JPH0124098B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for transporting a load from one station to another by loading and unloading the load using a lift section that can be raised and lowered and traveling on an elevated rail.

This type of transport device is used for transporting items that are susceptible to vibrations and shocks, such as glass substrates, semiconductor wafers, and chemicals.

An example of a conventional conveying device is shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the conveying device that runs within an elevated rail 6, and a lift section 3 is attached to the tip of a lift belt 2 made of cloth or rubber wound around a reel inside the main body 1. This lift section 3 has a hand 3A formed in a substantially U-shape to capture a load on the station. 4 is a mark for determining the lift stop position, 5 is a current collector, and 7 is a lift stop position detection sensor provided on the station side.

In this conventional device, a traveling motor in a main body 1 is driven by current from a collector 5 to travel within an elevated rail 6, and after stopping on a predetermined station, the lift belt 2 is unwound by a reel and lifted. Lower part 3. When the lift section 3 descends and the detection sensor 7 detects the mark 4 on the lift section 3, a signal to stop the descent of the lift section 3 is sent to the main body 1, and the lift section 3 stops. In synchronization with this stop, the hand 3A captures the load by operation on the station side, and when this is completed, the lift section 3 is raised by the winding operation of the lift belt 2 and moved to another station, and the lift section 3 is moved again. It is designed to be lowered and unloaded to the station.

However, in conventional devices, the lift belt 2 uses a material with low rigidity, such as cloth or rubber, which causes vibrations to the load due to the back and forth and left and right fluctuations of the lift section 3 during lift movement. It was difficult to stop the device at a predetermined position. In addition, adjustment and maintenance are not easy due to expansion and contraction due to load and changes over time, and because the lift belt 2 needs to have a certain thickness, when the lift lift distance is long, the reel diameter after winding the lift belt becomes large. This made it difficult to obtain constant speed operation and at the same time made it difficult to miniaturize the device.
In addition, in the conventional structure, it was difficult to supply current to the lift section 3 side, and it was not possible to provide the lift section 3 itself with an electrical function. For this reason, the lift section stop position detection sensor 7 and the like are provided on the station side, and a lift stop command is given to the main body 1 from the station side using some communication means to stop the lift section 3. In this method, it is necessary to provide a sensor 7 for each station, and a device for transmitting a lift stop command from each station to the transport device main body 1 is required, which increases the cost of the transport system. In addition, the hand 3 for capturing the load
A itself could not be equipped with the function of catching and releasing a load, and all the catching and releasing of loads by hand 3A had to be done on the station side, which caused many problems such as complicating the equipment on the station side. had.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and includes a lift belt to which a lift section is attached, which is formed of a conductive metal material, and this metal belt is used as a power supply path for an electric circuit incorporated into a transport device. Lift stop position detection function and load capture/
By adding an opening function, it is possible to simplify loading and unloading work and simplify the mechanism and electric circuit configuration on the station side.Furthermore, it reduces fluctuations when the lift goes up and down and the expansion and contraction of the lift belt, allowing for fixed point positioning. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a conveyance device that improves accuracy and is easy to handle.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 to 7. In the figure, the main body 11 of the conveying device 10 runs on the bent portion 6A of the elevated rail 6, which has a substantially U-shaped cross section with an open bottom surface and is formed by bending the lower end line inward at a substantially right angle. is provided with a collector 12, and inside thereof is a hand operation command circuit 13 which operates based on a hand opening/closing command _S1 from the outside as shown in FIG. A lift motor start/stop circuit 1 that starts a lift motor 15 based on a lift command _S2 and stops the lift motor 15 in response to a lift stop command _S3 from a lift stop position detection sensor 24, which will be described later.
6 and a curve detector 37 described later. The lift motor 15 drives, for example, four reels 17 provided on the main body 11, thereby winding and unwinding the lift belt 18 to raise and lower the lift portion 20. The four lift belts 18 are made of a conductive metal material, such as steel, and are connected to current collecting brushes 19 (shown in FIG. 3) provided on each reel 17 to form independent conductors. I am trying to use it as. In addition, this lift belt 18 has a self-returning property that tends to become a spiral shape in its natural state, and when unwinding, the cross section of the belt, that is, the width direction of the belt is curved as shown in FIG. The rigidity of the belt 18 is increased.

A lift section 20 that is raised and lowered via a lift belt 18 is provided with a hand 21 that opens and closes in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. This hand 21
is the hand opening/closing circuit 22 housed in the lift section 20.
It is opened and closed by a motor 23. The lift unit 20 also detects a mark (not shown) provided on the station side to determine the lift stop position and sends a lift stop command _S3 to the lift motor start/stop circuit 16.
A lift stop position detection sensor 24 is attached to output the lift stop position. Current supply and signal transmission to the hand opening/closing circuit 22 and the lift stop position detection sensor 24 are performed using the lift belt 18. In FIG. 2, 25 is a winding limit detector for the lift belt 18, and 26 is an unwinding limit detector.

Next, the configurations of the aforementioned hand motion command circuit 13, hand motion end detection circuit 14, and hand opening/closing circuit 22 will be explained with reference to _FIG . It is composed of an interlocking switch 13A that operates and a switch 13B that is turned on by the opening/closing command. The hand motion completion detection circuit 14 is a photocoupler 14A.
and commands the end of hand operation when the power is cut off.
_S4 is output to the hand motion command circuit 13 to turn off the switch 13B. The hand opening/closing circuit 22 includes a hand opening limit detector 22A and a hand closing limit detector 22B connected in series via a hand motor 23, and diodes 22C and 22D connected in parallel with each limit detector 22A and 22B, respectively. .

Further, the conveyance device of this embodiment is equipped with a steering mechanism, which will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

A front wheel portion 11A and a rear wheel portion 11B are connected to a rotating shaft 31 that is rotatably supported by the main body 11, and these front and rear wheel portions 11A and 11B are configured to be able to swing left and right. The respective shafts 39A and 39B of the front wheel portion 11A and the rear wheel portion 11B are provided with spring coupling springs 3.
They are connected by 3. Three guide wheels 34 are attached to each side of the main body 11 to rotate on the inner surface of the bent portion 6A of the rail 6. A clutch device 36 is attached to each axle 32A of the front wheel portion 11A in correspondence with the wheel 35A, and these clutch devices 36 are activated by a signal from a curve detector 37 that detects curve travel by rotation of the rotating shaft 31. It's starting to work intermittently. 3
8 is a wheel drive unit including a travel motor. 32
B and 35B indicate the axle and wheel of the rear wheel portion 11B, respectively.

Next, the action will be explained.

When loading a load, the transport device 10 is stopped above a predetermined station, and a lift lowering command S ₂ is transmitted to the lift motor start/stop circuit 16 from the outside. As a result, the lift motor 15 is started, rotates the reel 17, unwinds the lift belt 18, and lowers the lift section 20. When the lift stop position detection sensor 24 detects the stop position mark on the station side, a lift stop command _S3 is sent to the lift motor start/stop circuit 16 via the lift belt 18.
to stop the lift motor 15 and lift part 20.
stop descending. At this time, even if the stoppage cannot be detected by the sensor 24, when the hand 21 stops on the station, the lift belt 18 will be lifted up due to the rigidity of the lift belt 18, which tends to straighten as shown in FIG. An unwinding limit detector 26 operates to stop the lift motor 15 to prevent excessive unwinding.

After the lift section 20 stops at a predetermined position, a hand closing command _S1 is transmitted to the hand operation command circuit 13 from the outside. Then, the interlocking switch 13A is switched from the state shown in FIG. 3, and the switch 13B is turned on. At this time, the hand close limit detector 22B in the hand opening/closing circuit 22 is in the ON state, so the hand motor 23 is driven to move the hands 21 close to each other and capture the load on the station. and,
When the hand close limit detector 22B approaches the predetermined position, the hand closing limit detector 22B is turned off and the power to the hand motion end detection circuit 14 is cut off, and the hand motion end command _S4 is sent to the hand motion command circuit 13 by the action of the photo coupler 14A.
and turns off the switch 13B.

When the load is captured, a lift raising command _S2 is transmitted from the outside to the lift motor start/stop circuit 16, and the lift motor 15 is started to drive the reel 17 and wind up the lift belt 18. Then, when the lift stop position detection sensor 24 detects the stop position mark on the main body 11 side, a lift stop command _S3 is sent to the lift motor start/stop circuit 16 via the lift belt 18.
to stop the lift motor 15 and lift part 20.
stop rising. At this time, if the stop cannot be detected by the sensor 24, when the upper surface of the lift section 20 hits the winding limit detector 25, the lift motor 15 is stopped to prevent overwinding. When the lifting operation of the lift section 20 is completed, the transport device 10 is moved along the rail 6 to above a predetermined station, and the lift section 20 is lowered and stopped in the same manner as described above, and the hand 21 is moved.
The load is released by the closing operation, and the lift section 20 is raised again to return above the original station.

In addition, when this conveying device 10 travels on a curved portion of the rail 6, the guide wheels 34 on the outside of the curve are
A force in the direction of the center of the curve acts on the front wheel portion 11A.
(When moving in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5) rotates along the curve and rotates the rotating shaft 31. The curve detector 37 detects this rotation of the rotating shaft 31,
Of the clutch devices 36 provided on the axle 32A, the clutch device on the inside of the curve is disengaged. As a result, the connection between the axle 32A on the inside of the curve and the wheel 35A on the inside of the curve is severed, and the wheel 35A on the inside of the curve becomes free to rotate, and the wheels on the outside of the curve are driven.
This prevents the inside wheels from slipping when driving on curves. Therefore, the generation of dust can be suppressed, and the load on the traveling motor can be reduced and vibrations can be reduced.

As described above, in this embodiment, the lift belt 18
The structure uses a metal belt to increase rigidity, so
Fluctuations during the lifting and lowering operations of the lift section 20 are reduced, making it easier to stop the lift section 20 at a fixed position, and reducing vibrations to the load. Also,
Since the lift belt 18 can be used as a conductor, the lift stop position detection sensor 24 can be provided in the lift section 20, and the equipment on the station side can be greatly simplified. Furthermore, since the hand 21 can be opened and closed, loading and unloading of cargo becomes easy. Furthermore, since the lift belt 18 does not expand or contract much, it is easy to handle, and workability such as adjustment and maintenance can be improved. Since the thickness is also reduced, the reel diameter when winding the lift belt 18 is small, making it easier to obtain constant speed operation and at the same time making it possible to downsize the conveying device 10.

In the above embodiment, all the reels 17 are provided on the side of the main body, but if the four belts are provided with different orientations as shown in FIG. 8, the fluctuation of the lift section 20 can be further reduced.

In addition, two of the four belts are used as a hand mechanism.
By using a book as a power source and the other two for transmitting and receiving serial signals, the hand side will have intelligence, making it possible to perform complex handling and sequence operations, expanding its use as an automation device. . Further, the load catching/release mechanism may be configured to utilize the conductivity of the belt to turn on and off an electromagnet.

As described above, according to the present invention, the lift belt is made of metal, which makes it possible to supply current to the lift section, and also improves the lift stop position detection function, etc., which was conventionally unavoidably provided on the station side. Since it is built into the lift section and the hand has the function of catching and releasing the load, the equipment on the station side can be greatly simplified. In addition, the rigidity of the lift belt is increased, suppressing fluctuations and twisting when the lift goes up and down, and reducing vibrations of other loads, which improves positioning accuracy at the lift stop position. Furthermore, the lift belt has less expansion and contraction, making it easier to adjust and maintain, and the thickness of the lift belt can be made thinner than before, making it easier to obtain constant speed lifting and lowering motion, and the reel diameter is smaller, making it possible to downsize the conveying device. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an overall view showing a conventional example, Fig. 2 is an overall view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a circuit configuration diagram of the same embodiment, and Fig. 4 is an explanation of the lift belt of the above embodiment. 5 and 6 are configuration diagrams showing the steering mechanism of the same embodiment as above, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the lift belt over-unwinding prevention mechanism, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Conveyance device, 11... Main body, 15... Lift motor, 16... Lift motor start/stop circuit, 17...
Reel, 18... Lift belt, 19... Current collector brush, 20... Lift part, 21... Hand, 24... Lift stop position detection sensor, 35A, 35B... Wheels,
38...Wheel drive section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a conveying device that stops traveling on an elevated track, loads a load at one arbitrary station, and unloads it at another station, a plurality of metal belts are used to load and unload the load. A lift mechanism used as a tension member for hoisting and unwinding is provided, and at its tip there is a hand opening/closing mechanism that opens and closes to capture and release the cargo, an opening/closing circuit that automatically controls the opening and closing, and a hand opening/closing mechanism that detects the end of the operation. A lift mechanism for an elevated transport device, characterized by having a hand operation end detection circuit and a stop position detection sensor for stopping the lift at a fixed position. 2. The elevated structure according to claim 1, wherein the metal belt is used as all or part of the power line and signal line necessary for the operation of the opening/closing circuit, the hand motion end detection circuit, and the stop position detection sensor. Lift mechanism of type conveyor. 3. Claims 1 or 2 characterized in that a metal belt is used which has the property of being curved in a cross section and extending straight when stretched, and self-returning into a spiral shape in a natural state. Lift mechanism of the elevated conveyance device described in . 4. A lift for an elevated conveyance device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the metal belt is a metal belt that has the property of being curved in a cross section and extending straight in its natural state. mechanism.