JP6185428B2 - Conveyor belt with balls - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor belt with balls in which a plurality of balls are mounted on a belt portion such as a modular chain belt in which a plurality of belt constituent members are connected in series via pins.

  Conventionally, as this type of conveyor belt with a ball, a belt in which a plurality of balls (free balls) are mounted on a belt portion such as a modular chain belt is known (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3). The belt portion is formed by connecting a plurality of chain links (an example of a belt constituent member) in series via a pin at a hinge portion so as to be rotatable. The plurality of balls are mounted in a state in which the plurality of balls can be displaced in the thickness direction of the belt portion in a plurality of concave portions formed at a substantially constant interval in the longitudinal direction of each chain link. For example, the ball is in a lowered state protruding from the back surface (travel surface) of the belt portion, and the ball rides on the traveling surface of a guide portion such as a rail on which the back surface of the belt slides, so that the ball is conveyed by the belt portion. It protrudes upward from the surface (surface) and rolls on the running surface in the protruding state. The article (conveyed article) placed on the ball is relatively moved on the belt portion by the rolling of the ball, and is conveyed at a double speed at a speed approximately twice the conveying speed of the belt portion. In this way, in the conventional conveyor belt with balls, a plurality of balls roll on the running surface during the running of the conveyor belt.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-314060 JP 2006-298619A Special table 2007-518654 gazette

  By the way, an article may be carried onto the conveyor belt from the lateral direction intersecting the transport direction. In this case, the ball that rolls on the running surface rolls in a direction in which the article can be conveyed in a conveyance direction that intersects the conveyance direction of the article. There is a problem that the article cannot be smoothly carried in because it is rotated by force or is slightly caught by the resistance received from the ball.

  The objective of this invention is providing the conveyor belt with a ball | bowl which can carry in smoothly the conveyed product carried in on a conveyor belt from the direction different from a conveyance direction on a ball | bowl.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
A conveyor belt with a ball that solves the above problems includes a plurality of belt constituent members having a plurality of hinge portions on both sides, and a plurality of the belt constituent members are connected in series via pins by the hinge portions. And a ball unit mounted in a recess formed in the belt constituent member and rotatably held in a state where a part of the ball is exposed. It partially protrudes from the conveyance surface which is the side surface, and does not protrude from the traveling surface which is the surface opposite to the conveyance surface in the belt portion.

  According to this configuration, in a conveyor belt with balls (hereinafter simply referred to as “conveyor belt”), the balls do not protrude from the traveling surface of the belt portion, and therefore do not hit the traveling surface during traveling of the conveyor belt. Does not roll (rotate). For this reason, the balls are in a freely rotatable state independently of the running of the conveyor belt. Since the conveyed product carried on the conveyor belt from the direction intersecting the conveying direction is placed on a freely rotatable ball, it is carried on the ball smoothly in the carrying direction. For example, if the ball is rolling on the traveling surface when the conveyed product is placed, the conveyed item receives a force in a direction different from the loading direction from the ball, and the conveyed item is caused to flow in the rolling direction of the ball, for example Inconveniences such as a change in posture may occur. However, since the ball is free to rotate without rolling when the conveyed product is placed on the ball, the conveyed product is placed on the conveyor belt from the direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor belt while suppressing this kind of inconvenience. It can be carried in smoothly.

It is preferable that the said conveyor belt with a ball | bowl is provided with the cover part which covers the said ball | bowl from the said to-be-traveled surface side.
According to this configuration, since the ball is covered with the cover portion from the traveling surface side, for example, the ball does not protrude from the traveling surface, but the ball comes into contact with the traveling surface as compared to the exposed configuration. It can be avoided more reliably. For example, if the cover is not provided, the ball may come into contact with the running surface due to variations in the mounting position of the ball unit on the belt component or the progress of wear on the running surface of the belt. On the other hand, since there is a cover portion, the ball is less likely to come into contact with the running surface even if this type of mounting position variation or running surface wear occurs.

In the conveyor belt with balls, it is preferable that at least a part of a surface of the cover portion on the side opposite to the ball side is flush with the traveling surface of the belt portion.
According to this configuration, since at least a part of the surface of the cover portion opposite to the ball side is flush with the traveling surface of the belt portion, only the traveling surface of the belt portion slides on the traveling surface. Compared with the structure to perform, the area of the running surface of a conveyor belt is ensured widely. As a result, the surface pressure that the conveyor belt receives from the running surface can be kept small. For example, the running surface of the conveyor belt is less likely to be worn, contributing to a longer life of the conveyor belt.

The said conveyor belt with a ball | bowl WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said cover part has a seat part which supports the part by the side of the said to-be-traveled surface of the said ball | bowl.
According to this configuration, the portion of the ball on the traveling surface side is supported by the seat portion of the cover portion. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the portion of the ball on the traveling surface side is not supported, the number of locations where the ball is supported increases, and the ball unit can be held more stably.

  In the conveyor belt with balls, it is preferable that the cover portion having the seat portion is provided on a holder that rotatably holds the ball unit in a state where a part of the ball is exposed.

  According to this structure, since the cover part which has a seat part is provided in the holder which hold | maintains a ball | bowl so that rotation is possible, a ball | bowl is stably supported by a seat part. For example, when the seat portion is provided on the belt constituent member, the ball may not be supported by the seat portion due to variations in the mounting position of the ball unit with respect to the belt constituent member. However, since the seat portion is provided on the holder, the disadvantage that the ball is not supported by the seat portion hardly occurs, and the ball can be reliably supported by the seat portion.

The said conveyor belt with a ball | bowl WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said ball | bowl is supported by the some ball arrange | positioned rotatably on the said seat part.
According to this configuration, since the ball is supported by a plurality of balls rotatably arranged on the seat, the frictional resistance received from the seat and the ball when the ball rotates is reduced, and the ball rotates. Improves.

  In the conveyor belt with a ball, the ball unit includes a holder that rotatably holds the ball in a state where the ball is partially exposed, and the belt has a peripheral portion of an opening where a part of the ball is exposed. It is preferable that a guide portion is provided that has a guide surface that protrudes from the transfer surface of the portion and increases in the amount of protrusion as it approaches the ball from the outer peripheral side.

According to this configuration, when the conveyed product is placed on the ball, it is guided by the guide surface of the guide portion protruding from the conveyance surface and can be smoothly placed on the ball.
In the conveyor belt with balls, it is preferable that the ball unit is slid and inserted into the concave portion from a direction intersecting the thickness direction of the belt portion.

  According to this configuration, the ball unit is attached to the concave portion of the belt portion by being slid into the concave portion from a direction intersecting the thickness direction of the belt portion. Therefore, the lifting of the ball from the belt portion can be suppressed.

  It is preferable that the conveyor belt with a ball includes a locking portion that locks the ball unit slidably inserted into the concave portion in a state in which movement in the thickness direction with respect to the belt portion is restricted.

  According to this configuration, the ball unit slide-inserted into the recess is locked in a state in which movement in the thickness direction is restricted by the locking portion with respect to the belt portion. Therefore, the lifting of the ball from the belt portion can be more reliably suppressed.

  According to this invention, the conveyed product carried in on a conveyor belt from the direction different from a conveyance direction can be carried in smoothly on a ball | bowl.

The perspective view which shows typically the belt-type conveying apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled partially seeing a part of conveyor belt with a ball from the conveyance surface side. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled partially seeing a part of conveyor belt from the to-be-traveled surface side. The disassembled perspective view which shows a ball unit. The perspective view which shows the mounting structure of the ball unit with respect to a chain link. The front view which shows the mounting part of the ball unit in a conveyor belt. The sectional side view which shows the mounting part of the ball unit in a conveyor belt. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled partially seeing a part of conveyor belt with a ball in 2nd Embodiment from the conveyance surface side. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled partially seeing a part of conveyor belt from the to-be-traveled surface side. The disassembled perspective view which shows a ball unit. The perspective view which shows the mounting structure of the ball unit with respect to a chain link. The front view which shows the mounting part of the ball unit in a conveyor belt. The sectional side view which shows the mounting part of the ball unit in a conveyor belt. The sectional side view which shows the mounting part of the ball unit in the conveyor belt of a modification. The sectional side view which shows the mounting part of the ball unit in the conveyor belt of the modification different from FIG.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the conveyor belt with a ball in 1st Embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the belt-type transport device 11 is placed on a transport surface 12 </ b> A that is an upper surface of an endless conveyor belt 12 with balls (hereinafter also simply referred to as “conveyor belt 12”). The article W as an example of the placed conveyance object is conveyed. In the belt type conveyance device 11 of the present embodiment, the article W is carried in at least from the lateral direction SI that intersects the conveyance direction X (traveling direction) of the conveyor belt 12. The conveyor belt 12 is constituted by a modular chain belt with balls. The conveyor belt 12 is made of synthetic resin, but may be made of metal.

  The belt-type transport device 11 includes a pair of rotary shafts 13 that are arranged at a predetermined distance in the transport direction X, and a plurality of sprockets 14 that are fitted to the respective rotary shafts 13. Each sprocket 14 has a plurality of teeth 14a on the outer periphery. The conveyor belt 12 is wound around each sprocket 14 in a state where the teeth 14a are meshed with a meshing recess (not shown) formed at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction of the back surface opposite to the transport surface 12A. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power of a motor 16 that is a power source is input via a speed reduction mechanism 17 to one rotary shaft 13 that is located downstream in the transport direction X (right side in FIG. 1). When the motor 16 is driven and the sprocket 14 rotates, the conveyor belt 12 circulates in the transport direction X. The conveyor belt 12 is supported by a square plate-like support base 18 on the back surface of the portion on the transport surface 12A side (upper side) on which the article W to be transported is placed. A plurality of rails 19 extending along the transport direction X are arranged on the support base 18 in the width direction Y (only one is shown in FIG. 1). The conveyor belt 12 circulates while being supported by the plurality of rails 19. That is, the conveyor belt 12 is a traveling surface in which the traveling surface 12B (back surface) which is the surface opposite to the conveying surface 12A (front surface) is the surface (upper surface in the example of FIG. 1) facing the conveyor belt 12 in the rail 19. 19A (refer to FIG. 7) circulates while sliding.

  2 and 3 show a part of the conveyor belt 12 divided in the transport direction X and the width direction Y in a partially disassembled state. 2 shows the conveying surface 12A side of the conveyor belt 12, and FIG. 3 shows the traveling surface 12B side. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor belt 12 of this example includes a belt portion 20 constituted by a modular chain belt, and balls 31 exposed in a state in which a part protrudes on the conveying surface 20 </ b> A (front surface side) of the belt portion 20. And a ball unit 30 having A plurality of ball units 30 are assembled to the belt unit 20 in a state of being arranged in a matrix in a plan view. Note that the arrangement pattern of the ball units 30 is not limited to a matrix, and may be, for example, an arrangement pattern of a checker flag or a hexagonal lattice. In short, an appropriate arrangement pattern that can support the article W with the plurality of balls 31 at the same time can be used.

  A part of the structure of the conveyor belt 12 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is connected in a necessary number in the conveying direction X and the width direction Y, so that the conveyor belt 12 having a predetermined length and a predetermined width shown in FIG. Composed. In the present embodiment, the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12 is a portion on which the article W is placed, and specifically, is formed by a plurality of balls 31. On the other hand, although the conveyance surface 20A of the belt unit 20 may partially contact the lower end of the article when the article W is loaded onto the conveyor belt 12 or when the article is tilted, It is the surface of the belt portion 20 that is basically not, and is a surface that serves as a reference for the protruding amount of the ball 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the belt portion 20 includes a plurality of chain links 21 as an example of a long belt constituent member extending in the width direction Y. The belt portion 20 is formed in a belt shape by connecting chain links 21 adjacent to each other in the transport direction X by pins 40 so as to be rotatable, and a plurality of chain links 21 are connected in series via the connection. The pin 40 has a length dimension substantially equal to the width dimension of the conveyor belt 12. The chain link 21 has a plurality of (four in the example of FIG. 2) recesses 22 along its longitudinal direction, and a ball unit 30 is mounted in each recess 22.

  Hereinafter, detailed configurations of the chain link 21 and the ball unit 30 will be described. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the chain link 21 is y, and the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction y is the short direction x.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the chain link 21 has a plate-like substrate portion 23 that is long in one direction (longitudinal direction y). The substrate portion 23 is formed with a plurality of (four in this example) concave portions 22 that open toward the downstream side in the transport direction X (the short direction x of the chain link 21) with a constant interval in the longitudinal direction y. Has been. At the opening end side (right side in FIG. 2) of the concave portion 22 in the substrate portion 23, two types of first hinge portions 24A and 24B are directed toward the downstream side in the transport direction X at positions on both sides of the concave portion 22 in the longitudinal direction y. Is extended.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two first hinge portions 24 </ b> A are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction y of the substrate portion 23. The other first hinge portion 24B is provided in a pair of regions (a total of three pairs in the example of FIG. 2) in the region corresponding to the recesses 22 in the substrate portion 23, and is relatively larger than the width of the first hinge portion 24A. It is formed with a narrow width. Further, a concave portion 25 having a width smaller than that of the concave portion 22 is formed between the pair of first hinge portions 24B and 24B. Each of the first hinge portions 24A and 24B is formed with a cylindrical pin hole 24a penetrating in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction at a position on the same axis. Further, a cover portion 26 that covers the ball 31 exposed on the back side of the ball unit 30 attached to the recess 22 from the back surface side of the belt portion 20 is formed at a position on the back surface side of the recess 22 in the chain link 21. Yes. When mounted in the recess 22, the entire back surface of the ball unit 30 is covered by the cover portion 26.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two types of second hinge portions 27A and 27B are provided on the back side of the substrate portion 23 opposite to the first hinge portions 24A and 24B in the lateral direction x. The hinges 24A and 24B extend in a direction opposite to the extending direction. One second hinge portion 27A is provided at a position corresponding to the recess 22 in the longitudinal direction y, and is formed to have a width and an extension length that can be inserted into the recess 22 of the adjacent chain link 21 to a certain depth. . The other second hinge portion 27 </ b> B is provided at a position corresponding to the recess 25 in the longitudinal direction y, and has a width and an extension length that can be inserted into the recess 25 of the adjacent chain link 21. And between the 2nd hinge parts 27A and 27B adjacent to the longitudinal direction y, the recessed part 28 in which the 1st hinge part 24B of the chain link 21 located adjacent to the conveyance direction X is inserted is formed. A cutout 29 into which the first hinge portion 24A is inserted is formed at a position outside the second hinge portion 27A located at both ends in the longitudinal direction y.

  The first hinge portion 24A is formed with a width slightly narrower than the width of the notch 29, and the first hinge portion 24B is formed with a width slightly narrower than the recess 28. Further, the second hinge portion 27A is formed with a slightly narrower width than the recessed portion 22, and the second hinge portion 27B is formed with a slightly narrower width than the recessed portion 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, cylindrical pin holes 27a penetrating in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction are formed in the second hinge portions 27A and 27B at positions on the same axis. . The first hinge portions 24A, 24B and the second hinge portions 27A, 27B can be inserted into the mating recesses 25, 28 until the pin holes 24a, 27a are aligned on the same axis. Then, by inserting the pin 40 into the pin holes 24a, 27a that communicate with one, the plurality of chain links 21 rotate around the pin 40 via the other adjacent chain links 21 and the hinge portions 24, 27. It is connected freely. In the present embodiment, an example of the hinge portion is configured by the first hinge portions 24B and 24B and the second hinge portions 27A and 27B. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the two types of first hinge portions 24A and 24B, they are referred to as “first hinge portion 24” and the two types of second hinge portions 27A and 27B are particularly distinguished. If there is no need to do this, it will be referred to as a “second hinge portion 27”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one ball unit 30 is mounted in each recess 22 of each chain link 21. The pitch of the ball units 30 (that is, the balls 31) assembled to the belt unit 20 is substantially equal in the transport direction X and the width direction Y, and is set to a predetermined value within a range of 10 to 60 mm, for example. This predetermined value is set to a value smaller than the size of the bottom surface of the article to be conveyed (the length of the bottom surface in the short direction), and the article W being conveyed is always placed on the plurality of balls 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ball unit 30 includes a holder 32 that rotatably holds the ball 31. The holder 32 is substantially D-shaped in plan view (a square plate shape with two corners on the tip side rounded) and has substantially the same thickness as the chain link 21. A circular opening 32 a that exposes a part of the ball 31 is formed on both the front and back surfaces of the holder 32. The holder 32 has a lower cover 33 and an upper cover 34 having substantially the same shape. The lower cover 33 and the upper cover 34 are joined by locking so as to hold the ball 31 partially exposed from the opening 32a so as to be freely rotatable. The ball unit 30 configured in this manner is locked with respect to the chain link 21 by being slid into the recess 22 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (the direction opposite to the transport direction X). It is attached by.

Next, the configuration of the ball unit 30 and the structure for mounting the ball unit 30 to the chain link 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
As shown in FIG. 4, the ball unit 30 includes the above-described lower cover 33 and upper cover 34 each having a square plate shape with a thickness obtained by dividing the holder 32 into two (half) in the thickness direction. A through hole 33a having a circular shape in plan view is formed in the central portion of the lower cover 33 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction and expose a part of the lower side of the ball 31. Further, the joint surface 33b of the lower cover 33 with the upper cover 34 intersects with the pair of cylindrical pins 33c projecting vertically from two positions facing each other across the through hole 33a and the facing direction of the pair of pins 33c. A pair of pin holes 33d facing each other are provided. Further, on the outer peripheral portion of the lower cover 33, a ridge portion 35a (flange portion) extending in a substantially U shape in plan view is formed over three outer peripheral surfaces facing the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 22. The surface on the joint surface 33b side of the ridge 35a is flush with the joint surface 33b.

  On the other hand, the upper cover 34 shown in FIG. 4 has a shape that is substantially plane-symmetric with the lower cover 33 with respect to the joint surfaces 33b and 34b. A through-hole 34a having a circular shape in plan view is formed in the central portion of the upper cover 34 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction and expose a part of the upper side of the ball 31. Further, a pair of pins (not shown) that can be fitted into a pair of pin holes 33d on the lower cover 33 side and a pair of pins 33c on the lower cover 33 side are formed on the joint surface 34b of the upper cover 34 with the lower cover 33. A pair of pin holes (not shown) that can be fitted are formed. Further, at a position near the joint surface 34b in the thickness direction in the outer peripheral portion of the upper cover 34, a ridge portion 35b extending in a substantially U shape in plan view over three outer peripheral surfaces facing the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 22. (Flange part) is formed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an annular guide portion 36 is formed on the surface 32b (upper surface) constituting a part of the transport surface 20A in the upper cover 34 along the outer peripheral edge of the opening 32a from which the ball 31 is exposed. Projected. The guide portion 36 has a guide surface 36a that is inclined so that the amount of protrusion gradually increases as it approaches the opening 32a (in other words, the ball 31) from the radially outer side (outer peripheral side) of the opening 32a. The guide surface 36a is formed in, for example, substantially the same surface shape as the outer peripheral surface of the truncated cone. In addition, the surface shape of the guide surface 36a may be a concave curved surface or a convex curved surface other than a surface shape having a constant radial inclination, or a surface shape in which the inclination changes in the middle of the radial direction.

  In the lower cover 33 and the upper cover 34 shown in FIG. 4, the pin 33c is inserted into the pin hole on the upper cover 34 side, and the pin on the upper cover 34 side is inserted into the pin hole 33d, whereby the ball 31 is inserted into the through hole 33a. , 34a are locked in a state of being accommodated. In this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the ball unit 30 is manufactured in which the ball 31 is held by the holder 32 in a freely rotatable state. At this time, the flange part 35 which protrudes in planar view D shape is formed in the outer peripheral part of the holder 32 by joining a pair of protruding item | line parts 35a and 35b.

  Next, a structure for mounting the ball unit 30 to the recess 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5, the flange portions 35 of the ball unit 30 are slid on the two inner wall surfaces facing the longitudinal direction y of the recess 22 at the positions of the both ends (upper and lower ends) of the chain link 21 in the thickness direction. A pair of upper and lower quadrangular piece-shaped guide portions 22a and 22b that can be guided to be inserted and can be locked at the mounting position of the holder 32 are projected. The distance between the pair of guide portions 22a and 22b in the thickness direction of the chain link 21 is set slightly larger than the thickness of the flange portion 65 so that the flange portion 35 can be slidably inserted. Further, in the concave portion 22, the concave curved surface portion that becomes the back surface in the insertion direction of the ball unit 30 is an arc-shaped convex strip that supports the lower surface of the front end portion in the insertion direction of the holder 32 of the ball unit 30 inserted in the concave portion 22. The guide part 22c which becomes is protrudingly provided. Then, the ball unit 30 is prevented from being detached by locking at the mounting position where the ball unit 30 is slid and inserted from the opening end side to the innermost side with respect to the recess 22. The load applied to the ball unit 30 is received by the guide portions 22a and 22c with which the flange portion 35 of the holder 32 abuts. Further, the upper surface of the flange portion 35 is in contact with the pair of guide portions 22b, thereby preventing the ball unit 30 from coming off upward from the concave portion 22. In the present embodiment, the guide portions 22a to 22c constitute an example of a locking portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the mounted state of the ball unit 30, the surface 32 b (upper surface) of the holder 32 is substantially flush with the conveying surface 20 </ b> A of the belt portion 20 formed by the upper surface of the chain link 21. ing. For this reason, the annular guide portion 36 provided at the outer peripheral edge portion of the opening 32a where a part of the ball 31 is exposed in the holder 32 protrudes toward the protruding direction side of the ball 31 from the conveying surface 20A of the belt portion 20. Yes. Even if the lower end of the leading end of the article W to be carried onto the conveyor belt 12 is positioned lower than the top of the ball 31, the lower end of the leading end of the article W is guided to the guide surface 36a. Thus, the article W can smoothly ride on the ball 31 without being caught so much.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a bottom surface 26a, which is a surface opposite to the ball 31 side in the cover portion 26 that covers the portion of the recess 22 where the ball unit 30 is mounted from the back surface side, is a chain link. 21 is formed flush with the bottom surface of a portion other than the cover portion 26 (a portion of the chain link 21 other than the concave portion 22 in plan view). For this reason, the bottom surface 26 a of the cover portion 26 also forms part of the traveling surface 12 B of the conveyor belt 12. Therefore, the surface pressure that the conveyor belt 12 receives from the traveling surface 19A when the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 slides on the traveling surface 19A of the rail 19 is reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cover portion 26 is separated from the ball 31 in a state where the ball unit 30 is mounted in the recess 22. For this reason, sliding frictional resistance with the cover part 26 does not occur when the ball 31 rotates. When the conveyor belt 12 is required to be thin, it is preferable that the gap between the cover portion 26 and the ball 31 be as narrow as possible within a range where the balls 31 do not contact each other even when a load of the article W is applied.

  The material of the conveyor belt 12 of this embodiment is a synthetic resin. The material of the ball 31 is, for example, nylon, and the material of the chain link 21 and the holder 32 is, for example, polyacetal (POM) resin. The material of the rail 19 is ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or stainless steel. Further, the material of the chain link 21 and the holder 32 may be other synthetic resins such as nylon, polybutylene terephthalate, and polypropylene instead of the polyacetal resin.

Next, the operation of the conveyor belt 12 configured as described above will be described.
The conveyor belt 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 circulates (runs) in the transport direction X by the power transmitted through the meshing with the sprocket 14 that is rotated by the power of the motor 16. As a result, the article W placed on the transport surface 12A (that is, on the ball 31) of the conveyor belt 12 is transported in the transport direction X at a predetermined speed.

  On the conveyor belt 12 shown in FIG. 1, there is an article W sent from the upstream side in the conveying direction X or an article W sent from the lateral direction SI (side) intersecting the conveying direction X of the conveyor belt 12. It is brought in. Even while the conveyor belt 12 is driven, the balls 31 do not roll because they do not hit the running surface 19A of the rail 19. That is, the balls 31 are in a freely rotatable state independent of the driving of the conveyor belt 12.

  For example, the article W carried in from the lateral direction SI is placed on the freely rotatable ball 31. When the article W is placed on the ball 31, the ball 31 receives a force in the carry-in direction of the article W and rotates. As a result, the article W sent from the lateral direction SI is smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12 on the balls 31.

  For example, in the prior art conveyor belt with balls, the balls roll on the running surface while the conveyor belt is driven, so if the article is carried in from the lateral direction (side) that intersects the conveying direction, the article Receives a force in the conveying direction from the rolling ball. For this reason, there is a possibility that the posture of the article changes (for example, rotation or the like) during the carry-in process, or a catch occurs when the article is carried in due to the resistance of the ball. That is, articles cannot be smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt with balls.

  On the other hand, according to the conveyor belt 12 of this embodiment, since the balls 31 can freely rotate independently of driving the conveyor belt 12 when the article W is carried in, the posture change caused by the rotation of the article W during the carrying-in process, Further, the article W is hardly caught. For this reason, the article W is smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12 even from the lateral direction SI.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, since the ball 31 is separated from the cover portion 26, no sliding friction resistance with the cover portion 26 is generated. As described above, since there is no sliding frictional resistance with the cover portion 26 when the ball 31 rotates, the article W is smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12 even from the lateral direction SI.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bottom surface 26 a of the cover portion 26 is formed flush with the bottom surface of the portion other than the cover portion 26 of the chain link 21. For this reason, the area of the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 (that is, the traveling surface 20B of the belt portion 20) is secured wide, and the surface pressure that the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 receives from the traveling surface 19A of the rail 19 is small. It can be suppressed. Therefore, the load received by the traveling surface 12B that slides with the traveling surface 19A of the rail 19 in the conveyor belt 12 can be dispersed. For example, the traveling surface 20B of the conveyor belt 12 is hardly worn.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer peripheral edge portion of the opening 32 a from which a part of the ball 31 is exposed protrudes more toward the protruding side of the ball 31 than the conveying surface 20 </ b> A (that is, the surface 32 b of the holder 32). An annular guide 36 is provided. For this reason, even if the lower end of the leading end of the article W in the carrying direction is positioned lower than the top of the ball 31 when the article W is carried onto the conveyor belt 12, the lower end of the leading end of the article W in the carrying direction is the guide surface 36a. , The article W can smoothly ride on the ball 31 without being caught so much. Therefore, also in this case, the article W is smoothly carried onto the balls 31 of the conveyor belt 12. Then, the article W is carried to the position near the center in the width direction Y on the conveyor belt 12 and is conveyed in the conveying direction X along with the traveling of the conveyor belt 12 while being placed on the conveying surface 12A (that is, the ball 31).

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The ball 31 of the ball unit 30 mounted in the recess 22 of the chain link 21 partially protrudes from the conveying surface 20A and does not protrude from the traveling surface 20B that slides with the traveling surface 19A. Therefore, during the traveling of the conveyor belt 12, the balls 31 do not come into contact with the traveling surface 19A, so that they can freely rotate independently of the driving of the conveyor belt 12. Therefore, when the article W is loaded onto the conveyor belt 12, the article W is placed on the ball 31 and smoothly moves in the loading direction. For example, when the article W is carried in, if the ball is rolling on the running surface, when the article W is placed on the ball 31, it receives a force to move in a direction different from the carrying-in direction. As a result, the posture of the article W may change, or a kind of catching due to the resistance of the ball may occur. However, according to the present embodiment, since the balls 31 can freely rotate while the conveyor belt 12 is running, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of this type of inconvenience.

  (2) The chain link 21 is provided with a cover portion 26 that covers the ball 31 from the traveling surface 20B side. Since the traveling surface 20B side of the ball 31 is covered with the cover portion 26, it is possible to more reliably avoid contact of the ball 31 with the traveling surface 19A. For example, if the running surface side of the ball is not covered and the ball is exposed, the ball is caused by variations in the mounting position of the ball unit with respect to the chain link or the progress of wear of the running surface of the belt portion. There is a concern of rolling on the running surface. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment in which the ball 31 is covered with the cover portion 26, the ball 31 is driven on the running surface regardless of variations in the mounting position of the ball unit 30 and the progress of wear on the running surface 20B. It is possible to more reliably avoid hitting 19A.

  (3) A bottom surface 26 a that is a surface opposite to the ball 31 side of the cover portion 26 is flush with the traveling surface 20 </ b> B of the belt portion 20 other than the cover portion 26. For this reason, the area of the traveling surface 12B where the conveyor belt 12 hits the traveling surface 19A is secured wide, and the surface pressure received by the conveyor belt 12 from the traveling surface 19A can be kept small. Therefore, the load received by the portion of the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 that slides with the traveling surface 19A is dispersed. For example, the traveling surface 12 </ b> B is less likely to be worn and can contribute to a longer life of the conveyor belt 12.

  (4) Since the cover portion 26 is positioned away from the ball 31, no contact friction resistance with the cover portion 26 is generated when the ball 31 rotates. For this reason, compared with the case where the cover portion is in contact with the ball, the ball 31 on which the article W is placed at the time of carry-in rotates smoothly. Therefore, the article W can be smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12 even from the lateral direction SI.

  (5) Since the cover portion 26 is integrally formed with the chain link 21, the bottom surface 26a of the cover portion 26 can be more surely flush with the traveling surface 20B of the belt portion 20 other than the cover portion 26. it can. For example, when the cover portion 26 is formed on the holder 32 of the ball unit 30 which is a separate member from the chain link, due to variations in the mounting position of the ball unit 30 with respect to the chain link 21, There is a possibility that a case where the running surface 20B of the belt part 20 is not flush with each other may occur. On the other hand, since the cover portion 26 is formed integrally with the chain link 21, the bottom surface 26a of the cover portion 26 can be more reliably flush with the traveling surface 20B of the belt portion 20.

  (6) The ball unit 30 is mounted on the belt unit 20 by being slid into the recess 22 from a direction intersecting the thickness direction of the belt unit 20 (a direction parallel to the transport direction X). Therefore, the lift of the ball 31 from the belt portion 20 can be suppressed. Further, even if the ball unit 30 is loosely attached to the belt unit 20, the ball unit 30 only moves in the sliding direction. Therefore, even when such attachment is loosened, the lifting of the ball 31 from the belt unit 20 is suppressed. be able to. In particular, the pin 40 is prevented from coming off even when the ball unit 30 is loosely attached, so that the ball unit 30 can be prevented from coming off from the recess 22.

  (7) The chain link 21 is a guide portion as an example of a locking portion that locks the ball unit 30 that is slid into the concave portion 22 in a state where movement in the thickness direction of the belt portion 20 is restricted. 22a, 22b, and 22c are provided. Therefore, the lifting of the ball 31 from the belt portion 20 can be more reliably suppressed. Even if the mounting of the ball unit 30 on the belt portion 20 is loosened, the movement of the belt portion 20 in the thickness direction is restricted by the guide portions 22a, 22b, and 22c. The lifting from the belt portion 20 can be more reliably suppressed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the conveyor belt with balls in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the ball support structure in the ball unit and the configuration of the cover portion that covers the ball from the back side are different from those in the first embodiment. That is, in the first embodiment, the cover portion that covers the ball 31 from the traveling surface 19A side is provided on the chain link 21, but in this embodiment, the seat portion that supports the portion of the ball 61 on the traveling surface 19A side is the cover portion. And a seat portion also serving as a cover portion is provided in the holder 62 of the ball unit 60. The chain link 51 as an example of the belt constituent member of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment except for the structure of the concave portion 52 to which the ball unit 60 is mounted due to the difference in the configuration of the ball unit 60. The configuration is basically the same as that of the chain link 21 in the embodiment. For this reason, about the structure in common with the chain link 21 of 1st Embodiment in the chain link 51, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the plurality of chain links 51 constituting the conveyor belt 12 are provided on the both sides in the short direction x of the base plate portion 53 with a first hinge portion similar to the chain link 21 of the first embodiment. 24A, 24B and second hinge portions 27A, 27B. A concave portion 52 having an opening width slightly larger than the width of the second hinge portion 27A is formed at a position corresponding to the second hinge portion 27A in the longitudinal direction y, that is, at the same position as the concave portion 22 of the first embodiment. Has been. In this recess 52, the ball unit 60 of the second embodiment is mounted. The ball unit 60 is slidably inserted into the recess 52 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. The plurality of chain links 51 are connected in series through the pins 40 in a rotatable state by inserting the pins 40 into the pin holes 24 a and 27 a of the hinge portions 24 and 27.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the chain link 51 of this embodiment, the recess 52 penetrates in the thickness direction of the belt portion 20, and there is no cover portion that covers the ball from the traveling surface side. The holder 62 of the ball unit 60 of the present embodiment is thicker than the holder 32 of the ball unit 30 of the first embodiment, and the thickness thereof is substantially equal to the thickness of the belt portion 20. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, in a state where the ball unit 60 is mounted in the recess 52, the bottom surface 62c of the holder 62 of the ball unit 60 is connected to the traveling surface 20B of the conveyor belt 12 and the traveling surface 20B. Exposed in a nearly flush state.

Next, the configuration of the ball unit 60 and the structure for mounting the ball unit 60 to the chain link 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
As shown in FIG. 10, the ball unit 60 includes a square plate-like lower cover 63 and an upper cover 64, respectively. A concave spherical seat 63 a is formed at the center of the lower cover 63. The radius of curvature of the seat portion 63 a is slightly larger than the radius of the ball 61. A plurality of concave spherical concave portions 63b having a smaller diameter than the seat portion 63a are formed at positions near the bottom on the inner peripheral surface of the seat portion 63a. The ball unit 60 has a plurality of balls 67 placed in the plurality of recesses 63b. The plurality of balls 67 are sufficiently smaller in diameter than the ball 61.

  Further, on the joint surface of the lower cover 63 with the upper cover 64, a square plate-like engaging convex portion 63c with a seat portion 63a opened at the center is projected. Further, the lower cover 63 has a substantially U-shaped projection 65a (flange portion) in a plan view extending over three outer peripheral surfaces facing the inner peripheral surface of the recess 52 (see FIG. 11). Yes.

  On the other hand, the upper cover 64 shown in FIG. 10 is thinner than the lower cover 63 and has a square plate shape that is substantially the same shape as the lower cover 63 in plan view. A central through hole 64a is formed in the center of the upper cover 64 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction and expose a part of the upper side of the ball 61 in a plan view. Further, an engagement recess 64b (see also FIG. 13) into which the engagement protrusion 63c on the lower cover 63 side can be fitted is formed on the joint surface side of the upper cover 64. And the through-hole 64a is opened in the center part of the bottom face of this engagement recessed part 64b. As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of protrusions 65 b (flange portions) project from both sides in the width direction of the upper cover 64 (only one is shown in FIG. 10). The pair of ridges 65b are thinner than the other parts of the upper cover 64, and extend in parallel to each other at positions close to the joint surface.

  Further, an annular guide portion 66 projects from the outer peripheral edge portion of the opening 62 a from which the ball 61 is exposed on the surface 62 b (upper surface) of the upper cover 64. The guide portion 66 has substantially the same shape as the guide portion 36 of the first embodiment, and has a guide surface 66a that is inclined so that the amount of protrusion gradually increases from the radially outer side of the opening 62a toward the opening 62a. doing.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, the ball 61 is placed on the plurality of balls 67 that are rotatably mounted in the plurality of recesses 63 b that are recessed on the inner peripheral surface of the seat 63 a. 63a. The lower cover 63 and the upper cover 64 are joined through the engagement of both the engaging convex portions 63c and the engaging concave portions 64b, so that the ball unit 60 is, as shown in FIGS. The ball 61 partially protruding from the opening 62a is assembled in a state in which it is held in the holder 62 so as to be freely rotatable. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, the ball unit 60 has a substantially U-shaped flange portion 65 formed by joining the protruding strip portions 65a and 65b.

  Next, a structure for mounting the ball unit 60 in the recess 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 11, the flange portions 65 of the ball unit 60 are slid on the two inner wall surfaces opposed to the longitudinal direction y of the recess 52 at the positions of both ends (upper and lower ends) of the chain link 51 in the thickness direction. A pair of upper and lower quadrangular piece-shaped guide portions 52a and 52b that can be guided to be inserted and can be locked at the mounting position of the holder 62 project. The distance between the pair of guide portions 52a and 52b in the thickness direction of the chain link 51 is set to be slightly wider than the thickness of the flange portion 65 so that the flange portion 65 can be slidably inserted. Further, the concave curved surface portion which is the back surface in the insertion direction of the ball unit 60 in the concave portion 52 abuts the lower surface of the front end portion in the insertion direction of the flange portion 65 of the ball unit 60 inserted in the concave portion 52, and A guide portion 52c made of an arc-shaped ridge that receives a load is provided to protrude. Then, the ball unit 60 is prevented from being pulled out by locking at the mounting position where the ball unit 60 is slid and inserted from the opening end side to the innermost side with respect to the recess 52. In the present embodiment, the guide portions 52a to 52c constitute an example of a locking portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the ball unit 60 is mounted, the surface 62 b (upper surface) of the holder 62 is substantially flush with the conveying surface 20 </ b> A of the belt portion 20 formed by the upper surface of the chain link 51. Therefore, the annular guide portion 66 protrudes more toward the protruding side of the ball 61 than the conveying surface 20A. Due to the presence of the guide portion 66, even if the lower end of the front end portion of the article W to be carried onto the conveyor belt 12 is positioned lower than the top portion of the ball 61, the lower end of the article W is guided to the guide surface 66 a. As a result, the ball 61 gets on the ball 61 smoothly.

  12 and 13, the bottom surface 62c of the ball unit 60 mounted in the recess 52 is substantially flush with the traveling surface 20B of the belt portion 20 (the bottom surface of the chain link 51). The bottom surface 62c of the ball unit 60 also constitutes a part of the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12. For this reason, when the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 slides on the traveling surface 19A of the rail 19, the surface pressure that the conveyor belt 12 receives from the traveling surface 19A is kept small. Therefore, the load that the conveyor belt 12 receives from the traveling surface 19A can be dispersed. For example, the wear rate of the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 can be kept low.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, the ball 61 is supported by a plurality (three in this example) of balls 67 that are rotatably mounted on the concave portions 63b on the concave spherical surface of the seat portion 63a. Yes. The plurality of balls 67 come into contact with the balls 61 at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the balls 31 at a height slightly shifted to the transport surface 20A side from the end portion (lower end) of the balls 61 on the traveling surface 12B side. The ball 61 is supported at a plurality of locations (three locations in this example). Here, when one of a plurality of balls is arranged at a position where it comes into contact with the lower end of the ball, it is necessary to increase the distance between the ball 61 and the bottom surface 62c of the holder 32 in order to secure a ball arrangement space. This leads to thickening of the belt part 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, a ball is not disposed immediately below the lower end of the ball 61, and a plurality of balls 67 are brought into contact with the ball 61 at a position deviated from directly below the lower end of the ball 61. The company is trying to make it thinner. The ball 61 is supported by the plurality of balls 67, so that the sliding frictional resistance during the rotation of the ball 61 is kept small. The conveyor belt 12 of this embodiment is made of synthetic resin as in the first embodiment, and the materials of the balls 61, the chain link 51, and the holder 62 are the same as in the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the conveyor belt 12 of the second embodiment configured as described above will be described.
During traveling (driving) of the conveyor belt 12 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, since the balls 61 do not hit the traveling surface 19 </ b> A of the rail 19, the balls 61 can freely rotate independently of the driving of the conveyor belt 12. Since the article W carried in from the lateral direction SI (see FIG. 1) onto the conveyor belt 12 is placed on a freely rotatable ball 61, the ball 61 receives a force in the carrying direction from the article W and rotates. As a result, the article W is smoothly carried in the carrying direction by the rotation of the balls 31 on the conveyor belt 12.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, since the ball 61 is supported by a plurality of balls 67 placed in the respective concave portions 63b on the concave spherical surface of the seat portion 63a, the sliding when the ball 61 rotates is performed. Dynamic frictional resistance can be kept small. Therefore, also from this point, the article W is smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12 even from the lateral direction SI.

  12 and 13, the bottom surface 62c of the ball unit 60 (holder 62) is substantially flush with the travel surface 20B, and the travel surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 is widely secured. Yes. For this reason, the surface pressure that the conveyor belt 12 receives from the traveling surface 19A of the rail 19 via the traveling surface 12B is suppressed to a low level. Therefore, the load that the conveyor belt 12 receives on the traveling surface 12B can be dispersed. As a result, for example, the traveling surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 is not easily worn.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, an annular guide portion 66 protruding from the conveying surface 20 </ b> A is provided at the outer peripheral edge of the opening 62 a from which a part of the ball 61 is exposed. Therefore, even if the lower end of the front end of the article W in the carrying direction is positioned lower than the top of the ball 61 when being carried onto the conveyor belt 12, the lower end of the article W is guided to the guide surface 66a. The article W can smoothly ride on the ball 61.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(8) Since the ball 61 is supported by the seat portion 63a, the portion of the ball 61 on the traveling surface 12B side is stably supported by the seat portion 63a. Therefore, the ball 61 can be stably supported as compared with the configuration in which the portion of the ball 61 on the traveling surface 12B side is not supported. For example, the sinking of the balls 61 with respect to the transport surface 20A when a heavy article W is placed can be reduced.

  (9) Since the ball 61 is supported by the seat portion 63a via the plurality of balls 67, the sliding frictional resistance of the ball 61 can be suppressed to be small, and the rotation of the ball 61 is improved. As a result, the article W placed on the ball 61 is smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12.

  (10) Since the seat portion 63a also serves as a cover portion that covers the traveling surface 20B side of the ball 61, for the same reason as described in the effect (2) by the cover portion 26 in the first embodiment, It can avoid more reliably that the ball | bowl 61 contacts 19A of running surfaces.

  (11) Since the seat portion 63a is formed on the holder 62 of the ball unit 60, the ball 61 is reliably supported by the seat portion 63a regardless of variations in the mounting position of the ball unit 60 with respect to the recess 52 of the chain link 51. it can. For example, when the seat portion is formed integrally with the chain link, there is a concern that the ball is not supported by the seat portion due to variations in the mounting position of the ball unit with respect to the recess of the chain link. On the other hand, since the seat portion 63a is formed integrally with the holder 62, the ball 61 can be more reliably supported by the seat portion 63a.

  (12) Since the bottom surface 62c of the holder 62 of the ball unit 60 is substantially flush with the travel surface 20B and the travel surface 12B of the conveyor belt 12 is widely secured, the conveyor belt 12 is driven surface. The surface pressure received from the running surface 19A of the rail 19 through 12B can be kept small. Therefore, the traveling surface 12 </ b> B of the conveyor belt 12 is less likely to be worn, which can contribute to extending the life of the conveyor belt 12.

  (13) A ball is not disposed immediately below the lower end of the ball 61, but comes into contact with the ball 61 at each position along the circumference of the ball 61 at a height slightly shifted from the lower end of the ball 61 toward the conveying surface 20A. A plurality of balls 67 are arranged. For this reason, compared with the structure which arrange | positions a ball directly under the lower end of a ball | bowl, the thickness reduction of the conveyor belt 12 is realizable.

  (14) Since the ball unit 60 is mounted by being slid into the recess 52 from a direction intersecting the thickness direction of the belt portion 20 (a direction parallel to the transport direction X), Lifting can be suppressed. Even if the ball unit 60 is loosely attached to the belt portion 20, the ball unit 60 only moves in the sliding direction. Therefore, even when such attachment is loosened, the lifting of the ball 61 from the belt portion 20 can be suppressed. it can. In particular, even if the ball unit 60 is loosely attached, the pin 40 is prevented from coming off, so that the ball unit 60 can be prevented from coming off from the recess 52.

  (15) The chain link 51 is a guide portion 52a, 52b, 52c as an example of a locking portion that restricts movement of the belt portion 20 in the thickness direction with the ball unit 60 being slid into the recess 52. It has. Therefore, the lift of the ball 61 from the belt portion 20 can be further reliably suppressed. Even if the ball unit 60 is loosely attached to the belt portion 20, the movement of the belt portion 20 in the thickness direction is restricted by the guide portions 52a, 52b, and 52c. The lifting from the belt portion 20 can be more reliably suppressed.

In addition, the aspect shown below may be sufficient as the said embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 14, the cover portion 26 and the ball 31 may be brought into contact with each other, and the cover portion 26 may also serve as the seat portion of the ball 31. According to this configuration, although the number of sliding positions of the ball 31 is increased by one point, since the point contact is made, the sliding friction resistance between the ball 31 and the cover portion 26 can be reduced and the number of supporting positions of the ball 31 can be increased. 31 can be supported more stably. For this reason, the ball 31 can be rotated while being stably held. For example, the sinking of the balls 61 with respect to the transport surface 20A when a heavy article W is placed can be reduced. In addition, by receiving a part of the load received by the ball 31 from the article W by the cover portion 26, it is possible to avoid the concentration of the load on the mounting portion of the holder 32 with respect to the concave portion 22 and to distribute the load. Therefore, the ball unit 30 can be securely held in the recess 22 for a long period of time. As a result, the article W can be smoothly and stably carried on the conveyor belt 12 even from the lateral direction SI, and the long life of the conveyor belt 12 can be realized.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the cover part 26 may be eliminated. Even in this configuration, since the ball 31 is disposed at a position that is less on the transport surface 20A side than the traveling surface 20B, the ball 31 does not hit the traveling surface 19A. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the balls 31 from rolling on the running surface 19A while the conveyor belt 12 is running. For this reason, the article W can be smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12 even from the lateral direction SI. Moreover, you may abolish the seat part 63a and the ball | bowl 67 in 2nd Embodiment. In this way, even if the ball 61 is exposed from the opening at the bottom of the ball unit, the article W can be moved in the lateral direction as long as the ball 61 is in a position reserved from the traveling surface 20B and does not roll on the traveling surface 19A. Even from SI, it can be smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12.

  -The ball | bowl should just not protrude from the to-be-traveled surface 20B of the belt part 20. FIG. Although it is preferable that the balls 31 and 61 are disposed at a position withdrawn from the traveling surface 20B toward the transport surface 20A as in the above embodiments, such a configuration is not essential. For example, the balls 31 and 61 The end of the traveling surface 12B side may be flush with the traveling surface 12B. In this case, since the contact pressure between the ball and the running surface is weak, the force for rolling the ball is sufficiently weak, and if the force received from the article loaded from the lateral direction SI is sufficiently strong, the article can be removed from the lateral direction SI. It can be smoothly carried onto the conveyor belt 12.

  The lateral direction in which the article is carried in is not limited to a lateral direction orthogonal to the transport direction X, and may be an oblique lateral direction as long as it intersects the transport direction X. Further, the articles may be carried in only on the right side or only on the left side with respect to the conveyor belt, or on both the left and right sides.

  In the first embodiment, the cover portion may be formed on the holder of the ball unit instead of the chain link. In this case, the cover part may be separated from the ball, or the cover part may be brought into contact with the ball. In the former case, there is no contact frictional resistance between the ball and the cover part, and the ball is easy to rotate. On the other hand, in the latter case, the ball is supported by the cover portion, and the ball can be rotated while being stably held. In addition, the bottom surface, which is the surface opposite to the ball side, of the cover portion formed on the holder of the ball unit is flush with the traveling surface 20B in the mounting state of the ball unit in the recess as in the second embodiment. It is preferable. According to this configuration, the surface pressure of the traveling surface 20B of the conveyor belt 12 with respect to the traveling surface 19A can be reduced, and the load received by the traveling surface 20B can be dispersed.

  In the first embodiment, for example, a concave spherical seat may be formed on the surface of the cover that faces the ball 31, and the ball 31 may be supported by the concave spherical seat. Alternatively, a plurality of balls 67 (see FIGS. 10 and 13) may be placed on a concave spherical seat formed on the cover portion, and the balls 31 may be supported by the plurality of balls 67.

  In the first embodiment, only a part of the bottom surface 26a, not the entire surface of the bottom surface 26a, which is the surface opposite to the ball 31 side of the cover portion 26, is a portion of the belt portion 20 other than the traveling surface 20B. It may be flush. In short, it is only necessary that at least a part of the bottom surface 26a of the cover portion 26 is flush with the traveling surface of the portion other than the cover portion of the belt portion.

  -In the said 2nd Embodiment, the structure which the seat part 63a of the holder 62 does not serve as a cover part may be sufficient. For example, a hole penetrating in the belt thickness direction is formed in the lower end portion of the concave spherical surface of the seat portion to form an annular seat portion, and the ball is placed from the hole in a position in which the ball is refrained on the transport surface side from the traveling surface. A part may be exposed. Further, the ball may be supported via a plurality of balls 67 on this kind of annular seat. In this case, since the plurality of balls 67 contact the ball at a position on the circumference of the ball at a predetermined height from the lower end of the ball, the conveyor belt can be made thinner compared to the configuration having balls that contact the lower end of the ball. easy.

  -The number of balls supporting the ball is preferably 3 or more. The number is not limited to three, and may be four, five, or six. Further, a plurality of seven or more may be used. Further, the arrangement positions of the plurality of balls 67 are not limited to positions at regular intervals in the circumferential direction at a predetermined height from the lower end of the balls, and may be positions at irregular intervals.

  In the second embodiment, the plurality of balls 67 may be eliminated. That is, the ball may be directly supported on the concave spherical seat. In this case, the concave spherical surface of the seat portion may be formed of a low friction material, or a coating layer of the low friction material may be applied to the concave spherical surface. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which makes the contact area of a ball | bowl and a seat part small, and makes sliding friction resistance between both small by forming a micro unevenness | corrugation in the whole surface of the concave spherical surface of a seat part.

  The cover portion may have a configuration in which a cover member, which is a member different from the belt constituent member and the ball unit, is inserted into the concave portion by insertion or locking. Even with this configuration, the ball can be prevented from rolling on the running surface.

The surface of the cover portion opposite to the ball side may be positioned so as to be recessed toward the ball side with respect to the traveling surface of the portion other than the cover portion of the belt portion.
-A belt-type conveyance apparatus is not limited to the structure which circulates an endless-shaped conveyor belt with a ball | bowl. For example, the present invention may be used in a reciprocating belt-type conveying device for conveying articles by reciprocating a conveyor belt with balls having both ends in the belt longitudinal direction.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Belt type conveying apparatus, 12 ... Conveyor belt (conveyor belt with a ball), 12B ... Traveling surface, 19 ... Rail, 19A ... Traveling surface, 20 ... Belt part, 20A ... Conveying surface, 20B ... Traveling surface, 21 , 51... Chain link as an example of a belt component, 22, 52... Recess, 22a to 22c, 52a to 52c... Guide part constituting an example of a locking part, 24A and 24B. Hinge part, 26 ... cover part, 26a ... surface, 27A, 27B ... second hinge part as an example of hinge part, 30, 60 ... ball unit, 31, 61 ... ball, 32, 62 ... holder, 32a, 62a ... Opening, 36, 66 ... guide part, 36a, 66a ... guide surface, 40 ... pin, 63a ... seat part, 63b ... concave part, 67 ... ball, W ... article as an example of the conveyed product.

Claims (8)

A plurality of belt constituent members having a plurality of hinge portions on both sides, and a plurality of belt constituent members connected in series via pins by the hinge portions;
A ball unit mounted in a recess formed in the belt components together rotatably held in a state of exposing a part of the ball,
A cover portion that covers the ball from a traveling surface side that is a surface opposite to a conveyance surface that is a surface on which a conveyed object is placed on the belt portion ;
The cover portion is separated from the ball in a state where the ball unit is mounted in the recess,
The ball is partially protrudes from the front Ki搬 Okumen ball with a conveyor belt, characterized in that does not protrude from the front Symbol the running surface. At least in part, a ball with a conveyor belt according to claim 1, characterized in that said has become the running surface flush of the belt opposite the surface and the ball side of the cover portion. The said cover part has a seat part which supports the part by the side of the said to-be-traveled surface of the said ball | bowl, The conveyor belt with a ball | bowl of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The conveyor belt with a ball according to claim 3 , wherein the cover portion having the seat portion is provided on a holder that rotatably holds the ball in a state in which the ball in the ball unit is partially exposed. . The said belt is supported by the several ball | bowl arrange | positioned rotatably on the said seat part, The conveyor belt with a ball | bowl of Claim 3 or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The ball unit includes a holder that rotatably holds the ball partially exposed,
A guide portion having a guide surface that protrudes from the outer peripheral side of the opening of the holder where a part of the ball is exposed and increases from the outer peripheral side toward the ball. The conveyor belt with a ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the conveyor belt with a ball is provided. The said belt unit is the conveyor belt with a ball | bowl as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 6 slidably inserted in the said recessed part from the direction which cross | intersects the thickness direction of the said belt part. The ball according to claim 7 , further comprising: a locking portion that locks the ball unit that is slid into the concave portion in a state in which movement in the thickness direction with respect to the belt portion is restricted. Conveyor belt with.