JP6156615B2 - Transfer equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device that constitutes a part of a conveyor line, and more particularly, to a transfer device that can change the conveyance direction of an article to a direction that intersects the carry-in direction.

  In product assembly lines and article delivery areas, conveyor lines are often used for conveying articles. For example, a large number of conveyor lines are installed vertically and horizontally in a delivery area, and a transfer device is arranged at a position where the conveyor lines intersect. In other words, the transfer device is operated to carry out an article from the original conveyor line (main conveyor line), transfer to another conveyor line (sub-conveyor line), and convey it to a desired place ( Hereinafter, it has a conveyance direction conversion function).

  Here, as described above, the transfer device has a transport direction conversion function. And in order to fulfill | perform the function, the articles | goods conveyance part which conveys articles | goods and the raising / lowering part which changes the height position of the article conveyance part are provided. And the article conveyance part generally has two conveyance parts from which the conveyance direction of an article differs mutually, and the composition which can change the relative height of two conveyance parts according to the conveyance information etc. of an article It is said that.

That is, in this type of transfer device, the top / bottom surface of the transport unit that is not involved in transport is retracted below the transport surface of the conveyor line by the lifting unit, and the top surface of the transport unit on the side that further contributes to transport Is lifted and exposed to the conveyor surface side of the conveyor line. And by operating the conveyance part lifted to the conveyance surface side, smooth conveyance is enabled without being disturbed by the conveyance part which is not related to conveyance.
For example, the technology of such a transfer apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2012-51679 A

However, the transfer device described in Patent Document 1 has a large number of components, particularly the lifting unit, which complicates the structure.
For example, the transfer device of Patent Document 1 employs a motor built-in roller as the power of the elevating unit from the viewpoint of making the device compact (mainly in the height direction). In other words, in this type of transfer device, the elevating unit is provided with a configuration for converting the rotational motion of the motor into the elevating motion. Specifically, a rack and pinion that converts rotational motion into reciprocating linear motion and a linear cam that converts reciprocating linear motion into lifting motion are employed as the motion conversion means. That is, the rotational motion is converted into a horizontal linear motion by the rack and pinion, and further, the linear motion is converted into the lifting motion by the straight cam. In addition, when such motion conversion means is employed, a guide member for the linear motion cam and an auxiliary member such as a cover for protecting the gear are also required.

  As described above, the conventional transfer device uses a plurality of members as conversion means for converting the rotational motion of the motor into the up-and-down motion, and further requires the auxiliary members, so that the number of parts is excessively increased. There was a tendency to. As a result, the manufacturing cost has increased significantly, and there has been dissatisfaction that the labor of assembly work and maintenance work becomes a burden on the operator.

  Therefore, in view of the problems of the prior art, the transfer device of the present invention has an object to provide a transfer device that can greatly reduce the number of parts while maintaining the compactness (mainly in the height direction) of the device. .

  The invention according to claim 1, which is provided to solve the above problem, is a transfer device that constitutes a part of a conveyor line through which an article is conveyed and is capable of feeding the article in a direction different from the loading direction. A transport unit that transports the article, an elevating unit that moves the transport unit up and down, and a regulating member that prevents the transport unit from moving in the horizontal direction, and the transport unit sends the article downstream while maintaining the carry-in direction of the article. It has a main transport unit and a sub transport unit that changes the carry-in direction of articles to a different direction and sends it downstream, and the lifting unit has one or more drive sources, a plurality of rotating bodies, and the same axis of each rotating body The main transport unit and the sub transport unit, when power is input from the planar cams of different systems, at least one of the transport units moves in the vertical direction, The restricting member is a guide pole that is erected, and is the main transport unit A guide hole provided in the sub-transport section, and a guide hole provided in the main transport section and a guide hole provided in the sub-transport section are three-dimensionally spaced from each other. The guide pole is inserted into a state in which both the guide hole provided in the main transport portion and the guide hole provided in the sub transport portion are communicated, and the guide pole is connected to the main transport portion and the sub transport portion. It is a transfer apparatus characterized by guiding a conveyance part to a perpendicular direction.

Here, it is known that there is a plate cam as a typical flat cam. The plate cam has a structure in which the radial thickness varies along the rotational direction. That is, the plate cam has a feature that the length from a reference point with any portion as a reference to a radial end (hereinafter referred to as a peripheral end surface) changes in the circumferential direction. For this reason, when the plate cam is placed in a posture in which its own axis is horizontal (hereinafter referred to as a shaft horizontal posture), the height position of the peripheral end surface of the plate cam changes due to rotation. In other words, if the plate cam is placed in a horizontal axis position and the conveying section is placed above the peripheral end surface of the plate cam, the rotation of the plate cam causes the peripheral end surface of the plate cam itself to move up and down in the height direction. Along with this, the transport unit can be raised and lowered.
Therefore, if this type of planar cam is used, it is possible to move the other members up and down by rotating the planar cam itself. Further, for example, when a motor is used as a drive source to rotate the planar cam. Since the rotary shaft can be used in a horizontal orientation, the transfer device can be made compact (mainly in the height direction), as in the prior art.

  Therefore, the transfer apparatus of the present invention has a configuration in which two systems of planar cams are arranged on the same axis of the rotating body so as to move up and down the two systems of the transport section of the main transport section and the sub transport section. And the main conveyance part and the sub conveyance part are set as the structure into which motive power is input from the plane cam of a mutually different system | strain. That is, according to the present invention, even when the rotating body is rotated in one direction, since power is input from the planar cams of different systems, the main transport unit and the sub transport unit perform different operations. Is possible.

  As a result, with one transport unit moved in the upward direction, the other transport unit is moved in a different direction (downward direction) or stopped on the spot without moving (moving in the height direction). It is possible to do so. For example, the sub-transport path is lowered while the main transport unit is moving up. That is, according to the present invention, the top surface of the transport unit contributing to the transport of the article is exposed to the transport surface side of the conveyor line by the two plane cams of the lifting unit, and the top of the transport unit that does not contribute to the transport of the article. The surface can be retracted below the conveying surface of the conveyor line. As described above, according to the present invention, as in the conventional transfer device, since one transport unit does not hinder the transport of the article in the other transport unit, the article can be smoothly transported. Moreover, like the conventional transfer apparatus, the apparatus can be made compact (mainly in the height direction).

  As described above, in the present invention, the planar cam can directly convert the rotational motion into the up-and-down motion. Therefore, compared to the conventional technology, the power transmission means for transmitting the power from the drive source to the transport unit (conventional technology) For example, the structure of the rack and pinion and the straight cam is simplified. Accordingly, in the present invention, the number of parts can be greatly reduced as compared with the structure of the lifting part of the conventional transfer device. As a result, assembly work and maintenance work are facilitated, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

  Moreover, the transfer apparatus of this invention has the control member which prevents the movement of a conveyance part in the horizontal direction. Therefore, even if the motive power from the flat cam transmitted to the transport unit includes a horizontal component, the transport unit can be lifted and lowered without shaking the horizontal unit. That is, according to the present invention, the restricting member can function as a guide for the lifting and lowering operation, and the stable lifting and lowering operation of the main transport unit and the sub transport unit can be performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the main transport unit is a roller unit in which a plurality of rotating rollers are arranged at intervals, and the sub transport unit has a plurality of single belt units each including a transport belt. A belt unit for a loading device, the roller of the roller unit and the transport belt of the belt unit are arranged in parallel to each other, and the transport belt of the belt unit is between the rollers of the roller unit. Each roller unit has a passive member to which power is input in contact with the flat cam of one system, and the passive member on the belt unit side is outwardly attached to the belt unit frame and cantilevered. The passive member on the roller unit side is inwardly attached to the frame of the roller unit and attached in a cantilevered manner. Receiving member and the roller unit side of the passive member is opposed,
2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the roller unit and the belt unit receive power from a plane cam of a different system through a passive member.

The invention according to claim 3 is a transfer device that constitutes a part of a conveyor line through which articles are conveyed and is capable of sending out the article conveyance direction in a direction different from the carry-in direction, and conveys the articles A lifting and lowering unit that raises and lowers the transport unit, and a restricting member that prevents the transport unit from moving in the horizontal direction, the transport unit maintaining a carry-in direction of the article and sending it downstream, and a carry-in direction of the article A sub-conveying section that changes the direction to a different direction and sends it to the downstream, and the conveying section includes a roller unit in which a plurality of rotating rollers are arranged at intervals, and a single belt unit that includes a moving conveying belt. A plurality of belt units for the transfer device are provided, and the lifting unit includes a plurality of combinations of one or more drive sources, a plurality of rotating bodies, and two systems of planar cams arranged on the same axis of each rotating body. The roller unit The belt and the belt of the belt unit are arranged in parallel with each other, and the belt of the belt unit is between the rollers of the roller unit. The belt unit side passive member is attached to the belt unit frame outward and cantilevered, and the roller unit side passive member is the roller unit frame. The passive member on the belt unit side and the passive member on the roller unit side face each other, and the roller unit and the belt unit pass through the passive members from the planar cams of different systems. When power is input, at least one of them moves in the vertical direction, and the restricting member A guide hole provided in the main transport unit, a guide hole provided in the sub transport unit, a guide hole provided in the main transport unit, and a guide hole provided in the sub transport unit Is three-dimensionally overlapped at a distance, and the guide pole is inserted into a state in which both the guide hole provided in the main transport part and the guide hole provided in the sub-transport part are communicated, The transfer device is characterized in that the guide pole guides the main transport unit and the sub transport unit in the vertical direction.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the two systems of planar cams have the same shape and are arranged in different postures.

  According to such a configuration, since the two systems of flat cams have the same shape, it is possible to significantly reduce the cost of parts during mass production. In addition, since the flat cams having the same shape are used in different postures, assembly can be facilitated.

  The elevating part has a base part to be fixed, the restricting member is a linear sliding member, and the sliding member as the restricting member is arranged to stand on the base part, and the main conveying part It is desirable to guide the sub-transport section in the vertical direction.

  According to such a configuration, the linear sliding member as the regulating member guides the moving direction of the main transport unit and the sub transport unit in the vertical direction, so that the main transport unit and the sub transport unit can be moved up and down more smoothly. It is.

  As an aspect of the related invention, it has a base part to which the elevating part is fixed, the restricting member is a plurality of extending members, and the extending member as the restricting member is connected to the main conveying part and the auxiliary conveying part with respect to the base part. A configuration is conceivable in which each of the sections is connected to be stretched so as to allow vertical movement.

According to such a configuration, instead of the sliding guide member, the tension member can be used to guide the vertical movement of the main transport unit and the sub transport unit, so that the guide member can be replaced due to wear or the like. Does not occur. As a result, eliminates the need of maintenance, it is possible to reduce the cost of maintenance and management expenses. In addition, a metal wire etc. are mentioned as a tension member.

  As an aspect of the related invention, it is recommended that the tension member forms a sliding structure.

  According to such a configuration, for example, a structure that prevents movement in the horizontal direction while forming play in movement in a specific direction is easily formed, and thus the same operational effect as that of the sliding guide means can be obtained. Can do.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, at least one rotating body is a motor built-in roller in which a motor as a driving source is built, and the rotating bodies are arranged so that their axial directions are parallel to each other and adjacent to each other. 5. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the rotators are connected to each other through a power transmission unit.

According to such a configuration, the motor built-in roller is employed for at least one of the plurality of rotating bodies, and the adjacent rotating bodies arranged in parallel are connected via the power transmission means. Therefore, it is possible to rotate a some rotary body synchronously. As a result, there is no difference in the rotational position of the planar cam between different rotating bodies, that is, no difference in the height of the peripheral end surface, so that the transport unit can be moved up and down stably. That is, according to the present invention, the transport unit does not incline in the height direction when moving up and down, and moves in the vertical direction in a substantially horizontal state, so that a biased load is not applied to the regulating member or the like. Therefore, there is no possibility that some parts will be damaged early by such a load. As a result, any part can be used until near the end of its life, so that it is cost-effective as an apparatus.
Further, in the present invention, since a large number of rotating bodies can be rotated with a small number of drive sources, manufacturing costs can be suppressed, and an inexpensive transfer device can be provided to the market.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the power transmission means is a long crank member, and the crank member is connected to a rotating body or a flat cam. Mounting device.

  According to such a configuration, since a long crank member is employed as the power transmission means, there is almost no decrease in power transmission efficiency over time compared to the case where a winding member such as a belt is used. That is, the crank member of the present invention does not generate a large amount of wear powder as in the case of the winding member, and even if it occurs, the transmission efficiency of power is hardly reduced.

  In the transfer device of the present invention, it is desirable that the two systems of planar cams are provided with a mounting opening that contributes to mounting on the rotating body and a connecting portion to which the power transmission means is connected. (Claim 7)

  In the transfer apparatus according to the present invention, it is desirable that the rotating body rotates in a range of a predetermined angle in the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction. (Claim 8)

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the two plane cams reach a predetermined angle in the rotation direction, the elevation heights of the main conveyance unit and the sub conveyance unit are simultaneously brought to the same height. It is a transfer apparatus in any one of Claims 1-8 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to such a configuration, the main transport unit and the sub transport unit can be brought to the same height at the same time, so that a load that can be generated in the power source can be almost eliminated. For example, if the main transport unit and the sub transport unit reach the same height at the top that can rise, the delivery of articles between the main transport unit and the sub transport unit can be performed at the top. Therefore, there is no situation where the lifting unit performs the lifting operation with the article placed on the transport unit. As a result, since the power source is not subjected to a load due to the article during operation, there is no possibility that the life of the power source is accelerated by such a load.

  Since the transfer device according to the present invention can directly convert the rotational motion into the up-and-down motion by the flat cam, the structure of the power transmission means that transmits power from the drive source to the transport unit is simplified as compared with the prior art. The Thereby, the number of parts can be significantly reduced compared with the structure of the raising / lowering part of the conventional transfer apparatus. In addition, as in the prior art, a motor can be used as a drive source, and the motor and the rotating body rotated by the motor can be arranged in an axial horizontal posture, so that the apparatus is made compact (mainly in the height direction). Can be

It is a perspective view which shows the conveyor line by which the transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is arrange | positioned. It is a perspective view which shows the transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the transfer apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view paying attention to a roller frame of the main transport unit in FIG. 3. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main conveyance part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows a motor built-in roller. It is sectional drawing which shows a driven roller. It is a top view which shows the main conveyance part of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the single-piece | unit belt unit of the sub conveyance part of FIG. (Some driving rollers are omitted) It is a perspective view which shows the connection member of the sub conveyance part of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the raising / lowering part of FIG. It is the expansion perspective view which paid its attention to the axial direction edge part of a raising / lowering roller. It is a front view which shows a plate cam. It is a front view which shows a cam mechanism body. It is a perspective view which shows the positional relationship of a base part and an raising / lowering part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the main conveyance part in a guide pole, and a sub conveyance part. It is a top view which shows the transfer apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a cam mechanism, the passive member of a main conveyance part, and the passive member of a sub conveyance part. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which shows the condition where articles | goods are conveyed by the transfer apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the condition where a main conveying part and a sub conveying part raise / lower by a cam mechanism, (a) shows the relative position of the main conveying part and a sub conveying part in the initial posture of a cam mechanism, (b) The relative positions of the main transport section and the sub transport section when the cam mechanism is rotated in the reverse direction are shown, and (c) shows the relative positions of the main transport section and the sub transport section when the cam mechanism is rotated forward. It is explanatory drawing which shows notionally the state which connected the main conveyance part and the base part with the tension member, (a) shows the tension state of the tension member on the outer surface side, (b) is tension on the inner side. The tension state of an installation member is shown. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which connected the sub conveyance part and the base part with the tension member, (a) shows the tension state of the tension member of the outer surface side, (b) shows the tension member of the inner side The tension state is shown.

Hereinafter, the transfer device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is installed at a site where a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) conveyance paths intersect on the conveyor line 21. Specifically, the transfer apparatus 1 is used as a part of a conveyor line 21 based on a roller conveyor, and is orthogonal to the main transport line 100 and the main transport line 100. It is arranged at a position where the sub-transport lines 101 and 102 intersect in the transport direction. And the transfer apparatus 1 conveys the conveyed-in article | item to the conveyance line (main conveyance line 100) which maintained the carrying-in direction based on the conveyance information etc. of the article | item, or a conveyance line different from a carrying-in direction ( It has a function of transporting toward the sub transport lines 101 and 102).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transfer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a main transport unit 2 that forms part of the main transport line 100 and a sub transport unit that forms parts of the sub transport lines 101 and 102. 3, an elevating unit 5 that performs the elevating operation of the main conveyance unit 2 and the sub conveyance unit 3, and a base unit 6 that forms the base of the transfer device 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the main conveying unit 2 is a transfer device roller formed by attaching a plurality of (four in this embodiment) rollers 28 between a pair of roller frames 30 and 31. Is a unit. In this embodiment, a motor built-in roller 28a in which a motor as a driving source is built in one of these rollers 28 is employed, and a driven roller 28b is employed.

  As the motor built-in roller 28a, as shown in FIG. 6, a roller body 60 in which a motor 61 and a speed reducer 62 are built is employed. The output shaft 63 of the speed reducer 62 is engaged with the inner surface of the roller body 60, and the rotational force of the motor 61 is decelerated by the speed reducer 62 to rotate the roller body 60.

  Support shafts 65 and 66 protrude from both ends of the roller body 60. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the support shafts 65 and 66 are inserted through the lid members 64 attached to both ends of the roller body 60 over the inside and outside of the roller body 60. The two support shafts 65 and 66 are both attached to the roller main body 60 via bearings 67 and 68 located inside the roller main body 60 with respect to the lid member 64. Therefore, the roller body 60 can rotate with respect to the support shafts 65 and 66.

One support shaft 66 has a hollow structure, and a power supply line 70 is inserted into the hollow portion. In other words, the motor 61 arranged inside the roller body 60 is supplied with electric power from the outside via the power supply line 70.
The roller main body 60 is provided with an annular groove 67 on the surface for engaging the belt 69.

  The driven roller 28b is a roller body rotation type idling roller having a structure as shown in FIG. In other words, the driven roller 28b does not have a drive source such as a motor in the roller body 60. Support shafts 71 and 72 projecting in the axial direction are provided at both ends of the roller body 60. The two support shafts 71 and 72 are both attached to the roller body 60 via bearings 73 and 75.

Therefore, in the driven roller 28 b, the roller body 60 can rotate with respect to the support shafts 71 and 72. That is, in the driven roller 28b, the roller body 60 can rotate with respect to both the support shafts 71 and 72 at both ends.
The structure of the roller body 60 of the driven roller is the same as that of the motor built-in roller 28a, and a groove 67 for engaging the belt 69 is provided on the surface in an annular shape.

  The pair of roller frames 30 and 31 employ members having substantially the same external shape and size. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the one roller frame 30 has a side wall portion 50 and a bottom wall portion 51. The other roller frame 31 is composed of a side wall portion 55 and a bottom wall portion 56. Each of the roller frames 30 and 31 is processed so that the cross-sectional shape has an “L” shape.

The roller frame 30 on one side (left side in FIGS. 4 and 5) is provided with a mounting notch 52 for mounting the roller 28 and a guide hole 53 through which a guide pole 14 described later is inserted.
The attachment notches 52 are portions that are notched downward at the upper end of the side wall 50, and are provided at four locations at approximately equal intervals in the extending direction of the side wall 50. Each of the four mounting notches 52a to 52d has a long hole shape with a substantially isosceles triangle in front view, and support shafts 65, 66, 71, 72 of the roller 28 are provided at the lower notch ends. A fitting portion 54 (FIG. 5) to be fitted is provided. The fitting portion 54 has a shape in which the support shafts 65, 66, 71, and 72 of the roller 28 cannot rotate relative to the roller frame 30 (for example, a part of a hexagon).
The guide hole 53 is a through hole having a circular opening shape in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 51, and one guide hole 53 is closer to the end of the bottom wall portion 51 in the extending direction (the same direction as the extending direction of the side wall portion 50). There are two places each. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the guide holes 53 a and 53 b are provided at substantially the same positions as the mounting notches 52 a and 52 d located outside the roller frame 30. In other words, the distance between the guide holes 53a and 53b is approximately the same as the distance between the mounting notches 52a and 52d.

The other roller frame 31 (the right side in FIGS. 4 and 5) is provided with a mounting hole 57 for mounting the roller 28 and a guide hole 53 (FIG. 8). In addition, since the guide hole 53 is the same as that of the roller frame 30, the same number is assigned and description thereof is omitted.
The attachment holes 57 are through-holes having a substantially hexagonal opening shape opened in the member thickness direction of the side wall portion 55, and are provided at four locations at substantially equal intervals in the extending direction of the side wall portion 55. In addition, regarding each of the four mounting holes 57a to 57d, when the roller frames 30 and 31 are faced to a predetermined posture, the fitting portions 54a to 54a of the mounting notches 52a to 52d described above are provided. It is a position where 54d can oppose. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the mounting hole 57a and the fitting part 54a face each other on the same straight line, the mounting hole 57b and the fitting part 54b face each other on the same straight line, and the mounting hole 57c and the fitting part 54c turn on each other. The mounting hole 57d and the fitting portion 54d face each other on the same straight line.

  Further, in addition to the mounting hole 57 and the guide hole 53, the roller frame 31 is provided with two belt crossing cutout portions 58 over which a part of the sub-conveying portion 3 described later straddles. The belt crossing notches 58 a and 58 b are disposed between any two mounting holes 57. Specifically, the belt crossing notches 58a and 58b are located between the attachment hole 57a located outside the roller frame 31 and the attachment hole 57b located inside and outside the roller frame 31. One mounting hole 57d and one mounting hole 57c located inside are provided.

In the main transport unit 2, the pair of roller frames 30 and 31 are integrally connected via a pair of roller side connecting members 47 and 48. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the roller side coupling members 47 and 48 are disposed on the end side in the extending direction of the roller frames 30 and 31 and are connected to the side wall portions 50 and 55. More specifically, the roller side connecting members 47 and 48 are located on the outer side (end direction end side) of the roller frames 30 and 31 than the mounting notches 52a and 52d and the mounting holes 57a and 57d. Further, they are arranged at a further outer position and connected by fastening elements such as welding.
The roller side connecting members 47 and 48 are long members having a predetermined length, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. A standard stepped portion is used. That is, the roller side connecting members 47 and 48 are members having a cross-sectional shape in which two connecting vertical portions 94 and 95 are connected by one connecting connection portion.

  Four rollers 28 are attached to a pair of roller frames 30 and 31 (hereinafter also referred to as roller frame bodies 34) connected by roller side coupling members 47 and 48. That is, the support shafts 65, 66, 71, and 72 of the four rollers 28 are attached to the attachment notches 52a to 52d and the attachment holes 57a to 57d of the roller frames 30 and 31, respectively. In other words, the roller body 60 is rotatably attached to the four rollers 28 with respect to the roller frames 30 and 31. Each of the rollers 28a and 28b has a belt 69 suspended between the adjacent rollers 28a and 28b. That is, the belts 69 are suspended in both grooves 67 so that the rollers 28a and 28b rotate in synchronization with the rollers 28a and 28b located adjacent to each other. Accordingly, in the main transport unit 2, all the rollers 28a and 28b are interlocked, and when any one of the rollers 28a and 28b rotates, the other rollers 28a and 28b also rotate.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the main transport unit 2 of the present embodiment is provided with a passive member 32 to which power from an elevating unit 5 described later is input. The passive member 32 is a known ball bearing. A total of four are attached to each of the roller side connecting members 47 and 48, two each. Each passive member 32 is arranged on the end side in the longitudinal direction of each roller side connecting member 47, 48 and on the side where the roller side connecting members 47, 48 face each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, each passive member 32 is positioned inside the roller side coupling members 47 and 48 and is arranged to form a rectangular or square apex. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, each passive member 32 is attached to a connecting vertical portion 95 positioned below the connecting connection portion in each of the roller side connecting members 47 and 48.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the sub-conveying unit 3 includes a plurality of (two sets in the present embodiment) single belt units 35 and a pair of belt side connection members 85 and 86 that connect the single belt units 35. , A belt unit for the transfer device formed by the driving roller 37.
The roller 37 of the sub-conveying unit 3 has substantially the same internal structure as the above-described motor built-in roller 28a, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, each of the single belt units 35 a and 35 b includes a single plate member 45 and eleven pulleys 78 a to 78 k supported in a cantilevered manner on the side surfaces of the plate member 45. And an endless conveying belt 42 suspended from the pulleys 78a to 78k, and a roller fixing member 43 that supports the driving roller 37.

  The plate-like member 45 is a substantially band-shaped member, and is provided with a notch 46 that is notched upward from the lower end at a central position in the longitudinal direction. The notch 46 has a square shape when viewed from the front and is larger than the cross-sectional area of the roller 37. Further, the plate-like member 45 is provided with support holes 80a to 80k penetrating in the lateral direction so as to support the pulleys 78a to 78k in a cantilever manner. Of the supporting holes 80a to 80k, seven supporting holes 80a to 80g are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the plate-like member 45 on the upper side of the plate-like member 45. The two support holes 80h, 80i are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the plate-like member 45 with the notch 46 therebetween on the lower side of the plate-like member 45, and two other support holes 80j, 80 k is an intermediate position in the height direction of the plate member 45, and is arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the plate member 45. In addition, the straight lines formed by the support holes 80a to 80g, the straight lines formed by the support holes 80h and 80i, and the straight lines formed by the support holes 80j and 80k form mutually different straight lines, and A parallel relationship.

  In addition, the sub-transport unit 3 of the present embodiment is provided with a passive member 33 to which power from an elevating unit 5 described later is input. The passive member 33 is a known ball bearing similar to the passive member 32 included in the main transport unit 2. Then, a total of four passive members 33 are attached to each plate-like member 45, two each. Each passive member 33 is connected via a connecting member 39 to a bent portion 48 formed by bending the longitudinal end portion side of the plate-like member 45 and the lower side of the plate-like member 45. As shown in FIG. 9, the connection member 39 has an “L” cross-sectional shape and is fixed in a state where the upper surface of the bottom portion is in contact with the lower surface of the bent portion 48 of the plate-like member 45. .

  Each of the pulleys 78 a to 78 k has a rotation shaft 79 inserted in the center thereof, and can rotate with respect to the rotation shaft 79. The pulleys 78 a to 78 k are fixed to the plate-like member 45 via the rotation shaft 79. That is, the pulleys 78 a to 78 k are fixed by inserting the rotating shaft 79 into the support holes 80 a to 80 k of the plate-like member 45. The toothed transport belt 42 is suspended from the pulleys 78a to 78k thus fixed.

  Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a suspension path is employed in which the conveying belt 42 is suspended not only from the outside of the pulley 78 but also from the inside of the pulley 78. Specifically, the conveying belt 42 is suspended at the positions of the pulleys 78a to 78g and the pulleys 78h and 78i so as to be in contact with the pulleys 78 from the outside (the inside of the belt is in contact). On the other hand, at the positions of the pulleys 78j and 78k, the conveying belt 42 is suspended so as to be in contact with the pulleys 78j and 78k from the inside (the outside of the belt is in contact). Thus, in the present embodiment, the conveying belt 42 is suspended so as to contact not only from the outside of the pulley 78 but also from the inside of the pulley 78. The reason for this is to apply a certain tension to the conveying belt 42. That is, in the present embodiment, the pulleys 78j and 78k located in the middle in the height direction function as tension applying means.

  In the single belt unit 35, the roller main body 60 of the driving roller 37 is in contact between the pulley 78h and the pulley 78i so as to apply power to the conveying belt 42. That is, the conveying belt 42 is suspended so as to be in contact with the roller 37 from the inside (the outside of the belt is in contact). Thereby, for example, if the roller 37 rotates forward (clockwise with reference to FIG. 9), the conveying belt 42 moves counterclockwise, and conversely, the roller 37 rotates in reverse (see FIG. 9). If it rotates clockwise with respect to the reference), the conveyor belt 42 moves in the clockwise direction.

  The driving roller 37 is fixed to the plate-like member 45 via a roller fixing member 43. The roller fixing member 43 is a member constituted by a main body portion 81 having a U-shaped cross section and a flange portion 82 bent from an end portion of the main body portion 81. The main body 81 is provided with a holding hole 83 for holding the support shafts 65 and 66 of the roller 37, and the flange is provided with a fixing hole 84 for fixing to the plate-like member 45.

  And in the sub conveyance part 3, as shown in FIG. 3, these two sets of single belt unit 35a, 35b is integrally connected via a pair of belt side connection member 85,86. As shown in FIG. 10, the belt-side connecting members 85 and 86 are long members having a predetermined length. In the present embodiment, one step portion based on the horizontal direction of the cross-sectional shape is used. What has is adopted. That is, the belt side connection members 85 and 86 have two connection horizontal portions 90 and 91 having different vertical heights, and these are connected by the connection connecting portion. The belt side connecting members 85 and 86 are provided with a connecting hole 87 in one connecting horizontal portion 90 and a guide hole 88 through which a guide pole 14 described later is inserted in the other connecting horizontal portion 91. It is configured. In the present embodiment, two connecting holes 87 are arranged on each side in the longitudinal direction of each connecting horizontal portion 90, a total of eight, and the guide holes 88 are both ends in the longitudinal direction of each connecting horizontal portion 91. There are four in total, one on the side.

  The belt-side connecting members 85 and 86 are disposed on the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the plate-like members 45 of the individual belt units 35a and 35b, and are connected to the bent portions 48, respectively. More specifically, the belt-side connecting members 85 and 86 face the plate-like members 45 of both the single belt units 35a and 35b outward, and further face the side where the pulley 78 of the single belt units 35a and 35b is exposed. In this state, the connecting hole 87 is aligned with a predetermined position of the bent portion 48 and connected using a fastening element such as a screw or a bolt. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the belt side connecting members 85 and 86 are fixed in a state where the upper surface of the connecting horizontal portion 90 is in contact with the lower surface of the bent portion 48 of the plate-like member 45.

  The elevating part 5 is a part provided with an elevating mechanism capable of raising and lowering the main conveying part and the sub conveying part by the two systems of plate cams 8 and 9, and the plate cams 8 and 9 are mounted as shown in FIG. A plurality (two in this embodiment) of elevating rollers (rotating bodies) 10 and 11, a crank member (power transmission means) 12 for synchronizing the operations of the adjacent elevating rollers 10 and 11, and rotation of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 It is comprised with the sensor unit 15 which detects a state.

  In the present embodiment, a roller having the same internal structure as the motor built-in roller 28a is employed for one of the elevating rollers 10, 11 (elevating roller 10), and the follower described above for the other (elevating roller 11). A roller having the same internal structure as the roller 28b is employed. On the other hand, the lifting rollers 10 and 11 are slightly different in appearance from the rollers 28a and 28b described above. Therefore, the following description will be made by paying attention to the different points, and the other parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the rollers 28a and 28b, and description thereof will be omitted. In the following, for the sake of convenience, the difference in size of the roller body will be ignored.

  That is, the elevating rollers 10 and 11 have a lid member having a configuration different from that of the lid member 64 disposed at the axial end of the roller body 60 in the roller 28. As shown in FIG. 12, the lid member is provided with a surrounding fitting portion 23 that surrounds the support shafts 65, 66, 71, and 72. The surrounding fitting portion 23 is a portion that protrudes outward in the axial direction of the roller main body 60 from the lid member, and has a substantially square cross-sectional shape.

  The two systems of plate cams 8 and 9 have the same shape. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the plate cams 8 and 9 are members having an arc missing portion 26 in which a part of an arc of a circle having a certain size is missing. Specifically, the arc missing portion 26 of the plate cams 8 and 9 has a structure in which the length (diameter) from the center c to the circumferential portion changes with the movement in the circumferential direction with respect to the center c of the arc. is there. More specifically, the arc missing portion 26 is a portion that occupies a range of 90 ° to 180 °, preferably about 120 ° with respect to the center c, and has a shape close to a chord of the circle. In other words, the diameter of the arc missing portion 26 gradually decreases from one end side (starting end side) toward the center (shorter than the radius of the circle), and from the center to the other end side. It becomes larger again (to the end side) (the radius of the circle is the maximum).

The plate cams 8 and 9 are provided with a mounting hole 40 for mounting on the surrounding fitting portion 23 of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 and a pin insertion hole 41 through which the connection pin portion 25 is inserted. Each of the mounting hole 40 and the pin insertion hole 41 is a hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the member. The mounting hole 40 is located substantially at the center of the plate cams 8 and 9, and the pin insertion hole 41 is the plate cams 8 and 9. Located on the circumference side. Further, the pin insertion hole 41 is separated from one end side of the arc missing part 26 by about 180 °, and is arranged from the other end side by about 30 ° to 90 °, preferably about 60 °. Has been. That is, the pin insertion hole 41, the mounting hole 40, and one end side of the arc missing portion 26 are in a relationship located on substantially the same straight line.
In the present embodiment, the opening shape of the mounting hole 40 is substantially square, and the opening shape of the pin insertion hole 41 is substantially circular.

  And in this embodiment, in order to raise / lower both the main conveyance part 2 and the sub conveyance part 3 which are 2 system conveyance parts, it is set as the structure which uses the above-mentioned same shape board cam only by changing an attitude | position. . That is, a set of cam mechanisms 16 is formed in which the plate cam of one system is face-up, the plate cam of the other system is face-down, and the mounting hole 40 and the pin insertion hole 41 are both in communication. The lift rollers 10 and 11 are mounted. More specifically, the cam mechanism 16 at the time of mounting will be described. The two systems of plate cams 8 and 9 are in such a posture that the arc missing portions 26 do not overlap each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the two systems of plate cams 8 and 9 are combined in such a posture that the arc missing portions 26 do not overlap with each other in the projected plane. In this way, the cam mechanism 16 moves up or down either one of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3, and during that time, either of the other has a predetermined height (in this embodiment, the topmost part). ) Will be given the function to stop. One plate cam forming the cam mechanism body 16 is provided with a connection pin portion 25 (FIG. 12) for connecting the crank member 12 described later in the pin insertion hole 41.

As shown in FIG. 11, the crank member 12 is a long member, and has a shape having a notch cut out in the width direction on both ends in the longitudinal direction. And the pin insertion hole 24 connected to the connection pin part 25 provided in the cam mechanism body 16 is provided in the both ends of the crank member 12. That is, in the crank member 12, one pin insertion hole 24a is connected to one lifting roller 10 side, and the other pin insertion hole 24b is connected to the other lifting roller 11 side. Thereby, the crank member 12 functions as power transmission means for rotating the elevating rollers 10 and 11 synchronously.
In the present embodiment, a detection auxiliary member 38 is attached to the crank member 12 in order to improve detection accuracy of the sensor unit 15 described later. The auxiliary member for detection 38 is a member protruding toward the inner side (center side in the axial direction of the roller 37), and is arranged in the middle of the crank member 12 in the longitudinal direction.

As described above, the sensor unit 15 detects the rotational state of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 and employs a known non-contact type proximity sensor. That is, the sensor unit 15 includes two rotational position detecting units 92 and 93 that are installed at a predetermined interval (within a range in which the elevating rollers 10 and 11 can rotate). The sensor unit 15 is disposed between the elevating rollers 10 and 11 so as to face the detection auxiliary member 38 along the longitudinal direction of the crank member 12. That is, in the present embodiment, the sensor unit 15 can indirectly detect the rotation state of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 from the movement of the crank member 12.
The signal detected by the sensor unit 15 is input to a control device (not shown), and the rotation direction of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 is changed based on the signal. For example, if the elevating rollers 10 and 11 are rotating forward and a detection signal from the rotational position detecting means 92 is input to the control device, then the elevating rollers 10 and 11 are changed to reverse rotation, and then When the detection signal from the rotational position detecting means 93 is input to the control device, the rotation is again changed to normal rotation.

  The base portion 6 is a base portion that collects all of the elevating portion 5, the main transport portion 2, and the sub-transport portion 3 and is positioned below any of these members. As shown in FIG. And a guide pole (regulating member) 14.

The base body 13 includes a housing-like portion 17 having a space and an overhanging wall portion 19.
The casing-like portion 17 has a substantially square shape in plan view, and includes a bottom wall portion 96 and a peripheral wall portion 97 erected so as to surround the bottom wall portion 96. That is, the space of the housing-like portion 17 is open on one side facing the bottom wall portion 96. In addition, the pair of opposed peripheral wall portions 97 are provided with opening attachment notches 89 for fixing the elevating rollers 10 and 11 of the elevating unit 5. Specifically, two attachment notches 89 are provided on each of the peripheral wall portions 97a and 97c where a projecting wall portion 19 described later is not disposed. A pair of mounting notches 89 provided on the peripheral wall portions 97a and 97c are arranged on the same straight line, and another pair of mounting notch portions 89 provided on the peripheral wall portions 97a and 97c are arranged on the same straight line. Arranged on the line.
The overhanging wall portion 19 is a plate-like portion that protrudes outward from the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 97 in the orthogonal direction with respect to the peripheral wall portion 97, and is provided on a pair of opposed peripheral wall portions 97. That is, the protruding wall portions 19 a and 19 b provided on the pair of peripheral wall portions 97 d and 97 b protrude from the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 97 in a direction away from each other. Each of the overhanging wall portions 19a and 19b is provided with two fixing holes 98 for fixing the guide poles 14 respectively.

  The guide pole (regulating member) 14 is a sliding guide means, and is a cylindrical body having a predetermined length. The guide pole 14 is disposed at a position along the apex of the base body 13. That is, the base body 13 is provided with a total of four guide poles 14. Specifically, two guide poles 14 are arranged on the overhanging wall portion 19, and are provided through the fixing holes 98 so as to stand vertically upward from the upper surface of the overhanging wall portion 19. It is fixed.

Next, the positional relationship of each member of the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a base portion 6 as a base at the lowermost portion, and an elevating portion 5, a sub-transport portion 3, and a main transport portion 2 are disposed on the upper portion. . Specifically, the elevating unit 5 is fixed to the base unit 6, and the main conveyance unit 2 and the sub conveyance unit 3 are arranged above the elevating unit 5.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the elevating part 5 is mainly disposed inside the housing-like part 17 of the base part 6. That is, the elevating rollers 10 and 11 are held on the peripheral wall portion 97 in a parallel posture. That is, the two elevating rollers 10 and 11 are provided with the support shafts 65, 66, 71, and 72 in the mounting notches 89 of the peripheral wall portions 97a and 97c, and the roller body 60 is rotatably fixed. The crank member 12 that connects the two elevating rollers 10 and 11 is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the peripheral wall portion 97c that bears one surface of the housing-like portion 17.
The sensor unit 15 of the elevating part 5 is fixed to the bottom wall part 96 of the housing-like part 17 at a predetermined position.

  On the other hand, the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 are connected to the four guide poles 14 of the base unit 6 in a vertically movable state. In other words, the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 connected to the four guide poles 14 are in a state where movement in the horizontal direction is restricted with respect to the base unit 6. In this state, the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 are arranged in a three-dimensionally overlapping manner without interfering with each other. Specifically, paying attention to the portion of the guide pole 14, as shown in FIG. 16, the connecting horizontal portion 91 of the belt side connecting members 85, 86 of the sub-conveying portion 3 (the connecting horizontal portion positioned below the connecting connecting portion). Is connected to the guide pole 14 in a state of being disposed below the bottom wall portions 51 and 56 of the roller frames 30 and 31 of the main transport unit 2. When attention is paid to the portion forming the conveyance surface for conveying the article, as shown in FIG. 17, the roller 28 of the main conveyance unit 2 and the single belt unit 35 of the sub conveyance unit 3 are arranged in parallel to each other. Yes. The single belt unit 35 is basically located inside the roller frames 30 and 31 of the main transport unit 2 except for the portion located in the belt crossing notch 58 of the roller frame 31. Therefore, the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 are arranged so that they can operate independently without being affected by any one of the operations.

  At the same time, the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 are in contact with the cam mechanism 16 of the elevating unit 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 18, in the main transport unit 2, the four passive members 32 provided on the roller-side connecting member 47 serve as one system of the cam mechanism body 16 (on the outer side in the axial direction). The sub-conveying unit 3 is mounted on the plate cam 9 on the other (axially inner side) of which the four passive members 33 provided on the plate-like member 45 bear another one system of the cam mechanism 16. It is placed. Accordingly, the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 are both supported by the cam mechanism 16 at four points.

Next, operation | movement of the transfer apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
As described above, the transfer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided at a position where the main transport line 100 and the sub transport lines 101 and 102 intersect, and a part of the main transport line 100 and the sub transport lines 101 and 102. Forming a part of That is, the transfer device 1 sends out the article that has been loaded in the direction of the main conveyance line 100 or changes the conveyance direction in the direction of the sub-conveyance lines 101 and 102 in accordance with the conveyance information of the article. It is possible.

  In the present embodiment, information relating to the article W is detected by a stock sensor (not shown) or the like from the upstream side of the transfer device 1 in the transport direction. Then, for example, in the state shown in FIG. 19A, information detected by the stock sensor is input to a control device (not shown), and the conveyance direction in which the article W is sent out from the transfer device 1 is determined. That is, it is determined whether to maintain the main transport line 100 to transport the article W, or to change the direction from the main transport line 100 to the sub transport line 101 or the sub transport line 102 to transport the article W. Then, when the conveyance direction of the article W from the transfer device 1 is determined, the elevating unit 5 operates and conveys one of the main conveyance unit 2 and the sub conveyance unit 3 (for example, the main conveyance unit 2). Retreat from the surface downward. In the state shown in FIG. 19B, the sub-conveying unit 3 that contributes to the conveyance of the article W is controlled to be conveyed at a predetermined timing, and the article is conveyed in a desired direction. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 19 (c), when the conveyance of the article W is finished, the conveyance operation of the sub conveyance unit 3 is stopped, and the main conveyance unit 2 and the sub conveyance unit 3 are again moved before the lifting unit 5 is operated. Return to posture.

  More specifically, in the transfer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the cam mechanism 16 maintains the initial posture until the conveyance direction of the article is determined (FIG. 20A), and the main conveyance is performed. The unit 2 and the sub-transport unit 3 are on standby at the top. That is, while the cam mechanism 16 is in the initial posture, the arc portions of the plate cams 8 and 9 are in contact with the passive members 32 and 33 of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3. The transport sections 2 and 3 are also exposed at the same height, that is, on the transport surface. And if the conveyance direction of the articles | goods W in the transfer apparatus 1 is determined, the cam mechanism 16 will be rotated by the action | operation of the raising / lowering part 5, and the relative height between the conveyance parts 2 and 3 will be changed.

  For example, in the transfer apparatus 1, when the article W is transported in the direction of the main transport line 100, the lifting rollers 10 and 11 are rotated in the forward rotation direction (clockwise direction) to retract the sub transport unit 3 below the transport surface. Rotate to Then, as shown in FIG. 20B, the cam mechanism body 16 also rotates forward in conjunction with the rotation of the elevating rollers 10 and 11. As a result, the contact portion of the plate cam 9 that is located on the inner side in the axial direction of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 enters the arc missing portion 26 from the position of the arc portion (position in the initial posture). That is, the sub-conveying unit 3 is changed downward in the height direction so as to follow the shape of the circumferential portion of the arc missing portion 26 of the plate cam 9. In other words, the cam mechanism 16 converts the rotational movement into the vertical movement that moves the vertical movement downward in the vertical direction by the arc missing portion 26. At this time, since the state in which the movement in the horizontal direction is regulated by the guide pole 14 is maintained by the guide pole 14, the sub-conveying unit 3 is lowered straight in the vertical direction without being shaken in the horizontal direction.

On the other hand, when the cam mechanism 16 is rotated forward, the main transport unit 2 does not rise or fall. That is, the abutting portion of the plate cam 8 that is located on the outer side in the axial direction of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 maintains the position of the arc portion. Specifically, when the cam mechanism body 16 is rotated forward from the initial posture, as shown in FIG. 20B, the contact portion moves on the same arc as the arc portion of the initial posture. Does not cause a change in height.
When the article W is sent out from the transfer device 1 to the downstream side, the cam mechanism 16 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction (counterclockwise direction) to return to the initial posture (FIG. 20A). That is, the power converted into the up-and-down motion is input by the cam mechanism 16 and the height positions of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 are returned to the height exposed on the transport surface.
As described above, in the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment, when the article is sent out while maintaining the direction of the main conveyance line 100, the cam mechanism body 16 is rotated forward to reduce only the height of the sub-conveying unit 3. Operation is performed.

  On the other hand, in the transfer apparatus 1, when the article W is transported in the direction of the sub transport lines 101 and 102, the lifting rollers 10 and 11 are rotated in the reverse rotation direction so as to retract the main transport unit 2 below the transport surface. Rotate (counterclockwise). Then, as shown in FIG. 20C, the cam mechanism 16 also rotates in reverse in conjunction with this. Thereby, the contact part with the main conveyance part 2 of the plate cam 8 located in the axial direction outer side of the raising / lowering rollers 10 and 11 enters into the circular arc missing part 26 from the position of the circular arc part (position in the initial posture). That is, the height of the main transport unit 2 is lowered so as to follow the shape of the circumferential portion of the arc missing portion 26 of the plate cam 9. In other words, the cam mechanism 16 converts the rotational movement into the vertical movement that moves the vertical movement downward in the vertical direction by the arc missing portion 26. At this time, since the state in which the movement in the horizontal direction is restricted by the guide pole 14 is maintained by the guide pole 14, the main transport unit 2 moves straight down without being shaken in the horizontal direction.

On the other hand, when the cam mechanism 16 is rotated in the reverse direction, the sub transport unit 2 does not rise or fall. That is, the contact portion of the plate cam 9 that is located on the inner side in the axial direction of the elevating rollers 10 and 11 maintains the position of the arc portion. Specifically, when the cam mechanism 16 is rotated forward from the initial posture, the contact portion moves on the same arc as the arc portion of the initial posture, as shown in FIG. Does not cause a change in height.
Then, when the article W is sent from the transfer device 1 to the downstream side, the cam mechanism 16 is rotated in the normal rotation direction (clockwise direction) to return to the initial posture (FIG. 20A). That is, the power converted into the up-and-down motion is input by the cam mechanism 16 and the height positions of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 are returned to the height exposed on the transport surface.
As described above, in the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment, in the case of converting the direction of the sub-conveyance lines 101 and 102 to send out the article, the cam mechanism 16 is rotated in the reverse direction, and only the height of the main conveyance unit 2 is obtained. The operation of lowering is performed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the cam mechanism body 16 in which the postures of the two plate cams 8 and 9 are combined is used, and the rotation transmitted from the lifting rollers 10 and 11 by the cam mechanism body 16 is used. Since the movement can be directly converted into the lifting movement, the number of components in the lifting section can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional transfer device. As a result, manufacturing costs can be greatly reduced, and inexpensive products can be provided to the market.
Moreover, since the raising / lowering mechanism in the raising / lowering part 5 is a simple structure compared with the past, there is almost no burden on an operator by a maintenance effort etc.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the motor built-in roller can be employed as the power of the elevating unit 5, the entire apparatus can be made compact (mainly in the height direction) as in the conventional case.

In the above embodiment, the configuration using the sliding guide pole 14 as the guide means for the raising / lowering operation of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 has been shown, but as a related invention, for example, as shown in FIGS. Thus, the structure which guides the raising / lowering operation | movement of the main conveyance part 2 and the sub conveyance part 3 using the tension member 20 which has fixed tension | tensile_strength can be considered.
Below, the example which comprised the guide means using the tension member 20 is shown.

  Here, considering the operation of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 in the above-described embodiment, basically the movement in the horizontal direction is not performed, and the movement is performed only in the vertical vertical direction. That is, in order for the tension member 20 to function as a guide means, it is necessary to stretch the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 so as to prevent movement in the horizontal direction while allowing movement in the vertical direction. There is. Therefore, the present inventors have derived the structure described below as a result of repeated trial manufacture. In other words, each of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 is connected to the base unit 6 by knocking the tension member 20 at a plurality of locations. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the outer side of the four sides of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 and the base unit 6 are overlaid by a tension member 20, and the main transport unit 2 and The lower part inside the sub-conveying unit 3 and the base unit 6 are overlaid by a tension member 20.

Below, each location where the tension member 20 is applied will be described in detail.
On each pair of outer side surfaces (outer side surfaces orthogonal to the axial direction of the rollers 28) of the main conveyance unit 2 and the sub conveyance unit 3, two tension members 20 are used respectively, A structure is formed. Each staking structure in this place connects the two tension members 20 with the base portion 6 starting from the main transport section 2 and the sub-transport section 3, and connects the two tension members 20 to each other vertically. A three-dimensional intersection is made at a position halfway in the direction.
In addition, on each of another pair of outer surfaces (outer surfaces parallel to the axial direction of the roller 28) of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3, four tension members 20 are used, respectively, A tacking structure is formed. Each of the tucking structures at these two locations is the same as described above, and the two tension members 20 are connected to the base portion 6 with the main transport section 2 and the sub transport section 3 as the starting points. The tension members 20 are three-dimensionally crossed at a position halfway in the vertical direction.
Furthermore, in the lower part inside the main conveyance part 2 and the sub conveyance part 3, the four tension members 20 are used, respectively, and a two-point structure is formed. Each of the tucking structures in these two places is the same structure, and the two tension members 20 are connected to the base unit 6 with the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 as starting points, and the 2 The stretching members 20 of the books are three-dimensionally crossed at a position halfway in the horizontal direction.

  As described above, the tension member 20 is employed as the guide means, and the main transport unit 2 and the sub-transport unit 3 and the base unit 6 are formed at a plurality of locations to form a striking structure of the tension member 20. It is possible to form a structure in which the vertical movement is allowed while the relative movement of the main conveyance unit 2 and the sub conveyance unit 3 with respect to the base unit 6 is prevented. With this configuration, it is possible to guide the raising and lowering operations of the main transport unit 2 and the sub transport unit 3 without using sliding guide means. As a result, the guide means is not consumed due to wear or the like every time the lifting / lowering operation is performed, so that it is not necessary to replace the guide means or the like, and it is possible to save such work work. Along with this, it is possible to reduce costs such as maintenance costs.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the same shape of the plate cam is adopted for the two systems of the plate cams 8 and 9 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which plate cams of different shapes are adopted. It does not matter.
Moreover, you may be the structure using planar cams, such as a groove cam.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which one of the conveyance units is in the up / down operation and the other is not in the up / down operation is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and both the conveyance units can operate at the same time. It doesn't matter. For example, it is conceivable to change the structure of the cam mechanism in order to perform the operation. For example, such a cam mechanism includes a structure in which the two cams 8 and 9 shown in the above embodiment are slightly rotated in directions opposite to each other based on the postures of the two systems of plate cams 8 and 9.

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which employ | adopted the sensor unit 15 was shown in order to control rotation of the raising / lowering rollers 10 and 11 in the raising / lowering part 5, this invention is not limited to this, Use such a sensor. Alternatively, it may be controlled by the rotational speed of the motor.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the four rollers 28 are arranged in the main conveyance unit 2 and the two sets of single belt units 35 are arranged in the sub conveyance unit 3 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, a configuration in which three or less or five or more rollers 28 are arranged in the main conveyance unit, or a configuration in which three or more sets of single belt units 35 are arranged in the sub conveyance unit may be adopted.
Further, the present invention may have a configuration in which a motor-incorporated roller 28a is used for all the rollers 28 used in the main transport unit. In that case, the belt 69 as a power transmission means becomes unnecessary.

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which connected the crank member 12 to the cam mechanism body 16 in the raising / lowering part 5 was shown, this invention is not limited to this, It is directly to the raising / lowering rollers 10 and 11 which are the rotating bodies of the crank member 12. It is also possible to have a configuration that is connected to each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transfer apparatus 2 Main conveyance part 3 Sub conveyance part 5 Elevating part 6 Base part 8, 9 Plate cam 10 Elevating roller (motor built-in roller, rotating body)
11 Lifting roller (driven roller, rotating body)
12 Crank member (power transmission means)
14 Guide pole (regulating member)
16 Cam mechanism 20 Tension member (regulation member)
25 Connection pin part 26 Arc missing part 32, 33 Passive member 100 Main transport line 101, 102 Sub transport line

Claims (9)

A transfer device that constitutes a part of a conveyor line in which articles are conveyed and is capable of sending out the conveying direction of the articles in a direction different from the loading direction,
A transport unit that transports articles, a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the transport unit, and a regulating member that prevents movement of the transport unit in the horizontal direction,
The transport unit has a main transport unit that maintains the carry-in direction of the article and sends it downstream, and a sub-carry unit that changes the carry-in direction of the article to a different direction and sends it downstream.
The elevating unit has one or more drive sources, a plurality of rotating bodies, and two systems of planar cams arranged on the same axis of each rotating body,
When power is input from a plane cam of a different system, the main transport unit and the sub transport unit move at least one of the transport units in the vertical direction,
The restricting member is a guide pole that is erected,
It has a guide hole provided in the main transport part and a guide hole provided in the sub transport part,
The guide hole provided in the main transport part and the guide hole provided in the sub-transport part are three-dimensionally overlapped at a distance, and the guide pole is provided in the main transport part. And inserted into a state of communicating both of the guide holes provided in the sub-transport portion,
A transfer device characterized in that a guide pole guides a main transport unit and a sub transport unit in a vertical direction. The main transport unit is a roller unit in which a plurality of rotating rollers are arranged at intervals, and the sub-transport unit is a belt unit for a transfer device having a plurality of single belt units including a transport belt,
The roller of the roller unit and the conveyor belt of the belt unit are arranged in parallel to each other,
And the belt for conveying the belt unit is between the rollers of the roller unit,
Each of the belt unit and the roller unit has a passive member to which power is input in contact with the planar cam of one system,
The passive member on the belt unit side faces outward and cantilevered on the belt unit frame, and the passive member on the roller unit side faces inward and cantilevered on the roller unit frame. The passive member on the belt unit side and the passive member on the roller unit side face each other,
2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the roller unit and the belt unit are input with power through a passive member from planar cams of different systems. A transfer device that constitutes a part of a conveyor line in which articles are conveyed and is capable of sending out the conveying direction of the articles in a direction different from the loading direction,
A transport unit that transports articles, a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the transport unit, and a regulating member that prevents movement of the transport unit in the horizontal direction,
The transport unit has a main transport unit that maintains the carry-in direction of the article and sends it downstream, and a sub-carry unit that changes the carry-in direction of the article to a different direction and sends it downstream.
The transport unit includes a roller unit in which a plurality of rotating rollers are arranged at intervals, and a belt unit for a transfer device having a plurality of single belt units including a transport belt that moves.
The elevating unit has a plurality of combinations of one or more drive sources, a plurality of rotating bodies, and two plane cams arranged on the same axis of each rotating body,
The roller of the roller unit and the conveyor belt of the belt unit are arranged in parallel to each other,
And the belt for conveying the belt unit is between the rollers of the roller unit,
Each of the belt unit and the roller unit has a passive member to which power is input in contact with the planar cam of one system,
The passive member on the belt unit side faces outward and cantilevered on the belt unit frame, and the passive member on the roller unit side faces inward and cantilevered on the roller unit frame. The passive member on the belt unit side and the passive member on the roller unit side face each other,
When power is input via a passive member from a flat cam of a different system, at least one of the roller unit and the belt unit moves in the vertical direction,
The restricting member is a guide pole that is erected,
It has a guide hole provided in the main transport part and a guide hole provided in the sub transport part,
The guide hole provided in the main transport part and the guide hole provided in the sub-transport part are three-dimensionally overlapped at a distance, and the guide pole is provided in the main transport part. And inserted into a state of communicating both of the guide holes provided in the sub-transport portion,
A transfer device characterized in that a guide pole guides a main transport unit and a sub transport unit in a vertical direction.   The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two systems of planar cams have the same shape and are arranged in different postures. At least one rotating body is a motor built-in roller in which a motor as a driving source is built,
The rotating bodies are arranged so that the axial directions are parallel,
Adjacent rotators are connected to each other via a power transmission means, according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The transfer device according to claim 5, wherein the power transmission means is a long crank member, and the crank member is connected to a rotating body or a flat cam.   7. The transfer apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the two systems of flat cams are provided with a mounting opening that contributes to mounting on the rotating body and a connecting portion to which the power transmission means is connected.   The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body rotates within a predetermined angle range in a normal rotation direction and a reverse rotation direction.   9. The two systems of flat cams, when they reach a predetermined angle in the rotational direction, simultaneously raise and lower the main transport unit and the sub transport unit to the same height. The transfer apparatus in any one.

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