JP4224872B2 - Transport equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transport facility used in factories, hospitals and the like for transporting various articles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A track-type transport facility widely used in semiconductor manufacturing factories, hospitals, and the like is configured such that a transport vehicle that transports articles is guided by a track installed along a ceiling or the like.
[0003]
Conventionally, in order to configure a plurality of transfer paths in such a transfer facility, when there are branching / merging points on the track, a switching mechanism for the track is required at the branching / merging point.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the following problems exist in the conventional transfer equipment as described above.
First of all, the switching mechanism as described above is expensive to install and, for example, when a transfer facility is installed in a passage, the switching mechanism cannot be provided due to space restrictions, which hinders the layout of the track. There are also problems such as Further, during the track switching operation, there is a problem that the transport vehicle cannot pass through this portion, which hinders improvement of the transport processing capability.
[0005]
In order to avoid such a problem, in recent years, a track switching mechanism is not provided at the branching / merging point of the track, and a mechanism for switching the guide roller in contact with the track is provided on the conveyance vehicle side. Although a technique of selecting a track and causing the transport vehicle to advance to a predetermined track is being developed and proposed, a definite one is still not provided as such.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and is intended to provide a transportation facility that can smoothly perform branching and merging at a branching and merging point of a track and increase transportation capability at a low cost. Let it be an issue.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a transport facility in which a transport vehicle travels along a track, and the track includes a first track and a second track that branches and merges with the first track. The first track and the second track are each provided with a traveling surface having a substantially V-shaped cross section, and the transport vehicle is provided at a position corresponding to the first track, A pair of first guide rollers capable of advancing and retreating along a direction of approaching and separating vertically toward the first track, and a position corresponding to the second track, the second track A pair of second guide rollers that are capable of moving back and forth along the direction of moving up and down toward the track, and at least one of the first guide roller and the second guide roller is the first guide roller. their them vertically to abut on the track or the second track Together and a drive mechanism for reciprocating driven, respectively, said first guide roller, said second guide rollers, respectively, the first track, the substantially V-shaped running surface of the second track It is characterized by comprising two pairs of roller members that come into contact with each other so as to be sandwiched.
[0008]
Thus, the drive mechanism provided in the transport vehicle brings the transport vehicle into the first track by bringing either the first guide roller or the second guide roller into contact with the first track or the second track. The vehicle can travel along the track or a second track that branches and merges with the track. At this time, the first track and the second track have a substantially V-shaped running surface in cross section, and two pairs of roller members of the first guide roller and the second guide roller of the transport vehicle run. Since the contact is made so as to sandwich the surface, the conveyance vehicle can be guided stably in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 2 is the transfer facility according to claim 1, wherein the first track and the second track are each provided with the traveling surface above and below, and the first guide of the transport vehicle. A roller and a second guide roller respectively include the two pairs of roller members on the upper and lower sides thereof corresponding to the upper and lower traveling surfaces, and the first track or the second pair of roller members are provided on the upper and lower pairs of roller members. The second orbit is sandwiched from above and below.
[0010]
In this way, the transport vehicle can be securely held by sandwiching the first track and the second track from above and below by the first guide roller and the second guide roller, respectively. The second trajectory can be constituted by only one.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 3 is the transfer facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the third track is the first track except for a portion where the first track and the second track branch and merge. The second guide roller or the first guide roller of the transport vehicle is configured to be brought into contact with the traveling surface of the third track. It is characterized by.
[0012]
As a result, the carriage is supported by the first track and the third track, or the third track and the second track, except for the branched portion.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a transport facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport facility 1 is schematically configured by a track 2 and a vehicle (transport vehicle) 3 that is guided by the track 2 and travels.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 2, the track 2 is provided with only the main track (first track) 2A in the normal portion, and the branch / merge point A is branched or merged with respect to the main track 2A. A branching track (second track) 2B is provided. The branch track 2B is provided such that a predetermined length of an end thereof extends in parallel with the main track 2A.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 1, the rails 5 constituting the main track 2 </ b> A and the branch track 2 </ b> B are respectively suspended from the lower surface of the ceiling 6 via a support 7. An intermediate portion of each rail 5 is fixed to the support 7, and an upper traveling surface (traveling surface) 5 a and a lower traveling surface (which are substantially V-shaped in cross-section) are formed on the upper end portion and the lower end portion, respectively. Traveling surface) 5b is formed.
[0017]
The vehicle 3 includes a carriage unit 10 and a hoist unit 11 that is provided on the lower surface of the vehicle unit 3 and holds articles to be conveyed.
The carriage unit 10 is formed of an upper frame 12, a lower frame 13, and an intermediate frame 14 that connects the upper frame 12 and the lower frame 13 at the intermediate portion in the width direction, and has a substantially H-shaped cross section. . As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage unit 10 includes a first guide roller (first guide roller) disposed on the front part 10a and the rear part 10b at positions corresponding to the main track 2A at the branching / merging point A, respectively. One guide roller) 15 and a second guide roller (second guide roller) 16 disposed at a position corresponding to the branch track 2B are provided.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, the first guide roller 15 and the second guide roller 16 are respectively an upper roller 18 provided on the lower surface of the upper frame 12 and a lower roller 19 provided on the upper surface of the lower frame 13. It is composed of
The upper roller 18 includes a base 20 attached to the lower surface of the upper frame 12, and a cylinder (drive mechanism) 21 that is extended and retracted vertically downward. A pair of substantially two rollers is provided at the tip of the cylinder 21. A roller mounting member 23 including columnar roller members 22 and 22 is integrally provided. The roller mounting member 23 is formed with mounting surfaces 23a and 23a that are substantially orthogonal to the upper running surface 5a of the rail 5 that is substantially V-shaped. The rotary shafts 24, 24 orthogonal to the surface 23a are rotatably provided around the rotary shafts 24, 24. In addition, the roller mounting member 23 including the roller members 22 and 22 is provided to be rotatable around an axis along the expansion and contraction direction of the cylinder 21.
Further, the lower roller 19 is attached to the upper surface of the lower frame 13 with the upper roller 18 turned upside down, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0019]
The upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 constituting the first guide roller 15 and the second guide roller 16 are such that when the cylinder 21 is extended, the outer peripheral surfaces of the two pairs of roller members 22 and 22 become the main track 2A or The upper and lower traveling surfaces 5a and 5b of the rail 5 constituting the branching track 2B are brought into contact with each other, and are thereby guided by the main track 2A or the branching track 2B. At this time, since the roller mounting member 23 is provided so as to be rotatable around the axis of the cylinder 21, as shown in FIG. 2, in the portion where the main track 2A or the branch track 2B is curved, the front and rear first The guide roller 15 or the second guide roller 16 rotates and can follow the rail 5 independently (having a so-called bogie function).
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, a power supply unit 30 for supplying power to the vehicle 3 is provided between the vehicle 3 and the track 2. The power feeding unit 30 includes a power feeding line 31 laid near the main track 2A and the branching track 2B, and a power receiving unit 32 that is integrally attached to the intermediate frame 14 of the vehicle 3 and receives power from the power feeding line 31 in a non-contact manner. It is configured. Then, the vehicle 3 drives the linear DC motor 35 by the electricity received by the power receiving unit 32 so that the vehicle 3 is branched or linearly driven using either the first guide roller 15 or the second guide roller 16 as a guide. It has become.
[0021]
In the transport equipment 1 as described above, when the vehicle 3 travels along the main track 2A, the upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 of the first guide roller 15 are extended, and the upper and lower roller members 22 and 22 are respectively connected to the rail 5. The upper running surface 5a and the lower running surface 5b are brought into contact with each other, and the upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 of the second guide roller 16 are contracted and separated from the rail 5 (a state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). . As a result, the vehicle 3 is suspended only on the main track 2A and travels along the main track 2A.
[0022]
When the vehicle 3 reaches the branching / merging point A and reaches a portion where the main track 2A and the branch track 2B are located in parallel, the upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 of the second guide roller 16 are extended, The roller members 22 and 22 are brought into contact with the upper traveling surface 5a and the lower traveling surface 5b of the rail 5, respectively. Thereby, in this part, the vehicle 3 is suspended from both the main track 2A and the branch track 2B. Subsequently, the upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 of the first guide roller 15 are contracted and separated from the rail 5 of the main track 2A (a state indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1).
Alternatively, as described above, the vehicle 3 is not suspended from both the main track 2A and the branch track 2B, and the main track 2A and the branch track 2B at the branching / merging point A of the vehicle 3 are positioned in parallel. When reaching the portion, the upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 of the second guide roller 16 are extended and brought into contact with the upper running surface 5a and the lower running surface 5b of the rail 5, and the first guide roller 15 is shrunk to the rail. It may be separated from 5.
In this way, the vehicle 3 is suspended only on the branch track 2B, and thereafter travels along the branch track 2B.
[0023]
Of course, at the branching / merging point A, when the vehicle 3 is advanced along the main track 2A without moving along the branching track 2B, only the first guide roller 15 is extended and the second guide roller 16 is contracted. Just leave it.
[0024]
In the transfer equipment 1 as described above, the vehicle 3 is moved to or from the main track 2A by switching the first guide roller 15 and the second guide roller 16 of the vehicle 3 to contact the main track 2A or the branch track 2B. It is possible to travel along the branch track 2B that branches and merges. In this way, the track 2 side is fixed, and the vehicle 3 side is provided with a selection / switching mechanism for the track 2, so that a mechanical switching mechanism is provided at the branching / merging point A as in the past. There is no need to provide it, and the cost of the equipment can be reduced. In addition, for example, even when the transport facility 1 is installed in a narrow passage, it is possible to avoid the trouble of installing the branch / junction point A, and to minimize the restrictions imposed on the layout of the track 2. Can do. Moreover, if a conventional switching mechanism is provided, the transport vehicle cannot pass during the track switching operation, which hinders improvement in transport processing capability. Thus, such a problem does not occur, and it is not necessary to stop the vehicle 3 before the branching / merging point A, so that the conveying capability of the conveying facility 1 can be increased.
[0025]
In addition, the upper running surface 5a and the lower running surface 5b of the rail 5 constituting the main track 2A and the branch track 2B are substantially V-shaped in cross-section, and the upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 of the vehicle 3 are arranged on the upper running surface 5a. The lower running surface 5b is in contact with the lower running surface 5b. Therefore, the vehicle 3 can be guided stably in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
[0026]
In addition, since the rail 5 constituting the main track 2A and the branch track 2B is sandwiched from above and below by the upper roller 18 and the lower roller 19 of the vehicle 3, only one of the main track 2A or the branch track 2B is used. The vehicle 3 can be reliably held. Therefore, the width of the track 2 can be reduced, and the space of the transport facility 1 can be saved.
[0027]
In the above embodiment, the vehicle 3 is configured to be held on only one of the main track 2A and the branch track 2B except for the branch / merging point A. For example, the vehicle 3 handles heavy objects. Therefore, when further stability is required, it is possible to adopt the configuration as shown below.
As shown in FIG. 3, the track 2 ′ has a configuration in which sub tracks (third tracks) 2C and 2D are installed in parallel to the main track 2A and the branch track 2B except for the branch / junction point A. . In the main track 2A, the vehicle 3 has the first guide roller 15 in contact with the main track 2A and the second guide roller 16 in contact with the sub track 2C. In the portion of the track 2B, the second guide roller 16 is brought into contact with the branch track 2B, and the first guide roller 15 is brought into contact with the sub track 2D. At the branching / merging point A, the first guide roller 15 is temporarily contracted only when the first guide roller 15 is transferred from the main track 2A to the sub track 2D.
By adopting such a configuration, the vehicle 3 is always supported by the two rails 5 except for the branching / merging point A, and the stability can be further enhanced.
[0028]
In the above-described embodiment, the other parts other than the switching mechanism of the main track 2A and the branch track 2B by the first guide roller 15 and the second guide roller 16 are not limited to the configuration of the track 2 and the vehicle 3. May be adopted.
[0029]
In addition to this, it is needless to say that any configuration may be adopted as long as it does not depart from the gist of the present invention, and the above-described configurations may be appropriately combined.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the transport facility according to the first aspect, the drive mechanism provided in the transport vehicle allows either the first guide roller or the second guide roller to be connected to the first track or the second track. By abutting on this track, the transport vehicle can be driven along the first track or the second track that branches and merges with the first track. Therefore, there is no need to provide a switching mechanism on the track as in the prior art, and the cost of the equipment can be reduced. For example, even when a transportation equipment is installed in the passage, there is an obstacle to the installation of a branching / merging point. It is possible to avoid going out and to increase the degree of freedom of the layout of the trajectory. In addition, if a switching mechanism is provided, the transport vehicle cannot pass during the track switching operation, which hinders improvement of the transport processing capability. There is no problem, and the transfer capacity of the transfer facility can be increased.
In addition, the first track and the second track have a substantially V-shaped traveling surface in cross section, and the pair of roller members of the first guide roller and the second guide roller of the conveyance vehicle sandwich the traveling surface. Thus, the carriage can be guided stably in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
[0031]
According to the transport facility according to claim 2, since the first track and the second track are sandwiched from above and below by the first guide roller and the second guide roller, respectively, the transport vehicle is securely held. Thus, the first track and the second track can be configured by only one, and the width of the track can be reduced to save the space of the transport facility.
[0032]
According to the transport facility according to claim 3, the configuration in which the third track is installed in parallel to the first track or the second track except for a portion where the first track and the second track are branched. It has become. As a result, the transport vehicle is supported by the first track and the third track, or the third track and the second track, except for the branching portion, so that the transport vehicle can be stabilized. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of a transfer facility according to the present invention, and is an elevational sectional view showing a branching / merging point of the transfer facility.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing another example of the transport facility according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Transport equipment 2, 2 'track 2A main track (first track)
2B Branch track (second track)
2C, 2D sub-orbit (third orbit)
3 Vehicle (Carriage)
5a Upper travel surface (travel surface)
5b Lower travel surface (travel surface)
15 First guide roller (first guide roller)
16 Second guide roller (second guide roller)
21 cylinder (drive mechanism)
22 Roller member

Claims (3)

A transport facility in which a transport vehicle travels along a track, wherein the track includes a first track and a second track that branches and merges with the first track, and the first track. And the second track has a traveling surface having a substantially V-shaped cross section,
A pair of first guide rollers provided at a position corresponding to the first track, and capable of moving forward and backward in a direction of approaching and moving up and down toward the first track; A pair of second guide rollers provided at positions corresponding to the second track and capable of moving back and forth in a direction approaching and separating vertically toward the second track. And a drive mechanism that drives each of the guide roller and the second guide roller to advance and retreat in the vertical direction so that at least one of the guide roller and the second guide roller contacts the first track or the second track,
The first guide roller and the second guide roller each include a pair of roller members that abut against each other so as to sandwich the substantially V-shaped running surface of the first track and the second track, respectively. Conveying equipment characterized by being configured. It is a conveyance installation of Claim 1, Comprising: Said 1st track | orbit and 2nd track | truck respectively have the said running surface up and down, and said 1st guide roller of the said conveyance vehicle, and a 2nd guide roller are The two pairs of roller members are provided above and below the upper and lower traveling surfaces, respectively, and the first track or the second track is sandwiched from above and below by the pair of upper and lower roller members. A transport facility characterized by 3. The transfer facility according to claim 1, wherein the third track is the first track or the second track except for a portion where the first track and the second track are branched and merged. 2. A transport facility, wherein the transport equipment is arranged in parallel, and is configured such that a second guide roller or a first guide roller of the transport vehicle is brought into contact with a traveling surface of the third track.

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