide the second clamp small carriage 14 , the second clamp small carriage 14 is moved in a direction approaching the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 . The second clamp carriage 14 advances to a position near the side 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 where it can receive the end of the support roller 6B.

The controller 8 raises the standby roller (S3). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, the suspension mechanism 36A (not shown) is controlled to raise the lower support roller 6A. As shown in (c), both the support rollers 6A and 6B are in a state of supporting the workpiece 3. As shown in FIG.

The controller 8 lowers the used work roller (S4). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5C, the suspension mechanism 36B is controlled to lower the support roller 6B. As shown in (c), the work 3 is supported by the support roller 6A. As shown in (b), the end of the lowered support roller 6B is received by the second clamp carriage 14. As shown in FIG. In this state, the operator tightens a bolt (not shown) for fixing the second clamp small carriage 14, so that the second clamp small carriage 14 grips the support roller 6B only at one end (S5). Thereafter, the clamping of the support roller 6B by the clamping portion 38B of the suspension mechanism 36B is released. As a result, the second clamp small carriage 14 gripping the support roller 6B can be retracted rearward.

The control unit 8 retracts the second clamp small carriage 14 (S6). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5D , by controlling the second drive unit 42 to slide the second clamp small carriage 14 , the second clamp small carriage 14 is moved away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 . As a result, the support roller 6B is removed from the heat treatment furnace 2. As shown in FIG.

The controller 8 rotates the support 16 (S7). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5E, the second clamp small carriage 14 that was in the upper exchange position is placed in the side standby position, and the first clamp small carriage 12 that was in the side standby position is moved. The third drive unit 44 is controlled to rotate the support 16 by 90 degrees so as to place it in the upper replacement position. As a result, the positions of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 are exchanged. The first clamp small carriage 12 in the upper replacement position can be accessed by sliding drive to the opening 34B (not shown) of the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 .

The controller 8 advances the first small clamp carriage 12 (S8). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5F, by controlling the first drive unit 40 to slide the first clamp small carriage 12 holding the new support roller 6C, the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 is moved. move closer. The support roller 6</b>C, which is gripped at only one end by the first clamp carriage 12 , is inserted into the heat treatment furnace 2 through the opening 34</b>B on the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 . After that, after both ends of the support roller 6C are gripped by the clamp portion 38B of the suspension mechanism 36B, the grip of the support roller 6C by the first clamp small carriage 12 is released. A new support roller 6C is installed as a standby roller of the heat treatment furnace 2 (S9).

The controller 8 retracts the first small clamp carriage 12 (S10). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5G , the first drive unit 40 is controlled to slide the first clamp small carriage 12 to move away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 .

According to the operation described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5G, the support roller 6A that has been on standby as a standby roller is switched to a work roller, the used support roller 6B is extracted from the heat treatment furnace 2, and a new support roller 6C is used. can be installed as a standby roller. After that, the heat treatment furnace 2 can continue to heat the workpiece 3 by using the support roller 6A as a work roller and the support roller 6C as a standby roller.

In the above operation, since the new support roller 6C is gripped by the first clamp small carriage 12 and kept on standby in advance, the support roller 6C is quickly installed in the heat treatment furnace 2 after the used support roller 6A is extracted. be able to. Moreover, since this replacement work can be performed while the heat treatment furnace 2 is in operation, the productivity of the heat treatment furnace 2 can be maintained at a high level.

Particularly in this embodiment, a so-called “revolver type” roller exchange mechanism 10 that rotates the support 16 is used as a mechanism for exchanging the positions of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 . As a result, not only can the support roller 6 be replaced in a short period of time, but also the dimension in the width direction E of the roller replacement mechanism 10 can be shortened, thereby achieving compactness.

After the replacement work is completed, the carriage 20 is retracted along the rails 32 shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to secure a work space along the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 and perform another work with the retracted roller replacement mechanism 10 . Another work is to replace the used support roller 6B with a new support roller. The replacement work of the support roller 6B will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7A to 7E.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart relating to the replacement work of the support roller 6B in the roller replacement mechanism 10, and FIGS. 7A to 7E are explanatory diagrams (sectional views) when the replacement work is performed along the flowchart shown in FIG. . FIGS. 7A-7E continue from the state shown in FIG. 5G(a).

The controller 8 first drives the support 16 to rotate (S11). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the third drive unit 44 is controlled to rotate the support 16 clockwise (see arrow). The first clamp carriage 12, which does not grip the rollers, is arranged in the side standby position, and the second clamp carriage 14, which holds the support roller 6B, is arranged in the upper exchange position.

After that, the used support roller 6B is removed (S12). Specifically, after releasing the clamping of the support roller 6B by the second clamp small carriage 14, the worker operates the crane to lift the support roller 6B (see arrow), as shown in FIG. 7B. When the second clamp small carriage 14 is arranged at the upper exchange position in the case of subsequent removal, the support roller 6B can be removed from the second clamp small carriage even if the clamping of the support roller 6B by the second clamp small carriage 14 is released. Since the state of riding on the carriage 14 is maintained naturally, the support roller 6B can be safely removed at an appropriate timing without worrying about the support roller 6B dropping.

After that, a new support roller 6D is attached (S13). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7C, the operator operates the crane to lower the new support roller 6D toward the second clamp small carriage 14 located at the upper replacement position (see arrow). The end of the support roller 6D is received by the second small clamp carriage 14, and the operator tightens the bolt for fixing the second small clamp carriage 14, so that the second small clamp carriage 14 grips the support roller 6D. .

The controller 8 rotates the support 16 (S14). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7D, the third drive unit 44 is controlled to rotate the support 16 counterclockwise (see the arrow). The second clamp small carriage 14 holding the support roller 6D is arranged at the side standby position, and the first clamp small carriage 12 not holding the support roller 6D is arranged at the upper exchange position.

The controller 8 slides the support 16 (S15). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7E, the fourth drive unit 46 is controlled to slide the support 16 along the width direction E of the carriage 20 (see arrow). The first small clamp carriage 12 located in the upper exchange position is moved to a position facing the opening 34A (FIG. 1) provided in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2, and is slid against the support roller 6A, which is the current work roller. It becomes accessible by driving.

7A to 7E, the used support roller 6B can be removed from the roller exchange mechanism 10, and the new support roller 6D can be held by the second clamp small carriage 14 and kept on standby. can. After that, when replacing the support roller 6A, which is a work roller, with the support roller 6D, the replacement work can be performed by performing the same operation as the operation shown in FIGS. 5A to 5G.

The operations described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7E can be executed in parallel while the heat treatment furnace 2 is in operation, similar to the replacement work described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5G.

As described above, the roller replacement mechanism 10 of the embodiment is a replacement mechanism for replacing the support rollers 6 that support the workpiece 3 of the catenary heat treatment furnace 2 through the openings 34A and 34B on the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. be. The roller exchange mechanism 10 includes small clamp carriages 12 and 14, a support 16, a carriage 20 on which the support 16 is placed, a first drive section 40, a second drive section 42, and a third drive section 44. Prepare. Each of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 has a function of gripping the support roller 6 and is provided slidably in a direction toward and away from the openings 34A and 34B. The support 16 slidably supports the first small clamp carriage 12 and the second small clamp carriage 14 . The first driving section 40 drives the first small clamp carriage 12 to slide, and the second driving section 42 drives the second small clamp carriage 14 to slide. The third drive unit 44 drives the support 16 so that the position of the first small clamp carriage 12 and the position of the second small clamp carriage 14 can be exchanged.

According to the above configuration, by holding the support roller 6C for replacement on either one of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 and keeping it on standby, the support roller 6B is removed from the heat treatment furnace 2 and the small clamp carriage 12 is removed. , the positions of the first small clamp carriage 12 and the second small clamp carriage 14 are immediately exchanged by driving the support 16, and the support roller 6C gripped by the other small clamp carriage 14 is moved to the heat treatment furnace 2. can be attached to Thereby, the support roller 6 can be replaced in a short time.

Further, in the roller exchange mechanism 10 of the embodiment, the third driving section 44 drives the support 16 to rotate. According to such a configuration, by using the so-called "revolver type" roller exchange mechanism 10, it is possible to achieve compactness by narrowing the width of the carriage 20, etc., compared to the case where the support body 16 is linearly driven. can.

Further, the roller exchange mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a fourth driving section 46 that drives the support 16 to slide in the width direction E that intersects the slide directions S1 and S2 of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 . According to such a configuration, the positions of the first clamp small carriage 12 and the second clamp small carriage 14 can be adjusted in the width direction E of the carriage 20, and the support rollers 6 are provided in pairs. both support rollers 6 can be accessed quickly.

Further, the roller exchange mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a rail 32 that allows the carriage 20 to slide along the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2 . According to such a configuration, a working space can be secured along the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 by retracting the carriage 20 when the roller replacement work is not performed.

Further, the roller exchange mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a control section 8, and the control section 8 drives the support 16 by the third driving section 44 so that the second clamp small carriage 14 comes to the exchange position ( S1, FIG. 5A). Further, the control unit 8 causes the second driving unit 42 to slide the second clamp small carriage 14 so as to approach the opening 34B (S2, FIG. 5B), and grips the used support roller 6B (S5, FIG. 5C). Further, the control unit 8 causes the second drive unit 42 to slide the second clamp small carriage 14 holding the support roller 6B away from the opening 34B (S6, FIG. 5D). The control unit 8 further drives the support 16 by the third driving unit 44 so that the first clamp small carriage 12 gripping the support roller 6C different from the support roller 6B comes to the replacement position (S7, FIG. 5E). ). The control unit 8 further slides the first small clamp carriage 12 by the first driving unit 40 so as to approach the opening 34B (S8, FIG. 5F), and the other supporting roller 6C gripped by the first small clamp carriage 12 is moved. is installed in the heat treatment furnace 2 (S9, FIG. 5F). With such a configuration, the support roller 6 can be automatically replaced in a short period of time.

(Modification)
Although the invention of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the above-described embodiments, the invention of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the rails 32 are provided to allow the carriage 20 to slide in the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2, but the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, instead of the rails 32 extending in the furnace width direction C, rails extending in the furnace length direction B may be provided.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the roller exchange mechanism 100 and the heat treatment furnace 2 according to the modification. A carriage 102 of the roller exchange mechanism 100 shown in FIG. 8 is mounted on rails 104 extending in the furnace length direction B of the heat treatment furnace 2 . By sliding the carriage 102 along the rails 104, the position of the roller replacement mechanism 100 can be adjusted according to which one of the support rollers 6A and 6B is to be replaced. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the slider 18 and the fourth driving section 46 for sliding the support 16 as shown in FIG. 2 can be omitted. In addition, since it can be moved in the furnace length direction B by the carriage 102, a plurality of pairs of support rollers 6A and 6B existing in the furnace length direction B can be replaced in order by one carriage 102. FIG.

Further, in the above embodiment, a case where one set of the small clamp carriages 12, 14 and the support body 16 is provided has been described, but the case is not limited to such a case, and two or more sets may be provided. In the modified roller exchange mechanism 200 shown in FIG. 9, a set of small clamp carriages 212A and 214A and a support 216A and a set of small clamp carriages 212B and 214B and a support 216B are provided. Each support 216 A, 216 B is fixed to the carriage 202 .

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the set of small clamp carriages 212A, 214A and support 216A is used to replace the support roller 6A, and the set of small clamp carriages 212B, 214B and support 216B is used to replace the support roller 6B. can be exchanged. Since it is not necessary to slide the supports 216A and 216B in the horizontal direction, the slide drive mechanism and drive section can be omitted. Further, by providing a shared space H between the two sets, the size of the carriage 202 in the width direction E can be shortened, and the roller exchange mechanism 200 can be made compact.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the supporting body 16 is rotationally driven to exchange the positions of the small clamp carriages 12 and 14 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, in the roller exchange mechanism 300 shown in FIG. 10, a support 306 that supports the small clamp carriages 302 and 304 is configured to be slidable in the width direction E of the carriage 308 . By sliding the support 306 in the width direction E, the positions of the small clamp carriages 302 and 304 can be exchanged without using a complicated rotating mechanism.

By adopting an arbitrary combination of the above-described embodiment and modifications, the respective effects can be obtained.

Although the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, various variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications are to be included therein insofar as they do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure by the appended claims. Also, combinations of elements and changes in order of elements in each embodiment may be implemented without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present disclosure is applicable to any replacement mechanism for replacing support rollers that support a workpiece in a catenary heat treatment furnace.

2 heat treatment furnace 3 workpiece 4 furnace body 6, 6A, 6B support rollers 6C, 6D support rollers (for replacement)
8 control unit 10 roller exchange mechanism 11 side surface 12 first clamp small carriage 14 second clamp small carriage 16 support 18 slider 20 carriage 22, 24 rail 28 rail 30 wheel 32 rail 34A, 34B opening 36A, 36B suspension mechanism 38A, 38B clamp part 40 first driving part 42 second driving part 44 third driving part 46 fourth driving part 100 roller exchange mechanism 102 truck 104 rail 200 roller exchange mechanism 202 truck 212A, 214A, 212B, 214B small clamp truck 216A, 216B Support 300 Roller exchange mechanism 302, 304 Small clamp cart 306 Support 308 Cart A Conveying direction B Furnace length direction C Furnace width direction D Length direction E Width direction P Rotation axis R Rotation direction S1, S2, S3 Slide direction H Common space

Claims (7)

A replacement mechanism for replacing a support roller that supports a work in a catenary type heat treatment furnace through an opening in the side of the heat treatment furnace,
a first clamp small carriage and a second clamp small carriage which have a function of gripping the support rollers and are slidable in directions approaching and away from the opening;
a support that slidably supports the first small clamp carriage and the second small clamp carriage;
a trolley on which the support is placed;
a first drive section for slidingly driving the first clamp small carriage;
a second driving section for slidingly driving the second clamp small carriage;
a third driving unit that drives the support so that the position of the first clamp small carriage and the position of the second clamp small carriage can be interchanged;
Support roller replacement mechanism. 2. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said third drive unit rotationally drives said support. 3. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising a fourth driving section that slides and drives the support in a direction crossing the sliding direction of the small clamp carriage. 4. The support roller replacement mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a rail that allows said carriage to slide along the furnace width direction of said heat treatment furnace. 4. The support roller replacement mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a rail that allows said carriage to slide along the furnace length direction of said heat treatment furnace. 6. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 1, wherein two sets of said first small clamp carriage, said second small clamp carriage and said support are provided and fixed to said carriage respectively. further comprising a control unit,
The control unit
driving the support by the third drive unit so that the second clamp small carriage is at the replacement position;
The second driving unit slides and drives the second clamp small carriage to approach the opening, and grips the used support roller,
The second driving unit slides and drives the second clamp small carriage that grips the support roller away from the opening,
driving the support by the third drive unit so that the first clamp small carriage that grips a support roller different from the support roller comes to the replacement position;
2. The first drive unit slides the first clamp small carriage so as to approach the opening, and mounts the another support roller gripped by the first clamp small carriage in the heat treatment furnace. 7. The support roller replacement mechanism according to any one of 6.

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