JP4088141B2 - Roller conveyor - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to a roller conveyor suitable for conveying a plate-shaped conveyance object such as a thin glass substrate for an FPD (flat panel display).
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a roller conveyor for transporting a thin glass substrate as described above generally has left and right rails arranged horizontally on both sides of the transport surface and parallel to the transport direction on the base frame. A plurality of shafts horizontally supported at right angles to the conveying direction and supported in a rotatable manner around the axis line through bearings on the rails of the rails are arranged in parallel in the conveying direction, and each shaft has conveying rollers at appropriate intervals in the axial direction. And a glass substrate etc. are conveyed by these conveying rollers.
[0003]
In the conventional general roller conveyor as described above, the parallelism of the transport rollers is often insufficient due to variations in the angle of the shaft (90 °) with respect to the left and right rails. It will meander on the transport surface.
[0004]
In order to prevent this meandering, conventionally, side guide rollers are disposed so as to be able to contact both side end surfaces of the glass substrate.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the glass substrate for FPD is very thin, and when the edge of the glass substrate collides with the side guide roller, the glass substrate may be damaged.
[0006]
Further, the side guide roller easily generates dust at the bearing portion, and a roller conveyor that does not use the side guide roller has been desired.
[0007]
Here, it is conceivable to improve the mounting accuracy of the bearings that support the conveying rollers with respect to the left and right rails, and to ensure the parallelism of the conveying rollers. Boring for the hole is required, but there is a problem that the rail is a long object and is very expensive.
[0008]
Furthermore, in order to prevent the parallelism of the conveying roller from being damaged by the bending of the shaft, it is preferable to set the span between the bearings as small as possible and set the conveying roller as far as possible from the bearing. If so, the distance from the bearing, which is a dust generation part, to the transport roller becomes small, which causes a problem that it is inconvenient for dust generation countermeasures.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is a roller conveyor that can ensure the parallelism of the conveying rollers without boring a long rail. The purpose is to provide.
[0010]
It is another object of the present invention to provide a roller conveyor capable of suppressing dust generation from the bearing.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is provided on the base frame with left and right rails that are horizontal on both sides of the transport surface and parallel to the transport direction, and are supported by the left and right rails so as to be rotatable about an axis via bearings. In addition, a plurality of shafts arranged at right angles to the transport direction are arranged in parallel in the transport direction, and a transport roller is attached to each shaft at appropriate intervals in the axial direction, and a plate conveyor is transported by these transport rollers. The bearing comprises an outer ring, an inner ring and rolling elements between them, and the rail is formed on the base frame separately from the lower rail provided integrally therewith and the lower rail. The upper rail is provided with an upward rail groove that is formed in the horizontal and conveying direction, and the lower portion of the outer ring can be fitted from above. Is formed in a horizontal and conveying direction, and is provided with a downward rail groove in which the upper part of the outer ring can be fitted from below, and a bearing is fitted to the upper and lower rails via the outer ring. In this state, the outer engagement plate and the inner engagement member are engaged with both side surfaces in the thickness direction of the upper rail and the lower rail, and are pressed against and fixed to the lower rail via the upper rail. The above object is achieved by a roller conveyor provided with a plywood.
[0012]
The outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate may be fastened with screws so as to sandwich the upper rail and the lower rail.
[0013]
Furthermore, both ends contact the outer ring of the pair of bearings in a space surrounded by the upper rail, the lower rail, a pair of bearings adjacent to the conveyance direction, an outer engagement plate and an inner engagement plate, and the conveyance direction of the bearings A spacer for positioning may be provided.
[0014]
In addition, the spacer may be integrally provided with an upper fitting ridge and a lower fitting ridge that fit into the downward rail groove and the upward rail groove, respectively, at an upper end and a lower end thereof.
[0015]
The outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate may be fastened so as to sandwich the upper rail and the lower rail with screws passing through the spacer.
[0016]
The lower rail includes downward horizontal engagement surfaces on both sides in the width direction, and the upper rail includes tapered surfaces inclined downward from the center in the width direction toward both outer sides, and the outer and inner engagement plates. Is provided with a lower engagement protrusion that engages with the horizontal engagement surface of the lower rail from below and from the outside, and an upper engagement protrusion that engages with the taper surface from above and from the outside. May be.
[0017]
Furthermore, at least the inner engagement plate of the outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate has an escape hole through which the shaft is inserted, and is adjacent to both side surfaces of the outer ring adjacent to the outer side of the escape hole. You may make it also serve as the dust cover which covers the clearance gap between outer rings.
[0018]
Further, of the outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate, at least the inner engagement plate has a length substantially equal to the distance between adjacent bearings, is smaller than the outer peripheral radius of the outer ring at both ends in the transport direction, and A semicircular cutout having a radius larger than the radius of the shaft may be provided, and an inner peripheral surface of the semicircular cutout may be adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, a roller conveyor 10 according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention includes left and right rails arranged on a base frame 12 horizontally on both sides of a conveying surface 11 and parallel to a conveying direction. 14, 14 and a plurality of shafts 18 that are supported by the left and right rails 14 and 14 through bearings 16 so as to be rotatable around the axis, and are arranged horizontally and perpendicular to the transport direction, are arranged in parallel in the transport direction. Each shaft 18 is provided with transport rollers 20 at appropriate intervals in the axial direction, and a plate-shaped transport object 22 such as a glass substrate is transported by these transport rollers.
[0021]
1 is a driven gear connected to one end of the shaft 18, 23B is a drive shaft driven by a motor (not shown), and 23C is attached to the drive shaft 23B to drive the driven gear 23A. Each drive gear is shown.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 2, the bearing 16 includes an outer ring 16A, an inner ring 16B, and rolling elements (balls or rollers) 16C therebetween.
[0023]
The rail 14 includes a lower rail 24 provided integrally with the base frame 12 and an upper rail 26 formed separately from the lower rail 24.
[0024]
The lower rail 24 is provided with an upward rail groove 25 that is formed in the horizontal direction and in the transport direction and into which the lower portion of the outer ring 16A can be fitted from above.
[0025]
The upper rail 26 is provided with a downward rail groove 27 that is formed in the horizontal direction and in the conveying direction and into which the upper portion of the outer ring 16A can be fitted from below.
[0026]
The lower rail 24 and the upper rail 26 are fixed by an outer engagement plate 28 and an inner engagement plate 30 in a state where the outer ring 16A is fitted in the upward rail groove 25 and the downward rail groove 27. The outer engagement plate 28 and the inner engagement plate 30 engage with both side surfaces in the bearing thickness direction of the upper rail 26 and the lower rail 24, and the bearing with respect to the lower rail 24 via the upper rail 26. 16 is pressed and fixed.
[0027]
The shaft 18 is fitted inside the inner ring 16B of the bearing. Reference numeral 32 in FIG. 2 indicates a stopper ring for preventing the shaft 18 from coming off.
[0028]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer engagement plate 28 and the inner engagement plate 30 are moved at an intermediate position between adjacent bearings 16 and 16 by screws 34 so that the lower rail 24 and the upper rail 26 are viewed from both sides. It is clamped and fixed. The engagement structure of the outer engagement plate 28 and the inner engagement plate 30 to the lower rail 24 and the upper rail 26 will be described later.
[0029]
As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, a spacer 36 is disposed in a space between the outer engagement plate 28, the inner engagement plate 30, and the bearings 16 and 16 disposed adjacent to each other in the front and rear directions in the conveyance direction. Has been.
[0030]
The spacer 36 is formed thicker than the bearing 16, and arc-shaped grooves 36 </ b> A with which a part of the outer periphery of the outer ring 16 </ b> A of the bearing 16 contacts are provided at both ends in the conveyance direction. Further, an upper fitting protrusion 37A and a lower fitting protrusion 37B that are respectively fitted to the downward rail groove 27 and the upward rail groove 25 are integrally formed at the upper end and the lower end of the spacer 36, respectively. Furthermore, a through hole 36 </ b> B through which the screw 34 passes is formed in a substantially central portion of the spacer 36.
[0031]
Here, the height from the upper end of the upper fitting protrusion 37A to the lower end of the lower fitting protrusion 37B in the spacer 36 is made slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer ring 16A in the bearing 16. ing.
[0032]
The inner engagement plate 30 has a length substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent bearings 16 and 16, and has a radius smaller than the outer peripheral radius of the outer ring 16 </ b> A and larger than the radius of the shaft 18 at both ends in the conveying direction. The semicircular arc cutout 30A is adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 18 with a slight gap on the inner peripheral surface of the semicircular cutout 30A. Here, the two semicircular cutouts 30 </ b> A facing each other constitute a relief hole for the shaft 18.
[0033]
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer engagement plate 28 is formed in a plate-like body slightly longer than the distance (inner) of the opposing portion of the outer ring 16 </ b> A of the adjacent bearing 16. A part of the outer surface of the outer ring 16A is covered from the outside when the spacer 36 is clamped and fixed together with the inner engagement plate 30 with the screw 34 therebetween.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 2, the lower rail 24 is formed with a horizontal engagement surface 24 </ b> A that extends horizontally along the transport direction on both sides in the width direction of the lower position of the upward rail groove 25. ing. The upper rail 26 is formed with a pair of taper surfaces 26 </ b> A in the width direction that incline downward from both outer positions in the width direction of the downward rail groove 27 toward the outer side.
[0035]
The outer engagement plate 28 and the inner engagement plate 30 have upper and lower engagement protrusions 31A and lower engagement protrusions that engage with the tapered surface 26A and the horizontal engagement surface 24A at the upper and lower ends of the bearing 16 side surfaces, respectively. The strip 31B is integrally provided.
[0036]
The lower engagement protrusion 31B is provided with a taper protrusion 31C parallel to and in contact with the taper surface 26A of the upper rail 26, and the outer engagement plate 28 and the inner engagement plate 30 are screwed. When tightened by 34, the wedge effect causes the upper rail 26 to press the outer ring 16A of the bearing 16 from above.
[0037]
Accordingly, if the bottom surface of the upward rail groove 25 in the lower rail 24 is formed accurately and straightly and horizontally, the outer ring 16A of the bearing 16 is brought into pressure contact with the outer ring 16A of the bearing 16 from above. Is fixed horizontally and accurately in the transport direction. In other words, the bearing 16 can obtain straightness and levelness according to the manufacturing accuracy of the outer ring 16A.
[0038]
Accordingly, the shaft 18 inserted and fitted into the inner ring 16B is positioned with high accuracy in the horizontal direction and in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.
[0039]
Further, in the example of this embodiment, the inner engagement plate 30 is substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent bearings 16 and 16 at both ends in the conveying direction, and has a smaller diameter than the outer ring 16A, Since the arc-shaped cutout 30A adjacent to the outer peripheral surface is formed, the ring-shaped gap between the outer ring 16A and the inner ring 16B, which is a dust generating portion, is covered and acts as a dustproof cover.
[0040]
In the example of this embodiment, only the inner engagement plate 30 serves as a dustproof cover, but it is sufficient to cover the plate-like transported object 22 side that needs to be isolated from the dust generation part. Because. Further, if necessary, the outer engagement plate 28 side may be configured similarly to the inner engagement plate 30 to also serve as a dustproof cover.
[0041]
Furthermore, in the example of the above embodiment, the outer engagement plate 28 and the inner engagement plate 30 are equal to or shorter than the length between the adjacent bearings 16, 16, but the present invention is limited to this. However, the distance between the three or more shafts 18 may be substantially equal as long as the shaft 18 can penetrate therethrough.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to prevent the meandering of the plate-like transported material while ensuring the parallelism of the transport roller without boring the long rail. It has an excellent effect of being able to.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is a cross-sectional view showing a roller conveyor according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged main part of the roller conveyor. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main part of the roller conveyor. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the assembled state of the main part of the roller conveyor.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Roller conveyor 11 ... Conveying surface 12 ... Base frame 14 ... Rail 16 ... Bearing 16A ... Outer ring 16B ... Inner ring 16C ... Rolling element 18 ... Shaft 20 ... Conveying roller 22 ... Plate-like conveyed product 24 ... Lower rail 24A ... Horizontal engagement Joint surface 25 ... Upward rail groove 26 ... Upper rail 26A ... Tapered surface 27 ... Downward rail groove 28 ... Outer engagement plate 30 ... Inner engagement plate 30A ... Semi-circular cutout 31A ... Upper engagement protrusion 31B ... Lower engagement protrusion 31C ... Tapered ridge surface 34 ... Screw 36 ... Spacer 37A ... Upper fitting ridge 37B ... Lower fitting ridge

Claims (8)

On the base frame, left and right rails are provided horizontally on both sides of the transport surface and parallel to the transport direction. The left and right rails are supported by the left and right rails so as to be rotatable around the axis, and are horizontally supported in the transport direction. In a roller conveyor in which a plurality of shafts arranged at right angles to each other are arranged in parallel in the conveyance direction, and a conveyance roller is attached to each shaft at appropriate intervals in the axial direction, and a plate-shaped conveyance object is conveyed by these conveyance rollers,
The bearing is composed of an outer ring, an inner ring, and rolling elements between them, and the rail is formed on the base frame separately from the lower rail and the lower rail provided integrally therewith. The upper rail is provided with an upward rail groove that is formed in the horizontal and conveying direction, and the lower part of the outer ring can be fitted from above, and the upper rail is horizontal and A downward-facing rail groove is formed in the conveying direction, and the upper portion of the outer ring can be fitted from below, and the upper rail and the lower rail are fitted with bearings via the outer ring, An outer engagement plate and an inner engagement plate are provided that engage with both side surfaces in the thickness direction of the upper rail and the lower rail, and press and fix the bearing against the lower rail via the upper rail. Characterize Rakonbea. The roller conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate are fastened by screws so as to sandwich the upper rail and the lower rail. In Claim 1 or 2, both ends are in contact with the outer ring of the pair of bearings in a space surrounded by the upper rail, the lower rail, a pair of bearings adjacent to the conveyance direction, an outer engagement plate, and an inner engagement plate. A roller conveyor provided with a spacer for positioning the bearing in the conveying direction. 4. The spacer according to claim 3, wherein an upper fitting ridge and a lower fitting ridge that are respectively fitted to the downward rail groove and the upward rail groove are integrally provided at an upper end and a lower end of the spacer. Roller conveyor. 5. The roller conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate are fastened so as to sandwich the upper rail and the lower rail with screws passing through the spacer. 6. 6. The lower rail according to claim 1, wherein the lower rail includes downward horizontal engaging surfaces on both sides in the width direction, and the upper rail has a tapered surface inclined downward from the center in the width direction toward both outer sides. The outer and inner engagement plates include a lower engagement protrusion that engages with the horizontal engagement surface of the lower rail from below and from the outside, and an upper portion that engages with the taper surface from above and from the outside. A roller conveyor comprising an engaging protrusion. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least the inner engagement plate of the outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate has an escape hole through which the shaft is inserted, and is adjacent to the outside of the escape hole. A roller conveyor characterized by also serving as a dustproof cover that covers a gap between both side surfaces of an outer ring and an adjacent outer ring. 7. The outer ring of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least the inner engagement plate of the outer engagement plate and the inner engagement plate has a length substantially equal to a distance between adjacent bearings, A semicircular arc-shaped notch having a radius smaller than the radius of the shaft and larger than the radius of the shaft, the inner peripheral surface of the semicircular arc notch being adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft; Roller conveyor.

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