JP5703348B2 - Top chain link - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a top chain used in various conveying devices, and particularly relates to a link constituting the top chain.

  A top chain is composed of many links with top plates on which objects to be transported are connected by shafts. Conventionally, top chains are used to transport goods and packages in stores and factories. Yes. Among these top chains, the one with the crescent-shaped top plate is known as a crescent chain, and is used in so-called sushi restaurants and factories. And by carrying various articles | goods by a crescent chain, labor saving can be achieved and a personnel cost and manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a part of a conventional crescent chain, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the crescent chain of FIG. 9 is used in a conveying device. As shown in these drawings, in the conventional crescent chain, the link having the top plate has a substantially U shape. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the conventional link 71 has a U-shape in which a pair of upper and lower plate pieces 73 and 75 are connected by a pillar portion 77, and the adjacent links 71 and 71 are connected to each other in the front direction. The rear end portion of the link 71 is sandwiched between the front end portions of the rear link 71 and connected by a shaft rod 79.
Thus, since the link 71 of the conventional crescent chain was provided with the plate pieces 73 and 75 up and down, the vertical dimension was large. Along with this, the groove 83 of the conveying device 81 in which the crescent chain 80 configured in the link 71 is arranged is also deepened, and the conveying device 81 is also enlarged.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a link for a top chain that can make the top chain thin.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 is a link that is sequentially connected by a shaft rod to constitute a top chain, on which an object to be conveyed is placed. A top plate, a connecting portion extending backward from the top plate, and a protruding portion provided to protrude downward from the connecting portion , and adjacent links are below the protruding portion of the front link. A part of the rear link is overlapped only above the connection portion of the front link so that the top plate of each link is arranged back and forth without the rear link being overlapped, is rotatably connected by a shaft rod which is passed through the protrusion at its overlapping portion, the projecting portion of the downwardly provided in the connecting portion to the shaft rod coaxial teeth sprocket It is for the top chain link, characterized in that it is fitted seen.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, an O-ring is attached to an annular groove formed on a peripheral side surface of the lower end portion of the shaft rod, and the shaft rod is mounted on the protruding portion provided in the connection portion. The top chain link according to claim 1, wherein the O-ring is detachably locked to the projecting portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a through hole through which the shaft rod is passed is formed in the projecting portion, and a lower end portion of the through hole has a truncated cone shape that increases in diameter as it goes downward. The top chain link according to claim 2, wherein the O-ring is locked to the truncated cone portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the link includes a top plate and a connecting piece, and the connecting piece is connected to the front piece and is provided at a lower rear portion of the front piece. The connecting piece has a front piece overlapped with the lower surface of the top plate and integrated, and a portion extending rearward from the top plate serves as the connection portion. A top chain link according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the top chain according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the shaft rod is provided on the link so as to protrude downward from the top plate by insert molding. It is a link for.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 6 is a top chain constituted by the link according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .

  According to the top chain link of the present invention, the thickness of the top chain can be reduced. Thereby, the material cost of the link which comprises a top chain can be reduced, and a link can be produced at low cost.

It is a top view which shows an example of the circulation conveying apparatus provided with the crescent chain comprised by Example 1 of the link of this invention. It is II-II sectional drawing of FIG. 1, and one part is abbreviate | omitted and shown. It is sectional drawing which shows the condition at the time of the assembly | attachment of the crescent chain of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the condition at the time of the assembly | attachment of the crescent chain of FIG. It is a top view which shows the link of the crescent chain used for the circulation conveyance apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification example of FIG. 3, and shows the condition at the time of the assembly | attachment of the crescent chain comprised with the shaft rod by the insert-molded link. It is a perspective view which shows the modification example of FIG. 3, and shows the condition at the time of the assembly | attachment of the crescent chain comprised by the link by which the shaft rod was insert-molded. It is sectional drawing which shows the condition at the time of the assembly | attachment of the crescent chain comprised by Example 2 of the link of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a part of conventional crescent chain. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example in which the crescent chain of FIG. 9 is used in a transport device.

  Hereinafter, the top chain link of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a usage state of a crescent chain configured according to the first embodiment of the link of the present invention. Specifically, it is a plan view showing an example of a circulating transfer device provided with the crescent chain. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.
3 and 4 are views showing a situation when the crescent chain of FIG. 1 is assembled, FIG. 3 is a sectional view, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the link of FIG.
In the following description, the right side in FIG. 3 is the front side and the left side is the rear side.

The top chain of the first embodiment is a crescent chain 11 in which a top plate on which an object to be conveyed is placed has a substantially crescent shape, and is applied to a circulating conveyance device used in a so-called rotating sushi restaurant.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the circulating and conveying apparatus 1, an annular groove 3 is formed on the upper surface of the base 2, and this annular groove 3 serves as a travel path for the crescent chain 11.
The annular crescent chain 11 is provided in the groove 3 of the base 2 and meshes with a sprocket 7 connected to a motor (not shown), and circulates and rotates as the motor rotates.

  In the illustrated example, in order to move the crescent chain 11 smoothly, a rotatable disc-shaped guide member is provided at a folded portion or a corner portion of the crescent chain 11.

The crescent chain 11 according to the first embodiment is formed in an annular shape by sequentially connecting the links 13 and 13 with a shaft rod 41.
The link 13 includes a top plate 15 on which the object to be conveyed is placed, a connecting piece 17 extending rearward from the top plate 15, and a downward projecting portion 19 provided at the rear end of the connecting piece 17. Have

  The top plate 15 is a substantially crescent-shaped plate piece. Specifically, the top plate 15 has a front end portion that protrudes forward in a substantially semicircular shape and a rear end portion that is recessed forward in a substantially semicircular shape.

The connecting piece 17 has a rectangular plate shape elongated in the front-rear direction.
In this embodiment, the connecting piece 17 includes a front piece 23 that is horizontally disposed, an intermediate piece 25 that is inclined downward from the rear end portion of the front piece 23, and a rear end portion of the intermediate piece 25. And a rear piece 27 extending horizontally rearward. The lower surface of the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 and the upper surface of the rear piece 27 have the same height.
In the illustrated example, the width x of the connecting piece 17 is about one third of the width of the top plate 15.

In the first embodiment, the connecting piece 17 and the top plate 15 are integrally formed of a resin material such as plastic in a shape in which the top plate 15 is placed on the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17. At this time, the connecting piece 17 is disposed in the center in the width direction of the top plate 15.
In the first embodiment, the top plate 15 is provided on the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17, leaving behind the front piece 23. In other words, the front plate 23 of the connecting piece 17 is provided with the top plate 15 on the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 so that the rear portion 23 a is exposed rearward from the top plate 15. At this time, the top plate 15 is provided to protrude forward from the front end portion of the connecting piece 17.
Of the connecting piece 17, a portion extending backward from the top plate 15 is a connecting portion 28. Specifically, in the plan view shown in FIG. 5, the rear portion 23 a, the intermediate piece 25, and the rear piece 27 of the front piece 23 extending rearward from the top plate 15 are used as the connection portion 28.

A through hole 31 is formed in the front end portion of the link 13 along the vertical direction.
Specifically, a through hole 31 is formed along the vertical direction at a location where the top plate 15 and the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 overlap. The through hole 31 is a stepped hole with the upper end portion being a large diameter hole 31a.

A protruding portion 19 is provided at the rear end portion of the connecting piece 17 so as to protrude downward.
In the first embodiment, the rear piece 27 of the connecting piece 17 is provided with a protruding portion 19 that protrudes downward. The protruding portion 19 has a cylindrical shape, and a flange portion 33 is formed at a lower end portion thereof protruding outward in the radial direction.

A through hole 35 is formed in the rear end portion of the link 13 along the vertical direction.
In the first embodiment, a through hole 35 is formed in the rear end portion of the link 13 along the vertical direction so as to pass through the center of the protruding portion 19. The through hole 35 at the rear end of the link 13 has the same diameter as or slightly smaller than the through hole 31 at the front end of the link 13.
The lower end portion 37 of the through hole 35 is formed in a truncated cone shape whose diameter increases as it goes downward.

  Next, how to link the links 13 and 13 of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the links 13 (13A) and 13 (13B) adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are such that the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 of the rear link 13B is the rear piece 27 of the connecting piece 17 of the front link 13A. Placed on. At this time, the through hole 31 on the front side of the rear link 13B and the rear through hole 35 on the rear side of the front link 13A are arranged to communicate with each other in the vertical direction.
The front end portion of the top plate 15 of the rear link 13B is placed on the rear portion 23a of the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 of the front link 13A, and the top plate 15 of the rear link 13B is placed on the front link 13A. The top plate 15 is arranged close to the front and rear.

  As described above, in a state where the links 13A and 13B are arranged, the upper surfaces of the top plates 15 and 15 of the front and rear links 13A and 13B are flush with each other.

The shaft rod 41 is fitted into the through holes 31 and 35 in which the front and rear links 13A and 13B are overlapped and communicated with each other.
In the present embodiment, the shaft rod 41 is formed in a columnar shape, and the upper end portion thereof is expanded radially outward to form a flange portion 41a. The flange portion 41 a has an outer diameter corresponding to the large-diameter hole 31 a of the through hole 31 of the link 13. In addition, an annular groove 41b is formed on the peripheral side surface of the lower end portion of the shaft rod 41 along the circumferential direction.

  An O-ring 43 is fitted in the annular groove 41b of the shaft rod 41. As the O-ring 43, for example, a natural rubber, or one made of elastic synthetic rubber such as EP, IIR, nitro rubber, fluorine rubber, or silicon rubber is preferably used.

  When the O-ring 43 is fitted into the annular groove 41 b of the shaft rod 41, the outer peripheral surface of the O-ring 43 slightly protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft rod 41, and the outer diameter of the O-ring 43 is The diameter is slightly larger than each through hole 31, 35.

When the shaft rod 41 is fitted into the through holes 31 and 35 communicating with the adjacent links 13A and 13B from above, the O-ring 43 is elastically deformed when passing through the through holes 31 and 35 to temporarily reduce the diameter. Then, the lower end portion 37 of the truncated cone shape of the through hole 35 of the front link 13A protrudes radially outward to be restored.
The O-ring 43 is disposed in contact with the truncated cone-shaped lower end 37 of the through hole 35 of the front link 13A. At this time, the flange 41a of the shaft rod 41 is disposed in the large-diameter hole 31a of the rear link 13B.

  By providing the shaft rod 41 in this way, the front and rear links 13A and 13B are connected to the flange portion 41a of the shaft rod 41 by the O-ring 43 so that the movement in the vertical direction is restricted. It is possible to rotate around each other. Note that the thickness of the flange portion 41a is the same as or slightly thinner than the depth of the large-diameter hole 31a of the through hole 31, and the flange portion 41a It is arranged flush with the upper surface or slightly below.

Further, in a state where the links 13 and 13 are connected to each other by the shaft rod 41, the lower end portion of the shaft rod 41 is arranged flush with the lower end portion of the protruding portion 19 or slightly above the lower end portion of the protruding portion 19.
In this way, the links 13 and 13 are sequentially connected to form an annular crescent chain 11.

The crescent chain 11 is disposed in an annular groove 3 having a substantially T-shaped cross section provided on the upper surface of the base 2. At this time, both end portions in the width direction of the top plate 15 of the link 13 are placed on the bottom portions 3 a and 3 a of the annular groove 3.
Then, the teeth of the sprocket 7 provided on the base 2 enter between the protruding portions 19 and 19 of the adjacent links 13 and 13, and abut against the protruding portions 19 of each link 13 to send out the crescent chain 11. Cycle circulation.

  In the present embodiment, the flange portion 33 is provided at the lower end portion of the projecting portion 19 of each link 13, so that the flange portion 33 comes into contact with the teeth of the sprocket 7 and the link 13 is prevented from being lifted.

  When releasing the connection between the links 13 and 13, the shaft rod 41 may be forcibly pushed upward with respect to the link 13 to remove the shaft rod 41 from the links 13 and 13.

The link 13 of the present embodiment has a portion that protrudes downward from the protruding portion 19 and can reduce the thickness of the link 13. Further, the links 13 and 13 adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction simply have the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 of the rear link 13 superimposed on the upper surface of the rear piece 27 of the connecting piece 17 of the front link 13. The thickness (vertical dimension) of the crescent chain 11 constituted by the links 13 can be reduced. That is, when the links 13 and 13 are connected to each other, the rear link 13 is not overlapped below the projecting portion 19 of the front link 13, and the thickness (vertical dimension) of the conventional crescent chain is increased. Can be small. As a result, the groove 3 of the circulating and conveying apparatus 1 in which the crescent chain 11 is disposed can be formed shallow, and as a result, the vertical dimension of the circulating and conveying apparatus 1 can be reduced.
In addition, the link 13 of this embodiment is lighter and easier to carry than the conventional link.

In the first embodiment, the shaft rod 41 and the link 13 are separated from each other. However, the link and the shaft rod may be integrated by insert molding.
6 and 7 are views showing a state when the crescent chain constituted by the link in which the shaft rod is insert-molded, FIG. 6 is a sectional view, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view.

  When the link 13 and the shaft 41 are integrated by insert molding, the upper end of the shaft 41 is embedded in the front end of the link 13 as shown in FIGS. The lower end portion may be provided so as to protrude downward from the front piece 23. In the illustrated example, the shaft rod 41 is embedded and fixed at a position where the top plate 15 and the front piece 23 overlap each other at the upper end.

  In this way, the shaft rod 41 is insert-molded and integrated with the link 13 so that the shaft rod 41 of one link 13 is inserted into the through hole 35 of the other link 13, and the links 13, 13 are sequentially formed. It is possible to connect each other.

  In the first embodiment, the shaft rod 41 is provided with the O-ring 43 and the shaft rod 41 is locked to the link 13. However, the shaft rod 41 is protruded downward from the projecting portion 19 and divided into the shaft rod 41. The shaft rod 41 may be locked to the link 13 by passing a pin or the like.

Next, a second embodiment of the link of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a situation at the time of assembling a crescent chain constituted by the second embodiment of the link of the present invention.
The link 13 of the second embodiment and the crescent chain 11 constituted by the link 13 are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on different points, and equivalent members and The parts will be described with the same reference numerals.

In the first embodiment, the protruding portion 19 is provided at the rear end portion of the connecting piece 17, but in the second embodiment, the protruding portion 19 is not provided. That is, the link 13 according to the second embodiment includes the top plate 15 and the connecting piece 17.
In the second embodiment, a through hole 51 is formed in the rear piece 27 of the connecting piece 17 along the vertical direction, and a lower end portion 53 of the through hole 51 has a truncated cone shape that increases in diameter as it goes downward. Is formed.

In the second embodiment, the shaft 41 is fixed to the link 13 by insert molding.
Specifically, the shaft rod 41 is provided integrally with the link 13 by insert molding so that the upper end portion is embedded in the front end portion of the link 13, and is provided to protrude downward from the front piece 23 of the link 13. ing. In the illustrated example, the shaft rod 41 is embedded and fixed at a position where the top plate 15 and the front piece 23 overlap each other at the upper end.
In the second embodiment, an annular groove 41b is formed along the circumferential direction on the circumferential side surface of the axially intermediate portion of the shaft 41, and the O-ring 43 is formed in the annular groove 41b in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. Is fitted and installed.
Furthermore, in the second embodiment, an annular groove 41c is formed in the lower end portion of the shaft rod 41 along the circumferential direction on the peripheral side surface thereof.

The links 13A and 13B adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are connected to each other by inserting the shaft rod 41 of the rear link 13B into the through hole 51 of the front link 13A from above.
In a state where the shaft rod 41 of the rear link 13B is fitted in the through hole 51 of the front link 13A, the O-ring 43 comes into contact with the truncated cone-shaped lower end portion 53 of the through hole 51 of the front link 13A. Be placed.
Thereby, each link 13A, 13B is connected by restricting the movement in the vertical direction, and is rotatable around the shaft 41.

In this state where the links 13A and 13B are connected to each other, the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 of the rear link 13B is placed on the rear piece 27 of the connecting piece 17 of the front link 13A.
The front end of the top plate 15 of the rear link 13B is placed on the rear portion 23a of the front piece 23 of the connecting piece 17 of the front link 13A, and the top plate 15 of the front link 13A and the rear link 13B. The top plate 15 is arranged close to the front and rear.
The upper surfaces of the top plates 15 and 15 of the front and rear links 13A and 13B are flush with each other.

Further, in a state where the links 13 and 13 are connected to each other by the shaft rod 41, the lower end portion of the shaft rod 41 protrudes downward from the rear piece 27 of the connecting piece 17 of the front link 13A. A locking tool 57 such as a C-ring is fitted into the groove 41c at the lower end of the shaft rod 41.
In this way, the links 13 and 13 are sequentially connected to form an annular crescent chain 11.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the crescent chain 11 is disposed in the annular groove 3 of the base 2. At this time, both end portions in the width direction of the top plate 15 of the link 13 are placed on the bottom portions 3 a and 3 a of the groove 3.
Then, the sprocket teeth provided on the travel path of the base 2 enter between the shaft rods 41 and 41 of the adjacent links 13 and 13 and abut against the lower end portion of the shaft rod 41 to send out the crescent chain. 11 circulates around. That is, of the connected front and rear links 13, 13, the rotating sprocket teeth come into contact with the protruding portion of the shaft rod 41 downward from the rear piece 27 of the front link 13A, so that the crescent chain 11 rotates. Run.
In the second embodiment, the sprocket teeth come into contact with a locking member 57 such as a C-ring to prevent the link 13 from being lifted.

  In the second embodiment, the link 13 has a portion protruding downward from the connecting piece 17, and when the links 13 and 13 are connected to each other, the link 13 is located below the rear piece 27 of the connecting piece 17 of the front link 13. The rear link 13 is not overlapped, and the thickness can be made thinner than the conventional crescent chain. Thereby, the groove | channel of the circulation conveyance apparatus by which the crescent chain comprised by the link is arrange | positioned can be formed shallowly, and it becomes possible to make the vertical dimension of a circulation conveyance apparatus small by extension.

  As in the first embodiment, the shaft rod 41 may be fitted in a state where the shaft rod 41 and the link 13 are separated and the links 13 and 13 are overlapped with each other.

In addition, the link for top chains of this invention is not restricted to the structure of said each Example, It can change suitably.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the crescent chain constituted by the link of the present invention is used for a circulating transfer device for transferring a plate on which sushi is placed in a so-called rotating sushi restaurant has been described. It can also be used for an apparatus for transporting dishes. Moreover, it can utilize also for the conveying apparatus etc. which are used by the production equipment of a factory, and the utilization location and method are not limited.

In each of the above embodiments, the connecting piece 17 and the top plate 15 are integrally formed. However, the connecting piece 17 and the top plate 15 formed separately may be integrated by bonding or the like.
Further, in each of the above embodiments, the link 13 is formed of a resin material such as plastic, but may be formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy.

11 Crescent chain 13 Link 15 Top plate 17 Connection piece 19 Protrusion 41 Shaft

Claims (6)

A link that is sequentially connected by a shaft rod to form a top chain,
A top plate on which the object is placed;
A connecting portion extending backward from the top plate ;
A projecting portion provided to project downward from the connecting portion ,
Adjacent links are located below the projections of the front links so that the top plates of each link are arranged in the front and back without overlapping the rear links . Only at the top, a part of the rear link is overlapped, and at the overlapped portion, it is rotatably connected by a shaft rod passed through the protruding portion ,
The shaft rod and the projection of the downward provided in the connecting portion coaxially top chain link, characterized in that the teeth of the sprocket are engaged. At the lower end of the shaft rod, an O-ring is attached to an annular groove formed on the peripheral side surface thereof,
The top chain link according to claim 1, wherein the shaft rod is fitted into the protruding portion provided in the connecting portion, and the O-ring is detachably locked to the protruding portion. A through hole through which the shaft rod is passed is formed in the projecting portion, and a lower end portion of the through hole has a truncated cone shape that increases in diameter as it goes downward. The top chain link according to claim 2, wherein the ring is locked. The link includes a top plate and a connecting piece,
The connecting piece has a plate-shaped front piece, and a rear piece connected to the front piece and provided at the lower rear portion of the front piece,
The connecting piece is integrated by overlapping the front piece on the lower surface of the top plate,
The top chain link according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a portion extending rearward from the top plate serves as the connection portion. The link for a top chain according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shaft rod is provided on the link so as to protrude downward from the top plate by insert molding.   The top chain comprised by the link in any one of Claim 1-5.

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