JP4523341B2 - Bucket conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor for conveying articles by buckets, and belongs to the technical field of article conveyance.

  Conventionally, a bucket conveyor is sometimes used to convey articles from a low place to a high place. For example, a bucket conveyor disclosed in Patent Document 1 has two endless chains arranged in parallel as conveying means, and a large number of buckets attached via pin members protruding from the chain are used to run the chain. It is configured to circulate and convey along the route, and the articles supplied by the low-level article supply unit can be accommodated in the bucket, and the articles in the bucket can be discharged by the high-level article discharge unit. Yes.

JP-A-9-165114

  By the way, it is customary to use a metal endless chain in the bucket conveyor as described above. There is a possibility that metal powder is generated, and this becomes a foreign substance and is mixed into an article stored in the bucket.

  In order to eliminate this problem, it is conceivable to subject the metal chain to surface treatment for the purpose of reducing wear. According to this, although generation | occurrence | production of metal powder is reduced, mixing to the bucket of metal powder cannot be avoided completely. In addition, it is conceivable to use a synthetic resin chain instead of metal, but even in this case, even if it is not metal powder, there is no denying the possibility of foreign matter due to wear. Because it is expensive and has low durability and high replacement frequency, it cannot cope with cost reduction, or it must cope with downsizing of the equipment because the chain must be enlarged in terms of strength. New problems such as inability to occur.

  Therefore, in view of the above-described present situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a bucket conveyor that can prevent foreign matter from being mixed into a bucket with a simplified configuration that does not significantly change the current configuration.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows.

First, the invention described in claim 1 relates to a bucket conveyor that circulates and conveys a large number of buckets supported by a conveying means, and partition members that partition between the conveying means and the buckets are adjacent to each other. It is characterized by being overlapped so as to continuously partition the conveying means and the bucket along the conveying direction .

According to the invention described in the claim 1, it is provided with the partition member between the transfer means and the bucket, mixed into a bucket of foreign substances caused by the conveying means is prevented by the partition member. In that case, since it is the simplified structure of providing a partition member, the basic structure of a bucket conveyor is not changed significantly.

Moreover, since the partition members adjacent to each other are overlapped so as to continuously partition between the transport means and the bucket along the transport path, it is possible to more reliably prevent foreign matter from being mixed.

  Moreover, when the bucket travels in a curve, adjacent partition members approach each other compared to when traveling in a straight line, but since the partition members are provided so as to overlap, the partition members interfere with each other. And stable running of the bucket is guaranteed.

  Hereinafter, a bucket conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bucket conveyor 1 accommodates articles supplied by an electromagnetic feeder 2 installed in a low article supply section indicated by reference numeral A, and then receives a high article discharge section indicated by reference numeral B. Are discharged to the combination weighing device 3 installed at the lower side, from the lower traveling unit 11 extending in a substantially horizontal direction, the intermediate traveling unit 12 extending upward from the lower traveling unit 11, and the upper end of the intermediate traveling unit 12 And an upper running portion 13 extending in the horizontal direction.

  That is, in the main body case 1 a, two sets of sprockets 14, 14, 15, 15, which are paired on the front side and the back side of the lower traveling unit 11 in the illustrated example, and the upper traveling unit 13 Three sets of sprockets 16, 16, 17, 17, 18, and 18 are rotatably arranged. Metal endless chains (only the front side are shown) 19 and 19 are wound around the sprockets 14 to 18 on the front side and the sprockets 14 to 18 on the back side, respectively.

  Moreover, the motor 20 is installed in the lower part in the main body case 1a. An endless chain 23 is wound between a sprocket 21 assembled on the output shaft of the motor 20 and a sprocket 22 assembled coaxially with the sprocket 14, and the driving force of the motor 20 is transmitted to the sprocket 14. As a result, the endless chains 19 and 19 circulate through the lower, middle, and upper traveling portions 11 to 13 as indicated by arrows.

  Further, a relatively short guide for guiding the endless chains 19 and 19 to the front side and the back side in the main body case 1a along the travel path, at one location in the lower travel portion 11 and at multiple locations in the intermediate travel portion 12. (Only the back side is shown) 24... 24 are provided. On the other hand, relatively long guides (only the rear side are shown) 25, 25, 26, and 26 for guiding the endless chains 19 and 19 are provided at two locations in the upper traveling unit 13, respectively.

  A large number of buckets 27... 27 for storing articles are attached between the two endless chains 19 and 19 at a predetermined pitch.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bucket 27 travels with the normal opening surface 27 a facing upward, and the flange portion 27 b overlaps the adjacent bucket 27 when meandering in the article supply unit A. It is configured as follows. Further, the bucket 27 includes bosses 27c and 27c that protrude from both sides and have axial holes.

  As described above, the pair of guides 24, 24 are fixedly provided at predetermined positions of the main body case 1a so as to face the bosses 27c, 27c of the bucket 27. Each guide 24 includes a block member 24 a provided with a groove for guiding the endless chain 19 and a cover member 24 b covering the endless chain 19. And between the endless chains 19 and 19 and the bucket 27, the partition members 31 and 31 which are the characterizing parts of this invention are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the partition member 31 is provided on an attachment 32 that is fixed to the endless chain 19 and extends in the direction of the boss 27 c of the bucket 27. That is, the attachment 32 has a large diameter portion 32a and small diameter portions 32b and 32c extending from the large diameter portion 32a to both sides, and one small diameter portion 32b is the inner link members 19a and 19a of the endless chain 19. The other small diameter portion 32 c is inserted into the hole of the boss 27 c of the bucket 27, so that the bucket 27 is supported by the endless chain 19 via the attachment 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the partition member 31 made of a thin stainless steel plate has a circular shape when viewed from the front, and a small diameter portion 32c of the attachment 32 and a stepped portion 32a 'at the end of the large diameter portion 32a are inserted in the center. A hole 31a is provided. In addition, the partition member 31 is appropriately ribbed for reinforcement to provide three concave portions 31b... 31b, and the peripheral portion thereof is curled as indicated by reference numeral C. Then, as indicated by reference numeral D, the partition member 31 is fixed to the attachment 32 by caulking the stepped portion 32 a ′ of the attachment 32 and the partition member 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the tip of the small diameter portion 32b of the attachment 32 is D-cut, and a hole 32b ′ is provided in the D-cut portion. The small diameter portion 32b of the attachment 32 penetrates the inner link members 19a and 19a of the endless chain 19 and has a small diameter outwardly from a D-shaped hole 19a 'provided in the inner link member 19a far from the bucket 27. The tip of the portion 32b protrudes, and in this state, the attachment 32 is fixed to the inner link members 19a, 19a, that is, the endless chain 19 by the split pins 33 inserted into the holes 32b '. Thereby, the partition member 31 fixed to the attachment 32 is also prevented from rotating.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, a partition member 31 having the same configuration is provided between the buckets 27 and 27 adjacent to each other, that is, between the partition members 31 and 31. The partition member 31 is provided on another attachment 34 that is fixed to the endless chain 19 and extends in the bucket 27 direction. That is, the attachment 34 has a large diameter portion 34 a and a small diameter portion 34 b extending from the large diameter portion 34 a to the one side, and the small diameter portion 34 b is favored by the outer link members 19 b and 19 b of the endless chain 19. Yes. The partition member 31 is fixed to the attachment 34 by caulking the stepped portion 34 a ′ at the end of the large diameter portion 34 a of the attachment 34 and the partition member 31.

  The small diameter portion 34b of the attachment 34 is D-cut at the tip, and a hole 34b 'is provided at a location near the large diameter portion 34a. The small diameter portion 34b of the attachment 34 penetrates the outer link members 19b and 19b of the endless chain 19 and has a small diameter outwardly from a D-shaped hole 19b 'provided in the outer link member 19b far from the bucket 27. The D-cut end of the portion 34b protrudes, and in this state, the attachment 34 is fixed to the outer link members 19b and 19b, that is, the endless chain 19 by the split pin 33 while being prevented from rotating.

  When the attachment 34 is fixed to the outer link members 19b, 19b, the above-described configuration suppresses the protrusion of the distal end portion of the small diameter portion 34b to the outside of the outer link member 19b. On the other hand, since the attachment 32 is fixed to the inner link members 19a, 19a, the protruding length of the small diameter portion 32b to the outside of the inner link member 19a can be set large. Therefore, the split pin 33 can be fixed through the vicinity of the protruding end. That is, when the endless chain 19 travels while being guided by the guide 24, the protruding end portions of the small diameter portions 32 b and 34 b do not interfere with the block member 24 a of the guide 24.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the partition members 31, 31 provided on the attachments 32, 32 and the partition member 31 provided on the attachment 34 are transport directions indicated by arrows between the endless chain 19 and the bucket 27. Are provided so as to be continuously partitioned along. In the illustrated example, the partition member 31 provided in the attachment 34 is disposed closer to the bucket 27.

  Here, the operation of the bucket conveyor 1 will be described.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the buckets 27... 27 supported at both ends by the two endless chains 19 and 19 are supplied by the electromagnetic feeder 2 disposed in the article supply unit A in the lower traveling unit 11. When an article to be stored is accommodated, the lower traveling part 11 passes through the intermediate traveling part 12, and then the upper traveling part 13 is directed to the article discharging part B. And bucket 27 ... 27 falls by the fall mechanism which is not shown in a curve driving | running | working location, and discharge | emits the accommodated article to the combination weighing device 3. The buckets 27... 27 emptied by discharging the articles reach the lower traveling unit 11 again from the upper traveling unit 13 through the intermediate traveling unit 12.

  In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 4, since the partition member 31 is provided between the endless chain 19 as the conveying means and the bucket 27, the foreign material such as metal powder generated in the endless chain 19 is moved to the bucket 27. Is prevented by the partition member 31. In that case, since it is the simplified structure of providing the partition member 31, the basic structure of the bucket conveyor 1 is not changed significantly.

  Further, since the partition member 31 is provided on the endless chain 19 via the attachment 32, the bucket 27 does not become bulky when the bucket 27 is removed at the time of bucket cleaning, and the storage space can be reduced.

  Further, in the endless chain 19, the partition members 31 are additionally provided between the buckets 27, 27 adjacent to each other via the attachment 34, so that the endless chain 19 and the buckets 27 can be reduced even if the size of each partition member 31 is reduced. Can be partitioned, so that interference with peripheral members is avoided. In addition, since the weight load on the support portions of the partition member 31, that is, the attachments 32 and 34 is dispersed, downsizing of the support portions is maintained.

  Further, as an example, as shown in FIG. 9 by excerpting the article conveyance situation in the intermediate traveling unit 12, the partition members 31 and 31 adjacent to each other extend in the direction of the arrow between the endless chain 19 and the buckets 27. Since they are arranged so as to overlap with each other along attachment paths 32 and 34 so as to be continuously partitioned along the conveyance path, it is possible to more reliably prevent foreign matter from entering the articles X... X accommodated in the buckets 27. It becomes.

  Moreover, when the buckets 27... 27 are traveling in a curve, the attachments 32 and 34 adjacent to each other and the partition members 31 and 31 approach each other as compared to when traveling in a straight line, but the partition members 31 and 31 are exceeded. Since it is provided so as to wrap, the partition members 31, 31 do not interfere with each other, and stable running of the buckets 27 ... 27 is ensured.

  In the above-described embodiment, the partition member 31 is provided in the endless chain 19, but the partition member may be provided in the bucket. That is, in FIG. 10A, when the bucket 127 is formed, partition members 131 and 131 having a diameter larger than that of the partition member 31 are integrally provided at the distal ends of the relatively short bosses 127c and 127c on both sides. In the bucket 127 ′ shown in FIG. 10B, similar partition members 131 and 131 are integrally provided at the front ends of the relatively long bosses 127c ′ and 127c ′ on both sides.

  According to this, since the partition member 131 is provided in the buckets 127 and 127 ′, the partition members 131 and 131 can be provided integrally when the buckets 127 and 127 ′ are molded with synthetic resin, thereby reducing the cost. Can be planned. Further, since the partition members 131 and 131 are also attached when the buckets 127 and 127 'are removed from the endless chains 19 and 19 as the conveying means as described above during the bucket cleaning, the partition members 131 and 131 can be easily cleaned. Become. On the other hand, since the partition member 131 does not remain on the endless chains 19 and 19, the maintenance of the chains 19 and 19 becomes easy.

  If the buckets 127 and 127 ′ are alternately arranged along the transport direction, the partition members 131 and 131 adjacent to each other overlap each other. In this case, the endless chain 19 and the buckets 127. ′... 127 ′ can be continuously partitioned along the transport path, and foreign matters can be more reliably prevented from entering the articles contained in the buckets 127, 127, 127 ′, 127 ′.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the partition member 31 was provided in the endless chain 19 via the attachments 32 and 34, you may provide using the pin member which couple | bonds the link members 19b and 19b of the endless chain 19. FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the pin member 19c that couples the pair of outer link members 19b, 19b of the endless chain 19 is extended to the bucket 27 side, and the extended end of the pin member 19c is connected to the boss 27c of the bucket 27. Has been inserted. A partition member 231 having a configuration similar to that described above is provided at a location near the boss 27c of the pin member 19c by appropriate means such as welding.

  According to this, since the partition member 231 is provided on the pin member 19c of the endless chain 19, the number of parts does not increase unnecessarily, so that weight reduction and cost reduction can be achieved.

FIG. 12 shows a configuration related to the present invention as a reference example. In this reference example, partition members for partitioning the endless chain 19 and the buckets 27... 27 are arranged on the same plane. The partition members adjacent to each other are shaped so as not to interfere with each other in the transport path. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the endless chain 19 supports the buckets 27... 27 through the same attachments 32... 32 as described above, and the attachments 32. Different shaped partition members 331... 331 projecting in the conveying direction indicated by the arrows are provided. In that case, since the attachments 32 and 34 adjacent to each other approach each other during curve traveling, a predetermined gap is provided between the partition members 331 and 331 during linear traveling so that the partition members 331 and 331 do not interfere with each other even at that time. Is formed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a bucket conveyor that can prevent foreign matter from entering a bucket with a simplified configuration that does not significantly change the current configuration. That is, the present invention relates to a conveyor that conveys articles with buckets, and is widely suitable for the technical field of article conveyance.

It is a side view showing a schematic structure of a bucket conveyor concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is an enlarged arrow line view by the II line of FIG. It is a top view of a bucket. It is a principal part front view at the time of the horizontal running which shows the attachment state to the endless chain of a partition member. It is a front view of the partition member attached to the attachment. It is an expanded sectional view by the III-III line of FIG. It is a reduction arrow line view by the IV line of FIG. It is a side view which shows the attachment state to the attachment of the partition member provided between adjacent buckets. It is a side view for demonstrating the effect of the partition member provided so that it might overlap. As other embodiment, it is a top view of the bucket which provided the partition member, (a) is the bucket in which the partition member was provided in the short boss, (b) is the bucket in which the partition member was provided in the long boss. Show. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a case where a partition member is provided on a pin member of an endless chain as another embodiment. It is a side view of the reference example which provided the partition member on the same surface .

Explanation of symbols

1 Bucket conveyor 19 Endless chain (conveying means)
19a, 19b Link member 19c Pin member 27, 127, 127 ′ Bucket 31, 131, 231, 331 Partition member

Claims (1)

A bucket conveyor that circulates and conveys a large number of buckets supported by a conveying means, wherein partition members that partition between the conveying means and the bucket are adjacent to each other in the conveying direction between the conveying means and the bucket A bucket conveyor, wherein the bucket conveyors are overlapped so as to be continuously partitioned .

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