JP3734781B2 - Fixed shaft structure and conveyor - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shaft fixing structure and a conveyor, and more particularly, to a simple shaft fixing structure that does not require bolts and the like and a conveyor having the shaft fixing structure.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, wheel conveyors, roller conveyors, and the like have been used for conveying goods in food, machinery, and other various fields. As the structure of the support shaft that supports the rotating part of these conveyors, there are an integral type in which the support shaft itself becomes an inner ring of the rotating part, and a split type that uses a shaft, a pipe, etc. through a bearing of the rotating part. . In accordance with the structure of each of these shafts, the structure for holding the support shaft in a solid state is also different. Normally, an integrated conveyor has a cylindrical wheel or roller inner ring arranged between the frames, tightened firmly from the outside of the frame with bolts via spring washers, flat washers, nuts, etc. A certain inner ring is pressed and fixed by the frames on both sides. Since this type of conveyor can firmly fix the support shaft to the frame, it is excellent in the mechanical strength of the conveyor, the rotational property of the wheel, and the straight traveling property. On the other hand, in the split type conveyor, a resin receiving portion or the like is provided on the side surface of the frame, and both ends of the support shaft are fixed using elastic deformation or the like (JP-A-5-81846, JP-A-7-126748, etc.) Alternatively, since the shaft end fixing portion of the frame is bent inward and fixed directly (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-82918), etc., the assemblability is excellent.
In addition, as a frame used for these conveyors, a split type frame in which a rotating part such as a wheel or a roller is fixed by two frame side plates made of angle or channel steel is often used.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-mentioned divided type conveyor, a resin receiving part or the like is provided and elastic deformation is used, there is a problem that it is necessary to manufacture the resin receiving part in a process different from the frame production, and the support shaft and the receiving part are hexagonal. There is a problem that it is necessary to perform a process of fixing the support shaft such as a process. In addition, when the shaft end fixing part is back-cut and directly fixed by bending inward, the fixing position of the support shaft is inaccurate, so that the rotating part rattles during conveyance and is inferior in rotation performance and straight running performance. There is a problem. Furthermore, the shaft fixing structure of the split type conveyor that does not use these bolts is excellent in assemblability, but in addition to the above problems, it is inferior in mechanical strength and rotational performance compared to the integrated type that uses bolts and the like. There is a problem that it can be used only for small conveyors for conveying small items.
In addition, the integrated conveyor has a problem in that it has a process of tightening bolts and is inferior in assemblability. Further, when the above divided frame is used, there is a problem that the conveyor may be twisted when the bolts are tightened.
[0004]
The present invention has been made to cope with such problems, and has a shaft fixing structure capable of fixing a shaft with a simple and strong structure, and by providing the shaft fixing structure, the strength of the conveyor, the rotational property of the wheel, and the straight movement. It aims at providing the conveyor excellent in the assembly property which does not require a bolt etc., ensuring traveling property.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the shaft fixing structure of the present invention, the bearing portion forming side end portion of at least one side plate of the pair of metal side plates is bent, the bearing portion is formed inside the bent side plate, and the shaft is fixed to the outside of the side plate. The shaft fixing structure is formed with an upper tongue piece that is parallel to the side plate and a lower tongue piece that is bent inward from the side plate, with the connecting portion with the side plate serving as a boundary. When the support shaft is press-fitted, the lower tongue piece is plastically deformed in the direction toward the side plate surface and the upper tongue piece is plastically deformed inward from the side plate with the connecting portion as a central axis, thereby rotating the upper tongue piece. The support shaft is sandwiched and fixed.
The connecting portion in the shaft fixing portion is characterized in that the bent tongue piece has a mechanical strength capable of being plastically deformed around the connecting portion while maintaining a bending angle. That is, the tongue piece bent around the connecting portion in the shaft fixing portion can perform a seesaw motion.
[0006]
In the shaft fixing structure, when the shaft is press-fitted, the shaft fixing portion performs a seesaw motion around the connecting portion and the shaft end is pressed from the press-fitting direction, so that the shaft can be easily assembled and sandwiched together with the bearing portion. As a result, the shaft can be fixed firmly and stably.
[0007]
The conveyor according to the present invention is a conveyor having the above-described shaft fixing structure, and includes a frame having a pair of side plates opposed to each other and a bent upper end portion of the side plates in an inverted U shape, and the shaft fixing structure provided on the side plate. And a support shaft fixed at both ends to the shaft fixing structure of the one side plate and the shaft fixing structure of the opposite side plate facing the one side plate, and a transport rotating portion rotatably supported by the support shaft. Conveyor featuring.
In addition, the conveyance rotating portion is in a wheel shape or a roller shape.
[0008]
Since the conveyor has the seesaw-type shaft fixing structure in the frame, a support shaft such as a shaft can be firmly fixed to the frame while achieving boltless. Further, since the support shaft can be arranged and fixed at the same time only by press-fitting the support shaft into the shaft fixing structure, the working efficiency in conveyor production is greatly increased.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A shaft fixing structure and a conveyor having the shaft fixing structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 is an assembly perspective view of the conveyor, FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 showing the shaft fixing structure, and FIG. 2B is a view of the shaft fixing structure viewed from the outside of the side plate. Each is shown.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor 1 has a U-shape composed of a lower plate 2d and two opposing side plates 2c, and the upper side of the side plate is composed of an inner plate 2a, an upper plate 2b, and a side plate 2c. The integrated frame 2 bent into an inverted U-shape, the upper plate 2b, the upper portion of the inner plate 2a are opened, and the bearing portion 3a and the side plate 2c that support the support shaft at the lower end of the inner plate 2a are connected to the connecting portion 3c. A shaft fixing structure 3 comprising a shaft fixing portion 3b that has been cut out, a support shaft 4 that is fixed at both ends to the shaft fixing structure 3 that is opposed to both sides of the frame, and a support shaft 4 that is rotatably supported by the support shaft 4. It is comprised from the roller 5 as a rotation part for conveyance.
[0010]
The shaft fixing structure 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The shaft fixing portion 3b is composed of an upper tongue piece 3d parallel to the side plate 2c with the connecting portion 3c as a boundary, and a lower tongue piece 3e bent inward from the side plate 2c. Are connected to the side plate 2c via a pair of connecting portions 3c. The shaft fixing portion 3b is formed by pressing the portion of the frame side plate 2c with a conveyor pitch, cutting the frame into a window shape, and then bending the lower tongue piece 3e to the inside of the side plate. The shape and size of the shaft fixing portion 3b and the bending angle of the lower tongue piece 3e from the vertical can be arbitrarily changed during processing according to the support shaft diameter to be fixed.
The bearing portion 3a is formed as an opening at the top of the upper plate 2b and the inner plate 2a so that the support shaft 4 can be press-fitted from above the frame 2, and supports the support shaft 4 at the lower end of the opening. In order to smoothly press-fit the support shaft, it is preferable that the opening portion of the inner plate 2a serving as the bearing portion 3a has a tapered shape whose width is increased on the upper plate 2b side. In addition, the lower end of the opening preferably supports the support shaft with high accuracy and the shape thereof is matched to the cross-sectional shape of the support shaft.
[0011]
The shaft fixing portion only needs to have a shape capable of seesaw movement around the connecting portion with respect to the press-fitting direction of the support shaft. The seesaw motion in the present invention is a motion in which when one of the two connected tongue pieces 3d and 3e is rotated, the other tongue piece rotates in the same rotational direction with the connecting portion 3c as a fulcrum. Say. Specific examples of the shape include a rectangular plate shape having a cross-sectional shape with an inclined surface with which the shaft contacts the lower tongue piece at the time of press-fitting, and an elliptical plate shape. Further, it is preferable to use a metal or the like as the material because it requires a mechanical strength that allows a seesaw motion around the connecting portion while maintaining the bending angle.
Since the connecting portion serves as a fulcrum of rotation in the seesaw motion, it requires a form that can be rotated or deformed, and a shaft is provided as the connecting portion so that the shaft fixing portion can be rotated about the shaft, or this It may be one that utilizes plastic deformation of metal or the like like the conveyor of the invention. In the former case, if the shaft width is shorter than the distance between the opposed shaft fixing parts and the dimensional accuracy is poor, the shaft may come off, so a structure that can lock the rotation after fixing the support shaft using notches etc. It is preferable to provide it. Since the structure is simple and processing is easy, it is preferable to use the latter metal plastic deformation as the connecting portion.
Since the bearing portion is sandwiched and fixed together with the shaft fixing portion, the bearing portion may have any shape as long as it can be supported while facing the press-fitting direction of the shaft. Moreover, it is preferable that it is a shape which can also perform axial fixation with respect to a horizontal direction. Specifically, in the case of a circular shaft or the like, it has a U-shaped groove shape that is open on the press-fitting side.
[0012]
A shaft fixing mechanism by press-fitting from a certain direction will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a process of attaching the support shaft to the shaft fixing structure.
With the support shaft 4 slightly shorter than the distance between the side plates 2c supported by the rollers 5, the support shaft 4 is inserted from above the frame 2 into the bearing portion 3a which is a tapered opening portion of the shaft fixing structure (FIG. 3). 1). Since the lower tongue piece 3e of the shaft fixing portion 3b is bent toward the inner side of the side plate, the support shaft 4 is supported horizontally by the inclined surface of the lower tongue piece 3e and installed horizontally (FIG. 3-2). Next, by applying a vertical load to the roller 5 and pushing it down, the bent lower portion 3e is loaded at the contact point of the support shaft 4, and in conjunction with the push-down of the support shaft 4, the side plate is seesaw-type with the connecting portion 3c as a fulcrum. It turns to the 2c side. If the support shaft 4 is pushed down to the lower end of the bearing portion 3a, the load application is stopped. As a result, the upper tongue piece 3d of the shaft fixing portion 3b, which is parallel to the side plate 2c, is bent to the inside of the side plate 2c, and the support shaft 4 is sandwiched and fixed between the lower end portion of the bearing portion 3a. (FIG. 3-3).
In order to facilitate the process of applying and pushing down the load, it is preferable that the end portion of the support shaft 4 is C-chamfered in advance. Further, by performing this processing, the contact area between the fixed support shaft 4 and the upper tongue piece 3d which is the inclined surface is increased, so that the support shaft can be fixed more firmly and stably.
[0013]
On the horizontal transport by the conveyor, the load of the conveyed product is applied to the lower end portion of the bearing portion 3a, so that the load due to the load is not applied to the shaft fixing portion 3b constituting the shaft fixing structure. Therefore, the shape of the shaft fixing portion 3b and the strength of the connecting portion in the conveyor of the present invention need only be such that lifting due to the rotational motion of the support shaft 4 can be suppressed.
Further, when the shaft fixing structure of the present invention is used for an application in which a large load is applied also in the drawing direction, the lower tongue piece 3e can be adjusted to be longer in the press-fitting direction than the upper tongue piece 3d in the shaft fixing portion 3b. preferable. This is because, during press-fitting, the distance between the support shaft contact point of the lower tongue piece 3e serving as a force point and the connecting portion 3c serving as a fulcrum is increased, so that insertion is facilitated by the lever principle, This is because the support shaft contact point of the upper tongue piece 3d serving as a power point and the connecting portion 3c serving as a fulcrum are close to each other, so that it is difficult to come off.
[0014]
The shaft fixing structure of the present invention can be installed by press-fitting the support shaft and fixing the end of the support shaft at the same time by the seesaw type shaft fixing portion and the bearing portion that supports the load, such as a bolt. As a result, the work efficiency in conveyor production is greatly increased compared to the case where the shaft is fixed. In addition, a metal frame is processed to form a shaft fixing portion, and a support shaft is fixed by a seesaw mechanism using metal plastic deformation of the connecting portion of the shaft fixing portion, thereby fixing using elastic deformation of a resin member or the like. It can be fixed more firmly than the mechanism. As a result, it is possible to reduce the bolts, which can be realized only with a small conveyor for conveying small articles, even with a normal conveyor.
Note that only one end of the shaft can be fixed by the shaft fixing structure, and the other end can be fixed by another shaft fixing structure.
[0015]
The frame and the rotating part for conveyance that constitute the conveyor of the present invention will be described.
The frame 2 may be a single plate processed to have the above shape, or the side plate 2c, the lower plate 2d, etc. may be joined by welding. By using an integral frame, the frame can be prevented from being twisted. As the material of the frame 2, a metal, a resin, or the like can be used, and it is preferable to use a metal because it has little expansion / deformation and excellent mechanical strength. The shape may be any shape as long as it can form a shaft fixing structure that can support both ends of the support shaft 4. If the upper end of the frame side plate is processed to form the structure, the shape is C-shaped except for the U-shape shown in FIG. It can also be a shape or the like.
[0016]
The roller 5 serving as a transport rotating unit is rotatably supported by a support shaft 4 such as a shaft fixed to the shaft fixing structure 3. The space | interval of the shaft fixing structure 3 should just be a grade which a conveyed product does not fall between rollers. The roller 5 can be made of metal, resin, or the like. However, since the roller 3 is in direct contact with the conveyed product, it is necessary to select the material depending on the conveyed product in order to prevent damage. For example, when food is transported, it is preferable to use polyacetal resin or the like.
A sliding member such as a rolling bearing or a sliding bearing can be provided in the shaft bearing portion for the purpose of suppressing the rotational resistance and preventing the vibration to the conveyed product. In addition, when the roller is held by a support shaft such as a shaft, the roller width is smaller than the distance between the frame side plates, and a gap is formed. In order to prevent this, a gap fitting material such as a collar can be fitted into the gap.
In addition to a roller, a wheel can be used for the transport rotation unit in accordance with the application. The wheels are suitable for conveying small items by arranging them in a staggered pattern and reducing the gap. Further, as the material of the wheel, metal, resin and the like can be used in the same manner as the roller.
[0017]
In addition, as one that does not use a shaft or the like, an integrated rotating part that has a ball bearing in the center of the inner ring and is fixed to the roller or wheel and the inner ring with the ball bearing in between can be used. Conventionally, when using a rotating portion of this shape, both ends of the cylindrical inner ring were fixed with bolts, etc., but in the shaft fixing structure of the present invention, without processing such as making the inner ring cylindrical, The above-mentioned seesaw method can firmly fix and support the inner ring serving as a support shaft. In addition, since the rotating portion of this shape does not cause horizontal displacement due to the gap between the roller and the frame, it does not require a gap fitting material or the like and is excellent in straightness and rotation.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
In the shaft fixing structure of the present invention, the bearing portion forming side end portion of at least one side plate of the pair of side plates is bent, a bearing portion is formed inside the bent side plate, and the shaft fixing portion is provided outside the side plate. In the shaft fixing structure formed, the shaft fixing part is formed with two tongue pieces capable of seesaw movement independently of the side plate on both sides around the connecting part with the side plate, and one of the tongue pieces is a side plate. The tongue piece that is bent inwardly and bent inwardly of the side plate at the time of axial press-fitting rotates in the direction of the side plate surface, and the other tongue piece is fixed by sandwiching the shaft by the seesaw motion centering on the connecting portion. The shaft can be easily assembled, and the shaft can be firmly and stably fixed by being sandwiched together with the bearing portion. Further, the connecting portion in the shaft fixing portion has a mechanical strength capable of seesaw movement around the connecting portion while maintaining the bending angle of the bent tongue piece, so that the shaft can be firmly fixed.
[0019]
The conveyor according to the present invention is a conveyor having the above-described shaft fixing structure, and includes a frame having a pair of side plates opposed to each other and a bent upper end portion of the side plates in an inverted U shape, and the shaft fixing structure provided on the side plate. And a support shaft fixed at both ends to the shaft fixing structure of the one side plate and the shaft fixing structure of the opposite side plate facing the one side plate, and a transport rotating portion rotatably supported by the support shaft. The support shaft such as the shaft can be firmly fixed to the frame while achieving boltless. Further, since the support shaft can be arranged and fixed at the same time only by press-fitting the support shaft into the shaft fixing structure, the working efficiency in conveyor production is greatly increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a conveyor according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a shaft fixing structure.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process of attaching a support shaft to a shaft fixing structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Conveyor 2 Frame 3 Shaft fixing structure 4 Support shaft 5 Roller

Claims (4)

A shaft fixing structure in which a bearing portion forming side end of at least one side plate of a pair of metal side plates is bent, a bearing portion is formed inside the bent side plate, and a shaft fixing portion is formed outside the side plate. There,
The shaft fixing portion is formed with an upper tongue piece parallel to the side plate and a lower tongue piece bent inward from the side plate with a connecting portion with the side plate as a boundary. The upper tongue piece is plastically deformed and rotated inward from the side plate with the connecting portion as a central axis in the side plate surface direction, and the support shaft is sandwiched and fixed by the upper tongue piece. Shaft fixing structure. 2. The shaft fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion in the shaft fixing portion has a mechanical strength capable of plastically deforming around the connecting portion while the bent tongue piece maintains a bending angle. A frame having a pair of opposing side plates and the upper end portion of the side plate bent in an inverted U shape, a shaft fixing structure provided on the side plate, a shaft fixing structure of the one side plate, and a shaft of the opposite side plate opposed thereto A conveyor comprising a support shaft fixed at both ends to a fixed structure, and a transport rotation unit supported rotatably on the support shaft,
The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the shaft fixing structure is the shaft fixing structure according to claim 1 or 2.   The conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the rotation part for conveyance is in the shape of a wheel or a roller.

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