JP7318090B1 - Vertical heating furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to control processing conditions. A vertical heating furnace (10) includes a furnace body (11), a heater (25), and a conveying device (20). The furnace body 11 has therein a furnace space 12 in which the object to be transferred A is transferred along the height direction. A heater 25 is provided in the furnace space 12 . The transport device 20 transports the object A to be transported along the height direction in a transport area 12a set in the furnace space 12 where the object A is to be transported. The furnace body 11 is provided with partitions 19 for partitioning the heating zones Z1 to Z5 in the furnace space 12 along the height direction. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to vertical heating furnaces.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-037806 discloses a vertical heating furnace capable of vertically transporting an object to be transported in a furnace space. The vertical heating furnace disclosed in the publication includes a plurality of feed support members, a plurality of support projections projecting from each of the plurality of feed support members, and a drive control device for controlling the driving of the plurality of feed support members. and A plurality of feed support members are provided around the object to be transferred in the furnace body, and are formed in a longitudinal shape in the vertical direction. The plurality of support projections support the outer peripheral portion of the object to be conveyed in a state where they are vertically spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. A drive controller drives reciprocating and rotational motion for the plurality of feed support members. Thereby, a plurality of objects to be conveyed are sent upward or downward.

In such a vertical heating furnace, the objects to be conveyed can be processed side by side in the direction along the thickness of the objects to be conveyed. As a result, compared with a continuous heating furnace in which the objects to be conveyed are arranged horizontally and processed, the distance over which the objects to be conveyed are conveyed can be easily shortened, and the space inside the furnace can be easily narrowed. It is said that the narrower space in the furnace requires less energy to heat the inside of the furnace, making the equipment more energy efficient.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-037806

By the way, the atmosphere in the heating furnace is controlled to a preset processing temperature according to the processing temperature of the object to be processed. However, in a vertical heating furnace, atmospheric gas heated to a relatively high temperature can rise, and atmospheric gas heated to a relatively low temperature can fall. For this reason, in the vertical heating furnace, it is difficult to control the processing conditions along the height direction along which the object to be conveyed is conveyed.

The vertical heating furnace disclosed herein includes a furnace body having a furnace space in which an object to be transferred is conveyed along the height direction, a heater provided in the furnace space, and a heater set in the furnace space. and a conveying device that conveys the object along the height direction in the conveying area where the object is conveyed. The furnace body is provided with at least one partition that divides the furnace space into heating zones along the height direction. In such a vertical heating furnace, processing conditions are easily controlled along the height direction.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vertical heating furnace 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vertical heating furnace 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing control by the control device 60. As shown in FIG.

One embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings below, members and portions having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional relationships (length, width, thickness, etc.) in each drawing do not reflect the actual dimensional relationships. Up, down, left, right, front, and rear directions are indicated by arrows U, D, L, R, F, and Rr, respectively. Here, the directions of up, down, left, right, front, and rear are defined for convenience of explanation only, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification, the "height direction" corresponds to the vertical direction indicated by the arrow in the drawing. "The width direction of the furnace body" corresponds to the left-right direction or the front-rear direction indicated by the arrows in the drawing. Further, the "width direction of the furnace body" coincides with the thickness direction of the side wall of the furnace body.

<Vertical heating furnace 10>
1 and 2 are schematic cross-sectional views of a vertical heating furnace 10. FIG. FIG. 1 shows a cross section along the height direction of the vertical heating furnace 10 . In addition, in FIG. 1, illustration of the transferred object A supported by the rotating body is partially omitted. FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the furnace body 11 along line II-II of FIG. In FIG. 2, the positions of the rotors 31, 32, 41, and 42 when the object A can be supported are indicated by solid lines, and the positions of the rotors 31, 32, and 41 when the object A is not supported are indicated by solid lines. , 42 are indicated by dashed lines. In FIG. 2, the position of the partition 19 hidden by the furnace body 11 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. In FIGS. 1 and 2, hatching of the cross section of the furnace body 11 is omitted. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 schematically shows the furnace body 11 with the side walls 16 and partitions 19 removed. The removed partition 19 is shown virtually side by side with the furnace body 11 . In FIG. 3, illustration of the heater 25, the temperature sensor 28, the through holes 14b, 14c, 15b, 15c, etc. is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the vertical heating furnace 10 includes a furnace body 11 and a carrier device 20 . The vertical heating furnace 10 further includes a control device 60 that controls the transfer device 20 . In the vertical heating furnace 10, the transported object A is transported along the height direction. The vertical heating furnace 10 is equipped with a heater 25 for heat-treating an object to be processed. An object to be processed (not shown) is heat-treated while being transported in the furnace body 11 while being placed on the object A to be processed.

In this embodiment, the transferred object A is plate-shaped. Such a plate-like transferred object A is also called a setter. The object to be transferred A is not particularly limited, but an object made of a material having required heat resistance and reaction resistance can be appropriately selected. In this embodiment, a ceramic transported object A is used. As shown in FIG. 2, the transferred object A has a substantially square shape in plan view. The transported object A has a pair of first side surfaces A1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as side surfaces A1), a pair of second side surfaces A2 (hereinafter also simply referred to as side surfaces A2), an upper surface, and a lower surface. . The pair of first side faces A1 are formed substantially parallel to each other. The pair of second side surfaces A2 are formed substantially parallel to each other. In this embodiment, an object to be heat-treated in the vertical heating furnace 10 is placed on the upper surface of the object A to be transferred. Note that the transported object is not limited to such a form. The transported object may be, for example, a box-shaped object, also called a sagger or a sagger. A lid may be placed on the transferred object. Further, as the object to be transferred, for example, a plate-like object to be processed may be directly transferred.

<Furnace 11>
The furnace body 11 has, as shown in FIG. 1, a furnace space 12 inside which an object A to be transferred is transported along the height direction. In the furnace space 12, a transfer area 12a in which the object A is transferred is set. The conveying area 12a is an area where the object to be conveyed A conveyed along the height direction is conveyed. The transport area 12a is set to a height at which the transported object A is carried in and a height at which the transported object A is carried out in the height direction. The transfer area 12 a is set substantially at the center of the furnace space 12 in the width direction (left-right direction and front-rear direction) of the furnace body 11 . The transport area 12a can have a shape (in this embodiment, a substantially square shape) corresponding to the planar shape of the transported object A on a plane orthogonal to the height direction.

In this embodiment, the furnace body 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The furnace body 11 is formed longer in the height direction (vertical direction) of the furnace body 11 than in the width direction of the furnace body 11 . The furnace body 11 has plate-like side walls 14 to 17 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), a bottom portion 13, and a ceiling portion . The furnace space 12 is surrounded by side walls 14 to 17 , a bottom portion 13 and a ceiling portion 18 .

In this embodiment, the side walls 14 to 17, the bottom portion 13, and the ceiling portion 18 of the furnace body 11 are made of heat insulating material. As the heat insulating material, for example, a ceramic fiber board molded into a predetermined shape can be used. A ceramic fiber board is a plate material formed by adding an inorganic filler and an inorganic/organic binder to a so-called bulk fiber. The furnace body 11 can be configured by stacking ceramic fiber boards in the thickness direction of the furnace body 11, for example. The thicknesses of the side walls 14 to 17, the bottom portion 13, and the ceiling portion 18 of the furnace body 11 are set to a required thickness that sufficiently insulates the heat in the furnace space 12. As shown in FIG.

<Bottom part 13>
The bottom portion 13 is a plate-shaped heat insulating member. In this embodiment, the bottom portion 13 is substantially rectangular. The bottom portion 13 has a central portion 13a and end portions 13b. The central portion 13 a is a portion of the furnace body 11 exposed to the furnace space 12 . The end portion 13 b is formed along the edge of the substantially square bottom portion 13 . The end portion 13b is formed thinner than the central portion 13a. The lower ends of the side walls 14 to 17 are placed on the end portion 13b of the bottom portion 13. As shown in FIG. A through hole 13c is formed in the central portion 13a. The shafts 34 and 44 of the conveying device 20 are inserted through the through holes 13c.

<Side walls 14, 15>
Side walls 14 and 15 are plate-shaped heat insulating members. Side walls 14 and 15 extend upward from bottom portion 13 . As shown in FIG. 2, the side walls 14 and 15 face each other in the left-right direction. In the width direction of the side walls 14, 15, the widths of the side walls 14, 15 and the bottom portion 13 are substantially the same.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sidewall 14 has a protrusion 14a. The projecting portion 14 a is a portion that protrudes toward the inside of the furnace body 11 from one surface of the plate-like side wall 14 . The protrusion 14 a extends along the width direction of the side wall 14 . The cross section in the direction in which the projection 14a protrudes has a substantially rectangular shape. The convex portion 14a has an upper surface 14u and a lower surface 14d. The upper surface 14u and the lower surface 14d are substantially flat surfaces in the width direction of the side wall 14 and the direction in which the protrusions 14a protrude. The upper surface 14u and the lower surface 14d of the adjacent convex portions 14a face each other.

The length of the convex portion 14a along the width direction of the side wall 14 is set to be substantially the same as the central portion 13a of the bottom portion 13. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the sidewall 14 has a plurality of protrusions 14a. The plurality of protrusions 14a are provided at predetermined intervals from the bottom to the top of the side wall 14 . In this embodiment, the intervals between the plurality of protrusions 14a are set according to partitions 19, which will be described later. The interval between the plurality of protrusions 14 a is set wider than the thickness of the partition 19 .

Of the protrusions 14a, the lowermost protrusion 14a1 and the uppermost protrusion 14a2 are each formed with a portion that further protrudes toward the inside of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. The projecting portions are formed except for the ends of the protrusions 14a1 and 14a2 in the width direction of the side wall 14. As shown in FIG. Of the protrusions 14 a , the lowermost protrusion 14 a 1 is placed on the central portion 13 a of the bottom surface portion 13 . Therefore, in the side wall 14, the lower end is supported by the end portion 13b of the bottom surface portion 13, and the convex portion 14a1 is supported by the central portion 13a.

Side wall 15 is provided at a position facing side wall 14 . The shape of side wall 15 and its position with respect to bottom portion 13 are symmetrical in the direction facing side wall 14 . The side wall 15 has the same number of protrusions 15a as the protrusions 14a. Like the protrusion 14 a of the side wall 14 , the protrusion 15 a is a portion that protrudes inward from the furnace body 11 from one surface of the side wall 15 . Since the shape and dimensions of the protrusion 15a of the side wall 15 are the same as those of the protrusion 14a of the side wall 14, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The protrusions 15a of the plurality of side walls 15 are provided at positions facing the protrusions 14a of the side walls 14, respectively. As with the side wall 14, the side wall 15 has its lower end supported by the end portion 13b of the bottom surface portion 13, and the lowest convex portion 15a1 supported by the central portion 13a.

A partition 19 can be placed on and supported by the protrusion 14 a of the side wall 14 and the protrusion 15 a of the side wall 15 . In other words, the pair of side walls 14 and 15 have projections 14 a and 15 a as support portions for supporting the partition 19 . Here, the partition 19 is supported by the pair of side walls 14 and 15 by being placed on the upper surfaces 14u and 15u of the protrusions 14a and 15a. Further, lower surfaces 14d and 15d of the projections 14a and 15a facing the upper surfaces 14u and 15u of the projections 14a and 15a on which the partitions 19 are placed can act as pressing portions for pressing the partitions 19. As shown in FIG.

The side walls 14 and 15 are formed with through holes 14b, 14c, 15b and 15c. The through holes 14b, 14c, 15b, and 15c pass through the protrusions 14a and 15a of the side walls 14 and 15, respectively. A heater 25 is inserted through the through holes 14b and 15b. A temperature sensor 28, which will be described later, is inserted through the through holes 14c and 15c.

<Side walls 16, 17>
Side walls 16 and 17 (see FIG. 2) are plate-shaped heat insulating members. As shown in FIG. 2, the side walls 16 and 17 face each other in the front-rear direction. The width of the side walls 16 and 17 is substantially the same as the width of the central portion 13a (see FIG. 1) of the bottom portion 13. As shown in FIG. Sidewalls 16 and 17 are approximately the same height as sidewalls 14 and 15 . The side walls 16 and 17 rest on the end 13b (see FIG. 1) of the bottom portion 13. As shown in FIG. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the side walls 16 and 17 are surrounded by the bottom portion 13 , the side walls 14 and 15 and the ceiling portion 18 .

The side walls 16 and 17 have a plurality of protrusions 16a and 17a protruding toward the inside of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. The protrusions 16a, 17a of the side walls 16, 17 are provided at the same height as the protrusions 14a, 15a of the side walls 14, 15 in the same number. The dimensions in the height direction of the protrusions 16a and 17a are substantially the same as those of the protrusions 14a and 15a of the side walls 14 and 15, respectively. The lengths of the protrusions 16 a and 17 a in the width direction of the side walls 16 and 17 are substantially the same as the distance between the protrusion 14 a of the side wall 14 and the protrusion 15 a of the side wall 15 . Therefore, inside the furnace body 11, the projections 14a to 17a are continuous at substantially the same height.

Through holes 16b and 17b are formed in the side walls 16 and 17, respectively. A heater 25 is inserted through the through holes 16b and 17b.

<Ceiling part 18>
The ceiling portion 18 (see FIG. 1) is a plate-shaped heat insulating member. As shown in FIG. 1, the ceiling portion 18 has a shape symmetrical with the bottom portion 13 in the height direction. The ceiling portion 18 has a central portion 18a and end portions 18b. Since the central portion 18a and the end portions 18b of the ceiling portion 18 have the same shape as the central portion 13a and the end portions 13b of the bottom portion 13, detailed description thereof will be omitted. Ceiling portion 18 is supported by side walls 14 and 15 supported by bottom portion 13 . The end portion 13b of the ceiling portion 18 is supported by the upper ends of the side walls 14 and 15, and a part of the central portion 18a of the ceiling portion 18 is supported by the uppermost protrusions 14a2 and 15a2 of the side walls 14 and 15. As shown in FIG. A through hole 18c is formed in the central portion 18a. The shafts 33 and 43 of the conveying device 20 are inserted through the through holes 18c.

The furnace body 11 is provided with a carry-in port 11a for carrying in the transported object A and a carry-out port 11b for carrying out the transported object A. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the carry-in port 11 a is provided in the lower part of the furnace body 11 . The carry-out port 11b is provided in the upper part of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. The object A to be transported is transported from the bottom to the top inside the furnace space 12 .

The carry-in port 11 a is provided in the side wall 14 . The carry-in port 11 a is formed by penetrating the protrusion 14 a 1 of the side wall 14 along the thickness direction of the side wall 14 . The objects to be transferred A are sequentially carried in by the carrying-in device 21 from the carry-in port 11a. Although detailed description is omitted, the carrying-in device 21 can be a device for carrying the object to be transferred A into the furnace body 11 from a carrying-in chamber 21a connected through the carrying-in port 11a.

The carry-out port 11b is provided in the side wall 15. As shown in FIG. The carry-out port 11b is formed by penetrating the protrusion 15a2 of the side wall 15 along the thickness direction of the side wall 15. As shown in FIG. From the carry-out port 11b, the carrying-out device 22 sequentially carries out the objects A to be transferred. Although detailed description is omitted, the unloading device 22 can be a device for unloading the object A from the furnace body 11 to the unloading chamber 22a connected through the unloading port 11b.

The furnace body 11 is placed on a base 26 . The base 26 may have a space on the side opposite to the surface on which the furnace body 11 is placed. In the space, for example, a pipe for supplying atmospheric gas to and from the furnace space 12, a driving device for driving the rotating body, and the like may be arranged.

The side and top surfaces of the furnace body 11 are surrounded by an outer wall 27 . The outer wall 27 can be constructed of a metal plate having required heat resistance and strength. The outer wall 27 can be, for example, a plate made of stainless steel. In this embodiment, the outer wall 27 is a generally rectangular plate. An outer wall 27 a is attached to the ceiling portion 18 of the furnace body 11 . The outer wall 27 a is wider than the ceiling portion 18 . The edge of the outer wall 27 a protrudes outside the furnace body 11 . Sides (side walls 14 to 17) of the furnace body 11 are surrounded by an outer wall 27b. The upper and lower ends of the outer wall 27b are bent. The bent portion of the outer wall 27b is connected to the protruding portion of the outer wall 27a and the base 26. As shown in FIG. A space is formed between the outer wall 27b and the side walls 14-17. In this space, for example, a pipe for supplying and exhausting atmospheric gas into and out of the furnace space 12, an electrode of the heater 25, and the like can be arranged.

Although not shown, the furnace body 11 may be provided with a gas supply pipe and a gas exhaust pipe. The gas supply pipe is a pipe for supplying atmosphere gas into the furnace body 11 . A gas cylinder for supplying atmospheric gas can be connected to the gas supply pipe. Although not particularly limited, the atmosphere gas may be, for example, nitrogen, argon, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, or the like. The atmosphere gas is appropriately selected according to the heating conditions of the object to be processed. The gas exhaust pipe is a pipe for exhausting atmospheric gas from inside the furnace body 11 . An exhaust device such as an exhaust pump can be connected to the gas exhaust pipe. When reaction gas is generated from the object to be processed, the reaction gas is exhausted from the gas exhaust pipe. The atmosphere in the furnace body 11 can be adjusted by providing the gas supply pipe and the gas exhaust pipe in the furnace body 11 .

<Conveyor 20>
The transport device 20 is a device that transports the object A to be transported along the height direction. The transport device 20 transports the object A to be transported along a transport area 12 a set in the furnace space 12 . In this embodiment, the conveying device 20 is configured to be able to sequentially convey the object A to be conveyed upward from below. The configuration of the transport device 20 is not particularly limited as long as the transported object A can be transported along the height direction.

In this embodiment, the conveying device 20 includes a plurality of rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 , 42 (see FIG. 2), a rotating device 50 and an elevating device 55 . As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 are provided in the furnace space 12 and are formed in substantially rectangular plate shapes extending in the height direction. The rotating bodies 31 and 32 have a plurality of support portions 30a that support the transferred object A. As shown in FIG. The rotating bodies 41 and 42 have a plurality of support portions 40a that support the transferred object A. As shown in FIG. The plurality of support portions 30a and 40a are provided at substantially constant intervals along the height direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, shafts 33 are attached to the upper ends of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . 43 is attached to the upper ends of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . The shafts 33 and 43 are inserted through through holes 18 c formed in the ceiling portion 18 . Rotating bodies 31 and 32 are connected to rotating device 50 via shaft 33 . Rotating bodies 41 and 42 are connected to rotating device 50 and lifting device 55 via shaft 43 . A shaft 34 is attached to the lower ends of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . A shaft 44 is attached to the lower ends of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . The shafts 34 , 44 are inserted through through holes 13 c formed in the bottom surface portion 13 . Rotating bodies 31 and 32 are inserted through guide 29 via shaft 34 . Rotating bodies 41 and 42 are inserted through guide 29 via shaft 44 . The shafts 33 and 34 are provided at overlapping positions in the height direction. The shafts 43 and 44 are provided at overlapping positions in the height direction. The rotation axes of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 are set by the shafts 33 and 34 . Rotational axes of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are set by 43 and 44 . The shafts 33, 34, 43, 44 are arranged around the transport area 12a. In this embodiment, they are arranged outside the corners of the transport area 12a which is set in a substantially square shape on a plane perpendicular to the height direction.

Rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 are rotated by a rotating device 50 (see FIG. 1) to switch between a supporting posture in which transported object A is supported and a non-supporting posture in which transported object A is not supported. be done. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotors 31, 32, 41, 42 are switched to the non-supporting position by rotating 90 degrees clockwise from the supporting position. Also, the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 are switched to the supporting posture by rotating counterclockwise 90 degrees from the non-supporting posture. The switching between the supporting posture and the non-supporting posture of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 may be independently controlled for each rotating body.

The transported object A is transported upward while being supported by the rotating bodies 41 and 42 out of the rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 and 42 . At this time, the rotating bodies 31 and 32 are in a non-supporting posture. The conveyed object A conveyed upward by the rotating bodies 41 and 42 is supported by the rotating bodies 31 and 32 as the rotating bodies 31 and 32 change from the non-supporting posture to the supporting posture. In this state, the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are brought to the non-supporting posture and conveyed downward. Next, the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are placed in the supporting posture, and the rotating bodies 31 and 32 are placed in the non-supporting posture. In this manner, the rotation of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 and the lifting and lowering of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are combined, so that the transported object A is sequentially transported upward. A specific configuration and operation of the transport device 20 will be described later.

The object to be processed placed on the object to be conveyed A is heat-treated by the heater 25 while being conveyed by the conveying device 20 from the carry-in port 11a toward the carry-out port 11b.

<Heater 25>
The heater 25 is provided in the furnace space 12 of the furnace body 11 . The heater 25 is a device for heat-treating the object placed on the object A to be transferred. In this embodiment, heater 25 is cylindrical in shape. The heater 25 is inserted into the furnace body 11 through through holes 14b-17b formed in the side walls 14-17. The heater 25 is provided at a position surrounding the transfer area 12 a and the transfer device 20 within the furnace body 11 . The heater 25 is provided around the transfer area 12 a in the width direction of the furnace body 11 . The heater 25 is provided outside the movable range of the transport device 20 so as not to interfere with the transport device 20 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the furnace body 11 is provided with a pair of heaters 25 arranged at the same height with the transfer area 12a interposed therebetween. The pair of heaters 25 arranged at the same height are arranged at predetermined intervals along the height direction of the furnace body 11 . In this embodiment, the pair of heaters 25 inserted through the side walls 14 and 15 and the pair of heaters 25 inserted through the side walls 16 and 17 are alternately arranged along the height direction of the furnace body 11 ( See Figure 1). By alternately arranging the heaters 25 extending in different directions along the height direction, temperature unevenness in the furnace space 12 is less likely to occur. For this reason, it is easy to match the heating conditions for the object A to be conveyed.

The type of heater 25 is not particularly limited. For example, the heater may be a ceramic heater or a metal heater. The heater is not limited to a cylindrical heater. For example, a plate-shaped panel heater may be used. The type and shape of the heater can be appropriately selected according to the heating conditions such as the target heating temperature.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of zones (regions) are set in the furnace space 12 of the furnace body 11 along the height direction. In this embodiment, the furnace space 12 has, from bottom to top, a loading zone Z0, a first heating zone Z1, a second heating zone Z2, a third heating zone Z3, a fourth heating zone Z4, and a fifth heating zone. Z5 is partitioned into an unloading zone Z6. A carry-in port 11a is provided in the carry-in zone Z0. A carry-out port 11b is provided in the carry-out zone Z6. A heater 25 is provided in each of the first heating zone Z1 to the fifth heating zone Z5.

The first heating zone Z1 to the fifth heating zone Z5 are set to different atmospheric temperatures. Each zone Z0-Z6 is separated by a partition 19. FIG.

<Partition 19>
The partition 19 is a plate-shaped heat insulating member having required heat resistance. The partition 19 can consist, for example, of ceramic fiberboard. A partition 19 is provided in the furnace body 11 . Partitions 19 are supported by side walls 14 to 17 of furnace body 11 . In this embodiment, the partition 19 spans a pair of side walls 14 and 15 facing each other. The partition 19 is supported by the upper surfaces 14u, 15u of the projections 14a, 15a as supporting portions of the side walls 14, 15. As shown in FIG. The partition 19 is arranged in a groove formed by a gap between the lower surfaces 14d and 15d of the support portions 14a and 15a one above the support portions 14a and 15a on which they are placed. In other words, the partition 19 is supported by grooves formed along the width direction in the pair of side walls 14 and 15 . In the direction in which the side walls 14, 15 face each other, the ends of the partition 19 are inserted into the grooves and supported.

In this embodiment, the furnace body 11 is provided with a plurality of partitions 19a-19f. The partitions 19a-19f partition the heating zones Z1-Z5 along the height direction of the furnace body 11, respectively. A partition 19 also separates the loading zone Z0 and the output zone Z6 from the heating zones Z1-Z5.

In this embodiment, the external shape of the partition 19 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in accordance with the shape of the furnace body 11 . One surface of the plate-like partition 19 faces the bottom portion 13 and the other surface faces the ceiling portion 18 .

In this embodiment, the partition 19 is composed of a plurality of members and configured to be divisible. As shown in FIG. 2, the partition 19 is composed of a first portion 19g1 and a second portion 19g2. A boundary between the first portion 19g1 and the second portion 19g2 that constitute the partition 19 is formed along the direction in which the side walls 14 and 15 face each other. A boundary between the first portion 19g1 and the second portion 19g2 is formed in a straight line passing through substantially the central portion of the partition 19 in the width direction of the side walls 14 and 15. As shown in FIG.

In the partition 19, the first portion 19g1 is arranged on the side wall 16 (see FIG. 2), and the second portion 19g2 is arranged on the side wall 17 (see FIG. 2). The form of the first portion 19g1 and the second portion 19g2 that constitute the partition 19 is not particularly limited. The first portion 19g1 and the second portion 19g2 may constitute the partition 19 by simply arranging them in a state where the surfaces facing each other are aligned. The first part 19g1 and the second part 19g2 have a structure in which one is fitted to the other, and the partition 19 may be configured in a state in which the first part 19g1 and the second part 19g2 are connected. . Also, the partition 19 may be configured to be divisible into three or more members.

The partition 19 is formed with a through hole 19h extending along the height direction of the furnace body 11 (thickness direction of the partition 19). 19 h of through-holes have penetrated the partition 19 along the direction in which the to-be-conveyed object A is conveyed. 19 h of through-holes are formed in the shape which the conveying apparatus 20 is penetrated, and the to-be-conveyed object A can pass.

In this embodiment, the through-hole 19h is composed of a first hole portion 19h1 through which the object to be transferred A passes and a second hole portion 19h2 through which the conveying device 20 is inserted. The first hole portion 19h1 is formed substantially in the central portion of the partition 19. As shown in FIG. The first hole portion 19h1 has dimensions and a shape that allow the transferred object A to pass therethrough. In this embodiment, the first hole portion 19h1 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape so as to match the shape of the object A to be transferred. The first hole portion 19h1 is formed slightly larger than the transfer area 12a, which has a substantially rectangular plane along the width direction of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG.

In the first hole portion 19h1, the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 forming the first hole portion 19h1 surrounds the transport area 12a. The inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 faces the side surface of the transported object A when the transported object A passes through. Therefore, when the transported object A passes through, a gap is inevitably formed between the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 and the transported object A at the portion where the first hole portion 19h1 is formed. . It is preferable that the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 and the transfer area 12a is small so that the atmosphere of each zone Z0 to Z6 does not reach the adjacent zones along the height direction. The gap between the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 and the conveying area 12a can be determined in consideration of the expansion characteristics of the heat insulating material forming the partition 19 . The gap between the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 and the transfer area 12a is set to a minimum value such that the partition 19 does not reach the transfer area 12a when the furnace space 12 reaches a predetermined maximum temperature. preferably.

In the second hole portion 19h2, the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 forming the second hole portion 19h2 surrounds the movable ranges of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 of the conveying device 20. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the second hole 19h2 surrounds the movable ranges of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42, respectively. For this reason, the partition 19 is formed with a plurality of (four in this embodiment) second holes 19h2 corresponding to the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42, respectively. The second holes 19h2 are formed at the corners of the transport area 12a.

The second hole 19h2 has dimensions and a shape that encloses the movable range of the transport device 20. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 are switched between the supporting posture and the non-supporting posture by being driven to rotate 90 degrees along the respective rotating shafts. The second hole 19h2 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is larger than the region in which the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 move when switching between the supporting posture and the non-supporting posture. Therefore, gaps are inevitably formed between the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 and the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 at the sites where the second holes 19h2 are formed. Similarly to the first hole portion 19h1, the inside of the partition 19 is designed so that the atmosphere of each zone Z0 to Z6 does not extend to the zones adjacent to each other along the height direction, even at the portion where the second hole portion 19h2 is formed. It is preferable that the gap between the peripheral surface and the transport area 12a is small. The gaps between the inner peripheral surface of the partition 19 and the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 can be determined in consideration of the expansion characteristics of the heat insulating material forming the partition 19, like the first hole portion 19h1.

The first hole 19h1 and the second hole 19h2 are connected at the corner of the transport area 12a. The through hole 19h of the partition 19 is composed of one first hole 19h1 and four second holes 19h2. In addition, the form of 19 h of through-holes is not limited to this form. The through-hole 19h may be, for example, a substantially rectangular hole having dimensions sufficient to allow both the transport area 12a and the transport device 20 to pass therethrough. The shape of the through hole 19h is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape, and may be an elliptical shape including a circle, or a polygonal shape including a quadrangle. The shape of the through-hole 19h may be changed as appropriate according to the shapes of the transferred object A and the transfer device 20. FIG. Moreover, the partition 19 does not necessarily have to have the through hole 19h. The partition 19 may be composed of, for example, a plate-shaped heat insulating material that spans a pair of opposing side walls among the side walls 14 to 17 .

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the furnace body 11 is provided with six partitions 19a to 19f along the height direction of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. The partitions 19a-19f have the same shape. The partition 19a partitions the carry-in zone Z0 and the first heating zone Z1. The partition 19b separates the first heating zone Z1 and the second heating zone Z2. A partition 19c separates the second heating zone Z2 and the third heating zone Z3. A partition 19d separates the third heating zone Z3 and the fourth heating zone Z4. A partition 19e partitions the fourth heating zone Z4 and the fifth heating zone Z5. A partition 19f separates the fifth heating zone Z5 and the discharge zone Z6. The number of zones and the number of partitions 19 set in the furnace space 12 are not particularly limited.

The ambient temperatures of the first heating zone Z1 to the fifth heating zone Z5 partitioned by the partition 19 are detected by the temperature sensor .

<Temperature sensor 28>
The temperature sensor 28 is inserted through through holes 14c and 15c formed in the side walls 14 and 15, respectively. A temperature sensor 28 detects the temperature in each of the heating zones Z1-Z5. Although not particularly limited, each of the heating zones Z1 to Z5 is provided with two temperature sensors inserted through the side walls 14 and 15 facing each other. In other words, the temperature sensors 28 are provided at different positions in each of the heating zones Z1-Z5. A plurality of temperature sensors 28 provided at different positions detect the ambient temperature in each of the heating zones Z1 to Z5. This can improve the detection accuracy of the ambient temperature of each of the heating zones Z1 to Z5.

A thermocouple is used as the temperature sensor 28 in this embodiment. Note that the temperature sensor 28 is not limited to a thermocouple, and may be an infrared thermometer or the like. The temperature sensor 28 can be appropriately selected according to the set temperature.

The temperature sensor 28 and heater 25 are connected to a temperature control device (not shown). A temperature control device controls the temperature in each of the heating zones Z1-Z5 separated by partitions 19. FIG. The temperature control device can control the output of the heaters 25 provided in the heating zones Z1-Z5 according to the temperatures in the heating zones Z1-Z5 detected by the temperature sensor 28, for example.

The temperature in each heating zone Z1 to Z5 can be arbitrarily set by the temperature controller. In this embodiment, the temperature of the first heating zone Z1 is set at 600 degrees. The temperature of the second heating zone Z2 is set at 800 degrees. The temperature of the third heating zone Z3 is set at 1000 degrees. The temperature of the fourth heating zone Z4 is set at 800 degrees. The temperature of the fifth heating zone Z5 is set at 650 degrees. The set temperatures of the heating zones Z1 to Z5 are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set depending on the heat treatment temperature of the object to be treated.

In the above-described embodiment, the vertical heating furnace 10 includes the furnace body 11, the heater 25, and the transfer device 20. The furnace body 11 has therein a furnace space 12 in which the object to be transferred A is transferred along the height direction. The heater 25 is provided in the furnace space 12 . The transport device 20 transports the object A to be transported along the height direction in a transport area 12a set in the furnace space 12 where the object A is to be transported. The furnace body 11 is provided with partitions 19 for partitioning the heating zones Z1 to Z5 in the furnace space 12 along the height direction. Since the heating zones Z1 to Z5 are separated by the partitions 19, the atmosphere is less likely to interfere between adjacent zones along the height direction. Therefore, the atmosphere in each heating zone Z1 to Z5 can be easily controlled, and a set temperature difference can be easily realized between the adjacent zones. Furthermore, the provision of the partition 19 within the furnace body 11 makes it easier to achieve a large temperature difference between the adjacent zones. In this embodiment, a temperature difference of approximately 200 degrees is achieved between adjacent heating zones Z1-Z5. Thus, in the vertical heating furnace 10, the processing conditions can be easily controlled by providing the partition 19. FIG.

Further, in the vertical heating furnace 10 described above, the loading zone Z0 and the first heating zone Z1 are separated by the partition 19a. The discharge zone Z6 and the fifth heating zone Z5 are separated by a partition 19f. Therefore, the heat from the heating zones Z1 to Z5 is less likely to reach the carry-in zone Z0 and the carry-out zone Z6. As a result, deterioration of the carry-in device 21 that carries the object A into the carry-in zone Z0 and the unloading device 22 that unloads the object A from the unloading zone Z6 can be suppressed.

The materials and dimensions forming the partitions 19a to 19f do not necessarily have to be the same. A material having higher heat resistance can be selected for the partition 19 that partitions the zones set to high temperatures than the partition 19 that partitions the zones set to low temperatures. A thicker heat insulating material can be selected for the partition 19 that partitions between zones with a large temperature difference than the partition 19 that partitions between zones with a small temperature difference. In this manner, the configuration of the partitions 19a to 19f can be appropriately selected according to the atmospheric temperature and the type of atmospheric gas of each of the zones Z0 to Z6 partitioning them.

In the above-described embodiment, the partition 19 is formed with a through-hole along the height direction through which the object to be transferred A and the transfer device 20 pass. Since the area where the object to be transferred A passes through the partition 19 is defined by the through hole 19h, the atmosphere between adjacent zones is partitioned over the entire circumference of the object to be transferred A. FIG. For this reason, for example, the interference of the atmosphere is more likely to be suppressed than in the case where adjacent zones are partitioned by, for example, a plate-shaped heat insulating material or the like that spans a pair of side walls. As a result, the atmosphere in the heating zones Z1 to Z5 can be easily controlled.

In the vertical heating furnace 10, each of the zones Z0 to Z6 can be partitioned by the transported object A in addition to the partition 19. As described above, the transferred object A is sized to pass through the first hole portion 19h1 of the through hole 19h (see FIG. 2). Therefore, when the transported object A is transported at a height overlapping the partition 19 in the height direction, the transported object A blocks the central portion of the through hole 19h. By blocking the central portion of the through-hole 19h with the transferred object A, it becomes difficult for the atmospheres to interfere between the adjacent zones. Although not particularly limited, at least one transported object A may be arranged at the height of each of the partitions 19a to 19f during the heat treatment of the processed object. This can further suppress the interference of the atmospheres of the zones Z0 to Z6.

Although it is not particularly limited, before the transported object A on which the processed object is placed is transported, and after the transported object A on which the processed object is placed is transported, the object without the processed object is placed. Conveyed article A may be conveyed. By transporting the transported object A on which no processed object is placed, it becomes easier to control the temperature between the zones. As a result, regardless of the timing at which the object to be processed is transported and heat-treated, the object to be processed can be heat-treated under substantially the same conditions. Also, when transported object A on which a processed object is placed is intermittently placed on supporting portions 30a, 40a of rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 and transported, supporting portions 30a, 40a between The transported object A on which the processed object is not placed may be transported. In this way, by transporting the transported object A on which no processed object is placed, the interference of the atmospheres of the zones Z0 to Z6 may be further suppressed.

The vertical heating furnace 10 described above is configured such that the furnace body 11 can be disassembled. In this embodiment, of the side walls 14 to 17, the side wall 16 is detachable from the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. In other words, the furnace body 11 has removable sidewalls 16 .

As shown in FIG. 2, of the outer walls 27b surrounding the sides of the furnace body 11, on the outer wall 27b1 on the side wall 16 side, a pressing plate 27b2 and a lid 27b3 are attached. The pressing plate 27b2 is provided closer to the furnace body 11 than the outer wall 27b1. The holding plate 27b2 is in contact with the side wall 16 of the furnace body 11 while being attached inside the outer wall 27b1. This prevents the side wall 16 from tilting toward the outside of the furnace body 11 . A space is formed between the outer wall 27b1 and the pressing plate 27b2. Electrodes of the heater 25 and the like can be accommodated in the space. The lid 27b3 is provided at a position corresponding to the heater 25 inserted through the side wall 16 in the outer wall 27b1. The heater 25 can be removed from the side walls 16, 17 by opening the lid 27b3.

When the side wall 16 is removed, the lid 27b3 is first opened and the heater 25 inserted through the side walls 16, 17 is removed. The outer wall 27b1 is then removed. After the outer wall 27 b 1 is removed, the pressing plate 27 b 2 that presses the side wall 16 is removed from the side wall 16 . As a result, the side walls 16 are exposed to the outside. In this state, the side walls 16 are removed from the furnace body 11 . The side wall 16 may be provided with a handle, a depression, or the like for facilitating attachment and detachment from the furnace body 11 . In addition, the side wall 16 and the pressing plate 27b2 may be connected to each other and may be detached at the same time.

The interior of the furnace body 11 is exposed by removing the side wall 16 . By exposing the inside of the furnace body 11, it is possible to perform maintenance such as replacement and cleaning of the equipment in the furnace (for example, the portion of the transfer device 20 provided inside the furnace body 11). Moreover, maintenance such as cleaning of the portions exposed to the furnace space 12 among the bottom portion 13, the side walls 14, 15, 17, the ceiling portion 18, and the partition 19 becomes possible. Since the side wall 16 is configured to be detachable in this manner, maintainability can be improved.

Note that the furnace body 11 may include detachable parts other than the side wall 16 . For example, the furnace body 11 may be configured such that the side wall 17 facing the side wall 16 is also detachable. The configuration of the side wall 17 when the side wall 17 is detachable can be the same as that of the side wall 16, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. By having the furnace body 11 have a pair of removable side walls 16 and 17 facing each other, areas of the furnace body 11 that are difficult to reach from one side are facilitated for maintenance. This can further improve maintainability.

In the embodiment described above, the detachable side wall 16 and the pair of side walls 14 and 15 adjacent to each other have support portions (in this embodiment, the upper surfaces 14u and 15u of the protrusions 14a and 15a) that support the partition 19. there is The partition 19 spans over the support portions of the pair of side walls 14 and 15 . Therefore, even when the side wall 16 is removed, the partition 19 is unlikely to shift or fall. Thereby, the maintainability of the partition 19 can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the detachable side wall 16 and the pair of side walls 14 and 15 adjacent to each other are provided above the support portions (in this embodiment, the upper surfaces 14u and 15u of the protrusions 14a and 15a) to hold down the partition 19. portions (in this embodiment, the lower surfaces 14d and 15d of the convex portions 14a and 15a facing the upper surfaces 14u and 15u of the convex portions 14a and 15a). Separation of the partition 19 can be suppressed by not only supporting the partition 19 from below but also pressing it from above. In addition, even when maintenance is to be performed while the partition 19 is supported inside the furnace body 11, the partition 19 is less likely to fall off, and the maintainability of the partition 19, the interior of the furnace body 11, and the like can be improved.

In the embodiment described above, the partition 19 is composed of the first portion 19g1 and the second portion 19g2, and is configured to be divisible. The first portion 19g1 and the second portion 19g2 that constitute the partition 19 are configured to be divisible along the direction parallel to the side walls 16 and 17. As shown in FIG . Therefore, the first part 19g1 can be removed while the side wall 16 is removed. Further, when the side walls 16 and 17 facing each other are detachable from the furnace body 11, the first part 19g1 and the second part 19g2 can be removed from opposite directions. Thereby, the partition 19 can be easily replaced, and the maintainability of the partition 19 can be improved. Moreover, the partition 19 can be provided with an appropriate material and size according to the heating conditions of the object to be processed.

In the above-described embodiment, the partition 19 is formed with the through hole 19h through which the object to be transferred A and the conveying device 20 pass along the height direction. 19 h of through-holes are formed in the boundary of the partition 19 comprised so that division|segmentation is possible. Accordingly, when the first portion 19g1 that constitutes the partition 19 is removed, the conveying device 20 can be easily replaced and cleaned from the side wall 16 side. When the second part 19g2 is removed, the transfer device 20 can be easily replaced and cleaned from the side wall 17 side. Therefore, the maintainability of the conveying device 20 can be improved.

Of the side walls 16 and 17, if only the side wall 16 is detachable, the transfer device 20 may be removed from the furnace body 11 after the first portion 19g1 of the partition 19 is removed. In this state, the second portion 19g2 of the partition 19 may be removed from the side wall 16 side.

In the above-described embodiment, the supporting portions that support the partition 19 are the projections 14 a and 15 a projecting from the pair of side walls 14 and 15 toward the inside of the furnace body 11 . By placing the partition 19 on the upper surfaces 14u and 15u of the projections 14a and 15a and lowering it from the upper surfaces 14u and 15u of the projections 14a and 15a, maintenance such as cleaning and replacement of the partition 19 can be performed. Therefore, maintenance of the inside of the partition 19 and the furnace body 11 can be made easier.

In the above-described embodiment, the projections 14a and 15a as support portions of the partition 19 extend along the width direction of the pair of side walls 14 and 15. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the partition 19 can be removed while sliding on the projections 14a and 15a. Therefore, the attachment and detachment of the partition 19 is easy. Further, when the partition 19 is attached to the furnace body 11, both ends of the partition 19 are linearly supported by the projections 14a and 15a of the side walls 14 and 15, respectively. Therefore, the partition 19 is less likely to shift or fall off.

In addition, the support part which supports the partition 19 is not limited to the form of the convex parts 14a and 15a mentioned above. The supporting portions may be, for example, protrusions intermittently provided along the width direction of each of the side walls 14 to 17 . It may be a plate-like member that spans a pair of side walls (eg, side walls 14 and 15) among the side walls 14-17.

An example of the configuration and operation of the conveying device 20 used in the present invention will be described below. However, the configuration and operation of the conveying device 20 are not limited to the forms described below, and various modifications are possible.

As described above, the conveying device 20 includes a plurality of rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 and 42 (see FIG. 2), the rotating device 50 and the lifting device 55 .

<Plural rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42>
The rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 are made of a material with excellent heat resistance. In this embodiment, the rotors 31, 32, 41, 42 are made of ceramic. The rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 are formed in substantially the same shape. The rotors 31 and 32 are held by being attached to brackets 33a and 34a at their upper and lower ends, respectively. Shafts 33 and 34 extending in the height direction are attached to the upper and lower ends of the rotating bodies 31 and 32, respectively. Shafts 33 and 34 of rotating bodies 31 and 32 are provided to extend upward and downward from brackets 33a and 34a, respectively. The rotors 41 and 42 are held by being attached to brackets 43a and 44a at their upper and lower ends, respectively. Shafts 43 and 44 extending in the height direction are attached to the upper and lower ends of the rotating bodies 41 and 42, respectively. Shafts 43 and 44 of rotating bodies 41 and 42 are provided to extend upward and downward from brackets 43a and 44a, respectively. The shafts 43, 44 of the rotating bodies 41, 42 may be provided integrally with the brackets 43a, 44a. The brackets 33a, 34a, 43a, 44a and the shafts 33, 34, 43, 44 are preferably metal members having required heat resistance and mechanical strength.

The rotating bodies 41 and 42 are arranged at positions different from the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . In this embodiment, the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are arranged so that their respective rotating shafts are provided outside the corners of the conveying area 12a which is set in a substantially square shape in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. It is The shape of the rotor 31 will be described below. Since the structures of the rotating bodies 32, 41, and 42 are the same as the rotating body 31, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating body 31 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape extending in the height direction. The height of the body of revolution 31 is long compared to the width and thickness of the body of revolution. The rotating body 31 has a dimension to be accommodated in the furnace space 12 in the height direction. The length of the rotating body 31 is shorter than the distance between the bottom portion 13 and the ceiling portion 18 of the furnace body 11 and longer than the distance of the transport area along the height direction.

In this embodiment, the plurality of support portions 30a are provided on one surface of the rotating body 31 at predetermined intervals along the height direction. In this embodiment, the distance between the support portions 30a and 40a is wider than the thickness of the object A to be transferred. The interval between the support portions 30a can be appropriately selected according to the dimensions of the transferred object A and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support portion 30a has a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the width is slightly narrowed from the proximal end to the distal end in plan view. The support portion 30a has an upper end surface that supports the transferred object A. As shown in FIG. The upper end surface of the support portion 30a is a substantially horizontal plane. In other words, the upper end surface of the support portion 30a is not inclined from the proximal end to the distal end. As a result, the transferred object A placed on the upper end surface of the support portion 30a is less likely to shift. The surface opposite to the upper end surface of the support portion 30a is inclined so that the thickness gradually increases from the tip of the support portion 30a toward the base end. This improves the strength of the support portion 30a. For example, even when the vertical heating furnace 10 is used for a long time and a load is applied to the support portion 30a, the support portion 30a is less likely to break. Therefore, the durability of the vertical heating furnace 10 can be good. Note that the shape of the support portion 30a is not particularly limited.

As described above, the rotating bodies 31 and 32 have their rotation axes set along the height direction (the length direction of the rotating bodies 31 and 32). The rotating shaft is set at a position biased to one side in the width direction of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 (see FIG. 2). The shafts 33 and 34 are attached along the rotating shafts set to the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . In this embodiment, the shafts 33 and 34 are attached to the ends of the rotors 31 and 32 in the width direction.

The lower shafts 34 and 44 are inserted through through holes 13 c formed in the bottom portion 13 of the furnace body 11 . A gap between the through hole 13c and the shafts 34, 44 may be filled with a sealing material having heat insulation and heat resistance. The shafts 34 and 44 inserted through the bottom surface portion 13 are inserted through guides 29 attached to the base 26 . The guide 29 is attached to the back surface of the base 26 (the surface opposite to the surface on which the furnace body 11 is placed). As the guide 29, for example, a bush or the like can be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper shafts 33 and 43 are inserted through through holes 18c formed in the ceiling portion 18 of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. A gap between the through hole 18c and the shafts 33, 43 may be filled with a sealing material having heat insulation and heat resistance. The shafts 33 , 43 are connected to a rotating device 50 outside the furnace body 11 . In this embodiment, a rotating device 50 is connected to the shaft 33 attached to the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . A rotating device 50 and a lifting device 55 are connected to a shaft 43 attached to the rotating bodies 41 and 42 of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 .

<Rotating device 50>
The rotating device 50 is a device that rotates the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 around their rotation axes. Although detailed illustration is omitted, in this embodiment, the rotating devices 50 are provided in the same number as the rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 , 42 . Although not particularly limited, the rotating device 50 includes two rotating devices 50a connected to the rotating bodies 31 and 32, respectively, and two rotating devices 50b connected to the rotating bodies 41 and 42, respectively. The rotating device 50a rotates the rotating bodies 31 and 32 around the rotation axis. The rotating device 50b rotates the rotating bodies 41 and 42 around the rotation axis. The rotating device 50 is provided outside the furnace body 11 .

The rotating device 50 controls the rotation angles of the connected rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42, and rotates the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 at predetermined angles. In this embodiment, the rotating device 50 rotates the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 to switch between a supporting posture in which the transferred object A can be supported and a non-supporting posture in which the transferred object A is not supported. . The rotating device 50 can be implemented by, for example, a servomotor, a rotary actuator, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 2 , the rotating device 50 switches between a supporting posture and a non-supporting posture by rotating the rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 , 42 . In the supporting posture, the supporting portions 30a, 40a of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 are arranged at positions overlapping the conveying area 12a in the height direction. In the non-supporting posture, the support portions 30a, 40a of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 are arranged at positions that do not overlap the transport area 12a in the height direction.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the rotors 31, 32, 41, 42 are switched to the non-supporting position by rotating 90 degrees clockwise from the supporting position. Rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 are switched to the supporting posture by rotating counterclockwise 90 degrees from the non-supporting posture. It should be noted that the direction and angle of rotation of the rotating body are not limited to such forms. The direction and angle of rotation of the rotating bodies can be appropriately set according to the number and shape of the rotating bodies, the shape of the object to be conveyed, and the like.

<Lifting device 55>
The lifting device 55 is a device for lifting and lowering the rotating body along the rotation shaft. The lifting device 55 raises and lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 among the plurality of rotating bodies 31, 32, 41 and 42. As shown in FIG. As the lifting device 55, for example, a cylinder or the like can be used. The lifting device 55 is provided on the upper outer wall 27 a of the furnace body 11 . Although not particularly limited, the lifting device 55 is connected to the shaft 43 above the rotating bodies 41 and 42 via a rotating device 50a connected to the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . In this embodiment, the lifting device 55 lifts and lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 and the rotating device 50b to which the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are connected. In this embodiment, a rod 51 extends upward from the lifting device 55, and a support plate 52 that supports the rotating device 50b is attached to the rod 51. As shown in FIG. The elevating device 55 elevates the rotating device 50 b via the rod 51 and the support plate 52 .

The rotating bodies 41 and 42 are configured to be raised and lowered to preset positions by a lifting device 55 . Reference positions of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are set in the lifting device 55 . The reference position is a reference position for raising and lowering the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . In this embodiment, the reference position is set so that the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 that do not move up and down are arranged at the same height. In other words, when the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are at the reference positions, the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are arranged at the same height. The elevation device 55 is set with elevation positions for raising and lowering the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . In this embodiment, the upper position is set when the rotors 41 and 42 are raised. The upper position is set at a position higher than the reference position by the pitch of the support portions 30a and 40a. The elevating device 55 is configured to be able to elevate the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to positions slightly higher or lower than the above-described reference position and upper position. With this, it is possible to adjust to a position where the other support portion does not interfere with the transferred object A supported by the other support portion.

By combining the elevation of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 by the lifting device 55 and the rotation of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 by the rotating device 50, the transported object A is sequentially transported along the height direction. be done. In this embodiment, the transported object A is transported upward by a distance corresponding to the pitch of the support portions 30a, 40a.

<Control device 60>
The control device 60 controls the rotating device 50 and the lifting device 55 . The control device 60 is implemented by, for example, a microcomputer. The control device 60 is programmed with the angles and timings for rotating the rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 , 42 by the rotating device 50 . The control device 60 is programmed with the height and timing for raising and lowering the rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 , 42 by the lifting device 55 . In this embodiment, the lifting device 55 lifts and lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 among the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41 and 42. FIG.

The control device 60 controls the rotating device 50 according to a predetermined program to rotate the rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 and 42 . As a result, the control device 60 adjusts the angles of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, and 42 so that the support posture can support the transported object A and the transport region in which the support portions 30a and 40a do not support the transported object A. 12a to a retracted non-supporting posture.

In this embodiment, the pair of rotating bodies 31 and 32 are configured to rotate at the same timing, and the pair of rotating bodies 41 and 42 are configured to rotate at the same timing. In other words, the control device 60 controls the rotating device 50a to rotate the rotating bodies 31 and 32 at the same timing. The control device 60 controls the rotating device 50b to rotate the rotating bodies 41 and 42 at the same timing. Transported object A is supported by at least one of a pair of rotating bodies 31 and 32 and a pair of rotating bodies 41 and 42 with transported object A interposed therebetween.

The control device 60 controls the elevating device 55 according to a predetermined program to elevate the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . In this embodiment, the control device 60 controls the lifting device 55 so as to move the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to predetermined positions. The reference position is set at the same height as the rotating bodies 31 and 32 that are not connected to the lifting device 55, as described above. When the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are positioned at the reference positions, the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the upper and lower ends of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are arranged at substantially the same height. When the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are positioned at the upper position, the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are arranged at positions higher than the reference position by the pitch of the support portions 30a and 40a. As the positions to which the rotating bodies 41 and 42 move, in addition to the upper position and the reference position, positions at a height slightly different from the upper position and the reference position are also set. By moving the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to a position higher or lower than the upper position and the reference position, it is possible to prevent the other support portion from interfering with the transferred object A supported by the other support portion. sell. In other words, by moving the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to positions slightly higher or lower than the upper position and the reference position, the transferred object A is transferred between the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42. can be smooth. In addition, the position where the rotating body is raised and lowered is not limited to such a position.

By combining the rotation of the rotating bodies 31, 32 and the rotating bodies 41, 42 by the rotating device 50 and the lifting and lowering of the second rotating body by the lifting device 55, the object to be transported A is sequentially transported from bottom to top. be. The transported object A is transported while being repeatedly supported by the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and supported by the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . An example of control of the rotating device 50 and the lifting device 55 realized by the control device 60 will be described below.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing control by the control device 60. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows the operations of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 realized by controlling the rotating device 50 and the lifting device 55 by the control device 60 in chronological order. In FIG. 4, the angles and positions of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 are indicated by two-dot chain lines, and the angles and positions of the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are indicated by solid lines.

<Step S0>
Step S0 (see FIG. 4) can be an initial state. At step S0, the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are both set in the supporting posture. The positions of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are all set at the reference position. The transported object A is supported by the support portions 30 a of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 .

<Step S1>
In step S<b>1 (see FIG. 4 ), the control device 60 controls the lifting device 55 to raise the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . The lifting device 55 raises the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to a position higher than the reference position. The lifting device 55 supports the transported object A by the support portions 40a of the rotating bodies 41 and 42, and the transported object A (or the processed object placed on the transported object A) is positioned above the rotating bodies 31 and 42. 32 is raised to a position where it does not hit the support portion 30a. Here, the lifting device 55 raises the rotating bodies 41 and 42 so that they are slightly higher than the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . As a result, the transferred object A is in a state of being supported by the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . Therefore, even when rotating bodies 31 and 32 are rotated in a subsequent process, support portion 30a is less likely to come into contact with side surface A2 of transferred object A, and transferred object A is less likely to shift.

<Step S2>
In step S2 (see FIG. 4), the control device 60 controls the rotating device 50a to rotate the rotating bodies 31 and 32. As shown in FIG. The rotating device 50a rotates the rotating bodies 31 and 32 clockwise by 90 degrees. The rotating bodies 31 and 32 are set in a non-supporting posture. The rotating bodies 41 and 42 remain in the supporting posture.

<Step S3>
In step S<b>3 (see FIG. 4 ), the control device 60 controls the lifting device 55 to raise the rotors 41 and 42 . In this embodiment, the lifting device 55 lifts the rotary bodies 41 and 42 by the pitch of the support portions 30a and 40a. As a result, the rotating bodies 41 and 42 supporting the transferred object A are lifted above the upper position. The transported object A is positioned above the supporting part 30a which is one step above, and the supporting part 30a does not contact the side surface A2 of the transported object A even when the rotors 31 and 32 are rotated in a later process. be lifted.

<Step S4>
In step S4 (see FIG. 4), the control device 60 controls the rotating device 50a to rotate the rotating bodies 31 and 32. As shown in FIG. The rotating device 50a rotates the rotating bodies 31 and 32 counterclockwise by 90 degrees. The rotating bodies 31 and 32 are set in the supporting posture. As a result, the support portions 30a of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 are arranged at positions where the transferred object A is supported. Both the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are set in the supporting posture.

<Step S5>
In step S5 (see FIG. 4), the control device 60 controls the lifting device 55 to lower the rotors 41 and 42. As shown in FIG. The lifting device 55 lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to a position where the support portions 30a of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 support the transferred object A. As shown in FIG. Here, the lifting device 55 lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to the upper position. As a result, the transferred object A is transferred from the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and is in a state of being supported by the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . Therefore, even when rotating bodies 41 and 42 are rotated in a subsequent process, support portion 40a is less likely to come into contact with side surface A1 of transferred object A, and transferred object A is less likely to shift.

<Step S6>
In step S6 (see FIG. 4), the control device 60 controls the rotating device 50b to rotate the rotating bodies 41 and 42. FIG. The rotating device 50b rotates the rotating bodies 41 and 42 clockwise by 90 degrees. The rotating bodies 41 and 42 are set in a non-supporting posture. The rotating bodies 31 and 32 are set in a supporting posture.

<Step S7>
In step S7 (see FIG. 4), the control device 60 controls the lifting device 55 to lower the rotors 41 and 42. As shown in FIG. The lifting device 55 lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to a position where the transferred object A is supported by the rotating bodies 31 and 32 . The lifting device 55 lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 to a position where the support portion 40a does not contact the side surface of the transferred object A even when the rotating bodies 41 and 42 rotate in a subsequent process. Here, the lifting device 55 lowers the rotating bodies 41 and 42 so that the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are slightly lower than the reference position. Since the transported object A is supported by the rotating bodies 31 and 32, it does not move up and down.

<Step S8>
In step S8 (see FIG. 4), the control device 60 controls the rotating device 50b to rotate the rotating bodies 41 and 42. FIG. The rotating device 50b rotates the rotating bodies 41 and 42 counterclockwise by 90 degrees. The angles of the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are set in the supporting posture.

After the rotating bodies 41 and 42 are set to the supporting posture in step S8, the process of step 1 is executed again. The control device 60 controls the lifting device 55 to raise the rotors 41 and 42 to a position higher than the reference position. Here, the lifting device 55 raises the rotary bodies 41 and 42 to a position slightly higher than the reference position. As a result, the transferred object A is transferred from the rotating bodies 31 and 32 to the rotating bodies 41 and 42 and is in a state of being supported by the rotating bodies 41 and 42 .

In this way, by the processing of steps S1 to S8, the object to be transferred A is transferred one step at a time to the upper supporting portions 30a and 40a. In the vertical heating furnace 10, the processing of steps S1 to S8 can be repeatedly executed by the control device 60. FIG. At this time, the rotating bodies lifted and lowered by the lifting device 55 are limited to the rotating bodies 41 and 42 . Therefore, control by the control device 60 can be simplified. Further, since the rotating bodies 31, 32 are not moved up and down, the driving of the rotating bodies 31, 32, 41, 42 is simplified. Thereby, a relatively simple device configuration can be realized. Further, since the rotating bodies 31 and 32 are only driven to rotate, the seal material between the shafts 33 and 34 attached to the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the furnace body 11 is less likely to deteriorate. This can improve durability and maintainability.

Note that the control by the control device 60 is not limited to the form described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the embodiment described above, the program of the control device 60 may be changed so that the sheet is conveyed from the bottom to the top. By changing the height at which the lifting device 55 raises and lowers the rotating bodies 31 , 32 , 41 , 42 , the conveying distance per stroke may be changed. can be realized. By changing the control program of the control device 60 in this way, the transport conditions such as the transport direction, speed and timing of the transported object A can be appropriately set.

In the above-described embodiment, the lifting device 55 is connected only to the rotating bodies 41 and 42, but it is not limited to such a form. A lifting device 55 may be connected to both the rotating bodies 31 and 32 and the rotating bodies 41 and 42 so that they can be raised and lowered independently. The object to be conveyed A is alternately conveyed by the rotating bodies 31, 32 and the rotating bodies 41, 42 by combining the rotation and elevation of the rotating bodies 31, 32 and the rotating bodies 41, 42, for example. may be

Although detailed descriptions have been given above with reference to specific embodiments, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. Thus, the technology set forth in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the above-described embodiments.

This specification includes items 1 to 10 below. Items 1 to 10 below are not limited to the embodiments described above.

Item 1 relates to vertical heating furnaces. The vertical heating furnace in item 1 is
a furnace body having therein a furnace space in which the object to be conveyed is conveyed along the height direction;
a heater provided in the furnace space;
a transport device for transporting the object to be transported along a height direction in a transport area in which the object to be transported is transported, which is set in the space in the furnace;
The furnace body is provided with at least one partition that divides the furnace space into heating zones along the height direction.

Item 2 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 1,
The partition is formed with a through hole along the height direction through which the object to be transferred and the transfer device pass.

Item 3 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 1 or 2,
The furnace body has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has at least one detachable side wall.

Item 4 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 3,
The furnace body has a pair of removable side walls facing each other.

Item 5 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 3 or 4,
A pair of side walls adjacent to the detachable side wall has a support portion for supporting the partition,
The partition spans the support portions of the pair of side walls.

Item 6 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 5,
The partition is configured to be divisible along the direction in which the detachable side wall is removed.

Item 7 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 6,
The partition is formed with a through-hole along the height direction through which the object to be transferred and the conveying device pass, and the through-hole is formed at a boundary of the partition that is divisible.

Item 8 is the vertical heating furnace according to any one of Items 5 to 7,
The support portion is a portion projecting from the pair of side walls toward the inside of the furnace body.

Item 9 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 8,
The support portion extends along the width direction of the pair of side walls.

Item 10 is the vertical heating furnace according to item 8 or 9,
The pair of side walls has a pressing portion that presses the partition above the supporting portion.

A Transferred object Z0 Loading zones Z1 to Z5 Heating zone Z6 Carrying out zone 10 Vertical heating furnace 11 Furnace body 12 Furnace space 12a Transfer area 13 Bottom parts 14 to 17 Side walls 14a to 17a Projections 14a, 15a Support parts 14b to 17b Through holes 14c, 15c Through hole 18 Ceiling parts 19, 19a to 19f Partition 19g1 First part 19g2 Second part 19h Through hole 19h1 First hole part 19h2 Second hole part 20 Transfer device 25 Heaters 27, 27b, 27b1 Outer wall 27b2 Presser Plate 27b3 Lid 28 Temperature sensors 30a, 40a Supports 31, 32, 41, 42 Rotating bodies 33, 34, 43, 44 Shaft 50 Rotating device 55 Elevating device 60 Control device

Claims (10)

a furnace body having therein a furnace space in which the object to be conveyed is conveyed along the height direction;
a heater provided in the furnace space;
a transport device for transporting the object to be transported along a height direction in a transport area in which the object to be transported is transported, which is set in the space in the furnace;
The furnace body is
at least one removable sidewall;
a pair of side walls adjacent to the detachable side wall;
at least one partition that divides the furnace space into heating zones along the height direction ;
has
The pair of side walls each have a support portion on surfaces facing each other,
The partition is supported by the support provided on the pair of side walls,
Vertical heating furnace. 2. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 1, wherein the partition is formed with a through hole along the height direction through which the object to be transferred and the transfer device pass. 3. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 1 , wherein said furnace body is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. 4. The vertical heating furnace of claim 3, wherein the furnace body has a pair of removable side walls facing each other. 4. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 3, wherein said partition spans said support portions of said pair of side walls. 6. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 5, wherein said partition is configured to be divisible along a direction parallel to said detachable side wall . The partition is formed with a through hole along the height direction through which the object to be conveyed and the conveying device pass, and the through hole is formed at a boundary of the partition configured to be divisible. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 6. 6. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 5, wherein said support portion is a portion projecting inwardly of said furnace body from said pair of side walls. 9. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 8, wherein said support extends along the width direction of said pair of side walls. 9. The vertical heating furnace according to claim 8, wherein said pair of side walls has a pressing portion for pressing said partition above said supporting portion.

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