JP6069602B2 - Transport device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device that transports articles.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a conveyor device for conveying articles, a roller conveyor device formed by arranging cylindrical conveyance rollers in parallel in the conveyance direction has been widely used (for example, Patent Document 1). In particular, a roller conveyor device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a conveyor device) generally uses a conveyance roller employing a steel material that can be expected to have sufficient strength, and is useful when conveying a heavy article.

By the way, in a facility such as a distribution center or a large warehouse, a large amount of articles are handled every day. For this reason, in recent years, this type of facility has been provided with a conveyor device for conveying articles from the viewpoints of work efficiency and space saving. That is, in distribution centers and large warehouses, a conveyor device is laid in the space, and the management of articles carried in is automated, thereby improving work efficiency and saving space in the facility.
For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of a transfer device (conveyor device) useful for a facility such as a warehouse.

JP2011-20793A JP 2012-148894 A

However, when a conveyor device is adopted in a facility such as a warehouse, there may be a case where the transportation of articles in the conveyor device may be hindered due to circumstances in the operation of the facility and the work efficiency may not be sufficiently improved. there were.
More specifically, in a facility such as a warehouse, there may be a time difference between the timing when an article is carried in from the outside and the timing when the article is carried out to the outside. For this reason, in this type of facility, there are cases where articles that have been carried in are temporarily stored on a conveyor line. In other words, the conveyor device of this type of facility is provided with a storage function for simply placing and storing it on the conveyor line without transporting the loaded articles.

  In general, in a conveyor device, articles to be transported are placed on a resin pallet or the like from the viewpoint of improving workability. That is, the article placed on the conveyor line is in a state of being placed on a pallet or the like.

  As described above, in a facility such as a warehouse, not only goods may be moved in a fluid manner, but the goods may be stored on the conveyor line without being moved. Etc. Therefore, the load of the article is applied to the same place (the place in contact with the roller) for a long time on the pallet or the like on which the article is stored. As a result, the bottom of the pallet or the like may be deformed. Furthermore, if the inside of the facility rises above a certain temperature in addition to the load of the article, the pallet of the resin molded product using the thermoplastic resin or the like tends to soften, and the deformation due to the load may be accelerated.

  And when the bottom part of a pallet etc. deform | transforms in this way, the bottom part will become the shape which exhibited the concave shape along a roller. That is, in the roller conveyor apparatus, as described above, since the rollers are arranged in parallel in the transport direction, the bottom part of the pallet or the like is arranged in parallel in the transport direction (including not only a plurality of places but also a single place). ) Is formed. Therefore, in this type of conveyor device, a pallet or the like on which articles in a stored state are placed is in a state where the bottom portion is bitten between rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction.

  Under such circumstances, even when trying to transport an article temporarily stored on the conveyor line, the bottom part of the pallet or the like on which the article is placed is in a state of being bitten between adjacent rollers. The transmitted power cannot be sufficiently transmitted to the pallet or the like, and it becomes difficult for the pallet or the like to move relative to the conveyor, which may hinder the conveyance of the article.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the problems of the prior art, even if the article is temporarily stored on the conveyor line, there is no hindrance to the subsequent conveyance of the article, and high working efficiency can be achieved. It is an object to provide a transport device.

The invention according to claim 1, which is provided to solve the above-described problem, is a transport device that constitutes a part of a conveyor line on which an article is transported, and includes a transport unit and an elevating unit. It has two or more independent conveyance systems that reciprocate linearly within a certain distance, each conveyance system has a linear member that extends in the conveyance direction, and the lifting means conveys the article to contribute It is possible to execute the ascending operation to bring the system to a higher position and the lowering operation to lower the conveyance system that does not contribute to the conveyance of the article. In parallel with the transport operation that moves the transport system in the forward direction and the transport preparation operation that moves the transport system in the lower posture in the backward direction or does not move the transport system in the lower posture in any direction, For conveyance Change the orientation of the transport systems of low orientation have not Kumishi to the high position, then, prior to the orientation of the transport systems of high posture that contributed to the conveyance has a normal conveying function of changing to the low position, the transport system In the initial operation of driving the linearly reciprocating drive source from the stop state, the transport system has at least two transport systems in a high position and has an initial transport function for simultaneously moving the transport systems in the high position in the forward direction. It is the conveying apparatus characterized by this.
The term “precedingly” as used herein means “prior in time to a transport system in a low posture that has not contributed to transport”.

  In the transport apparatus of the present invention, the transport means is constituted by two or more transport systems, and each of the transport systems has a linear member extending in the transport direction, so that the transport surface by the transport system is like a roller conveyor device. There is no gap formed between adjacent rollers in the transport direction. Therefore, in the present invention, even when an article is temporarily stored on the conveyor line, the bottom of a pallet or the like that receives the load of the article is arranged in parallel (single unit) like a roller conveyor device. A deformed portion (concave portion) is not formed. That is, in the present invention, the bottom of the pallet or the like on which the article is placed does not get caught between the rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction, and the article is temporarily stored on the conveyor line. However, it will not hinder the subsequent conveyance of the article. As a result, the transport device of the present invention can ensure high working efficiency even when it is employed in a facility such as a warehouse.

  In the invention according to claim 1, since each of the two or more transport systems constituting the transport means independently reciprocates linearly within a certain range, the role of each transport system is It becomes possible to change the timing, and accordingly, the article can be smoothly conveyed. For example, if the conveying means is composed of two conveying systems, one conveying system contributes to the conveyance of the article, the other conveying system does not contribute to the conveying of the article, and they are set at a predetermined timing. Control to replace with. That is, at a predetermined timing, one transport system does not contribute to the transport of the article, and the other transport system contributes to the transport of the article. This control is repeated. Thereby, even if the conveyance operation by one conveyance system is completed, since the conveyance operation by the other conveyance system is executed, the timing at which the conveyed article stops on the conveyor line can be eliminated. That is, according to the present invention, the article can be smoothly flowed toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

And in this invention, in order to perform smooth conveyance of articles | goods more reliably, the raising / lowering means which can raise / lower each conveyance system | strain independently is provided.
That is, in the present invention, by the lifting and lowering means, one of the transport systems is in a high position that contributes to the transport of the article by the ascending operation, or another one of the transport systems is a low position that does not contribute to the transport of the article by the descending operation It is possible to Thereby, only the conveyance system of a high posture forms a conveyance surface for conveying articles, and conversely, the conveyance system of a low posture does not form a conveyance surface. In other words, the conveyance of the article by the conveyance system in the high posture is not disturbed by any operation of the conveyance system in the low posture.

  In the present invention, when the article is conveyed toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction, the conveyance operation for moving the conveyance system in the high posture in the forward direction and the conveyance system in the low posture are moved in the backward direction or conveyance in the low posture. Control is performed in which a transport preparation operation that does not move the system in any direction is performed in parallel. Then, at a predetermined timing, the posture of the transport system in the low-position posture that did not contribute to the transport is changed to the high-position posture, and then the posture of the transport system in the high-position posture that contributed to the transport in advance is changed to the low-position posture. That is, according to the present invention, even if any one of the transport systems reaches the end in the forward direction, any other transport system that has performed the transport preparation operation in parallel with the transport operation is changed to a high position. Thus, since the article can be moved in the forward direction, the article is continuously and smoothly conveyed without being conveyed by an operation (squeezing operation) such as frame feeding.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even if the article may be temporarily stored on the conveyor line, the pallet or the like is not formed with a deformed portion that hinders the conveyance. There is no risk of hindering the transportation of goods. Further, according to the present invention, since it is possible to execute control for raising and lowering each of the two or more conveyance systems independently by the raising and lowering means, efficient article conveyance is possible without being inferior to the roller conveyor device or the belt conveyor device. It is.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the transport means has two transport systems, each transport system has a pair of linear members, and one transport system constitutes the other transport system. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying apparatus is located between a pair of linear members.

  According to this structure, since each conveyance system is a structure which has a pair of linear member, the articles | goods mounted on the pallet etc. can be conveyed with a stable attitude | position. In other words, if a pair of linear members are arranged at predetermined intervals along the transport direction, a stable balance of articles to be transported and the like is maintained, and the pair of straight members is inclined to the side crossing the transport direction. No fault can occur.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the drive source for linearly reciprocating each transport system and the drive source for the lifting means for lifting and lowering each transport system are separate from each other. It is a conveyance apparatus as described in.

  According to such a configuration, since the drive source for linear reciprocation of each transport system and the drive source for raising and lowering are separate from each other, each transport system is responsible for the operation of other transport systems. Regardless, each operation can be controlled individually. Thereby, for example, it becomes easy to control a plurality of transport systems to be in a high posture at the same time or to move in the forward direction at the same time.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the initial operation of driving the drive source for linearly reciprocating the transport system from the stopped state, at least two transport systems are set to the high position and the high position is set. It is characterized by having an initial transport function for simultaneously moving the transport systems made in the forward direction.

  According to such a configuration, at the time of carrying the article by the carrying means and during the initial operation of driving the drive source from the stopped state, at least two transport systems are set to the high position and the high position is set. Since the transport system can be simultaneously moved in the forward direction, the substantial transport driving force during the initial transport is increased, and the initial transport can be performed smoothly.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, any one of the transport systems that are simultaneously moved in the forward direction by the initial transport is controlled to a low posture in the middle of the movement in the forward direction and is returned to the return direction. It is a conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to such a configuration, only during the initial operation of the drive source, two or more transport systems can be simultaneously moved in the forward direction in a high posture, so that the initial transport function does not hinder smooth transport. For example, if the initial transfer operation is performed only during the initial transfer, and then the normal transfer operation is performed to control each transfer system individually to the transfer operation and transfer preparation operation, a smooth transfer state is ensured. Can be achieved.

The invention described in claim 5, each of the transfer lines, the moving speed when moving in the backward direction, claim 1-4, characterized in that faster than the moving speed when moving in the forward direction It is a conveyance apparatus as described in.

  According to such a configuration, since the moving speed in the transport preparation operation is faster than the moving speed in the transport operation, there is a low possibility that the preparation-side transport system is delayed from the timing at which the transport operation is performed.

In the conveyance device of the present invention, the linear member of each conveyance system includes a linear movement side member having a placement surface on which an article is placed, and a fixed side member that supports the linear movement side member. It is recommended that (Claim 6 )

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the drive source for reciprocating each conveyance system is a motor, and the linear movement side member transmits the power from the motor via the motion conversion means for converting the rotational motion into the linear motion. It is carried out, It is a conveyance apparatus of Claim 6 .

  According to this configuration, since the motion converting means for converting the rotational motion of the motor into a linear motion is provided, the space required for the drive source can be saved. That is, according to the present invention, the planar spread of the apparatus can be set to the minimum necessary size.

In the invention according to claim 8 , the drive source of the lifting means for moving up and down each transport system is a motor, and the power from the motor is transmitted to each transport system via a cam member that converts rotational motion into lift motion. a conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is.

  According to such a configuration, the cam member can convert the rotational motion of the motor into a lifting motion, so that the height of the device can be made compact.

The invention according to claim 9 is the transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the transport system has a lift guide member, and each transport system moves up and down along the lift guide member. .

  According to this structure, since each conveyance system can be raised / lowered along the raising / lowering guide member, the movement of directions other than the raising / lowering direction of each conveyance system can be controlled. In other words, in the present invention, the elevation guide member can prevent deviation of each conveyance system from the elevation direction, and smooth elevation is possible.

  In the transport apparatus of the present invention, the transport means for transporting the article has two or more transport systems, and each of the transport systems is constituted by a linear member extending in the transport direction. Even if it is stored in a safe manner, it will not hinder subsequent conveyance of the article. Moreover, since the conveyance apparatus of this invention is equipped with the raising / lowering means which can raise / lower each conveyance system | strain independently, it can control each conveyance system individually to a high position and a low position. As a result, in the present invention, it is possible to control each conveyance system individually to the conveyance operation state and the conveyance preparation operation state, and smooth article conveyance is possible as in the roller conveyor device and the belt conveyor device.

It is a perspective view which shows the conveyor line by which the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention was distribute | arranged. It is a perspective view which shows the conveying apparatus of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the conveying apparatus of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a base formation member. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a 1st conveyance system. It is a side view which shows the linear movement side member of a 1st conveyance system. (A) is a side view which shows the stationary-side member of a 1st conveyance system, (b) is a top view which shows the stationary-side member of a 1st conveyance system. It is sectional drawing which shows the drive source for conveyance. It is AA sectional drawing which shows the 1st conveyance system of FIG. It is BB sectional drawing which shows the 1st conveyance system of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a 2nd conveyance system. It is a top view which shows the stationary side member of a 2nd conveyance system. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a 1st raising / lowering apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a cam member. (A) is a front view of one cam member employed in the conveying apparatus of FIG. 2, and (b) is a front view of another cam member employed in the conveying apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the positional relationship of a base formation member and a raising / lowering means. It is explanatory drawing which showed the positional relationship of the raising / lowering means and the passive member of a conveyance means with the perspective view. It is explanatory drawing which showed the positional relationship of a raising / lowering means and a conveyance means with sectional drawing along a conveyance direction. It is explanatory drawing which showed the positional relationship of a raising / lowering means and a conveyance means with sectional drawing orthogonal to a conveyance direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the rotating shaft of a 2nd conveyance system, and the linear member of a 1st conveyance system. It is a flowchart which shows the simple flow of the normal conveyance operation | movement of a conveying apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which paid its attention to operation | movement of a conveyance means, (a) shows the state of both the two conveyance systems in a low position, (b) shows the state of only one conveyance system in a high position, (c) Shows the state of both of the two transport systems in a high posture, and (d) shows the state of only the other transport system in a high posture. It is explanatory drawing which paid its attention to operation | movement of the conveyance means accompanying the drive of a raising / lowering means, (a) shows the state in which a passive member is located in the lowest part, (b) is a passive member in the perpendicular direction upward toward the uppermost part. A process of displacement is shown, and (c) shows a state in which the passive member has reached the top. It is explanatory drawing which shows the linear reciprocation of a linear movement side member, (a)-(c) shows the condition which moves to an outward direction, (d)-(e) has shown the condition which moves to a return direction. . It is a flowchart which shows the simple flow of the initial stage conveyance operation of a conveying apparatus.

Below, the conveying apparatus 1 of embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 of the present embodiment constitutes a part of a conveyor line that transports articles, and a plurality of the same devices are used in the transport direction. In particular, the transport device 1 of the present embodiment is a conveyor line in a facility such as a warehouse, and is preferably used for a part where an article placed on a pallet or the like can be stored. And the conveying apparatus 1 of this embodiment is mainly comprised by the conveying means 2, the raising / lowering means 3 which raises / lowers the conveying means 2, and the base formation member 5 which supports them, as shown to FIG. Has been.

First, the base forming member 5 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base forming member 5 is a member that is arranged at the lowermost stage of the transfer device 1 and supports the transfer means 2 and the lifting means 3. The base body 50 and the connecting member 51 It is configured. As shown in FIG. 4, the base body 50 includes two housing type members 60 a and 60 b having the same external shape and size. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the two casing mold members 60a and 60b both have a rectangular shape in plan view, and are arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof is parallel to the transport direction. Furthermore, each housing type | mold member 60a, 60b is a structure where one of the side wall extended in an upper wall and a longitudinal direction was missing, and it is the attitude | position with which the lacking side walls face each other. That is, in the base body 50 in the above state, a space D communicating with each other is formed between the casing mold members 60a and 60b.

The two casing mold members 60 a and 60 b are connected via the connecting member 51 in order to maintain the postures of the two casing mold members 60 a and 60 b. As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting member 51 includes two plate-like members 61 a and 61 b having the same external shape and size. Each of the two plate-like members 61a and 61b has a narrow rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 3, and the longitudinal direction of the two plate-like members 61a and 61b is orthogonal to the two housing type members 60a and 60b. Have been lined up. Then, the two plate-like members 61a and 61b in that state are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other. That is, one of the plate-like members 61a is located on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the other plate-like member 61b is located on the downstream side in the transport direction. In this state, the housing mold member 60 and the plate member 61 are connected via a fastening element such as a screw.
The base forming member 5 is fixed with screw holes (not shown) for connecting the housing mold member 60 and the plate-like member 61, parts for constituting the conveying means 2 and the lifting means 3 and the like. A plurality of screw holes and the like (not shown) are provided, but the description and the like are omitted.

Next, the conveying unit 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport means 2 has two transport systems (hereinafter also referred to as a first transport system and a second transport system) 6 and 7, and each transport system 6 and 7 has a transport direction. Continuously extending linear members 11 and 12 are provided, and the linear members 11 and 12 form a blade-shaped transport surface S (FIG. 3). That is, the conveyance means 2 is a portion that can convey the article placed on the conveyance surface C in a predetermined direction by operating one or both of the linear members 11 and 12.

  The first transport system 6 will be described. The first transport system 6 includes a pair of linear members 11a and 11b, a connecting member 26 that connects the pair of linear members 11a and 11b, a transport drive source 23, and a transport It is comprised with the conveyance transmission means 25 which transmits the motive power of the drive source 23 to a pair of linear member 11a, 11b.

  As shown in FIG. 5, each of the pair of linear members 11 a and 11 b is a metal member having the same external shape and size, and both are relatively to the fixed side member 22 and the fixed side member 22. It has a linear moving side member 21 that moves, a moving smooth member 43 that is interposed between the moving member and smoothes the movement of the linear moving side member 21, and a passive member 45 to which power of lifting means 3 described later is input. .

  Each of the linearly moving side member 21 and the fixed side member 22 is a long member having a groove type structure (sea channel structure). And both are structures which can be combined by facing the open part (henceforth only a groove | channel) open | released in the longitudinal direction. In other words, both of the linear movement side member 21 and the fixed side member 22 have such a size that the fixed side member 22 is accommodated in the groove on the linear movement side member 21 side by combining both the grooves facing each other. . That is, the groove width of the linearly moving side member 21 (the interval between the pair of side walls forming the groove) is set to be slightly larger than the groove width of the fixed side member 22.

  Further, on the side wall of the linear movement side member 21, two avoidance points for avoiding the rotation shaft of the transfer means 25 for conveyance, which will be described later, in order to smoothly move the linear movement side member 21 relative to the fixed side member 22. Notches 31 and 32 are provided. The avoidance cutouts 31 and 32 are both cut out upward from the lower edge of the side wall of the linear movement side member 21.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the avoidance notch 31 is formed on only one of the pair of side walls of the linear movement side member 21, and one of the linear movement side member 21 in the longitudinal direction is formed. It is arranged near the end (the end on the downstream side in the transport direction with reference to FIG. 1) and in the middle of the longitudinal direction. The cutout length of the cutout 31 for avoidance is such a length that the linear movement side member 21 can move, specifically, 1/10 to 1/7 of the total length of the linear movement side member 21. It is.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the avoidance notch 32 is formed in the same shape on both of the pair of side walls of the linear movement side member 21 and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the linear movement side member 21. This is a cut-out portion from the end portion on the upstream side in the conveying direction with reference to FIG. 1 to a midway position. The cutout length of the avoidance cutout 32 is such a length that the linear movement side member 21 can move, specifically, 1/10 to 1/7 of the total length of the linear movement side member 21. It is.

  Furthermore, the linear movement side member 21 has a plurality (four in this embodiment) for inserting fastening elements such as screws into predetermined positions on the wall (the top wall with reference to FIG. 5) forming the bottom surface of the groove. Through-holes 70 are provided. The four through-holes 70 are located in the middle of the linear movement side member 21 in the longitudinal direction, and are disposed at substantially the same position as the avoidance notch 31. Further, the avoidance notch 31 has a notch. Within the length range, the linearly moving side members 21 are arranged in series along the longitudinal direction.

  On the other hand, the fixed side member 22 is provided with a plurality of support cutouts 33, one shaft insertion cutout 35, and a plurality of shaft insertion holes 36 on the side wall.

The support cutout 33 has a holding function of holding the moving smooth member 43 and has a shape cut out downward from the upper edge of the side wall of the fixed side member 22. The support notches 33 are provided on both of the pair of side walls of the fixed side member 22, and the support notches 33a provided on one side wall and the support provided on the other side wall. The notch 33b is arranged so as to be opposed to each other to form a notch pair 71. In the present embodiment, five pairs of notches 71 a to 71 e are formed in one fixed side member 22. The notch pairs 71 a to 71 e are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the stationary member 22.
The moving smooth member 43 held in the support notch 33 is a member having a known ball bearing.

  The shaft insertion notch 35 is a notch for avoiding a problem in which a rotation shaft 40 of the transfer means 25 for conveyance, which will be described later, interferes with the fixed side member 22, and is an upper portion of the side wall of the fixed side member 22. It has a shape that is cut out downward from the edge. The shaft insertion notch 35 is provided on only one of the pair of side walls of the fixed member 22 (the side wall on which the support notch 33b is formed). Then, the shaft insertion notch 35 has a support notch 33b in the vicinity of the downstream end in the transport direction and a support notch 33b adjacent to the end (the support notch 33b in the vicinity of the end 2). Th) It is arranged between the support notches 33b. More specifically, the shaft insertion notch 35 is disposed closer to the support notch 33b side of the notch pair 71b located second from the downstream side in the transport direction.

The shaft insertion hole 36 is a part having a holding function for holding the passive member 45. The shaft insertion holes 36 are provided in both of the pair of side walls of the fixed side member 22. The shaft insertion hole 36 a provided in one side wall and the shaft insertion hole provided in the other side wall. 36b are arranged to face each other to form a pair of shaft holes 72. In the present embodiment, two pairs of shaft holes 72 a and 72 b are formed in one fixed-side member 22. The shaft hole pairs 72 a and 72 b are arranged with a certain interval in the longitudinal direction of the stationary member 22. More specifically, the one shaft hole pair 72a is on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the fixed side member 22, and is provided with a notch pair 71a in the vicinity of the downstream end in the transport direction, and a notch 35 for shaft insertion. The other pair of shaft holes 72b is located on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the fixed side member 22 and is adjacent to the notch pair 71e in the vicinity of the upstream end in the transport direction and the notch pair adjacent thereto. 71d. Moreover, the shaft hole pair 72a, 72b is located below the height direction lowermost part of the notch pairs 71a to 71e in the height direction.
The passive member 45 held in the shaft insertion hole 36 is a member having a known ball bearing.

  Furthermore, the fixed side member 22 has two passive side openings 37a and 37b, as shown in FIG. 7, on the wall (bottom wall with reference to FIG. 5) forming the bottom surface of the groove (open portion), Two guide side openings 38a and 38b are provided.

  The two passive side openings 37a and 37b are openings formed so as to expose a part of the passive member 45 held in the shaft insertion hole 36 to the outside of the groove and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The passive-side openings 37a and 37b are arranged at positions in the longitudinal direction of the fixed-side member 22, specifically, substantially the same positions as the positions where the two pairs of shaft holes 72a and 72b are arranged. ing. In other words, the two passive openings 37a and 37b are arranged at positions in the longitudinal direction of the fixed member 22 at the same interval as the two pairs of shaft holes 72a and 72b.

  The two guide-side openings 38a and 38b are openings having a substantially circular shape in plan view, and are portions through which protrusion guide members (elevating guide members) 66, which will be described later, are inserted in order to move the linear member 11 up and down. is there. The guide side openings 38 a and 38 b are arranged in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the fixed side member 22. Note that a separate cylindrical member (not shown) may be inserted into the guide-side opening 38, and the protrusion guide member 66 may move within the cylindrical member.

  The connecting member 26 is a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and includes a spacing maintaining portion 52 and two connecting step portions 53a and 53b as shown in FIG. The interval maintaining unit 52 is a flat body having a rectangular shape located substantially at the center of the connecting member 26. The two connecting step portions 53 a and 53 b are arranged at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the interval maintaining portion 52, and a standing portion 90 erected in a direction orthogonal to the interval maintaining portion 52, and the standing portion 90 This is a portion formed by a horizontal portion 91 extending in a direction parallel to the interval maintaining portion 52 from the protruding end side. More specifically, the two connecting step portions 53a and 53b are both standing up in the same direction (upward in FIG. 5) with respect to the interval maintaining portion 52, and further, the horizontal portion 91 is The overhang end portions extend in directions away from each other. That is, the connecting member 26 has a structure in which the interval maintaining portion 52 is disposed at a low position with respect to the horizontal portion 91 of the connecting step portions 53a and 53b, based on FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the conveyance drive source 23 is a known geared motor in which a motor 81 and a speed reducer 82 are built in a housing 80, and a part of the output shaft 83 is exposed to the outside from the inside of the housing 80. The exposed one is used. That is, the conveyance drive source 23 is configured to rotate the output shaft 83 with respect to the housing 80. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a known pulley 85 is attached to the output shaft 83 of the transport drive source 23. Note that a transmission belt 86 of a transfer transmission means 25 (described later) is suspended from the pulley 85.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the conveying transmission means 25 includes an endless transmission belt 86 having an annular shape, a known pulley 87 around which the transmission belt 86 is suspended, and a rotation that rotates integrally with the pulley 87. The shaft 40, gears 41a and 41b inserted at both ends of the rotary shaft 40, and rack members 42a and 42b provided with engagement grooves 54 that engage with the gears 41a and 41b are provided. That is, the transfer transmission means 25 rotates the rotary shaft 40 by the power transmitted from the transfer drive source 23, and the rack and pinion structure formed by the gear 41 and the rack member 42 rotates the rotary shaft 40. Is a portion (motion converting means) that converts the motion into a linear reciprocating motion. More specifically, the conveying transmission means 25 engages the rack member 42 fixed to the linear movement side member 21 with the gear 41 inserted and attached to the rotary shaft 40, and moves linearly by the rotation of the rotary shaft 40. The side member 21 is configured to reciprocate linearly. In other words, the rack and pinion structure employed in the present embodiment is a structure in which the rotating shaft 40 does not reciprocate linearly with respect to the rack member 42 along with the rotation.

  And the 1st conveyance system 6 provided with the said structure arrange | positions two linear members 11a and 11b in the attitude | position so that the longitudinal direction may become parallel, and also maintain the attitude | position, as shown in FIG. The connection member 26 is used for connection. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first transport system 6 includes a connecting member 26 at a position of the shaft insertion notch 35 of the two linear members 11 a and 11 b with respect to the linear members 11 a and 11 b. They are connected in an orthogonal posture. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, each linear member 11 a, 11 b abuts the bottom wall near the end of the stationary member 22 on the downstream side in the conveying direction against the upper surface of the horizontal portion 91 of the connecting member 26. It is fixed to the connecting member 26 using a fastening element such as (not shown).

  And the rotating shaft 40 of the transmission means 25 for conveyance is distribute | arranged to the notch 35 for shaft insertion of the two linear members 11a and 11b connected in this way. In more detail, the rotating shaft 40 is arranged in the linear members 11a and 11b via the shaft insertion notches 35 at both ends in the longitudinal direction (axial direction). And the rotating shaft 40 of the state is being fixed to the connection member 26 using the supporting member 62 which comprised the well-known ball bearing. The rotating shaft 40 is supported by the support member 62 at a position between the two linear members 11a and 11b and inside the shaft insertion notch 35 of the two linear members 11a and 11b. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a conveying drive source 23 is also fixed to the connecting member 26. The conveying drive source 23 has a posture in which the axial direction thereof is along the longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft 40, and the pulley 85 attached to the output shaft 83 is in the longitudinal direction of the pulley 87 attached to the rotating shaft 40. It is arranged at the same position as A transmission belt 86 is suspended on the two pulleys 85 and 87 in order to transmit the power of the conveyance drive source 23 to the rotary shaft 40 side.

On the other hand, inside the linear members 11a and 11b, as shown in FIG. 10, in order to convert the rotational motion of the rotary shaft 40 into the linear reciprocating motion with respect to another member, it is inserted into the longitudinal direction end side of the rotary shaft 40. The gear 41 thus engaged is engaged with the engagement groove 54 of the rack member 42 fixed to the top wall of the linear movement side member 21. Further, the moving smooth member 43 is held in the support notch 33 of the fixed side member 22, and the linearly moving side member 21 is placed on the moving smooth member 43. That is, the moving smooth member 43 is an arrangement that enables the linear movement side member 21 to move relative to the fixed side member 22.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the passive member 45 is held in the shaft insertion hole 36 of the fixed-side member 22, and the passive member 45 is arranged so that a part thereof is exposed from the passive-side opening 37.

  The second transport system 7 has the same main structure as the first transport system 6, and is only slightly different in size and positional relationship between members. Therefore, in the following, the same members and the like as those in the first transport system 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the second transport system 7 includes a pair of linear members 12a and 12b, a connecting member 29 that connects the pair of linear members 12a and 12b, a transport drive source 23, and a transport It is comprised with the conveyance transmission means 25 which transmits the motive power of the drive source 23 to a pair of linear member 12a, 12b.

  Each of the pair of linear members 12 a and 12 b is a metal member having the same appearance shape and size, and both are a fixed side member 28 and a linearly moving side member 27 that moves relative to the fixed side member 28. And a moving smooth member 43 that is interposed between them to smooth the movement of the linearly moving member 27, and a passive member 45 to which power of lifting means 3 to be described later is input.

  The linear movement side member 27 and the fixed side member 28 are both elongated members having a groove type structure (sea channel structure), as in the first transport system 6. And both of them are structures that can be combined by facing the grooves opened in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, the linear movement side member 27 is provided on the side wall with one avoidance cut-off that avoids the rotating shaft 40 of the conveying transmission means 25 in order to make the relative movement of the linear movement side member 27 with respect to the fixed side member 28 smooth. A notch 39 is provided. The avoidance cutout 39 is a portion cut out upward from the lower edge at only one of the pair of side walls of the linear movement side member 27.

  Furthermore, the linear movement side member 27 includes a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) for inserting fastening elements such as screws into predetermined positions on a wall (the top wall with reference to FIG. 5) forming the bottom surface of the groove. Through-holes 70 are provided. The four through-holes 70 are located near one end in the longitudinal direction of the linearly moving side member 27 (upstream side end in the transport direction), and are disposed at substantially the same position as the avoidance notch 39. In addition, within the range of the cutout length of the cutout 39 for avoidance, the linearly moving side member 27 is arranged in series along the longitudinal direction.

  On the other hand, the fixed side member 28 is provided with a plurality of support cutouts 33, one shaft insertion cutout 46, and a plurality of shaft insertion holes 36 on the side wall.

  The shaft insertion notch 46 is a notch for avoiding a problem in which the rotation shaft 40 of the conveying transmission means 25 interferes with the fixed side member 28, and the upper edge of the side wall of the fixed side member 28. It has a shape that is cut away from the bottom. The shaft insertion notch 46 is provided on only one of the pair of side walls of the stationary member 28 (the side wall on which the support notch 33b is formed). The shaft insertion notch 46 is disposed further upstream than the support notch 33b near the end on the upstream side in the transport direction with reference to FIG. More specifically, the shaft insertion notch 46 is a part that is cut from the upstream end in the transport direction to the support notch 33b of the notch pair 71e in the vicinity of the upstream end in the transport direction.

  Furthermore, in the fixed side member 28, two passive side openings 37a and 37b, as shown in FIG. 12, are formed on the wall (bottom wall with reference to FIG. 5) forming the bottom surface of the groove (open portion), and Two guide side openings 38a and 38b are provided.

  The connecting member 29 has substantially the same structure as the connecting member 26 of the first transport system 6 described above, but has a partially different configuration. That is, the connecting member 29 has a guide hole in which the length of the interval maintaining portion 55 is slightly longer than the length of the interval maintaining portion 52 of the first transport system, and the protrusion guide member 66 can be inserted into the connecting step portions 56a and 56b. 57. The guide hole 57 is a hole having a circular shape in plan view, similar to the guide-side opening 38 described above.

  And the 2nd conveyance system 7 provided with the said structure arrange | positions the two linear members 12a and 12b in the attitude | position so that the longitudinal direction may become parallel, as shown in FIG. Further, in order to maintain the posture, the connecting members 29 are used for connection.

The rotating shaft 40 of the conveying transmission means 25 is disposed in the avoidance notch 39 and the shaft insertion notch 46 of the two linear members 12a and 12b thus connected. In more detail, the rotating shaft 40 is arranged in the linear members 12a and 12b via the avoidance notch 39 and the shaft insertion notch 46 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. Then, the rotating shaft 40 in this state is fixed to the connecting member 29 using a support member 62 having a known ball bearing.
Further, as in the first transport system 6, a transport drive source 23 is also fixed to the connecting member 29 as shown in FIG. 3.
In addition, since the positional relationship of each member inside the linear members 12a and 12b is substantially the same as that of the first transport system 6, description thereof is omitted.

Next, the lifting means 3 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating means 3 has two elevating devices 13 and 15 provided independently for each of the transport systems 6 and 7. That is, the lifting / lowering means 3 has a first lifting / lowering device 13 having a first lifting / lowering drive source 18 for lifting / lowering the first transport system 6 and a second lifting / lowering drive source 19 for lifting / lowering the second transport system 7. It consists of a lifting device 15.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the first elevating device 13 includes, in addition to the first elevating drive source 18, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of cam members 16 a to 16 d that input power to the first transport system 6, It is comprised with the raising / lowering transmission means 17 which transmits the motive power of the 1st raising / lowering drive source 18 to several cam member 16a-16d.

  The first elevating drive source 18 employs a geared motor having substantially the same structure as the transport drive source 23 described above. That is, the first elevating drive source 18 has a configuration in which a motor 81 and a speed reducer 82 are built in a housing 80 and the output shaft 83 is rotated with respect to the housing 80. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 13, a known pulley 85 is inserted into the output shaft 83 of the first elevating drive source 18. Note that a transmission belt 86 of a lifting transmission means 17 described later is suspended from the pulley 85.

  The four cam members 16a to 16d are all known plate cams. As shown in FIG. 14, the cam body 34, the shaft opening 63 penetrating in the thickness direction of the cam body 34, and the cam body 34 It is comprised by the projection part 65 protruded from one plane. The shaft opening 63 is an opening provided at an eccentric position shifted from the center of the cam main body 34, and serves as a rotation reference for the cam member 16. The protruding portion 65 is disposed around the shaft opening 63 and is a portion to which a link member 58 of the elevating transmission means 17 described later is connected.

  In the present embodiment, two types of cam members 16 having different positions of the protrusions 65 are prepared, and the cam members connected by the same link member 58 are configured to use the same type of cam member. Yes. Specifically, the two types of cam members 16 have a relationship in which the positions of the protrusions 65 are different from each other by 90 ° about the shaft opening 63 in a state where the cam body 34 is in the same posture. In this embodiment, the cam member in which the protrusion 65a is disposed above the shaft opening 63 shown in FIG. 15A is employed in the cam members 16a and 16b, and the shaft member shown in FIG. 15B is used. A cam member having a protrusion 65b arranged on the right side of the opening 63 (the direction in which the protrusion 65a is rotated 90 ° clockwise with respect to the shaft opening 63) is adopted as the cam members 16c and 16d. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the elevating transmission means 17 includes an annular endless transmission belt 86, a known pulley 87 on which the transmission belt 86 is suspended, and a main pulley that rotates synchronously with the pulley 87. The rotating shaft 47, the driven rotating shaft 48 that rotates synchronously with the main rotating shaft 47, and two link members 58 a and 58 b that transmit the rotational force of the main rotating shaft 47 to the driven rotating shaft 48 are provided.

  And the raising / lowering transmission means 17 of this embodiment arrange | positions so that the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the main rotating shaft 47 and the subrotation shaft 48 may become parallel, as shown in FIG. 3, and it is by link member 58a, 58b. , It is connected in a state where power can be transmitted. Specifically, the main rotating shaft 47 is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the driven rotating shaft 48, and is connected by link members 58a and 58b on the respective shaft end side.

  More specifically, the cam members 16 described above are inserted into both ends of the main rotating shaft 47 and the sub rotating shaft 48 one by one, and the main rotation is performed via the protrusions 65 of the cam member 16. The shaft 47 and the secondary rotating shaft 48 are connected. A pulley 87 is inserted into the main rotating shaft 47 at a position in the middle of the longitudinal direction, and a transmission belt 86 is suspended on the pulley 87. That is, the main rotating shaft 47 performs a rotational motion by the power of the first lifting drive source 18 input to the pulley 87.

  When the main rotating shaft 47 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the link member 58 from the cam members 16b and 16c inserted at both ends of the main rotating shaft 47, and the cam members 16a inserted at both ends of the driven rotating shaft 48, 16d. Then, a rotational force is input to the driven rotary shaft 48 via the cam members 16a and 16d. Thus, the lifting transmission means 17 of the present embodiment is substantially simultaneously with the four cam members 16a to 16d by the main rotary shaft 47, the secondary rotary shaft 48, and the two link members 58a and 58b. The power of the first elevating drive source 18 can be input, and the four cam members 16a to 16d can be changed to substantially the same posture by the action.

In the present embodiment, the main rotary shaft 47 and the secondary rotary shaft 48 are fixed to the base forming member 5 using a support member 62 having a known ball bearing.
Further, in the first elevating device 13 of the present embodiment, in order to enable smooth power transmission from the main rotating shaft 47 to the driven rotating shaft 48, cam members of different types described above are provided at the left and right positions in FIG. It is arranged. That is, the cam member shown in FIG. 15A is employed on the left side of the main rotary shaft 47 and the secondary rotary shaft 48, and the right side of the main rotary shaft 47 and the secondary rotary shaft 48 is shown in FIG. The cam member shown in FIG. Therefore, in this embodiment, cam members that are 90 ° different from each other at the positions where the protrusions 65 are provided are inserted at both ends of the rotary shafts 47 and 48.

  The second elevating device 15 has the same main structure as the first elevating device 13 and is only slightly different in size and positional relationship between members. Therefore, in the following, the same members and the like as those of the first lifting device 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In addition to the second lifting drive source 19, the second lifting device 15 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) cam members 16 a to 16 d that input power to the second transport system 7, and the second lifting drive source 19. It is comprised with the raising / lowering transmission means 17 which transmits motive power to several cam member 16a-16d.
Since the second lifting drive source 19 has the same structure as the first lifting drive source 18, the description thereof is omitted.
Moreover, the positional relationship of each member which comprises the 2nd raising / lowering apparatus 15 is only about the positional relationship of the main rotating shaft 47 and the secondary rotating shaft 48 in the above-mentioned 1st raising / lowering apparatus 13 reversing, About other positional relationships, Since it is substantially the same, description is abbreviate | omitted.

Next, the positional relationship of each member in the transport apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described.
The conveyance device 1 of the present embodiment forms a blade-shaped conveyance surface S for conveying an article by the conveyance means 2 and moves up and down so that the two conveyance systems 6 and 7 of the conveyance means 2 function efficiently. The means 3 has two lifting devices 13 and 15, and the lifting and lowering devices 13 and 15 can move the transport systems 6 and 7 independently. That is, the transport apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the transport unit 2 is disposed at the top and the elevating unit 3 is disposed below the transport unit 2. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 16, the transport device 1 has the lifting / lowering means 3 disposed in the space D of the base forming member 5 disposed at the lowermost portion, and the power from the lifting / lowering means 3 is received. The conveying means 2 is arranged above the elevating means 3 so as to be input.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the elevating / lowering means 3 uses the main rotary shaft 47 and the secondary rotary shaft 48 of each elevating device 13, 15 as two casing mold members 60 a, 60 b of the base forming member 5. It arrange | positions so that it may straddle in the orthogonal state, and it is being fixed to housing type | mold members 60a and 60b by the supporting member 62 which pivotally supports the rotating shafts 47 and 48. As shown in FIG. In other words, the elevating devices 13 and 15 are fixed to the base body 50 with the two link members 58a and 58b in a posture along the transport direction.

Further, when observing the lifting / lowering means 3 from a different viewpoint, the first lifting / lowering device 13 is disposed inside the square shape formed by the rotation shafts 47 and 48 and the link member 58 of the second lifting / lowering device 15. In other words, in this embodiment, any of the lifting devices 13 and 15 has a positional relationship in which one lifting operation cannot interfere with the other lifting operation. In other words, the lifting devices 13 and 15 are arranged such that any one of the corresponding transport systems 6 and 7 can be lifted and lowered independently.
In the present embodiment, the first elevating drive source 18 is fixed to the plate-like member 61a disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the base forming member 5 (the depth side in FIG. 16), and the transport direction of the base forming member 5 A second elevating drive source 19 is fixed to a plate-like member 61b arranged on the downstream side (front side in FIG. 16).

  And as shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance means 2 is mounted above the raising / lowering means 3 of this state. That is, the conveying means 2 is placed on the cam member 16 of the elevating means 3 in order to transmit the power of the elevating means 3 to the conveying means 2. Specifically, the transport means 2 is placed on the cam member 16 of the first lifting device 13 with the linear member 11 of the first transport system 6 in a posture along the transport direction, and the second transport system. 7 is placed on the cam member 16 of the second lifting and lowering device 15 in such a posture that the linear member 12 is in the conveying direction. Along with this, the first transport system 6 and the second transport system 7 follow the positional relationship between the first lifting device 13 and the second lifting device 15 so that the straight members 11a and 11b are replaced by the straight members 12a and 12b. The relationship is located between them.

  Further, the relationship between the conveying means 2 and the lifting / lowering means 3 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 17, the passive members pivotally supported on the fixed members 22 and 28 side of the linear members 11 and 12 in the conveying systems 6 and 7 are shown. A member 45 is placed on the cam member 16. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the transport unit 2 forms a positional relationship in which a part other than the passive member 45 does not contact any part of the lifting / lowering means 3. That is, the conveying means 2 is not interfered with any of the rotation shafts 47 and 48 of the elevating means 3 and the link member 58 in a state where it is placed on the cam member 16, and the power is supplied only from the cam member 16. The positional relationship to be transmitted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a relationship in which the first transport system 6 and the second transport system 7 do not interfere with each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, in the transport apparatus 1, the rotation shaft 40 included in the second transport system 7 arranged outside the first transport system 6 interferes with any of the first transport systems 6. It is not arranged.

  On the other hand, the conveying means 2 placed on the elevating means 3 and the base forming member 5 are connected by a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) ridge guide members 66 fixed to the base forming member 5. Has been built. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, two ridge guide members 66 are installed on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the casing mold members 60 a and 60 b of the base forming member 5. The guide member 66 is inserted with the guide-side openings 38 of the linear members 11 and 12 in the transport unit 2 and the guide hole 57 of the connecting member 29 in the transport unit 2 to form a fixed relationship.

More specifically, although not specifically illustrated, in the first conveyance system 6 and the second conveyance system 7, only the guide side opening 38 is inserted through the protruding guide member 66 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the conveyance direction On the upstream side, in the first transport system 6, only the guide side opening 38 is inserted into the ridge guide member 66, and in the second transport system 7, the guide side opening 38 and the guide hole 57 are connected to the ridge guide member 66. It is inserted. That is, on the upstream side in the transport direction, the guide side opening 38 and the guide hole 57 are in communication with each other only in the second transport system 7, and the ridge guide member 66 is inserted into the communication hole. That is, the conveying means 2 is connected via the ridge guide member 66 provided on the base forming member 5, so that the direction of the up and down movement is limited.
The protrusion guide member (elevating guide member) 66 according to the present embodiment is a cylindrical member that rises vertically from the base body 50 of the base forming member 5, and therefore guides the elevating direction of the conveying means 2 in the vertical direction. It has the function to do.

Next, the operation of the transport device 1 according to this embodiment will be described.
As described above, the transport device 1 according to the present embodiment enables the transport of articles by the transport systems 6 and 7 included in the transport unit 2, and the lift devices 13 and 15 included in the lift unit 3 further. The transportation systems 6 and 7 can be lifted and lowered independently. That is, the main operations of the transport apparatus 1 of the present embodiment include a transport operation for transporting articles by the transport systems 6 and 7 and a lift operation for lifting and lowering the transport systems 6 and 7 by the lift apparatuses 13 and 15. In this embodiment, the conveyance systems 6 and 7 and the lifting devices 13 and 15 are individually operated to facilitate the conveyance of articles by the conveyance device 1.
Below, the specific operation | movement of the conveying apparatus 1 is demonstrated.

  For example, a case where an article W placed on a pallet or the like is carried into one of the conveying devices (hereinafter also simply referred to as own device) 1 constituting a part of the conveyor line will be described as an example. In this case, control of its own device 1 is started based on the inventory information on the upstream side in the transport direction. That is, if an article W is transported upstream of its own device 1, the presence of the product is confirmed by a known in-stock sensor (not shown) or the like, and its own device 1 is operated based on the information. To do.

  That is, the self device 1 performs the normal transport operation based on the inventory information on the upstream side of the device 1. In the normal transfer operation, first, according to the flowchart of FIG. 21, one of the transfer systems of the transfer means 2, for example, the first transfer system 6 is controlled to a high position (step 1). That is, in step 1, if the posture immediately before the operation (hereinafter also referred to as the pre-operation posture) of the movement system to be operated (hereinafter also referred to as the operation system) is a low posture, it is changed to a high posture by the elevating means 3. If the pre-operation posture of the operation system is already in a high posture, the high posture is maintained without operating the elevating means 3.

  In the following, when the load is confirmed on the upstream side of the own device 1, both the transport systems 6 and 7 are in the low-position state shown in FIG. Description will be made assuming that the linearly moving members 21 and 27 are at predetermined positions in the conveying direction shown in FIG. 24A (the most upstream side in the conveying direction in the movable region T movable relative to the fixed members 22 and 28). .

  Therefore, in Step 1, the first lifting drive source 18 of the first lifting device 13 is driven to rotate the cam member 16 in a predetermined direction so that the first transport system 6 whose posture before operation is in the low posture is set to the high posture. To do. More specifically, the first transport system 6 in the low position shown in FIG. 22A is in a state in which the passive member 45 is lowered to the lowermost α as shown in FIG. The elevating drive source 18 is driven counterclockwise (hereinafter also referred to as a forward rotation direction), the main rotation shaft 47 and the sub rotation shaft 48 are rotated in the forward rotation direction, and the cam member 16 is rotated in the forward rotation direction. . Then, as shown in FIG. 23B, the passive member 45 placed on the cam member 16 is displaced in the vertical direction along the cam member 16. That is, since the passive member 45 is displaced by a predetermined amount X upward in the vertical direction, the linear member 11 is raised in conjunction therewith.

And as shown in FIG.23 (c), the raising operation of the linear member 11 is continued until the passive member 45 is lifted to the uppermost part. That is, in the present embodiment, the ascending operation of the linear member 11 is performed until the cam member 16 is rotated approximately 90 ° in the normal rotation direction with reference to the state where the passive member 45 is positioned at the lowermost part. And when the passive member 45 of the 1st conveyance system 6 reaches the uppermost part (beta), the said 1st conveyance system 6 will be in the high position shown in FIG.22 (b).
In the present embodiment, a non-contact type proximity sensor (not shown) is provided in order to detect any operating position that constitutes the lifting means 3, and the proximity sensor is moved up and down based on a detection signal. The rotation control of the drive sources 18 and 19 is performed.
In the present invention, the rotation control of the lift drive sources 18 and 19 may be performed by pulse control or the like instead of the proximity sensor.

  And the 1st conveyance system 6 will be in a high posture, and predetermined conditions (For example, conditions, such as passage of a fixed time after the 1st conveyance system 6 reached a high posture, or articles etc. W carrying into conveyance device 1, etc.) are satisfied. Then, the process proceeds to step 2 and the transfer operation by the first transfer system 6 is performed. That is, in Step 2, the conveyance drive source 23 of the first conveyance system 6 is driven, and the linear movement side member 21 of the linear member 11 on which the conveyance surface S is formed is moved in the conveyance direction (hereinafter referred to as the forward direction) of the articles and the like W. Move it in a straight line.

More specifically, the transport drive source 23 of the first transport system 6 is driven counterclockwise (hereinafter also referred to as a forward rotation direction), and the rotation shaft 40 is rotated in the forward rotation direction. The gear 41 that forms a part is rotated in the forward rotation direction. Then, the rack member 42 that forms the remaining portion of the rack and pinion structure engaged with the gear 41 is sent out in the forward direction (left direction in FIG. 24) as shown in FIG. That is, by rotating the conveyance drive source 23 in the forward direction, the linear movement side member 21 to which the rack member 42 is fixed moves in the forward direction. In other words, the linear movement side member 21 moves in the forward direction relative to the fixed side member 22. In this way, the conveying operation for moving the article W placed on the linear movement side member 21 together with the linear movement side member 21 in the forward direction is performed.
In the present embodiment, a non-contact type proximity sensor (not shown) is provided to detect any of the operation positions constituting the conveyance unit 2, and the proximity sensor is conveyed based on a detection signal. The rotation control of the driving source 23 is performed.
In the present invention, the rotation control of the transport drive source 23 may be performed by pulse control or the like instead of the proximity sensor.

At the same time, in step 2, the other transport system in which the transport operation is not executed, that is, the second transport system 7 is controlled to be set to a low position and a predetermined position in the transport direction (transport preparation operation). That is, the transport apparatus 1 performs the transport preparation operation of the other transport system 7 at the same time as performing the transport operation of the one transport system 6.
In the present embodiment, as described above, when the transport operation of the first transport system 6 is performed, the pre-operation posture of the second transport system 7 is already set to a low position and a predetermined position in the transport direction. Therefore, at the timing of this transport preparation operation, the second lifting device 15 and the transport drive source 23 of the second transport system 7 are not driven.

  Then, when a predetermined timing is reached after the carrying operation is performed by the first carrying system 6, as shown in FIG. 22 (c), the other carrying system that has not carried the carrying operation, that is, the first embodiment in the present embodiment. 2 The transport system 7 is controlled to a high position and the transport operation is performed (step 3). That is, in step 3, the second raising / lowering drive source 19 of the second transport system 7 is driven in the forward rotation direction (or clockwise direction (reverse rotation direction)), and the cam member 16 is rotated in the forward rotation direction. Thereby, in the 2nd conveyance system 7, like the 1st conveyance system 6, the passive member 45 mounted on the cam member 16 raises to the perpendicular direction upper direction, and the linear member 12 raises interlockingly. At the same time, in the second transport system 7, as in the first transport system 6, the transport drive source 23 is rotated forward to move the linear movement side member 27 to which the rack member 42 is fixed in the forward direction.

Thus, when the predetermined timing is reached and the operation of step 3 is performed, as shown in FIG. In particular, the timing for conveying the article W is generated.
Here, the “predetermined timing” is a timing until the linear movement side member reaches the downstream side in the transport direction in the movable region T, and preferably from the center of the movable region T to the movable region T. This is the timing when a distance of about 3/4 is reached. That is, in this embodiment, the linear movement side member 21 moves in the forward direction, and the operation of step 3 is executed at a timing slightly delayed from the state shown in FIG.

  Then, the process proceeds to step 4 and, as shown in FIG. 22 (d), the transport system in which the transport operation has been carried out in advance, that is, the first transport system 6 in this embodiment is controlled to a low position to transport the transport system. Perform preparatory actions. That is, after the articles W are simultaneously transported by the two transport systems 6 and 7, the first elevating drive source 18 of the first transport system 6 is driven in the clockwise direction (hereinafter also referred to as the reverse rotation direction), and the cam member 16 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction. Thereby, in the 1st conveyance system 6, the passive member 45 mounted on the cam member 16 falls toward the perpendicular direction downward, and the linear member 11 falls interlockingly.

At the same time, in the first transport system 6, the transport drive source 23 is rotated in the reverse direction so that the linearly moving side member 21 to which the rack member 42 is fixed is used as an article or the like as shown in FIGS. It moves in the non-conveying direction of W (hereinafter also referred to as the return path direction). That is, the first transport system 6 is again set to the position at the most upstream side in the transport direction in the movable region T, which is the posture before the operation, again in the transport preparation operation (FIG. 22D). FIG. 24 (e)).
In the present embodiment, the speed for moving the linearly moving members 21 and 27 in the backward direction is set to be higher than the speed for moving in the forward direction. That is, the return operation speed of the linear movement side members 21 and 27 in the transfer preparation operation is made higher than the transfer speed, thereby facilitating the transfer operation.

  As described above, when the transport preparation operation of the first transport system 6 is started after the transport operation by the second transport system 7 is started, the articles W are transported only by the second transport system 7. (Fig. 22 (d)). Then, when the transport operation by the second transport system 7 is performed and the predetermined timing is reached, the same operation as in step 3 is performed again. That is, in a state where the transport operation by the second transport system 7 is maintained, the first transport system 6 is controlled to a high position, the simultaneous transport operation by the two transport systems 6 and 7 is performed, and then the first transport system again. 6 is carried out.

  And in this embodiment, in order to carry out articles | goods W etc. to the downstream of the own apparatus 1, operation | movement after step 3 mentioned above is repeatedly implemented. That is, in the normal transport operation, control is performed in which the first transport system 6 and the second transport system 7 alternately contribute to the transport operation until the article is transported to the downstream side of the apparatus 1.

  In the present embodiment, a stock sensor or the like (not shown) is provided in the apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and it is confirmed whether or not the article is carried out based on the stock information obtained from the sensor. That is, in this embodiment, during the normal transport operation, the inventory information of the device 1 is always confirmed, and when the inventory is confirmed, the operation can be stopped.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the transport means 2 is constituted by the two transport systems 6 and 7, and each of the transport systems 6 and 7 includes the linear members 11 and 12 extending in the transport direction. There is no gap formed between the rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction on the transport surface S by the systems 6 and 7, unlike the roller conveyor device. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when articles etc. W are temporarily stored on the conveyor line, the bottom of the pallet etc. receiving the load of the articles is arranged in parallel ( A deformed part (concave part) including a single case is not formed. In other words, in the present embodiment, the bottom of the pallet or the like on which the article is placed does not bite between the rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction, and the article W is temporarily placed on the conveyor line. Even if it is stored in the container, it will not hinder the subsequent conveyance of the article W or the like. As a result, according to the present embodiment, high working efficiency can be ensured even when employed in a facility such as a warehouse.

  In the present embodiment, when the articles W are transported toward the downstream side in the transport direction, the transport operation in which the transport system in the high posture is moved in the forward direction, and the transport system in the low posture is moved in the backward direction or in the low direction. Control is performed in which a transport preparation operation that does not move the transport system in the posture in any direction is performed in parallel. Then, at a predetermined timing, the posture of the transport system in the low-position posture that did not contribute to the transport is changed to the high-position posture, and then the posture of the transport system in the high-position posture that contributed to the transport in advance is changed to the low-position posture. As a result, even if one of the transport systems reaches the end in the forward direction, any of the other transport systems that have performed the transport preparation operation in parallel with the transport operation is changed to the high position, Since the article W can be moved in the direction, it is continuously and smoothly transported without being transported by an operation (squeezing motion) such as frame feeding.

In the present embodiment, in addition to the normal transport operation function, an initial transport operation function that is performed when a predetermined condition is satisfied is provided. That is, in this embodiment, when the conveyance drive source 23 is driven immediately after the conveyance apparatus 1 is turned on, or when the conveyance drive source 23 is driven from a state where the conveyance drive source 23 is stopped for a long period of time. For example, a function for performing the initial transfer operation prior to the normal transfer operation is provided.
Hereinafter, the initial transport operation will be described.

  In the initial transport operation, according to the flowchart of FIG. 25, first, the two transport systems 6 and 7 of the transport means 2 are simultaneously controlled to a high position (step 11). That is, in step 11, the first lifting device 13 and the second lifting device 15 are simultaneously driven to raise the two transport systems 6, 7 in the low posture until reaching the high posture. And it transfers to step 12 and the conveyance operation | movement by both the conveyance systems 6 and 7 is implemented. That is, since the transport driving force can be substantially increased by performing the transport operation by the two transport systems 6 and 7 at the initial stage of transport, the initial transport operation becomes smooth.

Then, the process proceeds to step 13, and a transport preparation operation is performed in which one of the two transport systems 6 and 7, for example, the first transport system 6 is placed in a low position and returned to the return direction. Then, using this as a machine, the initial transfer operation is terminated, and the normal transfer operation is started.
As described above, when the transport drive source 23 in the stopped state is driven, the initial transport operation is performed so that the transport drive sources 23 of the two transport systems 6 and 7 are simultaneously driven. The force can be substantially increased. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the problem that the article is not transported despite the drive control of the transport drive source 23 of the transport means 2 and to perform the subsequent normal transport operation smoothly.

  In the said embodiment, although the conveyance means 2 showed the structure provided with the two conveyance systems 6 and 7, this invention is not limited to this, The structure provided with three or more conveyance systems may be sufficient. .

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which employ | adopted the linear members 11 and 12 using the linear movement side members 21 and 27 of the sea channel structure and the fixed side members 22 and 28 was shown, this invention is not limited to this, A cross section A configuration may be adopted in which a linear member using a member having another shape such as an arc shape or a rectangular shape is employed.

  In the above embodiment, the geared motor is used as the transport drive source 23 and the lift drive sources 18 and 19, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a known motor built-in roller is used. It doesn't matter. In that case, either a configuration in which the shaft of the motor built-in roller is rotated to output the rotational force or a configuration in which the roller body of the motor built-in roller is rotated to output the rotational force may be employed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance apparatus 2 Conveyance means 3 Elevating means 6 1st conveyance system 7 2nd conveyance systems 11 and 12 Linear member 13 1st raising / lowering apparatus 15 2nd raising / lowering apparatus 16 Cam member 18 1st raising / lowering drive source 19 2nd raising / lowering drive source 21 , 27 Linear movement side members 22, 28 Fixed side member 23 Transport drive source 40 Rotating shaft 41 Gear 42 Rack member 47 Main rotating shaft 48 Secondary rotating shaft 58 Link member 66 Projection guide member (lifting guide member)
81 Motor S Conveying surface T Movable area W Article

Claims (9)

A conveying device that constitutes a part of a conveyor line in which articles are conveyed,
Having conveying means and lifting means,
The conveying means has two or more independent conveying systems that reciprocate linearly within a certain range of distances, each conveying system has a linear member extending in the conveying direction,
The elevating means is capable of performing an ascending operation that makes the conveyance system that contributes to the conveyance of the article a high position and a descent operation that makes the conveyance system that does not contribute to the conveyance of the article a low position,
When transporting articles toward the downstream side in the transport direction, the transport operation that moves the transport system in the high-position posture in the forward direction and the transport system that moves the low-position posture in the return path or the transport system in the low-position posture in any direction The transport preparation operation that does not move is also performed in parallel, and at a predetermined timing, the posture of the transport system in the low-position posture that did not contribute to transport is changed to the high-position posture, and then the high-position posture that contributed to transport in advance It has a normal transfer function that changes the posture of the transfer system to a low position,
In the initial operation in which the drive source that linearly reciprocates the transport system is driven from the stop state, at least two transport systems are set to a high posture, and the high transport posture is simultaneously moved in the forward direction. A conveying device having a function .   The transport means has two transport systems, each transport system has a pair of linear members, and one of the transport systems is positioned between the pair of linear members that constitute the other transport system. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   3. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drive source for linearly reciprocating each transport system and a drive source for lifting means for lifting and lowering each transport system are separate from each other. Any one of the transport systems that are simultaneously moved in the forward direction by the initial transport is controlled to a low posture in the middle of the movement in the forward direction and is returned in the backward direction . 4. The transfer device according to any one of 3 . Each transport lines, the moving speed when moving in the backward direction, the transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the faster than the moving speed when moving in the forward direction. 2. The linear member of each conveyance system is composed of a linear movement side member having a placement surface on which articles are placed, and a fixed side member that supports the linear movement side member. conveying apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5. The drive source for reciprocating each transport system is a motor,
The conveying device according to claim 6 , wherein the linearly moving side member is transmitted with power from a motor via a motion converting unit that converts rotational motion into linear motion. The drive source of the lifting means for raising and lowering each conveyance system is a motor,
The conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein each conveyance system is transmitted with power from a motor via a cam member that converts a rotary motion into a vertical motion. Having a lifting guide member,
Each conveyance system raises / lowers along a raising / lowering guide member, The conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1-8 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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