JP7432548B2 - Batch type heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a batch type heat treatment apparatus for heat treating objects to be treated (for example, laminated ceramic parts such as ceramic capacitors, ceramic piezoelectric elements, ceramic resistors, etc.).

When heat-treating multiple workpieces placed in a furnace at the same time, in order to stabilize the properties of the multiple workpieces after heat treatment, it is necessary to give each of the multiple workpieces the same thermal history. There is a need. For this reason, in the batch heat treatment furnace of Patent Document 1, the hearth on which the object to be treated is placed is composed of a main hearth and a sub-hearth. The main hearth has a circular shape when viewed from above, and is rotatable around an axis passing through its center. The auxiliary hearth is located in an opening formed in the main hearth. The sub-hearth has a circular shape when viewed from above, and is rotatable around an axis passing through its center. The object to be processed is placed on the upper surface of the sub-hearth. When heat treating a material to be treated, the secondary hearth itself rotates (so-called autorotation), and as the main hearth rotates, the secondary hearth also rotates around an axis passing through the center of the main hearth (so-called revolution). do. As a result, the plurality of objects placed on the upper surface of the auxiliary hearth are heated uniformly, and the same thermal history is imparted to each object.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-77001

By the way, in order to heat-treat a workpiece in a batch-type heat treatment furnace, the workpiece is installed in the heat treatment furnace, the installed workpiece is heat-treated, and the workpiece after heat treatment is placed outside the heat-treatment furnace. Need to take it out. In order to streamline the installation of objects to be processed into the furnace and the removal of them out of the furnace, the processing table is made removable from the floor of the furnace body, and the objects to be processed are placed on the removable processing table. It is being considered that the However, when the processing table is made removable from the floor of the furnace body, a drive device for rotationally driving the processing table is provided on the floor of the furnace body. Therefore, in order to attach the processing table to the floor surface of the furnace body, the processing table must be connected to the drive section of the drive device while being aligned in the rotational direction. Therefore, in the conventional batch heat treatment furnace, it was necessary to use the furnace body and the treatment table as a pair. As a result, for example, when a processing table is shared by multiple furnace bodies, a problem arises in that it is not possible to automate the process of attaching the processing table to each furnace body, or the process table is attached to each furnace by an operator. Even when it is attached to the body, there is a problem in that it is difficult for an operator to easily perform the attachment work.

The present specification can facilitate the installation work of the processing table when, for example, the processing table is shared by a plurality of furnace bodies and the processing table is made removable from the floor surface of the furnace body. Disclose possible technologies.

The batch heat treatment apparatus disclosed herein includes a batch heat treatment furnace main body, a processing table that is detachably attached to the batch heat treatment furnace main body and on which a workpiece can be placed, and a processing table that is connected to the batch heat treatment furnace. It is equipped with a transport vehicle for transporting to the main body. The batch type heat treatment furnace body includes a furnace body including a ceiling wall, a side wall, and an elevating floor, and a drive device that is provided on the elevating floor, to which a processing table is removably connected, and that rotates the processing table. ing. The elevating floor is movable between a first position where the lower end of the side wall is open and a second position where the lower end of the side wall is closed. When the elevating floor is in the first position, the processing table is removably connected to the drive section of the drive device. When the elevating floor is located at the second position with the processing table connected to the drive section of the drive device, the upper surface of the processing table is exposed within the furnace body. The processing table has a circular shape when viewed from above, and includes a first rotary table that is rotatable around a first axis extending vertically through the center of the processing table. When the angular position of the first rotary table and the angular position of the drive section of the drive device have a predetermined positional relationship, the processing table becomes connectable to the drive section of the drive device. The transport vehicle is configured to move the processing table relative to the transport vehicle such that when the processing table is placed on the transport vehicle, the angular position of the first rotary table with respect to the transport vehicle becomes a preset angle. A first positioning mechanism for positioning is provided.

In the batch type heat treatment apparatus described above, when attaching the processing table to the batch type heat treatment furnace main body, the processing table is placed on the conveyance cart, and the processing table is transported to the batch type heat treatment furnace main body by the conveyance cart. Here, when the processing table is placed on the carrier, the first positioning mechanism sets the angular position of the first rotary table relative to the carrier at a preset angle. Therefore, by appropriately positioning the carrier with respect to the batch type heat treatment furnace main body, it is possible to set the angular position of the first rotary table and the angular position of the drive section of the drive device in a predetermined positional relationship. can. This eliminates the need for alignment of the first rotary table and the drive section in the rotational direction, making it possible to easily attach the processing table to the drive device.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment furnace system according to Example 1. FIG. It is a diagram for explaining each component of the batch type heat treatment apparatus installed in the heat treatment furnace system according to Example 1, and shows a batch type heat treatment furnace body, a processing table detachably attached to the heat treatment furnace body, and , and a schematic diagram showing a transport vehicle that transports the processing table. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a processing table is attached to the heat treatment furnace main body (a state in which the elevating floor is lowered). FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state in which a processing table is attached to the heat treatment furnace main body (a state in which the elevating floor is elevated). FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat treatment furnace body to which the processing table is attached (VV cross-sectional view in FIG. 4). FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which a processing table is attached to an elevating floor (however, illustration of the drive device (20, 22) is omitted). FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which the processing table is attached to the elevating floor (a view of the processing table and the elevating floor viewed from above in FIG. 6); FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a connecting section that connects a processing table and a drive mechanism (a diagram showing a state in which the processing table and drive mechanism are not connected); FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a connecting section that connects a processing table and a drive mechanism (a diagram showing a state in which the processing table and the drive mechanism are connected); FIG. 2 is a rear view of the transport vehicle according to the first embodiment (however, the arm is not shown). FIG. 3 is a right side view of the transport vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation when lifting the processing table with the arm of the transport vehicle (state immediately before lifting). FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between an arm of a transport vehicle, a mounting table on which a processing table is placed, and a guide member of the processing table. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the arm of the transport vehicle and the guide member of the processing table (with the processing table lifted by the arm). FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the arm of the transport vehicle and the guide member of the processing table (the state immediately before the arm lifts the processing table). FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation when lifting the processing table by the arm of the transport vehicle according to the first embodiment (in a lifted state).

(Feature 1) In the batch type heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification, the first positioning mechanism is configured to set the center of the processing table in advance with respect to the carrier when the processing table is placed on the carrier. The processing table may be further positioned so as to be in the same position. According to such a configuration, the processing table can be easily positioned with respect to the drive device, and the work of attaching the processing table to the drive device can be performed more easily.

(Feature 2) In the batch type heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification, the first positioning mechanism includes a first arm extending linearly, and a first positioning mechanism provided apart from the first arm in a first direction. and a second arm extending parallel to the second arm. The processing table includes a first guide member, a second guide member provided at a different position from the first guide member, and a third guide member provided at a different position from the first guide member and the second guide member. , may include at least the following. The first guide member abuts one of the base end and the distal end of the first arm, the second guide member abuts the other of the base end and the distal end of the first arm, and the third guide member abuts the other of the base end and the distal end of the first arm. The processing table may be positioned with respect to the carriage by the guide member coming into contact with the second arm. According to such a configuration, the processing table can be positioned in the circumferential direction and in the left-right direction with respect to the transport vehicle simply by lifting the processing table using the first arm and the second arm.

(Feature 3) In the batch type heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification, the first positioning mechanism is provided in at least one of the first arm and the second arm, and the first guide member, the second guide member, and the third guide member The arm may further include a first stopper member that positions at least one of the arms in the longitudinal direction of the arm. According to such a configuration, the processing table can be positioned in the longitudinal direction of the transport vehicle by abutting the guide member on the processing table side and the first stopper member on the arm side.

(Feature 4) The batch type heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification may further include a second positioning mechanism that positions the carrier at a preset transfer position with respect to the elevating floor located at the first position. good. The transport vehicle may include a first wheel and a second wheel provided at a position spaced apart from the first wheel in the left-right direction of the transport vehicle. The second positioning mechanism may include a first rail that guides the first wheel and a second rail that guides the second wheel. According to such a configuration, the transport vehicle can be guided to the transfer position by guiding the wheels of the transport vehicle by the rails.

(Feature 5) In the batch heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification, one of the first rail and the second rail may have a convex shape that is convex upward. One of the first wheel and the second wheel guided by one of the first rail and the second rail may have a concave shape corresponding to the convex shape. According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve the positioning accuracy of the transport vehicle in the left-right direction (width direction).

(Feature 6) In the batch type heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification, the second positioning mechanism may further include a second stopper member that positions the carrier so that the carrier does not move beyond the transfer position. good. According to such a configuration, the carrier can be positioned at the transfer position by moving the carrier to a position where it comes into contact with the second stopper member.

(Feature 7) In the batch heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification, the processing table may further include at least one second rotary table disposed inside the first rotary table when viewed in plan. good. The second rotary table may be configured to be rotatable around a second axis extending vertically through the center of the second rotary table. The center position of the second rotary table may be at a different position from the center position of the first rotary table when viewed in plan. The drive device may include a first drive shaft that rotationally drives the first rotary table and a second drive shaft that rotationally drives the second rotary table. The processing table is placed on the elevating floor such that the first drive shaft is located on the first axis of the first rotary table, and the second drive shaft is located on the second axis of the second rotary table. The processing table may be connectable to a drive when positioned relative to the processing table. In such a configuration, by placing the workpiece on the upper surface of the second rotary table, the workpiece can be rotated (rotated) as the second rotary table rotates. As the first rotary table rotates, the object to be processed can rotate (revolution) around the first axis. Thereby, the object to be processed can be uniformly heat-treated. In addition, by arranging the second rotary table inside the first rotary table, alignment of the processing table and the drive device becomes complicated. can be easily aligned.

(Feature 8) In the batch type heat treatment apparatus disclosed in this specification, the batch type heat treatment furnace main body includes a position sensor that detects the angular position of the processing table and a control device that controls the drive device based on the detection result of the position sensor. and may further include. The control device may control the drive device so that the angular position of the first rotary table becomes a preset initial angle when the processing table is removed from the elevating floor. According to such a configuration, when the processing table is attached to and detached from the elevating floor, the angular position of the first rotary table is at the initial angle, so that the operation of attaching and detaching the processing table can be easily performed.

The heat treatment furnace system 100 according to this embodiment will be described below. First, the schematic configuration of the heat treatment furnace system 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the area where the heat treatment furnace system 100 is installed includes a loading area A, an unloading area B, and a heat treatment area C. The heat treatment furnace system 100 includes a plurality of processing tables 30, a plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10 installed in a heat treatment area C, and a carrier 70 that transports the processing tables 30 between areas A, B, and C. We are prepared. That is, the heat treatment furnace system 100 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of batch-type heat treatment apparatuses each including a processing table 30, a heat treatment furnace main body 10, and a transport carriage 70.

The processing table 30 has an upper surface on which the object W to be processed is placed. In the stacking area A, the processing table 30 is placed on a mounting table 120 (illustrated in FIG. 12 etc.), which will be described later. In the stacking area A, the workpiece W to be heat-treated is placed on the upper surface of the processing table 30 . The processing table 30 on which the object to be processed W is placed is transported to the heat treatment area C by a transport vehicle 70. The heat treatment area C is provided with a conveyance path connecting the loading area A and the unloading area B, and a plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10 are installed along the conveyance path. The heat treatment furnace main body 10 is a batch type heat treatment furnace, and is used to heat treat the object W to be treated. In this embodiment, a processing table 30 can be attached to each of the plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10. Therefore, an appropriate heat treatment furnace body 10 to which the processing table 30 is attached is selected depending on the operating status of the heat treatment furnace system 100. The processing table 30 transported to the heat treatment area C is transported to the selected heat treatment furnace main body 10 and is attached to the selected heat treatment furnace main body 10. When the processing table 30 is attached, the heat treatment furnace main body 10 performs heat treatment on the workpiece W placed on the processing table 30. When the heat treatment on the workpiece W is completed, the processing table 30 is then taken out from the heat treatment furnace main body 10. The taken out processing table 30 is transported to the unloading area B by the transport vehicle 70, and is unloaded to the unloading area B together with the processing table 30. That is, a mounting table 120 on which the processing table 30 is placed is also installed in the unloading area B. The processing table 30 transported to the unloading area B by the transport vehicle 70 is lowered onto the mounting table mounting table 120 with the workpiece W placed thereon. Thereafter, after the workpiece W is taken out from the processing table 30, the processing table 30 is transported from the unloading area B to the loading area A by the transport cart 70.

As is clear from the above, the heat treatment furnace system 100 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10 and a plurality of processing tables 30 that are detachably attached to each of the plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10. There is. Therefore, while the heat treatment furnace main body 10 is in operation (for example, while the workpiece W is being heat-treated), the workpiece W to be heat-treated next can be placed on another processing table 30 to prepare it. Further, after the heat treatment of the workpiece W, the processing table 30 on which the workpiece W after the heat treatment is placed can be removed from the heat treatment furnace main body 10. For this reason, a new processing table 30 (that is, the processing table 30 on which the workpiece W before heat treatment was placed) is attached to the heat treatment furnace main body 10 after the processing table 30 has been removed, and the next workpiece W Heat treatment can be performed. Therefore, according to the heat treatment furnace system of this embodiment, the plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10 can be operated efficiently, and the workpiece W can be efficiently heat treated. Note that the processing table 30 removed from the heat treatment furnace main body 10 is left on the mounting table mounting table 120 installed in the unloading area B, so that the workpiece W after the heat treatment can be cooled.

On the other hand, if the processing table 30 is shared by a plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10, it becomes necessary to attach the processing table 30 to the heat treatment furnace body 10. The processing table 30 of this embodiment includes a main hearth 34 and a sub-hearth 36 as described later, and in order to attach the processing table 30 to the heat treatment furnace main body 10, It is necessary to position accurately in the direction of rotation. Therefore, in the heat treatment furnace main body 10 of this embodiment, when the rotation of the processing table 30 is stopped, the processing table 30 is stopped at a preset position (position in the rotational direction). Further, when lifting the processing table 30 with the transport vehicle 70, the state of the processing table 30 with respect to the transport vehicle 70 is set to a predetermined state (the position of the transport vehicle 70 in the traveling direction and the position of the processing table 30 in the rotation direction are predetermined). It is set so that the state is This facilitates the work of attaching the processing table 30 to the heat treatment furnace main body 10. Hereinafter, the processing table 30, the transport carriage 70, and the heat treatment furnace main body 10 will be explained in detail.

First, the processing table 30 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the processing table 30 includes a main hearth 34 and four auxiliary hearths 36 installed on the main hearth 34. The main hearth 34 has a small diameter part 33 located at the upper end and a large diameter part 32 located below the small diameter part 33. The small diameter portion 33 and the large diameter portion 32 have a disc-shaped outer shape and are integrated so that their central axes are located on the same straight line. A recess 34a is formed at the center of the lower surface of the large diameter portion 32 and is engageable with a drive mechanism 20 of the heat treatment furnace main body 10, which will be described later. Further, a dog 38 is attached to the lower surface of the large diameter portion 32 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The upper end of the dog 38 is fixed near the outer peripheral edge of the large diameter portion 32, and the lower end extends downward from the lower surface of the large diameter portion 32. The circumferential position of the large diameter portion 32 to which the dog 38 is fixed serves as a reference position for controlling the rotation stop position of the processing table 30. When the processing table 30 is attached to the heat treatment furnace body 10, the main hearth 34 (the small diameter part 33 and the large diameter part 32) moves upward and downward through its central axis (that is, through the center of the small diameter part 33 and the large diameter part 32). (line extending in the direction) coincides with the axis of the heat treatment furnace body 10. Note that four guide members 35 are fixed to the lower surface of the large diameter portion 32 of the main hearth 34 via a first support plate 37 (see FIGS. 7 to 9). The guide member 35 is a truncated cone-shaped member having a large diameter on the upper end side (that is, the processing table 30 side) and a small diameter on the lower end side, and as described later, the guide member 35 is a truncated cone-shaped member that has a large diameter on the upper end side (that is, the processing table 30 side) and a small diameter on the lower end side. Used for positioning. As shown in FIG. 7, each of the four guide members 35 is located at a position outside the small diameter portion 33 (that is, outside the position where the secondary hearth 36 is arranged) and equidistant from the center of the large diameter portion 32. and are arranged at equal intervals (that is, at 90° intervals) in the circumferential direction. More specifically, the center of each of the four guide members 35 is located on a straight line connecting the center of the main hearth 34 and the center of the four auxiliary hearths 36.

The auxiliary hearth 36 has a disc-like shape and is rotatably installed with respect to the main hearth 34 . Specifically, a through hole is formed in the main hearth 34 from its upper end surface (small diameter portion 33) to its lower end surface (large diameter portion 32), and the auxiliary hearth 36 is formed in the through hole. is arranged so that it can rotate. That is, each of the auxiliary hearths 36 is rotatable around its axis (that is, a line extending vertically through the center of the auxiliary hearth 36). In this embodiment, the four sub-hearths 36 are installed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction (that is, the four sub-hearths 36 are installed at 90° intervals in the circumferential direction). Each of the four auxiliary hearths 36 has an engagement surface 36a at its lower end that can be engaged with a drive mechanism 20, which will be described later (see FIGS. 8 and 9). Each of the axes of the four auxiliary hearths 36 is parallel to the axis of the main hearth 34 and arranged at equal distances from the axis of the main hearth 34 . The upper surface of the main hearth 34 and the upper surface of the auxiliary hearth 36 are flush with each other, and the workpiece W can be placed on the upper surface of the auxiliary hearth 36.

The rotation direction and rotation speed of each of the main hearth 34 and the auxiliary hearth 36 can be changed and stopped. Since the object W to be processed is placed on the upper surface of the auxiliary hearth 36, the object W to be processed rotates as the main hearth 34 rotates, and the object W to be processed rotates as the auxiliary hearth 36 rotates. It will do what is called rotation. The rotation direction of each hearth 34, 36 can be set arbitrarily. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, both the main hearth 34 and the auxiliary hearth 36 may rotate counterclockwise, or the main hearth 34 and the auxiliary hearth 36 may both rotate clockwise. . Alternatively, the main hearth 34 may rotate clockwise while the secondary hearth 36 rotates counterclockwise, or the main hearth 34 rotates counterclockwise while the secondary hearth 36 rotates clockwise. It may be rotated. By appropriately controlling the rotational speed and direction of the main hearth 34 and the sub-hearth 36, the workpiece W placed on the sub-hearth 36 can be heated uniformly.

As is clear from the above description, when the main hearth 34 rotates, the auxiliary hearth 36 also rotates (revolutions) around the axis of the main hearth 34 accordingly. Therefore, when the position at which the main hearth 34 stops rotating changes, the position at which the sub-hearth 36 stops also changes. As described above, the recess 34a is formed on the lower surface of the main hearth 34, and the engaging surface 36a is formed on the lower surface of the auxiliary hearth 36, and each of the recess 34a and the engaging surface 36a is connected to the heat treatment furnace. It is connected to the drive mechanism 20 of the main body 10. Therefore, if the main hearth 34 stops rotating at the same position, the auxiliary hearth 36 stops at the same position, and when the processing table 30 is connected to the drive mechanism 20 of the heat treatment furnace main body 10. alignment can be facilitated.

Next, the heat treatment furnace main body 10 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the heat treatment furnace main body 10 includes a pedestal 16 and a furnace body 11 supported by the pedestal 16. The pedestal 16 is installed at a predetermined position in the heat treatment area C. By supporting the furnace body 11 with the pedestal 16, a space is formed below the furnace body 11 in which the processing table 30 can be attached and detached.

The furnace body 11 is made of refractory material and includes a cylindrical side wall 14 and a disk-shaped ceiling wall 12. The lower end of the side wall 14 is fixed to the frame 16, and the upper end extends to the ceiling wall 12. The ceiling wall 12 contacts the upper end of the side wall 14 and closes the opening at the upper end of the side wall 14. An exhaust port (not shown) is formed in the center of the ceiling wall 12.

The furnace body 11 further includes an elevating floor 18. The elevating floor 18 is formed in a rectangular box shape when viewed from above, and a driving device (20, 22) for rotationally driving the processing table 30 is housed inside the elevating floor 18. The drive device (20, 22) includes a drive source 22 and a drive mechanism 20. The drive source 22 is a general-purpose motor (that is, a motor without a servo function) for rotationally driving the processing table 30. The driving force generated by the drive source 22 is transmitted to the processing table 30 (specifically, each of the main hearth 34 and the auxiliary hearth 36) via the drive mechanism 20.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the drive mechanism 20 includes a first connecting portion 46 connected to the recess 34a of the main hearth 34, and a second connecting portion 44 connected to the lower surface of the auxiliary hearth 36. ing. The rotational driving force of the drive source 22 is transmitted to the first connecting portion 46 via a transmission member (such as a chain) not shown. A disk-shaped second support plate 48 is fixed to the lower end of the first connecting portion 46 . The second support plate 48 comes into contact with the lower surface of the main hearth 34 and supports the main hearth 34 . A second drive shaft 42 is fixed to the lower surface of the second connecting portion 44 . The second drive shaft 42 passes through a through hole (not shown) in the second support plate 48, and the rotational driving force of the drive source 22 is transmitted to the lower end of the second drive shaft 42 via a transmission member (such as a chain) not shown. By transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive source 22 to each of the first connecting portion 46 and the second connecting portion 44, the main hearth 34 rotates (rotates), and the auxiliary hearth 36 rotates and revolves accordingly. I will do it.

The recess 34a of the processing table 30 (main hearth 34) is connected to the first connection part 46, and the engagement surface 36a of the processing table 30 (secondary hearth 36) is connected to the second connection part 44, so that A processing table 30 is attached to the drive mechanism 20. As a result, the processing table 30 is placed on the upper surface of the second support plate 48 of the drive mechanism 20, and the processing table 30 is supported by the drive mechanism 20. When the processing table 30 is attached to the drive mechanism 20, the processing table 30 is supported above the elevating floor 18, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. Here, the elevating floor 18 is moved between a position near the lower end of the furnace body 11 (an example of a second position in the claims) and a position near the floor surface (an example of the second position in the claims) by an elevating device 24 provided on the pedestal 16. (an example of the first position). When the elevating floor 18 is positioned near the floor surface, the lower end of the side wall 14 is opened and the processing table 30 can be attached to and detached from the drive mechanism 20 (the state shown in FIG. 3).

Further, when the elevating floor 18 is positioned near the lower end of the furnace body 11 with the processing table 30 attached to the drive mechanism 20, the processing table 30 closes the lower end opening of the side wall 14 (as shown in FIG. situation). When the processing table 30 closes the lower end opening of the side wall 14, the processing table 30 and the furnace body 12 form a furnace space 26 in which the workpiece W is heat-treated. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper surface of the main hearth 34 and the upper surface of the auxiliary hearth 36 are exposed in the furnace space 26, and the workpiece W placed on the upper surface of the auxiliary hearth 36 is exposed. It is accommodated in the furnace space 26. A heater 50 (not shown in FIG. 10) and a gas supply device 52 (not shown in FIG. 10) are provided in the furnace space 26. The workpiece W is heated by the heater 50, and the atmosphere in the furnace space 26 is controlled by the gas supply device 52.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the elevating floor 18 is provided with a position sensor 40 for detecting the dog 38 attached to the processing table 30. The detection signal output from the position sensor 40 is turned ON when facing the dog 38, and turned OFF when not facing the dog 38. As shown in FIG. 7, since the dog 38 is a plate material having a constant width, the detection signal output from the position sensor 40 is ON when the main hearth 34 is within a preset angle range. .

The heat treatment furnace main body 10 further includes a control section. The control unit is configured by, for example, a computer including a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The control unit is connected to the production control device 60 and the position sensor 40, and receives instructions from the production control device 60 and detection signals from the position sensor 40. The control unit controls the operation of each part of the heat treatment furnace main body 10 based on input instructions and detection signals. That is, the control unit raises and lowers the elevator floor 18 by controlling the elevator device 24, controls the rotation of the processing table 30 by controlling the drive devices (20, 22), and controls the heater 50 and the gas supply device 52. By controlling the temperature and atmosphere inside the furnace.

In this embodiment, when the rotation of the processing table 30 is stopped after the heat treatment of the workpiece W is completed, the control unit controls the processing table 30 to stop at a preset position (angular position). The drive device (20, 22) is controlled accordingly. That is, the control unit controls the drive device (20, 22) based on the detection signal output from the position sensor 40, so that the processing table 30 stops at a preset position. Since the processing table 30 stops at a preset position, the positional relationship between the main hearth 34 and the auxiliary hearth 36 at the time of stop is constant, and as a result, the first connecting portion 46 and the second connecting portion of the drive mechanism 20 The positional relationship of 44 is also constant. As will be described later, in this embodiment, when lifting the processing table 30 with the transport vehicle 70, the transport vehicle 70 lifts the processing table 30 so that the processing table 30 is in a preset positional relationship with respect to the transport vehicle 70. lift up. By positioning the transport carriage 70 at a preset position relative to the heat treatment furnace main body 10, the processing table 30 is positioned in a positional relationship that allows connection to the drive mechanism 20. Thereby, in this embodiment, the work of attaching the processing table 30 to the heat treatment furnace main body 10 is facilitated. Note that various known methods can be used to stop the processing table 30 at a preset position (angular position). For example, the control unit may stop the rotation of the drive device (20, 22) when the detection signal output from the position sensor 40 switches from OFF to ON, or may stop the rotation of the drive device (20, 22) when the heat treatment is completed. The rotation speed of the table 30 may be changed to a low speed, and then the rotation of the drive device (20, 22) may be stopped when the detection signal output from the position sensor 40 is switched from OFF to ON. By stopping the processing table 30 from rotating at a low speed, the accuracy of the stopping position of the processing table 30 can be improved.

Next, the transport vehicle 70 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the transport vehicle 70 includes a vehicle body frame (74, 80) and a pair of arms 72 that are supported by the vehicle body frame (74, 80) so as to be movable up and down.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the pair of arms 72 are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the transport vehicle 70 and extend parallel to each other in the front-rear direction of the transport vehicle 70. The rear ends of the pair of arms 72 are connected by a connecting frame 74, and the pair of arms 72 and the connecting frame 74 are integrated. The pair of integrated arms 72 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction by a lifting mechanism 88 provided at the upper end of the vehicle body frame (74, 82). Specifically, when the operator operates the handle 86, the elevating mechanism 88 is operated, and the pair of arms 72 are moved in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 13, a rectangular guide plate 76 is fixed to the upper surface of each of the pair of arms 72 when viewed from above. Further, a first stopper member 78 is provided on the inner surface of each arm 72 (that is, the surface facing the other arm 72). The guide plate 76 and the first stopper member 78 cooperate with the four guide members 35 provided on the lower surface of the processing table 30 to control the position of the processing table 30 with respect to the pair of arms 72 (in the direction of movement of the transport carriage 70). position) and posture (angular position in the direction of rotation) with high precision. That is, the two guide members 35 abut on the inner edge of the guide plate 76 of one arm 72 and the other two guide members 35 abut on the inner edge of the guide plate 76 of the other arm 72, so that the pair of arms 72 The attitude (position in the rotational direction) of the processing table 30 is determined relative to the rotation direction. Further, one guide member 35 contacts the first stopper member 78 of one arm 72 and the other guide member 35 contacts the first stopper member 78 of the other arm 72, so that the pair of arms 72 The position of the processing table 30 (the position in the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 72) with respect to the processing table 30 is determined. Thereby, the position and attitude of the processing table 30 with respect to the transport vehicle 70 can be controlled with high precision.

The vehicle body frame (74, 80) includes a pair of horizontal frames 80 extending in the front-rear direction of the carrier 70, and a pair of vertical frames 82 attached to the rear ends of the horizontal frames 80. The pair of vertical frames 82 are arranged parallel to each other at intervals in the width direction of the transport vehicle 70 and extend in the height direction of the transport vehicle 70 . The pair of vertical frames 82 are connected by a handle 84 that is held by an operator. By connecting the pair of vertical frames 82, the pair of horizontal frames 80 and the pair of vertical frames 82 are integrated.

The pair of horizontal frames 80 are arranged parallel to each other at intervals in the width direction of the transport vehicle 70, and are also arranged in the vicinity of the floor surface on which the transport vehicle 70 runs parallel to the floor surface. At the front end of the horizontal frame 80, an inner front wheel 90 and an abutment member 81 located further in front of the inner front wheel 90 are attached. The inner front wheel 90 uses a wheel whose steering angle cannot be changed. The abutting member 81 is used to position the transport vehicle 70 in its traveling direction. An inner rear wheel 92 is attached to the rear end of the horizontal frame 80. The inner rear wheels 92 are wheels whose steering angle can be changed. Therefore, by changing the direction of the force applied by the operator to the handle 84, the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 70 can be changed.

Further, a first outer ring 94 is attached to the right side surface (ie, the outer side surface) of the horizontal frame 80 on the right side in the traveling direction (see FIG. 11). The first outer ring 94 is provided at a position closer to the front and a position closer to the rear of the horizontal frame 80 on the right side. A second outer ring 96 is attached to the left side surface (that is, the outer side surface) of the horizontal frame 80 on the left side in the traveling direction (see FIG. 10). Like the first outer ring 94, the second outer ring 96 is also provided at a position closer to the front and a position closer to the rear of the left horizontal frame 80, respectively. The first outer wheel 94 and the second outer wheel 96 are wheels whose steering angles cannot be changed, and are guided by guide rails 110 and 112 installed on the floor, respectively. Since the upper surfaces of the guide rails 110 and 112 are located above the floor surface, the first outer ring 94 and the second outer ring 96 do not come into direct contact with the floor surface. As shown in FIG. 10, the upper surface of the guide rail 110 is a horizontal surface. Therefore, the contact surface of the first outer ring 94 guided by the guide rail 110 is also a flat surface. On the other hand, the upper surface of the guide rail 112 has an upwardly convex triangular shape. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the second outer ring 96 that contacts the guide rail 110 has a concave shape corresponding to the shape of the upper surface of the guide rail 112. By guiding the second outer ring 96 with the triangular guide rail 112 that is convex upward, the transport vehicle 70 can accurately adjust its position in the traveling direction and width direction.

The guide rails 110 and 112 described above are provided at a work place where the processing tables 30 are stacked, unloaded, and attached to and removed from the drive mechanism 20. Such work areas are provided in a loading area A, an unloading area B, and a heat treatment area C, respectively. As shown in FIG. 11, a second stopper member 114 is arranged at a position adjacent to the guide rails 110, 112. When the transport vehicle 70 moves while being guided by the guide rails 110 and 112 (for example, when moving from the left side to the right side in FIG. 11), the abutting member 81 attached to the front end of the horizontal frame 80 acts as a second stopper member. By coming into contact with 114, movement of the transport vehicle 70 beyond the second stopper member 114 is restricted. Therefore, by moving the transport vehicle 70 while the first outer ring 94 and the second outer ring 96 are guided by the guide rails 110 and 112, the position of the transport vehicle 70 in the traveling direction and width direction can be controlled with high precision, and , the abutting member 81 abuts against the second stopper member 114, thereby controlling the position in the traveling direction with high precision. Thereby, the transport vehicle 70 can be accurately positioned at a preset positioning position for each work location.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, in the loading area A and the unloading area B, a mounting table 120 is installed so as to be sandwiched between the guide rails 110 and 112 described above. The processing table 30 is placed on the mounting table 120 . As shown in FIG. 13, the mounting table 120 includes a pair of mutually parallel support frames 122 extending in the horizontal direction. Two guide portions 124 are provided on the outer surface of the support frame 122 (the surface facing the arm 72) at intervals in the axial direction of the support frame 122. When the processing table 30 is placed on the mounting table 120, the two guide members 35 of the processing table 30 come into contact with the two guide parts 124 of one support frame 122, and the two guide members 35 of the other support frame 122 come into contact with the two guide parts 124 of the other support frame 122. The two guide members 35 of the processing table 30 come into contact with each other. Thereby, the attitude (position in the rotational direction) of the processing table 30 with respect to the mounting table 120 is controlled to be a desired attitude.

Here, when placing the processing table 30 placed on the mounting table 120 on the carrier 70, first, the carrier 70 is moved so that the first outer ring 94 and the second outer ring 96 are guided by the guide rails 110, 112. while approaching the mounting table 120. Then, when the abutting member 81 of the carrier 70 contacts the second stopper member 114, the movement of the carrier 70 is stopped. At this time, the height of the pair of arms 72 is set below the lower surface of the processing table 30. Next, the handle 86 is operated to activate the lifting mechanism 88 to raise the pair of arms 72. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the arm 72 is raised while the guide plate 76 of the arm 72 is guided by the guide surface 35a of the guide member 35, and the upper surface of the guide plate 76 is fixed to the lower surface of the processing table 30. The first support plate 37 is brought into contact with the first support plate 37 . By guiding the guide plate 76 of the arm 72 to the guide surfaces 35a of the four guide members 35, fine adjustment of the position and attitude of the processing table 30 with respect to the arm 72 is performed. After the upper surface of the guide plate 76 comes into contact with the first support plate 37, the arm 72 further rises, so that the processing table 30 is placed on the transport carriage 70, as shown in FIG.

In order to attach the processing table 30 placed on the carrier 70 to the heat treatment furnace main body 10, first, the carrier 70 is set in advance while being guided by guide rails 110, 112 provided near the heat treatment furnace main body 10. position. As described above, the carrier 70 is accurately positioned at a preset position with respect to the heat treatment furnace main body 10, and the position and orientation of the processing table 30 with respect to the arm 72 of the carrier 70 are adjusted to the preset position and orientation. In addition, the positional relationship between the first connecting portion 46 and the second connecting portion 44 of the drive mechanism 20 of the heat treatment furnace main body 10 is also a preset relationship. Therefore, the processing table 30 can be attached to the drive mechanism 20 of the heat treatment furnace main body 10 simply by lowering the arm 72. Note that when removing the processing table 30 from the drive mechanism 20, the above procedure may be reversed. Further, the procedure for loading and unloading the processing table 30 removed from the drive mechanism 20 onto the mounting table 120 installed in the unloading area B is the reverse of the procedure for placing the processing table 30 placed on the mounting table 120 on the transport cart 70. You can follow these steps.

The heat treatment furnace system 100 of this embodiment includes a plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10 and a plurality of processing tables 30 that are shared by each of the plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10. Therefore, the plurality of heat treatment furnace bodies 10 can be operated efficiently to efficiently heat treat the object W to be treated. Further, it is necessary to attach the processing table 30 to the heat treatment furnace main body 10, but as described above, the position at which the processing table 30 stops rotating is a preset position, and the transport cart 70 is attached to the heat treatment furnace main body. 10 is also a preset position, and furthermore, the position and attitude of the processing table 20 with respect to the transport vehicle 70 are also controlled to be the preset position and attitude. Therefore, the processing table 30 can be easily positioned in a connectable position relative to the drive mechanism 20, and the work of attaching the processing table 30 to the heat treatment furnace main body 10 can be facilitated.

Note that in the embodiment described above, the operator operated the transport vehicle 70 and connected the processing table 30 to the drive mechanism 20 of the heat treatment furnace main body 10, but the technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to this. It is not limited to any form. For example, the transport vehicle 70 may be automated so that the transport vehicle 70 autonomously connects the processing table 30 to the drive mechanism 20. As a result, the transport vehicle 70 can be automated and the heat treatment furnace system can be operated with less manpower.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the processing table 30 is provided with four guide members 35, and the processing table 30 is positioned with respect to the transport vehicle 70 by guiding these guide members 35 by the guide plate 76 of the transport vehicle 70. However, the technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to this form. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a guide plate is provided on the processing table 30 and guide members are provided at the base end and the tip of the arm 72 of the transport vehicle 70, respectively. Further, in the embodiment described above, the first stopper member 78 was provided on each of the two arms 72, but the first stopper member 78 may be provided on only one of the two arms 72.

Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described above in detail, these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The techniques described in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. Further, the technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness singly or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims as filed.

10 Heat treatment furnace 11 Furnace body 12 Ceiling wall 14 Side wall 16 Frame 18 Elevating floor 20 Drive mechanism 22 Drive device 24 Elevating device 26 Furnace space 28 Opening 30 Processing table 32 Large diameter portion 33 Small diameter portion 34 Main hearth 35 Guide member 35a Guide Surface 36 Secondary hearth 37 First support plate 38 Dog 40 Position sensor 42 Second drive shaft 44 Second connection part 46 First connection part 48 Second support plate 50 Heater 52 Gas supply device 70 Transport cart 72 Arm 74 Connection frame 76 Guide plate 78 First stopper member 84 Handle 86 Handle 88 Lifting mechanism 100 Heat treatment furnace system 114 Second stopper member 120 Mounting table 122 Support frame 124 Guide section

Claims (9)

A batch heat treatment furnace body,
a processing table that is removably attached to the batch type heat treatment furnace body and on which a workpiece can be placed;
a transport vehicle that transports the processing table to the batch type heat treatment furnace main body;
It is equipped with
The batch type heat treatment furnace main body is
A furnace body including a ceiling wall, a side wall, and an elevating floor;
a drive device provided on the elevating floor, to which the processing table is detachably connected, and for rotationally driving the processing table;
It is equipped with
The elevating floor is movable between a first position where the lower end of the side wall is open and a second position where the lower end of the side wall is closed.
When the elevating floor is located at the first position, the processing table is removably connected to a drive section of the drive device,
When the elevating floor is located at the second position with the processing table connected to the drive unit of the drive device, the upper surface of the processing table is exposed in the furnace body,
The processing table has a circular shape when viewed from above, and includes a first rotary table that is rotatable around a first axis extending vertically through the center of the processing table,
When the angular position of the first rotary table and the angular position of the drive section of the drive device have a predetermined positional relationship, the processing table is in a state where it can be connected to the drive section of the drive device,
The transport vehicle transports the processing table such that when the processing table is placed on the transport vehicle, the angular position of the first rotary table with respect to the transport vehicle becomes a preset angle. A batch type heat treatment apparatus comprising a first positioning mechanism for positioning with respect to a trolley. The first positioning mechanism is configured such that when the processing table is placed on the transport vehicle, the center of the processing table is at a predetermined position with respect to the front-back and left-right directions of the transport vehicle. The batch heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising positioning the processing table. The first positioning mechanism includes:
a first arm extending linearly;
a second arm that is spaced apart from the first arm in a first direction and extends parallel to the first arm;
The processing table includes a first guide member, a second guide member provided at a different position from the first guide member, and a second guide member provided at a different position from the first guide member and the second guide member. 3 guide member,
The first guide member abuts one of the base end and the distal end of the first arm, and the second guide member abuts the other of the base end and the distal end of the first arm, The batch type heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing table is positioned with respect to the transport vehicle by the third guide member coming into contact with the second arm. The first positioning mechanism is provided on at least one of the first arm and the second arm, and is configured to position at least one of the first guide member, the second guide member, and the third guide member in the arm longitudinal direction. further comprising a first stopper member that
When at least one of the first guide member, the second guide member, and the third guide member is positioned in the arm longitudinal direction by the first stopper member, the processing is performed in the front-rear direction and left-right direction of the transport vehicle. 4. The batch heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the center of the table is at a preset position . further comprising a second positioning mechanism that positions the conveyance cart at a preset transfer position with respect to the elevating floor located at the first position,
The transport vehicle includes a first wheel and a second wheel provided at a position spaced apart from the first wheel in the left-right direction of the transport vehicle,
The batch according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second positioning mechanism includes a first rail that guides the first wheel and a second rail that guides the second wheel. type heat treatment equipment. One of the first rail and the second rail has a convex shape that is convex upward,
The batch type according to claim 5, wherein one of the first wheel and the second wheel guided by one of the first rail and the second rail has a concave shape corresponding to the convex shape. Heat treatment equipment. 7 . The batch heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second positioning mechanism further includes a second stopper member that positions the transport vehicle so that the transport vehicle does not move beyond the transfer position. The processing table further includes at least one second rotary table disposed inside the first rotary table when viewed in plan,
The second rotary table is configured to be rotatable around a second axis extending vertically through the center thereof,
The center position of the second rotary table is at a different position from the center position of the first rotary table when viewed from above,
The drive device includes a first drive shaft that rotationally drives the first rotary table, and a second drive shaft that rotationally drives the second rotary table,
such that the first drive shaft is located on the first axis of the first rotary table, and the second drive shaft is located on the second axis of the second rotary table, The batch heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the processing table is connectable to the drive device when the processing table is positioned with respect to the elevating floor. The batch heat treatment furnace body further includes a position sensor that detects the angular position of the processing table, and a control device that controls the drive device based on the detection result of the position sensor,
Claims 1 to 8, wherein the control device controls the drive device so that the angular position of the first rotary table becomes a preset initial angle when the processing table is removed from the elevating floor. The batch heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the above.

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