JP5052644B2 - Conveyor equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyor device that uses a simple structure to eliminate impact and stay due to contact, and accurately aligns a conveying object at a predetermined position of the width direction without largely changing the attitude while keeping the conveying speed. <P>SOLUTION: The conveyor device 100 moves the conveying object mounted above a ball conveyor 110 with a contact driving mechanism for applying a torque to a free ball 111 projecting from the lower end of the ball conveyor 110. The contact driving mechanism includes a pair of belt units 120 and 130 that are driven in the reverse direction rectangular to the traveling direction of the ball conveyor 110, respectively, and disposed in parallel to the traveling direction of the ball conveyor 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor device suitable for aligning objects to be transported on a transport path at a predetermined position in the width direction of the transport path.

Conventionally, a guide plate or the like that contacts the object to be conveyed is provided in the conveyance path as means for aligning the object to be conveyed on the conveyance path constituted by a belt conveyor or the like at a predetermined position in the width direction of the conveyance path. Things are well known.
However, due to physical contact between the object to be conveyed and the guide plate or the like, there is a problem that the object to be conveyed is caught and rotated to greatly change its posture or stop and stay.
In addition, when the speed of the transported object is high or the weight is large, the transported object or the guide plate may be damaged due to an impact at the time of contact, and when the transported object is a plurality of stacked articles, There was a problem that the load collapsed due to the impact at the time of contact.

  In order to reduce these problems, a ball conveyor in which a large number of free balls are rotatably provided with their upper ends and lower ends partially projecting, and the free balls projecting from the lower ends of the ball conveyors are in contact with the free balls and the rotational force is exerted on the free balls. There is known a conveyor apparatus having a contact driving mechanism for moving a conveyed object placed above the ball conveyor on the ball conveyor.

  In the known conveyor device, a contact drive mechanism is provided perpendicular to the turntable or the ball conveyor, below the ball conveyor consisting of a belt in which a number of free balls partially protrude from the upper surface and the lower surface. It has multiple linear drive belts, and the posture and position of the object to be conveyed on the ball conveyor can be changed arbitrarily by controlling the drive by combining the ball conveyor and turntable, or the ball conveyor and multiple linear drive belts. (Refer patent document 1 grade | etc.,).

Japanese Patent No. 3828108 (all pages, FIG. 1, FIG. 6, FIG. 8)

  According to a known conveyor device, it is possible to arbitrarily change the posture and position of the conveyed object, but the shape and position of the conveyed object at the time of entry in order to change the posture and position of the conveyed object. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately grasp and control the turntable and a plurality of linear drive belts accurately, and there is a problem that the structure and control become complicated.

  Also, if the drive speed of the ball conveyor, turntable, or multiple linear drive belts is increased, the object to be conveyed slips on the free ball, and the object to be conveyed cannot be accurately aligned at a predetermined position in the width direction. There was a problem that it was difficult to improve the speed.

  The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, i.e., the object of the present invention is to have a simple structure, eliminate the impact and retention due to contact, maintain the transport speed, and maintain the posture. It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor apparatus that accurately aligns the objects to be conveyed at a predetermined position in the width direction without greatly changing.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a ball conveyor in which a large number of free balls are provided so as to be rotatable with a part of the upper end and the lower end protruding, and a free ball in contact with the free ball protruding from the lower end of the ball conveyor. A contact drive mechanism that applies a rotational force and moves the object to be transported placed above the ball conveyor on the ball conveyor, wherein the contact drive mechanism is provided in parallel with the traveling direction of the ball conveyor. A pair of belt units, and the pair of belt units are driven in opposite directions perpendicular to the traveling direction of the ball conveyor, respectively, on both sides of the adjacent line of the pair of belt units, Each of the above problems is solved by tilting the rotational motion of the free balls of the ball conveyor in the direction of the adjacent line.

  In the invention according to claim 2, in addition to the configuration of the conveyor device described in claim 1, the pair of belt units are provided on both sides of the center line in the width direction of the ball conveyor. The problem is further solved.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a ball conveyor in which a large number of free balls are provided so as to be rotatable with a part of the upper end and the lower end protruding, and a free ball in contact with the free ball protruding from the lower end of the ball conveyor. In a conveyor device having a contact drive mechanism that applies a rotational force and moves an object to be transported placed above the ball conveyor on the ball conveyor, the contact drive mechanism is provided in parallel to the traveling direction of the ball conveyor. A pair of belt units, each pair of belt units being driven in the opposite direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the ball conveyor, thereby adjacent lines of the pair of belt units in the direction of travel of the ball conveyor. Since the rotation of the free ball of the ball conveyor can be tilted in the direction of the adjacent line on both sides of the Even if it enters the position, it always moves toward the adjacent line, does not receive a shock due to contact, does not stay, and can accurately align the conveyed object on the adjacent line without greatly changing the posture. it can.

  Even if the transported object slips on the free ball due to the weight or shape of the transported object, whenever the transported object exceeds the adjacent line of the pair of belt units in the traveling direction of the ball conveyor, the adjacent line is always Therefore, the object to be conveyed can be accurately aligned at a predetermined position in the width direction without reducing the conveyance speed at the time of entry.

  Furthermore, the driving speed of the ball conveyor and belt unit can be set to a constant speed regardless of the posture and position of the object to be transported, so there is no need for complicated mechanisms such as detection devices and control devices, and a simple structure. Thus, the conveyed object can be accurately aligned at a predetermined position in the width direction.

  In addition to the effect of the conveyor device according to claim 1, the pair of belt units are provided on both sides of the center line in the width direction of the ball conveyor. Even if it enters the position and position of the conveyed object, it always moves toward the center line, does not receive a shock due to contact, does not stay, and does not significantly change the attitude in the width direction. It can be precisely aligned to the center.

The top view of the conveyor apparatus which is one Example of this invention. Sectional drawing of FIG. Explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the conveyor apparatus which is one Example of this invention.

  The present invention relates to a ball conveyor in which a large number of free balls are provided so as to be rotatable with their upper ends and lower ends partially protruding, and to contact the free balls protruding from the lower end of the ball conveyor to give a rotational force to the free balls. And a contact drive mechanism for moving an object to be transported placed above the conveyor on the ball conveyor. The contact drive mechanism includes a pair of belt units provided parallel to the traveling direction of the ball conveyor. The pair of belt units are driven in opposite directions perpendicular to the direction of travel of the ball conveyor, respectively, thereby rotating the free balls of the ball conveyor on both sides of the adjacent line of the pair of belt units. By tilting the motion in the direction of the adjacent line, the impact and retention due to contact can be eliminated with a simple structure, and the transport speed can be maintained. , As long as it can precisely align the transported object without significantly changing the posture in the width direction a predetermined position, specific embodiments thereof are may be any one.

Below, the conveyor apparatus of this invention is demonstrated based on drawing.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conveyor apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a ball conveyor that advances in one direction while holding a number of free balls 111 such that a plurality of free balls 111 protrude partially at their upper ends and lower ends. 110 and a free ball 111 projecting from the lower end of the ball conveyor 110, a rotational force is applied to the free ball 111, and the object to be transported placed above the ball conveyor 110 is moved on the ball conveyor 110. A drive mechanism.

  The contact drive mechanism includes a pair of belt units 120 and 130 provided in parallel with the traveling direction of the ball conveyor 110. Each belt unit 120 and 130 includes a center side roller 121 and 131 and a side side roller 122, respectively. Between the belts 132 and 133, the belts 123 and 133 are wound around so as to contact the free balls 111 protruding from the lower end of the ball conveyor 110.

  In the belt units 120 and 130, the center side rollers 121 and 131 are close to the adjacent line N, respectively. In the present embodiment, the adjacent line N is on the center line C in the width direction of the ball conveyor 110.

  When the ball conveyor 110 is driven by the motor 103, the object to be conveyed is conveyed in the direction A shown in FIG. 1, and the contact surfaces of the free balls 111 of the belts 123 and 133 of the belt units 120 and 130 are not shown. Driven in the R and L directions shown in FIG. 2 by the mechanism, the conveyed object W moves in the BR and BL directions.

Operation | movement of the conveyor apparatus 100 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 3, the article W to be transported is transported to the left in the width direction by the upstream transport device 101 below the drawing and is carried into the conveyor device 100.
At this time, the ball conveyor 110 of the conveyor apparatus 100 is driven in the A direction, and the contact surfaces of the free balls 111 of the belts 123 and 133 are driven in the R and L directions, respectively. Reference numeral 111 is rotated so as to move and convey all the articles to be conveyed W in the BR and BL directions.

The article to be conveyed W carried into the conveyor apparatus 100 first receives a driving force in the BL direction by the free balls 111 on the upper surface of the belt 133, is conveyed while moving in the right direction in the figure, and proceeds in the direction of the center line C.
When the article to be conveyed W is positioned on the free ball 111 on the upper surface of the belt 123 on the right side of the center line C, the BR receives a driving force in the BR direction. Even if it exceeds C, the movement in the width direction does not stop immediately, and further moves to the right side while gradually decreasing the speed in the width direction.

  When the moving speed of the transported object W in the width direction becomes zero, contrary to the above, the driving force in the BR direction is received by the free balls 111 on the upper surface of the belt 123 and is transported while moving in the left direction in the figure. Heading in the direction of line C.

The movement of the transported object W in the width direction is repeated several times as the movement width gradually decreases, and converges on the center line C while drawing a trajectory indicated by T in FIG.
Since the conveyed object W on the center line C in the width direction receives the driving force evenly in the BR and BL directions from the free balls 111 on the upper surfaces of the belts 123 and 133 on both sides of the center line C, the driving force in the width direction. Is canceled, transported in the direction A, which is the driving direction of the ball conveyor 110, and is positioned on the center line C and discharged to the downstream transport device 102 above the drawing.

With the above operation, the object W to be conveyed can be discharged to the downstream conveying apparatus 102 in a state of being positioned on the center line C, regardless of the position in the width direction.
Further, since the free balls 111 on the upper surfaces of the belts 123 and 133 are all rotated in the same direction in which the conveyed object W is moved and conveyed in the BR and BL directions, the posture of the conveyed object W is not significantly changed. The conveyed object W can be aligned on the center line C.

  In addition, the driving speed of the ball conveyor 110 and the belt units 120 and 130 is such that the vibration can be converged even when entering from the outermost part in the width direction of the transported object W. Even if the conveyed product W enters from any position in the width direction, it can be surely aligned on the center line C.

  In the above embodiment, the adjacent line N to which the central rollers 121 and 131 of the belt units 120 and 130 are adjacent is the center line C in the width direction of the ball conveyor 110. However, the adjacent line N depends on the position to be carried out. May be set at an arbitrary position, and a belt unit having a different width on the left and right may be used.

  As described above, according to the conveyor device of the present invention, the object to be conveyed is positioned at a predetermined position in the width direction with a simple structure, eliminating impact and retention due to contact, maintaining the conveyance speed, and without greatly changing the posture. The effect is enormous, such as being able to accurately align with each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Conveyor apparatus 101 ... Upstream conveyance apparatus 102 ... Downstream conveyance apparatus 103 ... Motor 110 ... Ball conveyor 111 ... Free ball 120 ... Belt unit 121 ... Center Side roller 122 ・ ・ ・ Side side roller 123 ・ ・ ・ Belt 130 ・ ・ ・ Belt unit 131 ・ ・ ・ Center side roller 132 ・ ・ ・ Side side roller 133 ・ ・ ・ Belt

Claims (2)

A large number of free balls protrude from the upper and lower ends of the ball conveyor so as to be rotatable, and contact the free balls protruding from the lower end of the ball conveyor to give the free balls a rotational force. In a conveyor apparatus having a contact drive mechanism for moving a transported object placed on the ball conveyor,
The contact drive mechanism is composed of a pair of belt units provided parallel to the traveling direction of the ball conveyor,
The pair of belt units are driven in opposite directions perpendicular to the direction of travel of the ball conveyor, thereby rotating the free balls of the ball conveyor on both sides of the adjacent line of the pair of belt units. A conveyor device characterized by tilting the belt in the direction of the adjacent line. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of belt units are provided on both sides of a center line in the width direction of the ball conveyor.

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