JP4285763B2 - Conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor for transferring a cargo handling object.

Gravity conveyor capable pre packed on the inclined surfaces by the weight of the cargo handling target has been proposed (e.g., see Patent Document 1). Usually, a fork of a forklift that transports a cargo handling object is provided with a sensor that detects the presence or absence of the cargo handling object. Thereby, it can be discriminate | determined whether the cargo handling target object was mounted in the gravity conveyor.
JP 11-059824 A

  However, in the conventional gravity conveyor, before the sensor detects the presence / absence of the cargo handling object, the cargo handling object may move on the inclined surface, and it may not be possible to accurately determine the presence / absence thereof. Moreover, it takes time and effort for the operator to check the presence / absence of a cargo handling object.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor that can accurately determine the presence or absence of a cargo handling object.

The gist of the conveyor according to the first invention is that a cargo handling object transported by an unmanned transport vehicle having a sensor provided on a fork and a straddle leg disposed in the vicinity of a floor surface forms an inclined surface. A conveyor mounted on a plurality of rollers arranged to perform, a lever that rotates by contacting the straddle leg, a stopper that can be rotated to rise up above the roller, and a coupling to the stopper And when the unmanned transport vehicle places the cargo handling object on the plurality of rollers, the straddle leg contacts the lever, and the force received by the lever from the straddle leg is the stopper which rotates by being supplied via the connecting portion is in contact to Rukoto the handling object.

The gist of the conveyor according to the second invention is that a cargo handling object conveyed by an unmanned conveyance vehicle having a sensor provided on a fork and a straddle leg arranged in the vicinity of the floor forms an inclined surface. A conveyor mounted on a plurality of rollers arranged to be connected to a lever that rotates by contacting the straddle leg, a brake shoe that can move to contact the roller, and the stopper And when the unmanned transport vehicle places the cargo handling object on the plurality of rollers, the straddle leg contacts the lever, and the force received by the lever from the straddle leg is the connection. the brake shoe to move by applied through part is in Rukoto stops the rotation of the roller.

According to the present invention, when the lever is moved by the straddle leg of the automatic guided vehicle that transports the cargo handling object, the stopper rises. Thereby, when the cargo handling object is placed on a plurality of rollers of the conveyor, the cargo handling object is stopped by the stopper.

  This makes it possible to accurately determine the presence / absence of the cargo handling object by the sensor. In addition, since the cargo handling object can be stopped without depending on the operator, the work efficiency can be remarkably improved.

  Hereinafter, the details of the conveyor according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This Embodiment demonstrates the case where an automatic guided vehicle mounts a cargo handling object on a conveyor. In addition, the manned forklift operated by the operator may be used to place the cargo handling object on the conveyor. First, the configuration of the automatic guided vehicle will be briefly described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an automatic guided vehicle in which a cargo handling object is placed on a conveyor (described later) according to the present embodiment. The automatic guided vehicle operates based on a predetermined control program. In FIG. 1, the front and rear in the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 200 are indicated by arrows F and R, respectively. The front part of the vehicle body (described later) is a part of the vehicle body facing the direction of arrow F, and the rear part of the vehicle body is the part of the vehicle body facing the direction of arrow R.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a mast 202 extending to the upper side of the vehicle body 201 is provided at the front portion of the vehicle body 201 of the automatic guided vehicle 200.

  The mast 202 holds the lifting carriage 203 so that it can be lifted and lowered. Thereby, the lifting carriage 203 is lifted and lowered along the length direction of the mast 202. A fork 204 is attached to the lift carriage 203. A sensor (for example, a photoelectric sensor) 205 that detects the presence or absence of the cargo handling object W is provided at a predetermined position of the fork 204.

  The sensor 205 includes a light projecting unit (not shown) that projects light, and a light receiving unit that receives feedback light from the cargo handling object W due to reflection.

  When the sensor 205 receives the return light from the light receiving unit, the sensor 205 gives a signal (for example, a high level signal) indicating that the cargo handling object W exists to the control unit (not shown) and does not receive the return light from the light receiving unit. In this case, a signal (for example, a low level signal) indicating that the cargo handling object W does not exist is given to the control unit. In order to detect the presence / absence of the cargo handling object W, other sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor, a magnetic sensor, or a contact sensor may be employed instead of the sensor 205 formed of a photoelectric sensor.

  The fork 204 is configured to be rotatable around the axis of the mast 202 by a mechanism (not shown), and is configured to be movable in the directions of arrows F and R. A cargo handling object W is placed on the fork 204. The cargo handling object W is moved up and down by the lifting carriage 203 while being placed on the fork 204.

  Here, the vehicle body 201 is provided with a straddle leg 206 that is disposed in the vicinity of the floor surface and extends forward. The straddle leg 206 plays a role of moving the lever by contacting a lever (described later) provided on the conveyor according to the present embodiment when the automatic guided vehicle 200 moves forward. The details of the lever moving operation by the straddle leg 206 will be described later.

  Next, the detail of the structure of the conveyor which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated, referring drawings. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the conveyor 100 according to the present embodiment. 2 is a top view of the conveyor 100, the automatic guided vehicle 200, and the conventional conveyor 101, and the lower part is a side view of the conveyor 100, the automatic guided vehicle 200, and the conventional conveyor 101. The figure is shown. In addition, illustration of the cargo handling target object W is abbreviate | omitted in the upper part of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor 100 according to the present embodiment and the conventional conveyor 101 are so-called gravitation conveyors of an inclined type. The conveyor 100 and the conventional conveyor 101 are arranged side by side.

  The conveyor 100 of the present embodiment has two long main body portions 1. The main body portions 1 are arranged apart from each other. Each main body 1 supports a plurality of rollers 2. The plurality of rollers 2 are arranged side by side along the length direction of the main body 1.

  Here, stopper driving means (stop means) 3 is provided below the main body 1 at a position between the main bodies 1. The stopper driving means 3 includes a lever 4, a connecting portion 5 and a stopper 6. The connecting portion 5 is rotatably supported by a support member 5a. The detailed configuration of the stopper driving means 3 will be described later.

  Since the configuration of the conventional conveyor 101 is the same as the configuration of the conveyor 100 except for the stopper driving means, the description is omitted.

  In such a configuration, the automatic guided vehicle 200 transports the cargo handling object W to the vicinity of the conveyor 100 and places the cargo handling object W on the plurality of rollers 2 of the conveyor 1. At this time, the straddle leg 206 of the automatic guided vehicle 200 contacts the lever 4 of the stopper driving means 3. Thereby, when the lever 4 moves (rotates), the stopper 6 rises up to the upper side of the roller 2 via the connecting portion 5 of the stopper driving means 3. Thereby, the cargo handling object W placed by the automatic guided vehicle 200 is stopped by the stopper 6 without moving on the plurality of rollers 2 by its own weight. Therefore, the presence or absence of the cargo handling object W can be detected by the sensor 205 within a predetermined time. In this case, if the sensor 205 detects that the cargo handling object W does not exist, it indicates that the cargo handling object W has been placed on the conveyor 100.

  Hereinafter, detailed operations of the respective components of the stopper driving means 3 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of each component of the stopper driving means 3. FIG. 3A shows the operation of each component when the stopper driving means 3 is viewed from above, and FIG. 3B shows each component when the stopper driving means 3 is viewed from the side. Shows the operation.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the connecting portion 5 of the stopper driving means 3 includes a contacted portion 51, a first moving member 52, a rotating member 53, a rotating support portion 54, and a second portion. The moving member 55 and the pushing portion 56 are included.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the lever 4 of the stopper driving means 3 has a T shape. The lever 4 includes a contact portion 4 a that contacts the straddle leg 206 of the automatic guided vehicle 200 and a contact portion 4 b that is in contact with one end of the contacted portion 51. The lever 4 is rotatably supported by a support member 4c.

  A chamfered portion 51b is formed at one end of the contacted portion 51 so as not to hinder the contact of the lever 4 by the contact portion 4b. The other end of the abutted portion 51 is rotatably connected to one end of the first moving member 52 by a support member 51a. The other end of the first moving member 52 is connected to one end of the rotating member 53. The central portion of the rotation member 53 is supported by the rotation support portion 54 so that the rotation member 53 can rotate.

  One end of the second moving member 55 is connected to the other end of the rotating member 53. In addition, a pushing portion 56 for pushing the stopper 6 is attached to the other end of the second moving member 55. The stopper 6 is rotatably supported by a support member 6a. In addition, the said pushing part 56 may be in contact with the stopper 6 in normal time, and does not need to be in contact.

  In such a configuration, when the lever 4 is rotated in the direction of the arrow S (clockwise) by the straddle leg 206 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the automatic guided vehicle 200, the contact portion 4b of the lever 4 is indicated by a dotted line. As shown, the contacted portion 51 is moved. Thereby, the first moving member 52 moves in the direction of the arrow T (right direction in the drawing).

  Thereby, the rotation member 53 rotates as shown by a dotted line. Thereby, the second moving member 55 moves in the direction of the arrow U (the left direction in the drawing) which is the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow T. Therefore, the push-in portion 56 also moves in the direction of the arrow U.

  Thus, when the pushing portion 56 moves in the direction of the arrow U and pushes in the stopper 6, the stopper 6 supported rotatably by the support member 6a rotates in the direction of arrow V (clockwise). . As a result, as indicated by the dotted line, the stopper 6 can be raised.

  When the detection of the presence / absence of the cargo handling object W is completed, the automatic guided vehicle 200 retreats from the vicinity of the conveyor 100. In this case, the lever 4 returns to the original position by the spring force. Accordingly, the stopper 6 is lowered, and the cargo handling object W moves on the plurality of rollers 2 by its own weight.

  Next, another embodiment for stopping the cargo handling object W placed on the plurality of rollers 2 of the conveyor 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment in which the cargo handling object W placed on the plurality of rollers 2 of the conveyor 100 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a roller shaft 2 a is inserted in the center of the roller 2. A plurality of brake shoes 2b are provided apart from the circumferential portion of the roller shaft 2a protruding from the inside of the roller 2 to the outside.

  In such a configuration, by moving each brake shoe 2b from the direction indicated by the arrow with respect to the rotating roller shaft 2a, each brake shoe 2b comes into contact with the circumferential portion of the roller shaft 2a, and the roller shaft 2a The rotation can be stopped. Thereby, the rotation of the roller 2 is also stopped.

  In the same manner as described above, the brake shoe 2b is mechanically moved by operating a mechanism member (not shown) corresponding to the lever 4 of FIG. 3 by the straddle leg 206 of the automatic guided vehicle 200. Thereby, the roller 2 can be stopped and the cargo handling object W can be stopped.

  In the present embodiment, the brake shoes 2b may be provided for the roller shafts 2a of all the rollers 2, or the brake shoes 2b may be provided for the roller shafts 2a of some of the rollers 2.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the example which the advancing direction of the automatic guided vehicle 200 and the length direction of the conveyor 100 make about 90 degrees was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, As shown in FIG. In addition, even when the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 200 and the length direction of the conveyor 100 are the same direction, the lever 4 can be rotated or linearly moved by the straddle leg 206. Thereby, the cargo handling object W can be stopped by the stopper 6.

  Hereinafter, the effect produced by the present invention will be described. That is, in the present embodiment, when the lever 4 is moved by the automatic guided vehicle 200 that transports the cargo handling object W, the stopper 6 rises. Thereby, when the cargo handling object W is placed on the plurality of rollers 2 of the conveyor 100, the cargo handling object W is stopped by the stopper 6. As a result, the presence / absence of the cargo handling object W can be accurately determined by the sensor 205. In addition, since the cargo handling object W can be stopped without depending on the operator, the work efficiency can be remarkably improved.

  Further, since the lever 4 can be moved by the straddle leg 206 of the automatic guided vehicle 200, it is possible to effectively adopt the existing configuration without adding a new configuration for moving the lever 4. Become. Thereby, the structure of the automatic guided vehicle 200 and the conveyor 100 becomes simple. Further, since the straddle leg 206 is large and rigid with respect to the lever 4, the lever 4 can be reliably moved as the automatic guided vehicle 200 advances.

  Furthermore, as described above, since the cargo handling object W can be mechanically stopped, electric power (electricity) and wiring are unnecessary. As a result, it is possible to reduce the power cost and to improve reliability because troubles such as disconnection of wiring do not occur.

  As mentioned above, although the aspect of the conveyor which concerns on this invention was demonstrated, this invention can be implemented in the aspect which added various improvement, correction, or deformation | transformation based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art within the range which does not deviate from the meaning. These embodiments all belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be effectively used when a cargo handling object on a conveyor is stopped for a predetermined time without being used by an operator.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the automatic guided vehicle which mounts a cargo handling target object on the conveyor which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the conveyor which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of each structure part of a stopper drive means. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment which stops the cargo handling target object mounted on the some roller of a conveyor. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the mounting direction of a cargo handling target object.

Explanation of symbols

1: Main body part 2: Roller 2a: Roller shaft 2b: Brake shoe 3: Stopper driving means 4: Lever 5: Connecting part 6: Stopper 100: Conveyor 200: Unmanned transport vehicle W: Object for cargo handling

Claims (2)

A cargo handling object conveyed by an unmanned conveyance vehicle having a sensor provided on the fork and a straddle leg arranged near the floor is placed on a plurality of rollers arranged to form an inclined surface. A conveyor,
A lever that rotates by contacting the straddle leg, a stopper that can be rotated to get up to the upper side of the roller, and a connecting portion that is connected to the stopper ;
When the unmanned transport vehicle places the cargo handling object on the plurality of rollers, the straddle leg comes into contact with the lever, and the force received by the lever from the straddle leg is applied through the connecting portion. The conveyor, which is rotated by the abutment, abuts against the cargo handling object . A cargo handling object transported by an unmanned transport vehicle having a sensor provided on the fork and a straddle leg disposed in the vicinity of the floor surface is placed on a plurality of rollers disposed to form an inclined surface. A conveyor,
A lever that rotates by contacting the straddle leg, a brake shoe that can move so as to contact the roller, and a connecting portion that is connected to the stopper;
When the unmanned transport vehicle places the cargo handling object on the plurality of rollers, the straddle leg comes into contact with the lever, and the force received by the lever from the straddle leg is applied via the connecting portion. the brake shoe is moved by the feature and to Turkey Nbeya that stops the rotation of the roller.

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