JP2023035193A - Conveyor equipment and transfer equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide conveyor equipment capable of conveying an article in various directions, and transfer equipment.SOLUTION: Conveyor equipment has a plurality of roller members 51 which come into contact with an article to energize the article, a rotary body array member 81 which has an annular member 55 and a plurality of rotary bodies 52, and a power source for letting the annular member 55, wherein the annular member 55 comes into contact with the roller members 51 to rotate the roller members 51, and the annular member 55 is sandwiched between one (rotary body A) of the rotary bodies 52 and one of the roller members 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to conveyor systems. The present invention also relates to a transfer device partly constituted by such a conveyor device.

Conveyor lines are used to transport goods at delivery sites, cargo collection sites, warehouses, and the like. For example, at a delivery site, there are multiple delivery destinations, and it is necessary to sort and transport articles by delivery destination. For this reason, many conveyor lines at delivery sites have a multiplicity of branching paths. For example, the downstream side of the transport path branches into two directions, and each branched transport path branches again.

In this way, in a conveyor line in which the conveying path branches, a transfer device capable of changing the conveying direction of an article is arranged at the branched portion. As such a transfer device, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1. The transfer device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has a roller-type conveying means as a main conveying section and a belt-type conveying means as a sub-conveying section.

The roller-type conveying means is a roller conveyor, and a plurality of conveying rollers are attached to a pair of frames. The belt-type conveying means has a plurality of single belt units. Each individual belt unit is arranged between the conveying rollers, and the main conveying section and the sub-conveying section are unitized.
Also, the single belt unit has an endless belt, a plate-like member, and a plurality of engaging members attached to the plate-like member. Each engaging member is a roller-shaped member, and the endless belt is in contact with each engaging member from the outside. Some engagement members act as tension pulleys. That is, the endless belt is suspended on the engaging member under constant tension.

JP 2018-90339 A

In the transfer device having the above-described conventional belt unit, the main conveying direction and the sub-conveying direction are perpendicular to each other in a plan view. In other words, the transfer device having the conventional belt unit has room for improvement in terms of conveying the articles conveyed from the upstream side in various directions. In other words, when the conveying direction of an article that has been linearly conveyed is changed by the transfer device and the article is introduced into the sub-conveying path, the article is conveyed along various trajectories (various diverging angles). There is room for improvement in this regard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device and a transfer device capable of conveying articles in various directions.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a rotating body array member having a plurality of roller members for contacting and urging an article, an annular member, and a plurality of rotating bodies, and the annular member. wherein the annular member is in contact with the roller member to rotate the roller member, and one of the rotating bodies A and one of the rotating bodies The conveyor device is characterized in that the annular member is sandwiched between the roller members.

In the conveyor device of this aspect, the annular member that contacts the roller member and rotates the roller member is sandwiched between the roller member and the rotating body, and the annular member is less likely to be displaced. That is, even if the direction in which the plurality of roller members are arranged is changed in various directions, and the direction in which the article is conveyed is changed in various directions, it is possible to firmly transmit power to each roller member to rotate it. . As a result, the conveying direction of the article can be changed in various directions.

In the aspect described above, it is preferable that the annular member is pressed between the rotating body A and the roller member.

According to this aspect, since the annular member is more firmly sandwiched, it is possible to more reliably prevent the positional displacement of the annular member.

In the aspect described above, it is preferable that the rotating body A is arranged at a position right below the roller member.

According to this aspect, the annular member can be firmly supported on the lower side of the roller member.

It is preferable that the aspect described above has a plurality of rows of the rotating body row members.

According to this aspect, the conveying surface of the conveyor device can be formed by arranging a plurality of rows of roller members. That is, since the article can be urged by a plurality of rows of roller members, the article can be conveyed in a specified direction more reliably.

In the aspect described above, it is preferable that the plurality of rotating bodies constituting the rotating body row member are arranged in a curved line in a plan view.

According to this aspect, a curved conveying path can be formed.

In the above aspect, when the state in which the annular member is running is viewed from the side, the upper portion moves in one direction and the lower portion moves in the opposite direction. It is preferable that the lower side of the annular member is sandwiched between the rotating bodies A of the.

According to this aspect, since the annular member is also sandwiched between the rotor B and the rotor A, it is possible to more reliably prevent the positional deviation of the annular member.

In the preferred aspect described above, it is more preferable that the annular member is in a state of being pressed between the rotating body B and the rotating body A.

According to this aspect, since the annular member is more firmly sandwiched between the rotating bodies B and A, it is possible to more reliably prevent the annular member from being dislocated.

In the aspect described above, it is preferable that the annular member is elastically deformable and deforms in cross-sectional shape when sandwiched between the rotating body A and the roller member.

According to this aspect, the annular member is in a state of being in close contact with the roller member and the rotating body A, and it becomes difficult to shift the position during running.

In the aspect described above, it is preferable that the annular member has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape.

According to this aspect, there is no restriction on the surface of the annular member that transmits the frictional force, and the roller members and the rotating body can be brought into contact with each other from any direction. .

Another aspect of the present invention comprises a main conveyor section, a sub-conveyor section, and lifting means for lifting and lowering at least one of the main conveyor section and the sub-conveyor section, wherein the main conveyor section The sub-conveyor section is arranged in the same plane area as the main conveyer section and is arranged in the same plane area as the main conveyer section in the conveying direction of the main conveyer section. In the transfer device for conveying articles in a desired direction by raising one conveying surface above the other conveying surface by the lifting means, the main conveyer and the sub-conveyor section is the conveyor apparatus described above.

Also in this aspect, the conveying direction of articles can be changed in various directions in either the main conveying conveyor section or the sub conveying conveyor section.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the conveyor apparatus which can convey an article|item in various directions, and a transfer apparatus can be provided.

It is a top view showing a conveyor line which has a transfer device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view schematically showing the belt unit of FIG. 1, and (b) is a perspective view showing a mounting plate portion of (a). FIG. 3 is an explanatory view schematically showing the belt unit of FIG. 2; 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a roller member and a pulley member of FIG. 3; FIG. (a) is a perspective view schematically showing a belt unit different from that of FIG. 1, and (b) is a perspective view showing a mounting plate portion of (a). FIG. 6 is an explanatory view schematically showing a portion of the belt unit different from FIGS. 1 and 5; FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which has a belt unit different from that of FIGS. 1, 5, and 6. FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a belt unit different from FIGS. 2, 5, 6, and 7; ) is a perspective view showing a part of FIG.

A transfer device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment is provided at a portion (branching portion) where the conveying path on the conveyor line 2 branches. That is, the conveyor line 2 has a main conveyor line 10 and sub-conveyor lines 11 branching off from the main conveyor line 10 .

The main conveyor line 10 is formed by an upstream conveyor device 12, a downstream conveyor device 13 and a portion of the transfer device 1 located therebetween. When an article is conveyed on the main conveyor line 10, an article (an article, not shown) introduced from the upstream side is introduced in the order of the upstream conveyor device 12, the transfer device 1, and the downstream conveyor device 13. , is conveyed linearly as it is.
The sub-conveyor line 11 is formed by a part of the transfer device 1 and the sub-conveyor device 14 . When an object is conveyed on the sub-conveyor line 11, the object introduced from the upstream conveyor device 12 to the transfer device 1 changes its conveying direction by the transfer device 1, and is transferred from the transfer device 1 to the sub-conveyor device. Introduced in 14. Then, it is conveyed to the downstream side of the sub-conveyor device 14 .

Here, in the present embodiment, in plan view, a virtual line extending along the conveying direction (longitudinal direction) of the main conveyor line 10 and a virtual line extending along the conveying direction (longitudinal direction) of the sub-conveyor line 11 are formed. The angle (hereinafter also referred to as branch angle) is 45 degrees.

The upstream conveyor device 12 and the downstream conveyor device 13 are so-called roller conveyors. That is, it has a plurality of conveying rollers and a pair of conveyor frames extending parallel to each other, and the plurality of conveying rollers are rotatably supported by the two conveyor frames.

The sub-conveyor device 14 is a so-called roller conveyor, and is formed by arranging a plurality of conveying rollers. The sub-conveyor device 14 has frame members 14a and 14b, which are a pair of conveyor frames. Furthermore, it also has an upstream mounting member 14c.

In the upstream portion of the sub-conveyor device 14, one shaft of the conveying roller is fixed to one frame member 14a, and the other shaft is fixed to the upstream mounting member 14c. That is, the transport roller is rotatably supported by one frame member 14a and the upstream mounting member 14c. On the other hand, in the downstream portion, the two shafts of the transport roller are rotatably supported by the two frame members 14a and 14b.

In these upstream conveyor device 12, downstream conveyor device 13, and sub-conveyor conveyor device 14, a conveying surface is formed by upper portions of a plurality of conveying rollers. The "conveyance surface" is a portion on which an article is placed when the article is conveyed by the conveyor device.

The transfer device 1 has a main conveyor section 20, a sub-conveyor section 21, and a lifting mechanism (lifting means) (not shown). Specifically, the elevating mechanism is a cam mechanism or a crank mechanism, and may have a direct acting cam, for example. In this case, a plurality of belt units 30 (details will be described later) of the sub-conveyor section 21 are fixed to a frame member or a pedestal member, and the frame member or pedestal member is provided with cam followers such as rollers that come into contact with the direct-acting cam. good too. That is, the lifting mechanism may be any mechanism that lifts and lowers the plurality of belt units 30 .
For convenience of drawing, only some of the belt units 30 are given reference numerals, and the reference numerals for the others are omitted. In addition, likewise, other members are also provided with reference numerals only for some of the plurality, and the reference numerals for the other members are omitted.

Then, the sub-conveyor section 21 (the plurality of belt units 30) is moved up and down by the elevating mechanism, so that the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor section 21 is positioned higher than the conveying surface of the main conveyer section 20 in the transfer device 1. and a state in which the conveying surface of the sub-conveying conveyor portion 21 is positioned lower than the conveying surface of the main conveying conveyor portion 20 is switched.
In addition, the conveying surface of the main conveyer portion 20 is formed by upper portions of a plurality of short rollers 41b, which will be described later. Further, the conveying surface of the sub-conveying conveyor section 21 is formed by upper portions of roller members 51, which will be described later.

When the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor section 21 is at the low position, the transfer device 1 is capable of conveying the introduced article to the downstream conveyor device 13 by the main conveyer section 20 . In other words, the main conveying operation of conveying the article to be conveyed in the main conveying direction (the conveying direction of the main conveyor line 10) becomes possible.
On the other hand, when the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor section 21 is at the high position, the transfer device 1 is capable of conveying the introduced material to the sub-conveyor apparatus 14 by the sub-conveyor section 21 . That is, the sub-conveying operation of conveying the conveyed product in the sub-conveying direction (conveying direction of the sub-conveyor line 11) becomes possible. Note that the main transport direction and the sub-transport direction are directions that intersect each other.

The main transport conveyor section 20 is formed by attaching a plurality of transport members 41 to a conveyor frame 40 . The conveyor frame 40 has a pair of first frame members 40a and second frame members 40b extending parallel to each other.

Both the first frame member 40a and the second frame member 40b are elongated members extending in the main transport direction. Of these two frame members, one second frame member 40b is arranged on the sub-conveyor conveyor device 14 side (sub-conveyor line 11), and the other first frame member 40a is arranged on the opposite side.
Here, the second frame member 40b is arranged such that the upper end portion is positioned lower than the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor portion 21 during the sub-conveying operation. In addition, the upper end portion of the first frame member 40 a is arranged to be higher than the transfer surface of the transfer device 1 . The "conveying surface of the transfer device 1" here means both the conveying surface of the main conveying conveyor section 20 during the main conveying operation and the conveying surface of the sub-conveying conveyor section 21 during the sub-conveying operation.
That is, the upper end portion of the second frame member 40b is arranged at a lower position than the upper end portion of the first frame member 40a.

Further, the second frame member 40b has a notch groove (notch portion) formed in an appropriate portion on the upper side. This notched groove is a portion where a part of the belt unit 30 is arranged at least during the main transport operation.

The conveying member 41 is formed by attaching a plurality of short rollers 41b to a round bar-shaped shaft member 41a.

A plurality of short rollers 41b belonging to one conveying member 41 are aligned in a direction orthogonal to the main conveying direction in a plan view at intervals. These short rollers 41b are cylindrical members that rotate around the same shaft member 41a as a rotation axis. Note that the short roller 41b of the present embodiment is a shock absorbing roller having shock absorbing properties (cushioning properties) at least at the outer peripheral portion thereof. Specifically, the short roller 41b may be a roller made of resin and used as an impact absorbing roller. Alternatively, the short roller 41b may be formed by attaching a resin member to a metallic tubular body (core material) so as to cover the outer peripheral surface thereof. The resin member may be made of resin such as urethane resin or rubber, or may be a cylindrical member that continues in an annular shape. That is, the short roller 41b may be formed by disposing a metal tubular body inside the inner hole of a resin member that is cylindrical.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of conveying members 41 of the main conveying conveyor section 20 are arranged in a line at intervals in the main conveying direction. Both ends of the shaft member 41a in the longitudinal direction of each conveying member 41 are attached to the first frame member 40a and the second frame member 40b, respectively, and are pivotally supported in a rotatable state. In other words, the shaft member 41a is attached so that its longitudinal direction is a direction crossing the main transport direction in a plan view. In addition, in this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the shaft member 41a is the direction perpendicular to the main transport direction.
Further, in the main transport conveyor section 20, the plurality of short rollers 41b belonging to the plurality of transport members 41 are arranged in a zigzag pattern (or substantially a zigzag pattern) in plan view.

The sub-conveyor section 21 has a plurality of belt units 30 .

The belt unit 30 is a characteristic part of this embodiment. 2, the belt unit 30 includes a mounting plate portion 50, a plurality of roller members 51 (rollers), a plurality of pulley members 52 (rotating bodies A), and a plurality of auxiliary pulley members 53 (rotating members). It has a body B), a driving engagement member 54, and an endless belt 55 (annular member).
2 and 3, five roller members 51, first roller members 51a to fifth roller members 51e, first pulley members It is assumed that the five pulley members 52 of the pulley member 52e are provided. Also, the description will be made assuming that two auxiliary pulley members 53, ie, two first auxiliary pulley members 53a and a second auxiliary pulley member 53b are provided.
However, as is obvious from FIG. 1, the number of roller members 51 and pulley members 52 may be five or more, or may be five or less. The number of auxiliary pulley members 53 may also be changed as appropriate.

The mounting plate portion 50 is an upright plate-shaped member, and is gently curved so as to protrude from one side to the other side in the thickness direction. That is, the mounting plate portion 50 is a curved plate, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are located on one side in the thickness direction of the central side in the longitudinal direction.
The mounting plate portion 50 has a plurality of notches 50a on the upper side, as shown in FIG. 2(b). That is, the upper portion of the mounting plate portion 50 has a comb shape.

The roller member 51 has a roller-shaped roller outer peripheral portion 60 that continues in an annular shape, and a rod-shaped roller shaft portion 61 that serves as a rotation shaft of the roller outer peripheral portion 60 . A bearing member 62 is interposed between the roller outer peripheral portion 60 and the roller shaft portion 61 (see FIG. 4). The roller member 51 is idly rotated without power and receives power from the endless belt 55 to rotate.

The pulley member 52 has a roller-shaped pulley outer peripheral portion 65 that continues in an annular shape, and a rod-shaped pulley shaft portion 66 that serves as a rotation shaft of the pulley outer peripheral portion 65 . A bearing member 67 is interposed between the pulley shaft portions 66 of the pulley outer peripheral portion 65 (see FIG. 4).
An engagement groove portion 68 (see FIG. 4 and the like) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the pulley outer peripheral portion 65 . The engagement groove portion 68 is a groove portion that continues in an annular shape and is a groove portion that is recessed toward the center side (diameter direction inner side) of the pulley outer peripheral portion 65 .

The auxiliary pulley member 53 has the same structure as the pulley member 52 described above, and as shown in FIG. It has a shaft portion 71 . An engaging groove portion 72 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pulley outer peripheral portion 70 .

The driving engagement member 54 is a roller-shaped (substantially disc-shaped) member, and a shaft member that receives power from an external motor (power source, not shown) and rotates is inserted through the central portion thereof. In addition, in the sub-conveyor section 21 of the present embodiment, the driving engagement members 54 of the plurality of belt units 30 (see FIG. 1) are arranged so as to be aligned in a straight line in a plan view, and have the same axis. A member is inserted (detailed illustration is omitted). That is, the sub-conveyor section 21 has a motor (power source) for rotating the driving engagement member 54, and the driving engagement members 54 of the respective belt units 30 are powered by the same motor. Rotate.

Note that the belt unit 30 disposed outside the curved path formed by the sub-conveyor conveyor section 21 (outside of the curve, upper side in FIG. 1) and inside the curved path (inside the curve, lower side in FIG. 1). In the belt unit 30 disposed on the side), the drive engaging member 54 has a different diameter.
More specifically, in the plurality of belt units 30, the diameter of the driving engagement member 54 is larger for the belt units 30 arranged on the outer side of the curved road. That is, the diameter of the driving engagement member 54 belonging to the innermost belt unit 30 is the smallest, and the diameter of the driving engagement member 54 belonging to the second belt unit 30 from the inside is smaller than the diameter of the driving engagement member 54 . Slightly larger in diameter. Similarly, the diameter of the driving engagement member 54 belonging to the third belt unit 30 from the inside is slightly larger than the diameter of the driving engagement member 54 belonging to the second belt unit 30 from the inside. Similarly, the diameter of the belt unit 30 arranged on the outer side of the curved road becomes larger, and the diameter of the driving engagement member 54 arranged on the outermost side is the largest.

The endless belt 55 is an annular continuous resin (rubber) member, and in this embodiment, a round belt is used. That is, the endless belt 55 is a member extending with a circular or substantially circular cross-sectional shape.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the belt unit 30 of the present embodiment includes a roller row portion 80 including first roller members 51a to fifth roller members 51e and first pulley members 52a to fifth pulley members 52e. and a pulley row portion 81 (rotating body row member). Further, it has an auxiliary pulley row portion 82 consisting of a first auxiliary pulley member 53a and a second auxiliary pulley member 53b.

The roller row portion 80 is formed by arranging a plurality of roller members 51 at intervals.
The pulley row portion 81 is also formed by arranging a plurality of pulley members 52 at intervals.
In this embodiment, the number of roller members 51 belonging to the roller row portion 80 and the number of pulley members 52 belonging to the pulley row portion 81 are the same. Each roller member 51 and each pulley member 52 are in one-to-one correspondence, and a different pulley member 52 is positioned below each roller member 51 . The direction in which the roller members 51 are arranged in the roller row portion 80 and the direction in which the pulley members 52 are arranged in the pulley row portion 81 are both the same as the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50 . In other words, the roller row portion 80 and the pulley row portion 81 are in a state in which these two rows are aligned at vertically adjacent positions.

In addition, the spacing formed between the two adjacent roller members 51 in the roller row portion 80 and the spacing formed between the two adjacent pulley members 52 in the pulley row portion 81 are The length in the longitudinal direction (the width of the gap) is the same (or substantially the same).
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, in a side view with the thickness direction of the mounting plate portion 50 as the viewing direction, the rotation axis (rotation center) of the upper roller member 51 and the rotation axis (rotational center) of the pulley member 52 center) are aligned in the vertical direction. That is, in the same side view, the rotation axes (rotation centers) of the roller members 51 and the pulley members 52 arranged vertically are located at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50 (the position in the left-right direction in FIG. 3). It has become. In other words, in the same side view, the rotation shafts (rotation centers) of the roller members 51 and the pulley members 52 that are vertically aligned are aligned linearly.
In other words, in this embodiment, the pulley members 52 are positioned directly below the respective roller members 51 .

Here, the mounting plate portion 50 is a curved plate as described above. Therefore, the plurality of roller members 51 belonging to one roller row portion 80 (belt unit 30) are arranged in a curved line in plan view (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the plurality of pulley members 52 on the lower side are also arranged in a curved line in plan view.

Also in the auxiliary pulley row portion 82, the auxiliary pulley members 53 are arranged side by side with a space therebetween.
In this embodiment, each of the first auxiliary pulley member 53a and the second auxiliary pulley member 53b is located directly below the predetermined pulley member 52 (the second pulley member 52b and the fourth pulley member 52d). In other words, among the plurality of pulley members 52 belonging to the pulley row portion 81 , there are those in which the auxiliary pulley member 53 is arranged right below and those in which the auxiliary pulley member 53 is not arranged on the lower side.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , in a side view with the thickness direction of the mounting plate portion 50 as the viewing direction, the rotation axis (rotation center) of the pulley members 52 arranged vertically and the rotation of the auxiliary pulley member 53 The axis (rotation center) is arranged in a straight line in the vertical direction.
That is, in the same side view, the rotation axes (rotation centers) of the vertically arranged pulley member 52 and the auxiliary pulley member 53 are located at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50 (the position in the left-right direction in FIG. 3). position.
Therefore, the belt unit 30 of this embodiment has a portion in which the roller members 51, the pulley members 52, and the auxiliary pulley members 53 are arranged in a row in the vertical direction, and a row in which the roller members 51 and the pulley members 52 are arranged in the vertical direction. has a part These are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50 .

The endless belt 55 is suspended under constant tension. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the endless belt 55 is roughly divided into an upper running portion 85 , a power source engaging portion 86 , a lower running portion 87 and an upper and lower connecting portion 88 .

The upper running portion 85 is a portion positioned above the center of rotation of the pulley members 52 and extends above the plurality of pulley members 52 .
The power source engaging portion 86 has a portion extending downward from one end portion of the upper running portion 85 toward the driving engaging member 54 and a portion extending from the side of the driving engaging member 54 to the opposite side of the driving engaging member 54 via the lower side. and a portion extending upward from the driving engagement member 54 and continuing to one end of the lower running portion 87 . A portion extending from the side of the driving engagement member 54 to the opposite side through the lower side is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the driving engagement member 54 .

The lower running portion 87 is a portion extending below the plurality of pulley members 52 at a position below the rotation center of the pulley member 52 and above the rotation center of the auxiliary pulley member 53 .
The vertical connecting portion 88 includes a longitudinal end of the lower running portion 87 (the other end, which is the opposite end to the one end) and a longitudinal end of the upper running portion 85 (the other end). (see FIG. 2(a)).

Here, on the lower side of the roller member 51, as shown in FIG. The upper portion of the upper running portion 85 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller member 51 .
The upper running portion 85 is sandwiched between the roller member 51 and the pulley member 52 and pressed by them, so that the upper running portion 85 is bent. In other words, although the cross-sectional shape is circular (or substantially circular) in the natural state, the upper running portion 85 is in a crushed state, so that the cross-sectional shape is temporarily elastically deformed to be substantially elliptical. .

Due to such elastic deformation, the upper running portion 85 is in close contact with the groove wall portion and the groove bottom portion of the engagement groove portion 68 . Further, the upper end portion of the upper running portion 85 is pressed against the roller member 51 from below and is in close contact therewith. In other words, the upper running portion 85 is pressed against each portion. At this time, for example, even if the width of the engagement groove portion 68 (the length in the left-right direction in FIG. 4) is slightly shorter than the width of the upper running portion 85 in the natural state (the length in the left-right direction in FIG. 4), good. In this embodiment, the vertical length of the upper running portion 85 in the natural state is made longer than the maximum depth of the engaging groove portion 68 .
As described above, according to the structure in which the upper running portion 85 (the endless belt 55 ) is pressed, the power of the endless belt 55 can be reliably transmitted to the roller members 51 . In addition, since a portion of the upper running portion 85 (endless belt 55) is surrounded by the roller members 51 and the pulley members 52, unintended displacement of the endless belt 55 can be more reliably prevented.

Further, in this embodiment, the roller members 51 and the pulley members 52 are arranged such that a slight gap is formed between the outer peripheral surfaces of the roller members 51 and the pulley members 52 that are vertically adjacent to each other.

A portion of the lower running portion 87 is fitted into the engaging groove portion 68 of the pulley member 52 on the lower side of the pulley member 52 .
Here, in the portion of the lower running portion 87 located between the pulley member 52 and the auxiliary pulley member 53, the upper portion of the lower running portion 87 is fitted into the engagement groove portion 68 of the pulley member 52, portion is fitted into the engagement groove portion 72 of the auxiliary pulley member 53 (see FIG. 2(a)). That is, the lower running portion 87 is sandwiched between the pulley member 52 and the auxiliary pulley member 53 .

As shown in FIG. 2( a ), the vertical connecting portion 88 is the engagement groove portion 68 of the pulley member 52 (fifth pulley member 52 e ) located on the end side in the row direction of the pulley row portion 81 . It is stuck in. In this manner, the endless belt 55 is engaged with the plurality of pulley members 52 and the plurality of auxiliary pulley members 53 at respective portions. A separate tension pulley or the like may be provided in the belt unit 30 so as to be in contact with the endless belt 55 .

In this embodiment, the endless belt 55 runs as the driving engagement member 54 rotates. The running direction of the upper running portion 85 and the running direction (moving direction) of the lower running portion 87 below it are opposite to each other. That is, one of the upper running portion 85 and the lower running portion 87 runs (moves) in a direction toward one end in the row direction of the roller row portions 80 (a direction toward one end in the horizontal direction in FIG. 4). The other travels (moves) in the direction toward the other end in the row direction of the roller row portions 80 (the direction toward the other end in the left-right direction in FIG. 4).

2 and 3, the belt unit 30 of this embodiment has a gap portion 90 between two adjacent roller members 51 and above the upper running portion 85. As shown in FIGS. This gap portion 90 is a portion where a part of the conveying member 41 of the main conveyer portion 20 is arranged when the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor portion 21 is positioned upward.

As described above, the sub-conveyor section 21 of the present embodiment has a plurality of belt units 30, which are arranged side by side at intervals (see FIG. 1). At this time, the respective belt units 30 are arranged so that the thickness direction of the mounting plate portion 50 (see FIG. 2, etc.) is the same direction. In addition, the length in the longitudinal direction of each belt unit 30 and the number of roller members 51 are different. Therefore, the number of pulley members 52 is also different.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the transfer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has, in plan view, an area where only the main transport conveyor section 20 is located, an area where only the sub-transport conveyor section 21 is located, and a main It has an area in which both the transport conveyor section 20 and the sub-transport conveyor section 21 are located. That is, the portion between the first frame member 40a and the second frame member 40b where the sub-conveyor portion 21 is located is the portion where both the main conveyor portion 20 and the sub-conveyor portion 21 are located. That is, at least a part of the main conveyor section 20 and the sub-conveyor section 21 (main conveying path and sub-conveying path) are arranged in the same plane area.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of the transfer device 1 used in the conveyor line 2 with the branch angle of 45 degrees was shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, by changing the degree of curvature of the mounting plate portion 50 in each belt unit 30, the conveying direction of the conveyed object when executing the sub-conveying operation can be appropriately changed. As a result, it is possible to construct a transfer device that can be used not only for a conveyor line with a branching angle of 45 degrees, but also for conveyor lines with various branching angles.

In the above example, an example in which the mounting plate portion 50 is a curved plate has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the mounting plate portion 150 of the belt unit 130 may be in the form of an upright plate (a substantially flat plate-like member in an upright posture). That is, instead of extending in a curved line in plan view, it may extend substantially in a straight line in plan view.
By arranging such a belt unit between a plurality of conveying rollers belonging to a roller conveyor (roller-type conveying means) like a conventional transfer device, the main conveying direction and the sub conveying direction can be seen in a plan view. It is possible to construct a transfer device in which the directions are perpendicular to each other.

In the above-described embodiment, the pulley member 52 is positioned directly below the roller member 51, and the roller member 51, the pulley member 52, and the auxiliary pulley member 53 are arranged vertically (see FIG. 3, etc.). . However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotation axis (rotation center) of the roller member 51 and the rotation axis (rotation center) of the pulley member 52 are displaced in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate (horizontal direction in FIG. 6). You may arrange it so that it will be in the same position. In this case, the endless belt 55 is sandwiched between the roller members 51 and the pulley members 52 which are spaced obliquely from each other in plan view with the thickness direction of the mounting plate portion as the viewing direction. With such a configuration, the contact area between the roller member 51 and the endless belt 55 can be increased (the contact angle can be increased).
Further, in this case, the roller member 51 and the pulley member 52 may be arranged at positions slightly separated from each other in the oblique direction so that the endless belt 55 is not pressed. However, a configuration in which the roller member 51 and the pulley member 52 are arranged close to each other to press the endless belt 55 is preferable in terms of reliably transmitting the power of the endless belt 55 . The strength with which the endless belt 55 is pressed can be appropriately changed by changing the distance between the roller member 51 and the pulley member 52, as in the above-described embodiment.

That is, when the roller member 51 and the pulley member 52 are attached in each of the above-described embodiments, the distance between them can be changed as appropriate. In other words, the mounting positions of the roller member 51 and the pulley member 52 may be close to each other or separated from each other. At this time, the outer peripheral surfaces of the roller member 51 and the pulley member 52 may be separated from each other, or may be arranged so that the outer peripheral surfaces (parts of the outer peripheral surfaces) are in contact with each other. good too.

In the embodiment described above, an example in which the plurality of belt units 30 of the sub-conveyor section 21 is lifted by the lifting mechanism has been shown. However, the transfer device of the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the main conveyer section 20 may be raised and lowered, or both the main conveyer section 20 and the sub-conveyor section 21 may be raised and lowered. In the configuration in which both the main conveyor section 20 and the sub-conveyor section 21 are raised and lowered, the sub-conveyor section 21 descends as the main conveyor section 20 rises, and the sub-conveyance section 21 descends as the main conveyor section 20 descends. The conveyor section 21 may be raised.

In the above-described embodiment, the transfer device 1 is provided with two conveyor devices consisting of the main conveyor section 20 and the sub-conveyor section 21 . That is, a conveyor device (sub-conveyor section 21) having a plurality of belt units 30 constitutes a part of the transfer device 1. As shown in FIG.
However, the conveyor device having a plurality of belt units 30 may form part of the transfer device 1, or may independently form at least part of the conveyor line. For example, in a conveyor line having a curved path, a curved section may be formed by a conveyor device having a plurality of belt units 30 . In addition, a conveyor device having a plurality of belt units 130 as described above may form a portion for linearly conveying a conveyed object. Of course, these conveyor devices do not have to be provided at the locations where the conveying route branches.

For example, a curved conveyor device 201 (conveyor device) may be arranged between an upstream conveyor device 212 and a downstream conveyor device 213 in a conveyor line 200 as shown in FIG.
This curved conveyor device 201 has a curved section, and a plurality of belt units 230 are arranged side by side between a pair of conveyor frames. The pair of conveyor frames extend parallel to each other, and both extend while curving to have a curved shape in a plan view.
The belt unit 230 extends between the downstream portion of the upstream conveyor system 212 and the upstream portion of the downstream conveyor system 213 . The belt unit 230 extends in a generally arcuate shape in plan view, and more specifically, extends so that the angle between the ends of the arc is approximately 180 degrees (the center angle is approximately 180 degrees). ing.

As described above, in addition to the conveyor device forming the curved portion of the conveyor line, the conveyor device forming the S-shaped portion of the conveyor line may be formed. That is, a conveyor device may be formed having a plurality of belt units each having a mounting plate portion extending in an S shape in a plan view. Also in this conveyor device, a plurality of belt units are arranged side by side.

In the embodiment described above, the lower running portion 87 is sandwiched between the pulley member 52 and the auxiliary pulley member 53, and the cross-sectional shape of the lower running portion 87 is the same or substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape in the natural state. An example was described. That is, the example in which the lower running portion 87 is arranged in a state where it is not crushed has been described.
However, the pulley member 52 and the auxiliary pulley member 53 may be arranged closer to each other so that the lower running portion 87 sandwiched between them is pressed (crushed). That is, the lower running portion 87 may be temporarily elastically deformed so that the cross-sectional shape of the lower running portion 87 is approximately elliptical. At this time, the engaging groove portion 72 may not be provided on the auxiliary pulley member 53 and the lower running portion 87 may be pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary pulley member 53 .

In the belt unit 30 of the embodiment described above, the roller member 51 may be formed so as to slide vertically. For example, the hole of the mounting plate portion 50 through which the rotating shaft of the roller member 51 is inserted is a vertically elongated hole, and the roller member 51 is mounted on the mounting plate portion 50 in a vertically movable state. Here, as described above, the roller member 51 is placed on the elastic endless belt 55 . Therefore, when an object is placed on the roller member 51 and the load of the object is applied to the roller member 51, the roller member 51 presses the endless belt 55, and the endless belt 55 is temporarily deformed into a more relaxed state. do. As a result, the roller member 51 is temporarily moved downward. Further, when the conveyed object is no longer positioned on the roller members 51 from this state, the temporary deformation of the endless belt 55 is released, and the roller members 51 move upward.

In the above-described embodiment, the roller member 51 is composed of one roller (one roller main body). However, the roller member of the present invention is not limited to the roller main body itself that forms the conveying surface. Like the roller member 351 shown in FIG. It may be constituted by an auxiliary member 347 for rotating.

The auxiliary member 347 of this embodiment is similar to the roller member 51 described above. In other words, the roller member 351 of the present embodiment is composed of two (plurality) rollers including the roller body portion 346 and the auxiliary member 347 (rotating body C). The roller body portion 346 has a large-diameter portion 346a and a small-diameter portion 346b, which are cylindrical portions having different diameters, and these are continuous via a step. That is, the roller body portion 346 is a stepped roller (roller, rotating body).
The large diameter portion 346a is a portion that forms a conveying surface. The outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 346 b is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary member 347 . Similarly to the above, the auxiliary member 347 rotates as the endless belt 55 (upper running portion 85) runs. As a result, the roller main body 346 rotates together with the auxiliary member 347 .

As described above, the endless belt 55 may be in direct contact with the rollers (rollers, rotating bodies) forming the conveying surface, or may be in indirect contact via another member (auxiliary member 347). In other words, it is sufficient that it is in contact with the roller forming the conveying surface or a member (rotating body) for rotating this roller. The endless belt 55 may be sandwiched between these rollers or members for rotating the rollers and other rotating bodies (pulley member 52 and rotating body A).

Reference Signs List 1 transfer device 20 main conveyer section 21 sub-conveyor section 51, 351 roller member 52 pulley member (rotating body A)
53 Auxiliary pulley member (rotating body B)
55 endless belt (annular member)
81 pulley row part (rotating body row member)
201 curve conveyor device (conveyor device)

Claims (9)

A conveyor device comprising: a rotating body array member having a plurality of roller members for contacting and urging an article, an annular member, and a plurality of rotating bodies; and a power source for causing the annular member to travel,
The annular member is in contact with the roller member to rotate the roller member, and the annular member is sandwiched between one of the rotating bodies A and one of the roller members. A conveyor device characterized by: 2. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein said annular member is pressed between said rotating body A and said roller member. 3. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein said rotating body A is arranged at a position directly below said roller member. 4. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body row members are provided in a plurality of rows. 5. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of said rotating bodies constituting said rotating body row member are arranged in a curved line in plan view. When viewed from the side while the annular member is running, the upper portion moves in one direction and the lower portion moves in the opposite direction,
6. The conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a rotating body B, wherein the lower side of the annular member is sandwiched between the rotating body B and one of the rotating bodies A. Device. 7. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein said annular member is elastically deformable and deforms in cross-sectional shape when sandwiched between said rotating body A and said roller member. 8. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the annular member has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. A main conveyor section, a sub-conveyor section, and an elevating means for lifting and lowering at least one of the main conveyor section and the sub-conveyor section, wherein the main conveyor section is located in a certain plane area and the article The sub-conveyor section is arranged in the same plane area as the main conveyor section and conveys articles in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the main conveyer section. In the transfer device for transporting articles in a desired direction by raising one transport surface above the other transport surface by the elevating means, the main transport conveyor section and the sub-transport conveyor section is the conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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