JP5018263B2 - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To keep the height of a base at a low level even if an elevating stroke is increased by preventing a conveying base from being raised and to reduce the number of portions of cam rails in which rolling elements at a second link free end are put along the cam rails. <P>SOLUTION: A conveyor device comprises: a first link 11 of which the upper end 11A is fixed to and hung from the conveying base 4, and of which the lower end 11B is equipped with a first rolling element 21; a second link 12 of which the one end 12A is pivotally connected to the lower end 11B of the first link 11 at a low position L and is extended approximately backward, and of which the other end 12B is equipped with a second rolling element 22; a first lifting cam rail CR1 lifting the first rolling element 21 at the low position L to bring the conveying base 4 to an intermediate height position M; a lock means locking the second link 12 and the first link 11; and a second lifting cam rail CR2 lifting a second rolling element 22 to bring the conveying base 4 to a high position H; a lock release means releasing the lock; a postural maintenance means maintaining the posture of the second link 12 at the low position L: and a postural maintenance release means releasing a postural maintenance state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor device having an elevating function that can be used for a production line of an automobile or the like, and the height of a conveyance base is variable with respect to a base of a carriage.

  For example, in the work process, the height of the transfer table used to mount the object to be transferred such as an engine assembly used in an automobile engine assembly line can be varied from a low position to a high position with respect to the base of the carriage. As a conveyor device that can have the required height, a transported object support base (transport base) is supported by a cross link so that it can be moved up and down by a cross link, and is attached to the cross link and transported. A second operated object at or near the intermediate folding fulcrum of the toggle link interposed between the link of the cross link and the fixed position on the transport traveling body side. An operating portion is provided, and the toggle link is folded so that the upper end fulcrum is on either one of the front and rear sides in the traveling direction with respect to the intermediate folding fulcrum when the transported object support is at the lower limit height. Transport support stand is in front When raised to an intermediate height, the upper end fulcrum is deployed so as to be distributed to the front and rear sides in the traveling direction with respect to the intermediate folding fulcrum, and the second operated portion in this expanded state is The first cam rail is configured to be positioned below the operated portion, and acts on the first operated portion to raise the object support base to an intermediate height, and the second operated portion. And a second cam rail that raises the transported object support base from the intermediate height to the highest height, and the work space on the transport traveling body is sufficiently low so that the height of the lower space of the transport traveling body is sufficiently low. While the surface is lowered and the transport traveling body has a low floor structure, the top height of the object support base can be set to a necessary and sufficient height (see Patent Document 1), and the transport base is the base of the carriage. Supporting carriage support that can move up and down in parallel with the base A lifting rod that has a means, an upper end that supports the lower surface of the carrier from below, and a lower end that is mounted with a rolling element that rotates about a horizontal axis that is orthogonal to the traveling direction of the carriage, and that protrudes downward from the base; A joint for connecting the upper and lower parts of the lifting bar and a cam rail along which the rolling elements follow is provided so that the lower part of the lifting bar can be bent forward or backward in the traveling direction of the carriage at the lower position of the carriage. When the lifting / lowering operation is not performed, the lifting / lowering rod can be bent, so that the depth of the pits in the process where the height of the conveyed object is low can be significantly reduced (see Patent Document 2). There is.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-62805 (FIGS. 1-4) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-187115 (FIGS. 1-4)

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the cross-link is provided with the first operated portion, the toggle link is interposed between the cross-link link and the fixed position on the transport traveling body side, and the toggle link is bent intermediately. Since the second operated part is provided at or near the fulcrum, when the weight of the object to be conveyed is larger than the weight of the transporting traveling body (base), if the operating part is raised by the cam rail, There is a case where a phenomenon (hereinafter referred to as a “lifting phenomenon”) occurs in which the transporting traveling body (base) is lifted without the transported object support base (transporting base) rising due to the weight of the transported object. In addition, since an operating force acts on the link constituting the cross link in a direction different from the longitudinal direction (direction connecting the fulcrums), it is necessary to increase the bending strength and bending rigidity of the link. The manufacturing cost of the link increases.

  Moreover, in the structure of patent document 2, since the conveyance stand is operated with a raising / lowering rod, the said lifting phenomenon does not arise. However, since the lift stroke of the carriage is equal to the lift stroke of the lift bar, it is necessary to lengthen the lift bar and the length of the inclined part of the cam rail to increase the lift stroke of the carriage. There is. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the height of the base of the carriage or dig a deep pit on the factory floor.

  As an invention for which the applicant of the present application has made a patent application to solve such a problem, a transport table for placing a material to be transported with respect to a base of a cart traveling on a predetermined track is vertically arranged. It is a conveyor device that includes a conveying table raising / lowering support means that supports the linearly movable raising and lowering, and the height of the conveying table is variable from a low position to a high position, and the upper end is fixed to the conveying table and hangs down. And a first link mounted with a first rolling element rotating about a horizontal axis orthogonal to the traveling direction of the carriage, and at the low position, one end is rotatably connected to the lower end of the first link. A second link having a second rolling element that extends rearward and rotates around the horizontal axis at the other end, pushes up the first rolling element at the low position, and sets the height of the carrier to an intermediate height position. A first raising cam rail and the intermediate height A locking means for bringing the second link into a vertical state hanging from the lower end of the first link at a position, and locking the second link so as not to rotate with respect to the first link in the vertical state; A second lifting cam rail that pushes up the second rolling element in a state and sets the height of the transporting base to the high position, and a lock releasing unit that releases the locked state by the locking unit and releases the lock. (Refer to claim 1 and embodiment 1 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-299107. Hereinafter, this invention will be referred to as "prior application invention".)

According to the prior invention, the lifting phenomenon does not occur even when the weight of the object to be transported is larger than the weight of the base, and the height of the base is increased even if the lifting stroke of the transport base is increased. It can be kept low or the pits provided on the factory floor can be shallow.
Although the prior invention has such an effect, it is necessary to lay a cam rail along the second rolling element attached to the free end of the second link over the entire length of the transport path of the carriage in the unlocked state. Therefore, the second rolling element looks like a wedge when it is attempted to move the carriage in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction in the case of maintenance inspection or failure in the unlocked state in which the cost for laying is high. There is a point that it is difficult to operate and poor workability, and there is room for improvement in these points.

  Therefore, in view of the above-described situation, the present invention intends to solve the problem that the lifting phenomenon does not occur even when the weight of the object to be transported is larger than the weight of the base, and the lift stroke of the transport base is increased. Even if it is increased, the height of the base can be kept low, or the pit provided on the factory floor can be made shallow, and the second attached to the free end of the second link in the transport path of the cart in the unlocked state. Providing a conveyor device that can reduce the number of cam rails laid along the rolling elements and can easily move the carriage in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction in the case of maintenance inspection or failure in the unlocked state. is there.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the conveyor device according to the present invention is configured to support a transfer table on which a transfer object is placed with respect to a base of a carriage traveling on a predetermined track so that the transfer table can be moved up and down in a vertical direction. A conveyor device comprising lifting support means, wherein the height of the conveying table is variable from a low position to a high position, the upper end of which is fixed to the conveying table and hangs down, and the lower end is orthogonal to the traveling direction of the carriage A first link on which a first rolling element rotating around a horizontal axis is mounted; and at the low position, one end of the first link is pivotally connected to the lower end of the first link and extends substantially rearward; The second link on which a second rolling element rotating around an axis is mounted, and the first rolling element is raised at the low position, and the height of the carrier is set to an intermediate height position. The first rolling element laid parallel to the track In the first rising cam rail and the intermediate height position, the second link is in a vertical state suspended from the lower end of the first link, and the second link rotates with respect to the first link in the vertical state. A locking means that is in a locked state that does not move; and the second rolling element is raised in the locked state, and the height of the carrier is set to the high position, and is laid in parallel to the predetermined track in plan view, A second lifting cam rail along which the second rolling element follows, unlocking means for releasing the locked state and releasing the locked state, and in the low position, the posture of the second link extends substantially rearward. There is provided posture holding means for setting the held posture holding state, and posture holding releasing means for releasing the posture holding state and setting the posture holding released state.

  Here, the lock means is laid in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view in the vertical state, and the first link and the cam link along the first rolling element and the cam rail along the second rolling element. The first rolling element, which is relatively moved in a direction approaching the second link to engage with the concave and convex portions, and the unlocking means is laid in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view in the locked state. The first rail and the second link are moved relative to each other by a cam rail along which the second rolling element moves and the concave and convex engagement is released, and the second rolling element is released in the unlocked state. It is preferable to provide a cam rail laid in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view, in which an inclined surface that rises toward the front is formed.

  Further, the posture holding means is formed in a cam plate integrated with the first link, a long hole or groove extending in the vertical direction, and a locking hole or groove extending backward from the upper part, and these holes. Alternatively, a cam roller that engages with the groove is attached to one end, and the other end is connected to the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the second link so as to be rotatable about a left-right axis; An urging means for urging; and the second rolling element, which is laid parallel to the predetermined track in a plan view, raises the second rolling element to lock the cam roller in the locking hole or groove. And a second link posture holding cam rail along which the posture holding release means is connected to the upper portion of the elongated hole or groove formed in the cam plate and extends forward, and is engaged with the cam roller. Solution A hole or groove, and is positioned on the rear side of the unlocking hole or groove and supported so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and the cam roller is moving from the locking hole or groove to the unlocking hole or groove. Swings upward, and swings downward when the cam roller engages with the unlocking hole or groove, and the second rolling element is raised and locked into the locking hole or groove. A rising inclined surface for engaging the cam roller being engaged with the unlocking hole or groove, and a cam roller engaging the locking release hole or groove by lowering the second rolling element. It is preferable to be configured by a second link posture holding release cam rail that is engaged with the long hole or groove from the front side and is laid in parallel with the predetermined track in plan view along with the second rolling element.

  Further, the carrier support means is an X-shaped symmetric link formed by pin-supporting a midpoint between the upper and lower ends of two links having the same length, or a combination of a plurality of the X-shaped symmetric links. One of the upper ends of the telescopic mechanism is connected to the carrier so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, and the lower end immediately below the upper end is connected to the base so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis. The other end of the telescopic mechanism is connected to the transport table so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, and the rotational shaft is slidably supported in the front-rear direction, and the lower end directly below the upper end is rotated about the horizontal axis. It is preferable that the rotary shaft is connected to the base so as to be pivotable and the pivot shaft is slidably supported in the front-rear direction.

According to the conveyor device of the present invention, it is provided with a transport base lifting support means for supporting a transport base on which a transported object is placed with respect to a base of a carriage traveling on a predetermined track so as to be able to move up and down in a vertical direction. , A conveyor device in which the height of the conveying table is variable from a low position to a high position, the upper end of which is fixed to the conveying table and hangs down, and the lower end rotates around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the traveling direction of the carriage The first link on which the first rolling element is mounted, and at the low position, one end is pivotally connected to the lower end of the first link and extends substantially rearward, and the other end rotates around the horizontal axis. The second link on which the second rolling element is mounted, and the first rolling element is raised at the low position, and the height of the carrier is set to the intermediate height position, and is laid parallel to the predetermined track in plan view. For the first ascent along the first rolling element And a locked state in which the second link is suspended from the lower end of the first link at the intermediate height position, and the second link does not rotate with respect to the first link in the vertical state. Locking means that lifts the second rolling element in the locked state, and sets the height of the carrier to the high position, and the second rolling element is laid parallel to the predetermined track in plan view. Along the second raising cam rail, unlocking means for releasing the locked state and releasing the locked state, and a posture maintaining state in which the posture is maintained in a state where the second link extends substantially rearward at the low position. And a posture holding release unit that releases the posture holding state and puts it into a posture holding released state, so that the transfer table itself can be operated by the link without operating the transfer table lifting / lowering support unit. Order to to lift, never the lifting phenomenon even if the weight is greater than the weight of the base of the object to be conveyed occurs.
In addition, the first raising cam rail in the state where the second link is bent backward with respect to the first link (the conveyance table is in the low position) raises the first rolling element to bring the conveyance table into the intermediate height position. Two-stage ascending operation, and the second ascending cam rail in the state where the second link hangs down with respect to the first link raises the second rolling element and raises the conveying platform. Therefore, the height of the base can be kept low or the pit provided on the factory floor can be shallowed even if the lifting stroke of the transport base is increased.
In addition, since the transport table lifting / lowering support means is not operated, the operating force does not directly act on the structural members such as the links constituting the transport table lifting / lowering support means, and therefore the operating force acts directly on the structural members. Compared with the configuration, the strength and rigidity of the component members can be reduced, and therefore, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the transport table lifting support means can be suppressed.
In addition, in the posture holding state, there is no need to lay a cam rail along the second rolling element mounted on the free end of the second link, and the carriage is transported with the second rolling element floating from the floor surface. Since it is possible to reduce the number of cam rail installation locations along the second rolling element mounted on the free end of the second link in the carriage transport path in the unlocked state, the cam rail can be installed. Cost can be reduced.
In addition, in the case of maintenance inspection or failure in the unlocked state, if the posture is maintained, the second rolling element is floating from the floor surface, and the carriage can be easily moved in the direction opposite to the conveying direction. Therefore, workability in these cases can be improved.

Further, the locking means is laid in parallel with the predetermined track in plan view in the vertical state, and the first link and the first link are formed by a cam rail along the first rolling element and a cam rail along the second rolling element. The first rolling element is laid in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view in the locked state, in which the two links are moved relative to each other in the approaching direction to engage with the unevenness. The cam rail and the cam rail along which the second rolling element moves are moved relative to each other in a direction in which the first link and the second link are separated to disengage the concave / convex engagement, and the second rolling element is released in the unlocked state. If the cam rail is provided in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view, an inclined surface that rises as it goes forward is formed. In addition, since the lock means and the lock release means have a simple configuration that does not use a drive device, a power supply device, etc., the reliability of the operation of the lock means and the lock release means can be improved and an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed. Can do.
In addition, the second link can be easily bent backward by placing the second rolling element along the inclined surface.

  Furthermore, the posture holding means is formed in a cam plate integrated with the first link, a long hole or groove extending in the up-down direction, a locking hole or groove extending backward and connected to the upper part, and these holes. Alternatively, a cam roller that engages with the groove is attached to one end, and the other end is connected to the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the second link so as to be rotatable about a left-right axis; An urging means for urging; and the second rolling element, which is laid parallel to the predetermined track in a plan view, raises the second rolling element to lock the cam roller in the locking hole or groove. And a second link posture holding cam rail along which the posture holding release means is connected to the upper portion of the elongated hole or groove formed in the cam plate and extends forward, and is engaged with the cam roller. The cam roller moves from the locking hole or groove to the locking release hole or groove, and is located on the rear side of the unlocking hole or groove and supported so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. A swing cam that swings upward in the middle and swings downward when the cam roller engages with the unlocking hole or groove, and the second rolling element is raised and locked in the locking hole or groove. A rising inclined surface for engaging the cam roller being engaged with the locking release hole or groove, and a cam roller engaging the locking release hole or groove by lowering the second rolling element. If the second link posture holding release cam rail along the second rolling element, which is laid in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view, is engaged with the long hole or groove from the front side of the frame. In addition, the posture holding means and the posture holding release means are connected to the driving device and the feeding device. Since devices such as a simple structure without using a can suppress the increase in manufacturing cost can be improved and the reliability of operation of releasing the operation and the position holding state to the position holding state.

  Still further, the carrier support means comprises an X-shaped symmetric link formed by pin-supporting a midpoint between the upper and lower ends of two links having the same length, or a combination of a plurality of the X-shaped symmetric links. A telescopic mechanism, wherein one of the upper ends of the telescopic mechanism is connected to the carrier so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, and a lower end directly below the upper end is connected to the base so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis The other end of the telescopic mechanism is connected to the transport table so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, and the rotary shaft is slidably supported in the front-rear direction, and the lower end immediately below the upper end is supported by the horizontal axis. When the rotation shaft is connected to the base so as to be able to rotate around and the rotation shaft is supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction, in addition to the above effects, the vertical movement of the carrier support means is ensured while ensuring a sufficient lifting stroke. Keep direction space small Since it is bets, it is possible to improve the workability.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, and includes all the embodiments that satisfy the requirements described in the claims. It is a waste. Since the carriage in the conveyor device of the present invention is conveyed by a general traveling drive device such as a friction roller drive device or a power chain drive device, the description of the travel drive device is omitted in the following description. In addition, the traveling direction (arrow A in the figure) of the carriage along the predetermined track is the front, the opposite side is the rear, and the left and right are the front. Furthermore, let the figure seen from back be a front view.

  1-6 is the schematic which shows the structure and operation | movement of the conveyor apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 1 is the left side surface which shows each state which changed the height of the conveyance stand 4 of the trolley | bogie 2. FIG. FIG. 2 and FIG. 2A are left side views showing a state where the second link 12 is locked by the locking means 13 in a vertical state depending from the lower end of the first link 11, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a left side view showing a state in which the second link 12 is bent rearward after releasing the lock state, and FIG. 3 is a state in which the second link 12 is locked by the locking means 13 in a vertical state hanging from the lower end of the first link 11. 4 is a front view, FIG. 5A is a front view, FIG. 5A is an enlarged vertical left side view of the main part showing a state in which the second link 12 is bent and extends substantially rearward, and FIG. ) Is the posture of the second link 12 by the posture holding means 19. FIG. 6A is a main part enlarged vertical left side view showing the middle of the operation of releasing the posture holding state of the second link 12 by the posture holding release means 20. FIG. 6B is an enlarged vertical left side view of the main part showing a state in which the posture holding state of the second link 12 is released by the posture holding releasing means 20. 3 to 6, the base 3, the transport table 4, and the transport table lifting / lowering support means 5 are omitted.

First, an outline of the configuration of the carriage 2 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cart 2 is driven by a travel drive device (not shown), and a wheel (not shown) attached to the lower surface of the base 3 rolls on a travel rail (not shown), thereby causing a predetermined track. Travel on the top (travel direction A). Further, the transfer table 4 is supported by the transfer table lifting / lowering support means 5 so as to be able to move up and down in parallel with the base 3, and an unillustrated object to be transferred is directly on the transfer table 4 or the transfer table 4. It is placed on the transport table 4 via a work table or a support such as a pallet fixed on the top.

Next, the structure of the expansion / contraction mechanism which is the conveyance stand raising / lowering support means 5 is demonstrated.
The links 6 and 7 have the same length, and the midpoint C between the upper and lower ends 6A and 6B and between the 7A and 7B is supported by the left and right pins, and is configured to be relatively rotatable around the midpoint C. An X-shaped symmetrical link is formed. The X-shaped symmetric link expands and contracts up and down when the distance between the upper ends 6A and 7A (distance between the lower ends 7B and 6B) is changed.
That is, the upper end 6A of the link 6 is connected to the transport table 4 so as to be rotatable about a left-right direction axis (a horizontal axis orthogonal to the traveling direction A), and the rotation axis is supported to be slidable in the front-rear direction. A lower end 7B of the link 7 directly below the upper end 6A of the link 6 is connected to the base 3 so as to be rotatable about a left-right direction axis, and the rotation axis is supported to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The upper end 7A of the link 7 is connected to the transport table 4 so as to be rotatable about the left-right axis, and the lower end 6B of the link 6 immediately below the upper end 7A of the link 7 is rotatable about the left-right axis. Connected to the base 3.

  Since the transport table raising / lowering support means 5 is configured by the expansion / contraction mechanism composed of the X-shaped symmetric link as described above, the transport table 4 can be directly moved up and down in parallel with the base 3 and sufficient. The space in the vertical direction of the transport table lifting support means 5 can be kept small while securing the lifting stroke. A combination of a plurality of the X-shaped symmetric links may be used as the transport table elevating support means 5, or a configuration in which a plurality of parallel link mechanisms are combined may be used.

Next, the structure which raises / lowers the conveyance stand 4 is demonstrated.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first link 11 has an upper end 11 </ b> A that is fixed to the transport table 4 and hangs down from the transport table 4, and a lower end 11 </ b> B that rotates about a horizontal axis. 21 is mounted. Also, one end (connecting end) 12A of the second link 12 is connected to the lower end 11B of the first link 11 so as to be rotatable about a left-right axis, and the other end (free end) 12B of the second link 12 is connected to the left-right direction. A second rolling element 22 rotating around the axis is mounted.

In the state A1 shown in FIG. 1 (the state where the transport table 4 is in the low position L), the second link 12 extends substantially rearward, so that the height of the base 3 is kept low or the pits provided on the factory floor are shallow. can do.
From this state A1, when the first rolling element 21 is placed along the first ascending cam rail CR1 that is laid parallel to the predetermined track in plan view and has an inclined surface that rises toward the front (traveling direction A). The carriage 4 of the carriage 2 rises together with the first link 11 to be in the state A2 (the carriage 4 is in the intermediate height position M).
From this state A2, after the lock means 13 (to be described later) sets the lock state in which the second link 12 does not rotate with respect to the first link 11 (state A3 shown in FIG. 2A), it is parallel to the predetermined track in plan view. When the second rolling element 22 is placed along the second raising cam rail CR2 having an inclined surface that rises in the forward direction (traveling direction A), the carriage 4 of the carriage 2 has the first link 11 and It rises with the 2nd link 12, and will be in state A4 (state where conveyance stand 4 is high position H).
Further, in the state A5 in which the lock state is released by the lock release means 14 described later, the second link 12 can be bent rearward to obtain the state A1.

Next, a configuration example of the lock unit 13 that is in the locked state will be described.
FIG. 3 shows the locked state in which the engaging protrusions 18A and 18B of the second link 12 are engaged with the engaging recesses 17A and 17B above and below the first link 11, respectively.
In the state where the second link 12 hangs down, the long hole 16 of the second link 12 is in the vertical direction. Therefore, the second link 12 can be moved along the long hole 16 using the pin 15 of the first link 11 as a guide. 12 can move up and down with respect to the first link 11.
Accordingly, from state A2 in FIG. 1, the cam rail along which the first rolling element 21 is laid parallel to the predetermined track in plan view, and the second rolling element 22 laid parallel to the predetermined track in plan view. By reducing the difference in height from the cam rail along which the first and second cam rails follow (for example, one cam rail is brought closer to the other), the engagement concave portion 17A, the engagement convex portion 18A, the engagement concave portion 17B, and the engagement convex portion 18B Since the concave and convex portions are engaged, the locked state can be easily achieved.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), if the cam rail CR along which the first rolling element 21 runs is formed with an inclined surface (locking downward inclined surface) 8 that descends toward the front (traveling direction A). Since the cam rail along which the first rolling element 21 and the cam rail along the second rolling element 22 approach each other, the engaging recess 17A and the engaging protrusion 18A and the engaging recess 17B and the engaging protrusion 18B are engaged with each other. The locked state, that is, the state A3 can be set. In FIG. 3, since the weight 24 is connected and fixed to the second link 12 at the middle portion in the longitudinal direction and protrudes rearward, the second link 12 extends rearward as in the state A1 of FIG. It is possible to smoothly shift from the state where the first link 11 hangs down from the lower end 11B of the first link 11 as in the state A2.

Next, a configuration example of the unlocking means 14 for releasing the locked state will be described.
As described above, the locking state can be achieved by reducing the difference in height between the cam rail along which the first rolling element 21 and the cam rail along which the second rolling element 22 follows. By increasing the difference in height between the cam rail along which the rolling elements 21 and the cam rail along which the second rolling elements 22 follow (for example, by moving one cam rail away from the other), the engagement recesses 17A and the engagement protrusions can be easily formed. The concave / convex engagement of the portion 18A, the engagement concave portion 17B, and the engagement convex portion 18B can be released to release the locked state.

  For example, as shown in state A5 in FIG. 1, an inclined surface (an upward inclined surface for unlocking) 9 that rises as it goes forward (traveling direction A) is formed on the cam rail CR along which the first rolling element 21 extends. Since the cam rail along which the first rolling element 21 and the cam rail along the second rolling element 22 move away from each other, the engaging concave portion 17A and the engaging convex portion 18A and the engaging concave portion 17B and the engaging convex portion 18B engaged with each other. The locked state can be easily released. In addition, since the rolling element pressing guide 23 is provided to prevent the second rolling element 22 from floating when the lock is released, the locked state can be stably and reliably released.

  According to the lock means 13 and the lock release means 14 configured as described above, since these are simple structures that do not use a drive device, a power supply device, or the like, the operation for making the locked state and the operation for releasing the locked state In addition to improving the reliability, it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost.

  Further, in the state A5 of FIG. 1 in which the locked state is released, the cam rail CR along which the second rolling element 22 extends has an inclined surface (an upward inclined surface for second link bending ascending as it goes forward (traveling direction A)). ) 10 is formed, and when the carriage 2 travels in the traveling direction A as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the second link 12 can be easily bent rearward, so as in the state A1 in FIG. It is also easy to make the second link 12 extend substantially rearward.

Next, a configuration example of the posture holding means 19 that holds the posture in a state where the second link 12 is bent and extends substantially rearward will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a connecting plate 25 extending in the vertical direction is installed between the left and right first arms 11, 11, and the connecting plate 25 has a vertical center perpendicular to the connecting plate 25 in the vertical direction. A cam plate 26 is attached to a shaft that connects the left and right cam links 28, 28 </ b> A to the cam hole 30 formed in the cam plate 26 that penetrates in the left-right direction. Are engaged, and the cam roller 29 moves along the cam hole 30.
Here, the cam hole 30 is connected to the upper and lower elongated holes 30C, 30C, 30C and the upper part of the elongated hole 30C, and extends forward. The locking release hole 30 </ b> B extends.

Instead of the cam hole 30 penetrating in the left-right direction, a groove-like cam groove that does not penetrate may be used, and the cam roller 29 may be engaged with the cam groove.
Further, the cam plate 26 is not connected and fixed to the first arm 11 via the connecting plate 25 but may be directly connected and fixed to the first arm 11 or integrated with the first arm 11. Good. That is, the cam plate 26 may be integrated with the first arm 11.

Further, the other ends 28B, 28B of the left and right cam links 28, 28 are on the proximal end side of the weight body 24 (the front side in the vertical state where the second link 12 hangs down from the lower end of the first link 11 as shown in FIG. 3). A tension coil is connected to a pin 32 that is pivotally connected about a left-right axis and is attached to an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the cam link 28 and a pin 33 on the free end side (rear side in the vertical state) of the weight body 24. The ends 31A and 31B of the spring 31 are hooked. Here, the tension coil spring 31 constitutes a biasing means that biases the cam roller 29 backward.
The other ends 28B and 28B of the cam links 28 and 28 may be directly connected to the second link 12 instead of being connected to the second link 12 via the weight body 24. What is necessary is just to be connected with the middle part of a longitudinal direction so that rotation to the left-right direction axis | shaft is possible.

Further, on the upper portion of the cam plate 26, a substantially sector-shaped swing cam 27 is attached so as to be swingable around a support shaft 34 in the left-right direction about the center of the radius of curvature of the arcuate outer peripheral surface 27B. The moving cam 27 tends to swing downward by a moment around the support shaft 34 due to its own weight, but a stopper piece 36 protruding rearward from the swing cam 27 is a pin 35 attached to the rear side of the support shaft 34. And is stationary with the arcuate outer peripheral surface 27B facing forward (see, for example, FIG. 5A).
From this state, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second rolling element 22 is lifted by the second link posture holding cam rail CR3 having a substantially trapezoidal shape in side view, which is laid parallel to the predetermined track in plan view. Then, the cam roller 29 pressed toward the rear side wall surface of the cam hole 30 by the elastic biasing force of the tension coil spring 31 as the biasing means moves along the side surface 27A of the swing cam 27, and the cam roller 29 Is locked in the locking hole 30A, so that the posture of the second link 12 is maintained while the second link 12 extends substantially rearward via the cam link 28 (the height of the second rolling element 22 is the first position). 1 link 11 (base 3)).
Here, the cam link 28, the cam roller 29, the long hole 30 </ b> C and the locking hole 30 </ b> A, the tension coil spring 31 (biasing means), and the second link attitude holding cam rail CR <b> 3 constitute the attitude holding means 19.

Next, a configuration example of the posture holding release means 20 for releasing the posture holding state will be described.
A carriage 2 is transported from the posture holding state shown in FIG. 5 (b), and the second rolling element 22 is laid parallel to the predetermined track in plan view as shown in FIG. 6 (a). When the second rolling element 22 is raised along the rising slope of the second link posture holding release cam rail CR4, the cam roller 29 pushes the side surface 27A of the swing cam 27 and the swing cam 27 swings upward. The cam roller 29 moves along the side surface of the swing cam 27 into the locking release hole 30B.
As shown in FIG. 6B, in the state where the second rolling element 22 is positioned at the top of the second link posture holding release cam rail CR4, the cam roller 29 is in the locking release hole 30B, and the swing cam 27 swings downward by a moment around the support shaft 34 due to its own weight, and returns to the stationary state with the arcuate outer peripheral surface 27B facing forward.

In other words, the swing cam 27 is positioned behind the lock release hole 30B and is supported so as to be able to swing in the vertical direction. The cam roller 29 moves upward while moving from the lock hole 30A to the lock release hole 30B. It swings and swings downward when the cam roller 29 engages with the locking release hole 30B.
In the state shown in FIG. 6B, the cam roller 29 is positioned on the front side of the arcuate outer peripheral surface 27B of the swing cam 27, and the carriage 2 advances from this state to move the second rolling element 22 to the second link posture. When the second rolling element 22 is lowered along the descending inclined surface of the holding release cam rail CR4, the cam roller 29 descends the front side of the swing cam 27 along the arcuate outer peripheral surface 27B. Without being locked by 30A, the inside of the long hole 30C is further lowered, and the posture holding state is released.
Here, the locking release hole 30B, the swing cam 27, and the second link posture holding release cam rail CR4 constitute the posture holding release means 20.

According to the posture holding means 19 and the posture holding release means 20 configured as described above, since these are simple configurations that do not use a driving device, a power feeding device, or the like, the operation for setting the posture holding state and the posture holding state In addition to improving the reliability of the operation for canceling, it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost.
Further, for example, if the posture holding means 19 is set to the posture holding state, the conveyance table 4 in FIG. 1 is in the low position L (state A1) and the conveyance table 4 is in the intermediate height position M (state A2). The cam rail CR along the second rolling element 22 can be eliminated.
Then, if the cam rail CR that lays the second rolling element 22 is laid on the upstream side of the position shown in FIG. 2A in the locked state (state A3), the posture holding state is released by the posture holding releasing means 20. Good.
Alternatively, if the carrier 4 in FIG. 1 is on the upstream side of the low position L state (state A1), a cam rail CR that lays the second rolling element 22 is laid and the posture holding state is released by the posture holding releasing means 20. Good.

With the configuration of the conveyor device 1 as described above, the weight of the object to be transported is the weight of the base because the transport base 4 itself is operated by the links 11 and 12 without operating the transport base lifting support means 5. Even if it is larger than the above, the lifting phenomenon does not occur.
In addition, the first raising cam rail CR1 in the state in which the second link 12 is bent rearward with respect to the first link 11 (the state where the conveying table 4 is in the low position L) raises the first rolling element 21 and conveys the conveying table. The second raising cam rail CR2 in the state where the second link 12 is suspended with respect to the first link 11 (the locked state) raises the second rolling element 22 and conveys it. Since the transport table 4 is lifted by a two-step lift operation including a lift operation for setting the base 4 at the high position H, the height of the base 3 is kept low even if the lift stroke of the transport table 4 is increased. Or the pit provided on the factory floor can be shallow.
In addition, since the transport table lifting / lowering support means 5 is not operated, an operating force does not directly act on components such as the links constituting the transport table lifting / lowering support means 5. Compared with the structure which acts, the intensity | strength and rigidity of this structural member can be made small, Therefore The raise of the manufacturing cost of the conveyance stand raising / lowering support means 5 can be suppressed.

  In addition, in the posture holding state, there is no need to lay the cam rail CR along the second rolling element 22 attached to the free end of the second link 12, and the second rolling element 22 is lifted from the floor surface. Since the carriage 2 can be transported, it is possible to reduce the number of cam rail CR installation locations along the second rolling element 22 mounted on the free end of the second link 12 in the transport path of the cart in the unlocked state. Therefore, the cost for laying the cam rail CR can be reduced, and the second rolling element 22 can be lifted from the floor surface if the posture is maintained during maintenance inspection or failure in the unlocked state. In addition, since the carriage can be easily moved in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, the workability in these cases can be improved.

In the conveyor apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, it is a left side schematic diagram which shows each state which changed the height of the conveyance stand. (A) is a schematic left side view showing a state in which the second link is suspended from the lower end of the first link and locked by the lock means, and (b) is a second view after the lock state is released by the lock release means. It is a schematic left view which shows the state by which the link was bent back. It is a principal part expanded left view which shows the state locked by the locking means in the perpendicular state where the 2nd link hung down from the lower end of the 1st link. It is also a front view. (A) is the principal part expansion vertical left side view which shows the state which the 2nd link was bent and extended substantially back, (b) is the principal which shows the state by which the attitude | position of the 2nd link was hold | maintained by the attitude | position holding means. It is a partial enlarged vertical left side view. (A) is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional left side view showing the middle of the operation of releasing the posture holding state of the second link by the posture holding releasing means, and (b) is the posture holding state of the second link by the posture holding releasing means. It is a principal part expansion vertical left view which shows the state by which was cancelled | released.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor apparatus 2 Carriage 3 Base 4 Transfer stand 5 Transfer stand raising / lowering support means 6, 7 Link 6A, 7A Upper end 6B, 7B Lower end 8 Locking downward inclined surface 9 Unlocking rising inclined surface 10 Second link folding upward Inclined surface 11 First link 11A Upper end 11B Lower end 12 Second link 12A One end (connection end)
12B The other end (free end)
13 Locking means 14 Unlocking means 15 Pin 16 Long holes 17A, 17B Engaging recesses 18A, 18B Engaging protrusions 19 Attitude holding means 20 Attitude holding releasing means 21 First rolling element 22 Second rolling element 23 Rolling element presser guide 24 Weight body 25 Connecting plate 26 Cam plate 27 Oscillating cam 27A Side surface 27B Outer peripheral surface 28 Cam links 28A, 28B End 29 Cam roller 30 Cam hole 30A Locking hole 30B Locking release hole 30C Long hole 31 Tension coil spring (biasing means) )
31A, 31B Terminal 32, 33 Pin 34 Support shaft 35 Pin 36 Stopping piece A Running direction C Middle point CR of the X-shaped symmetrical link Cam rail CR1 First raising cam rail CR2 Second raising cam rail CR3 Second Link posture holding cam rail CR4 Second link posture holding release cam rail H High position L Low position M Intermediate height position

Claims (4)

A transport table raising / lowering support means for supporting a transport table on which a transported object is placed with respect to a base of a cart traveling on a predetermined track so as to be linearly movable up and down is provided, and the height of the transport table is set at a low position. It is a conveyor device that can be changed from a high position to a high position,
A first link having an upper end fixed to the transfer table and hanging down, and a lower end mounted with a first rolling element rotating about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the traveling direction of the carriage;
In the low position, a second link having one end rotatably connected to the lower end of the first link and extending substantially rearward, and having a second rolling element rotating around the horizontal axis at the other end;
A first ascending along the first rolling element, which is laid parallel to the predetermined track in a plan view, wherein the first rolling element is raised at the low position and the height of the carrier is set to an intermediate height position. Cam rails,
Locking means for setting the second link in a vertical state hanging from the lower end of the first link at the intermediate height position, and in a locked state in which the second link does not rotate with respect to the first link in the vertical state. When,
In the locked state, the second rolling element is raised, and the height of the carrier is set to the high position. The second rolling element is laid parallel to the predetermined track in a plan view, and the second rolling element extends along the second rolling element. Cam rails,
Unlocking means for releasing the locked state and setting the unlocked state;
At the low position, a posture holding means for setting a posture holding state in which the second link extends substantially rearward and holds its posture;
Posture holding release means for releasing the posture holding state and setting the posture holding released state;
A conveyor device comprising:   The first link and the second link are formed by a cam rail along the first rolling element and a cam rail along the second rolling element, in which the locking means is laid parallel to the predetermined track in a plan view in the vertical state. And a cam rail along which the first rolling element is laid in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view in the locked state. The first rail and the second link are moved relative to each other by a cam rail along which the second rolling element moves to disengage the concave / convex engagement, and the second rolling element is kept in the unlocked state. The conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising a cam rail laid in parallel with the predetermined track in a plan view, wherein an inclined surface that becomes higher as going forward is formed. Location.   The posture holding means is formed in a cam plate integrated with the first link, and is a long hole or groove extending in the vertical direction and a locking hole or groove extending to the rear connected to the upper part, and these holes or grooves. A cam roller is attached to one end of the cam link, and a cam link is connected to the other end of the second link so as to be rotatable about a left-right axis with respect to an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the second link. An urging means that lifts the second rolling element to lock the cam roller in the locking hole or groove. The lock release hole is configured by a two-link posture holding cam rail, and the posture holding release means is connected to the upper part of the elongated hole or groove and formed forward in the cam plate and engages with the cam roller. or A groove is positioned on the rear side of the lock release hole or groove and supported so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. The cam roller moves upward from the lock hole or groove to the lock release hole or groove. When the cam roller engages with the unlocking hole or groove, the swing cam swings downward, and the second rolling element is raised and locked to the locking hole or groove. A rising inclined surface for engaging the cam roller with the locking release hole or groove, and a cam roller that lowers the second rolling element and engages with the locking release hole or groove from the front side of the swing cam. The conveyor device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second link posture holding release cam rail which is laid parallel to the predetermined track in a plan view and is engaged with the long hole or groove. . The transport base support means is a telescopic mechanism comprising an X-shaped symmetric link formed by pin-supporting a midpoint between the upper and lower ends of two links having the same length, or a combination of a plurality of the X-shaped symmetric links. And one of the upper ends of the telescopic mechanism is connected to the transport table so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, and the lower end immediately below the upper end is connected to the base so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, The other upper end of the telescopic mechanism is connected to the carrier so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, and the rotary shaft is supported to be slidable in the front-rear direction, and the lower end immediately below the upper end is rotated about the horizontal axis. The conveyor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor device is movably connected to the base and supports the rotating shaft so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

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