JP2936038B2 - Branch junction device in monorail transport equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a branching / joining device in a monorail transport facility. More specifically, monorail transport equipment that transports articles in a building such as a factory or a warehouse is complicatedly branched or merged in conformity with the layout in the factory. The present invention relates to a branch junction device installed at a branch junction of such a transport path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the case of a monorail branch junction, a plurality of route connecting rails are juxtaposed and slid, so that each rail is selectively used.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.
There is a device described in -64464, which is configured as shown in FIG. R is the junction rail, Ra and Rb
Numerals are rails of a branch portion, each of which has a U-shaped cross section. Reference numerals 124 and 125 are switching rails, which are fixed to the moving table 123. A cylinder 121 is connected to the moving table 123. When the cylinder 121 is expanded and contracted, the moving table 123 reciprocates in the direction of arrow 122 on the base plate 127, and the merging section rail R is connected to either the branching section rail Ra or Rb. To connect selectively.

[0004]

However, as in the prior art, the moving table 123 and the two switching rails 124, 125 are used.
The device for constantly moving the vehicle has a drawback that the moving part is large and heavy and the moving stroke is large, so that it takes a long time to switch, and it is necessary to wait for the bogie to complete the switching, resulting in low transport efficiency. In addition, there is a problem that the installation space is large, the installation location is restricted, and the degree of freedom in layout is hindered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a branching / joining apparatus which can quickly carry out branching / joining to enhance the transport capacity and also requires a small installation space.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a branching / joining apparatus comprising a channel having a gate-shaped cross-section disposed along a traveling route of a carrier and projecting inward from lower ends on both sides of the channel. The upper surface of the rail portion is a bogie support surface, and the opposite inner end surfaces of the two rail portions are a traveling guide surface, and the transport path is formed on the rail surface. A monorail transport facility comprising a transport vehicle provided with left and right traveling rollers for traveling, and left and right guide rollers abutting against the guide surface of the rail portion and provided at a lower portion of the truck body, wherein one of the transport rails is provided. In a Y-shaped branch junction where two junctions are connected to each other, the base of the swing guide is axially attached to the lower surface of the top plate of the channel of the junction, and the swing guide is swung. Swing mechanism In addition, the leading end of the swing guide is selectively connected to the two branch portions, and the swing guide has a rolling guide surface for regulating the rolling of the carriage. Preferably, an auxiliary roller is provided on an upper portion of the transport vehicle so as to contact the rolling guide surface.

[0007]

According to the present invention, when traveling on a single conveying path, the carriage is supported by the carriage supporting surface of the rail portion on which the traveling roller of the carriage rides, and the traveling direction of the carriage is guided by the guide surface on which the guide rollers of the carriage roll. To move the transport carriage. When entering the junction, one of the right and left of the traveling roller and the guide roller of the bogie is separated from the rail, and the bogie cannot be supported or guided.However, the rolling of the swing guide provided on the lower surface of the ceiling of the bifurcation is not possible. The traveling direction of the bogie is guided by auxiliary rollers that roll on the guide surface. That is, the bogie travels on the side where the tip of the swing guide is connected to one of the two branch portions. In addition, when one side of the bogie is separated from the rail, the bogie tries to drop under its own weight, but the auxiliary roller above the bogie contacts the rolling guide surface of the swing guide and restrains the rolling of the bogie so that one of the bogies cannot be rolled. The carriage is supported together with the support surface of the rail, and the carrier is prevented from dropping.

In the present invention, since only the swing guide needs to be operated, the movable portion is small and light, and the moving stroke is small. Therefore, the switching is quick, and there is no need to wait the carrier. For this reason, the transport capacity is improved. In addition, since the movable parts are small, the installation space may be small, and almost no space is required more than the installation space of the transport path.

[0009]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the transport vehicle T will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a side view of the carrier T, FIG. 5 is a plan view thereof,
1 is a box-shaped main body frame. Running rollers 2 are mounted on the left and right sides of the front end portion and the left and right sides of the rear end portion of the lower portion of the main body frame 1, respectively, and run on the front end side (or the rear end side) as drive wheels. I have. Guide rollers 3 are pivotally mounted on the lower surface of the main body frame 1 at four front, rear, left and right positions, and four guide rollers 4 are also rotatably mounted on the upper surface, front, rear, left and right. The lower guide roller 3 is essential in the present invention, but the upper guide roller 4 is optional. However, it is preferable to provide the upper guide roller 4 because running stability is increased.

Further, on the upper surface of the main body frame 1, two auxiliary rollers 5 are supported on the right side in the front-rear direction, and two auxiliary rollers 6 are further rotatably supported on the left side in the front-rear direction by support pins. A current collector 7 is attached to a front end and a rear end of the main body frame by a parallel link type support 8 so as to be vertically movable and horizontally swingable.

The transport path 10 has a channel as shown in FIG.
The channel 11 is composed of a top plate 12, an L-shaped upper side wall 13, and a vertical lower side wall 14, and has a substantially gate-shaped cross section. 16 is attached so as to protrude inward from the lower end of the lower side wall 14. The upper surfaces of the rail portions 15 and 16 are a carriage support surface 15
a and 16a, and the opposing inner end surfaces 15b and 16b are lower traveling guide surfaces. The inner wall surface of the upper side wall 13 is formed as upper traveling guide surfaces 17b, 17b.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the traveling rollers 2 of the carriage T are supported by the carriage support surfaces 15a, 16a of the rails 15, 16.
The carriage moves on the carriage while supporting the carriage, and the lower guide roller 3 comes into contact with the lower guide surfaces 15b, 16b, and the upper guide roller 4 comes into contact with the upper guide surfaces 17b, 17b and rolls. It is designed to guide the traveling direction.

The transport path 10 is arranged along the traveling route of the transport vehicle T in an arbitrary layout inside the building. Some of the routes include a single route, and some branches from the single route into two routes. Note that a portion that branches into two or a portion that merges from two into one is referred to as a branch junction in this specification.

The conveying path at the branch junction uses a Y-shaped branch junction segment 20 as shown in FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the branching / joining segment 20, and FIG. 9 is a plan sectional view showing the rail portions 15 and 16. In FIG.
Is a first branch portion, 22 is a second branch portion, and 23 is a merging portion. In each portion, two rail portions 15 and 16 are arranged in parallel. Or the rail part 16 is missing.

8 and 10, reference numeral 30 denotes a swinging guide, on the lower surface of which a current collecting groove 31 in which the current collector 7 of the carrier T slides, and on both sides of which a rolling guide on which the auxiliary roller 5 rolls. Surfaces 32 and 33 are formed. The swing guide 30 has a length from the junction portion 23 to the vicinity of the first branch portion 21 or the second branch portion 22, and its base end is a pin 34 at the lower surface of the top plate 12 of the junction portion 23. It is pivotally mounted on the shaft. A swing mechanism 40 is attached to the center of the swing guide 30.

The swing mechanism 40 comprises a cylinder 41, an L-shaped link 42, and a truck 43.
One end of the L-shaped link 42 is pin-connected to 44, and the L-shaped link 42
The bogie 43 is connected to the other end of the vehicle via a connecting bracket 45. The swing guide 30 is connected to the carriage 43 by a connecting pin 46. Wheels 47 are attached to the carriage 43 for smooth movement. In addition, connecting pins 46 are attached to the top plate 12.
A long hole 18 through which the air flows is formed.

In the swing mechanism 40, when the cylinder 41 is contracted, the tip of the swing guide 30 is connected to the second branch portion.
Although it is located at a position where it is connected to 22, the tip of the swing guide 30 can be directed to a position where it is connected to the first branch portion 21 when the cylinder 41 is extended. FIGS. 1A and 1B show such connection switching. FIG. 1A shows a state in which the swing guide 30 is connected to the second branch portion 22, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the swing guide 30 is connected to the first branch portion 21. Is shown. In the figure, 24 and 25 are connection guides.

Next, the case where the carrier T travels in the branching junction in the switching state shown in FIG. 1A will be described. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1 (A), and FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1A. The state during passage is shown.

As shown in FIG. 3, the traveling roller 2 of the carriage T travels on two rails 15 and 16 while passing through the junction 23, and the lower guide roller 3 is connected to the lower guide surface 15b. ,
Guided by 16b. Although not shown, the upper guide roller 4 is also guided by the upper guide surface 17b. Therefore, although the current collector 7 is contained in the current collecting groove 31 of the swing guide 30, the auxiliary rollers 5 and 6 are not yet substantially guided by the rolling guide surface 32. When the transport trolley T further advances to the position II, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport trolley T comes off the rail portion 16 on one side. That is, the traveling roller 2 on one side of the carriage T is connected to the rail 15 on one side.
Although it rides on the upper part, it is separated from the rail part 16 on the opposite side, so that a moment M in the direction of falling by its own weight is generated. However, since the auxiliary roller 5 is in contact with the rolling guide surface 32 of the swing guide 30, the transport vehicle T can continue traveling against the moment M, and the traveling roller 2 on one side and the lower guide roller on one side 3. The carriage T can enter the second branch portion 22 by the auxiliary roller 5 on one side. The same applies to the case where the vehicle travels from the second branch portion 22 to the junction portion 23.

When traveling between the first branch portion 21 and the merging portion 23, the left traveling roller 2 and the lower guide roller 3 ride on the rail portion 16, and the auxiliary roller 6 is rotated by the rolling guide surface 33 of the swing guide 30. , And can proceed in a region where one of the rails 15 is lacked in the same manner as described above.

As described above, in this embodiment, the carrier T can travel in a region where one of the rails at the branching junction is lacking, and the path switching operation involves operating the swing guide 30, which is a small member. , The switching operation is quick, and there is no need to temporarily stop the carrier immediately before the junction. Therefore, the transport efficiency is greatly improved. Also, since the swing guide 30 is small and lightweight, it is installed inside the transport path 10, and the swing mechanism 40 is also small enough, and it is installed in the space above the transport path 10,
There is almost no restriction on the layout of the transport path 10, and there is an advantage that it can be installed even in a narrow place.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 11 shows a case where a cylinder device 50 of a cylinder moving type is used as another example of the swing mechanism. In this cylinder device 50, rods 52 and 53 protruding from both ends of a cylinder tube 51 are fixed on the top plate 12 by a foot 54, and the cylinder tube 51 is connected to the swing guide 30 by a connection pin 46. The deviation between the swing locus of the swing guide 30 and the linear reciprocating locus of the cylinder device 50 may be absorbed by any means such as providing play at the end of the connecting pin 46. In this embodiment, the swing guide 30 can be swung by reciprocating the cylinder tube 51 left and right.

[0023]

According to the present invention, the movable part is small and light,
Switching is quick because the moving stroke is small,
Since there is no need to make the truck stand by, the transport capacity is improved. In addition, since the movable parts are small, the installation space may be small, and almost no space is required more than the installation space of the transport path.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a switching state of a swing guide in a branching / joining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a state of a transport vehicle T immediately before entering a second branching unit in FIG. 1 (A).

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state of a transport vehicle T traveling at a junction in FIG. 1 (A).

FIG. 4 is a side view of the transport vehicle T.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the transport vehicle T.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the transport path 10.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport vehicle T traveling on a transport path.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the branching and joining segment 20.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing rail portions 15 and 16 of the branching and joining segment 20.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the swing mechanism 40 taken along line XX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration example of the swing mechanism.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional branching and joining device.

[Explanation of symbols]

T Conveyor truck 1 Main frame 2 Running roller 3 Lower guide roller 4 Upper guide roller 5 Auxiliary roller 6 Auxiliary roller 10 Conveyance path 15 Rail section 16 Rail section 21 First branch section 22 Second branch section 23 Merging section 30 Swing guide 32 Rolling guide surface 33 Rolling guide surface 40 Swing mechanism

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) E01B 25/00 E01B 25/28 B61B 13/00 B61J 1/10

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A channel having a gate-shaped cross section disposed along a traveling route of a carrier and two rails formed to project inward from lower ends on both sides of the channel. Is a carriage support surface, and a conveyance path in which the inner end surfaces of the two rail portions facing each other are a travel guide surface, left and right traveling rollers traveling on the support surface of the rail portion, A monorail transport equipment comprising a transport carriage provided with left and right guide rollers rolling in contact with a guide surface at a lower portion of a carriage body, wherein one confluence portion and two branch portions in the transport path are connected. Y
In the branching junction having a U-shape, the base of the swing guide is axially attached to the lower surface of the top plate of the channel of the junction, and a swing mechanism for swinging the swing guide is provided. Are selectively connected to the two branch portions, and a rolling guide surface for regulating the rolling of the carrier is formed on the swing guide, and an upper portion of the carrier is provided on the carrier. A branching / joining device in a monorail transport facility, wherein an auxiliary roller is provided for contacting the rolling guide surface.