JPH01271321A - Carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To transfer a material to be carried between first and second carrying means through reduced number of step by arranging a plurality of material passing/receiving sections in a material transfer means. CONSTITUTION:Conveyors 41, 43A, 43B are fixed while two transfer conveyors 42A, 42B are secured to a common movable base. At first, a material W on the transfer conveyor 42A is carried onto the conveyor 43A and next material is transferred from the conveyor 41 onto the surface conveyor 42B. Then the material on the conveyor 43A is carried to a carrying section in the downstream and the conveyor 41 receives a next material W. The material W is further transferred from the conveyor 41 to the conveyor 42A and the material W is farther carried from the conveyor 42B to the conveyor 43B thence carried to the downstream, and the conveyor 41 receives a next material W. Material W on the conveyor 42A is transferred onto the conveyor 43A while the material W on the conveyor 41 is transferred onto the conveyor 42B thus returning to original condition.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] B. Industrial application fields The present invention relates to a conveying device.

2. Prior Art When performing predetermined processing on conveyed objects that are conveyed one after another in a line by a single conveyor, in order to increase productivity, these conveyed objects are processed by multiple (for example, two) processing devices. The process is divided into two parts and processed.

In this case, for example, I[[
A conveying device combined with a belt conveyor as shown in the same figure (Sunday), which is a sectional view taken along the line E3-111B, is used. In this conveyor, a support column 5 erected on a base 50 is used.
The belt 54 is passed between pulleys 53 and 53 rotatably supported by the belts 53 and 52, and one of the pulleys 53 is rotated by a drive device (not shown) to transport the object W on the belt 54, and the belt 54 is moved between the adjacent belts. The conveyed object W is transferred to a conveyor (not shown). In the figure, reference numeral 57.57 denotes a tension pulley, which is attached to an arm 56.56 that is pivotably supported on a fulcrum 55.55, and is attached to a spring 58.
．． 58 to press the belt 54, and serves to hold the belt portion on which the transported object W is placed horizontally so as not to interfere with transport. Note that the belts 54 are string-like belts, two of which are made into a pair, and the transported object W is placed on the side edges thereof.

FIGS. 17(A) to 17(1) are schematic plan views of essential parts illustratively showing a procedure for sorting conveyed objects W from one row to two rows by combining the conveyors shown in FIG. 3. In this conveyance device, a first conveyor 41 is located on the upstream side, and two second conveyors 43A and 43B are located on the downstream side, between which a transfer mechanism that can move in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction is installed. A conveyor 42 is located there.

FIG. 17(A) shows a state in which the object W is conveyed to the first conveyor 41 from the upstream conveyance section (not shown). At this time, the transfer conveyor 42 is the first conveyor 4.
It is directly opposite to 1.

In the figure, the arrow indicates the moving direction of the transported object W (the same applies hereinafter).

From this state, the first conveyor 41 is driven and
As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyed object W is moved onto the transfer conveyor 42.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the transfer conveyor 42 moves and linearly faces one of the second conveyors 43A, and then the transfer conveyor 42 is driven to move the conveyed object W. is the second conveyor 43A as shown in the same figure (D).
can be transferred to

Next, as shown in the same figure (ε), the transfer conveyor 42
moves linearly to face the first conveyor 41, and the transported object W is transported to a downstream transport section (not shown) by the drive of the second conveyor 43A. The next conveyed object W is conveyed to the conveyor 41 from the upstream conveyance section.

Next, the first conveyor 41 is driven and the next conveyed object W is conveyed to the transfer l conveyor 42 (FIG. F).

Next, the transfer conveyor 42 is moved to a position linearly opposite to the other conveyor 43B of the second conveyor (see FIG.
Q)) Then, the transfer conveyor 42 is driven and the conveyed object W is transferred to the second conveyor 43B ((H) in the figure).

Next, the transfer conveyor 42 moves and linearly faces the first conveyor 41 ((1) in the same figure).

Next, the second conveyor 43B is driven and the conveyed object W is sent to the downstream conveyance section, and the next conveyed object W is conveyed from the upstream conveyance section to the first conveyor 41. , the state returns to the state shown in FIG.

As described above, the conveyed object W is sorted from the first conveyor 41 to the second conveyors 43A and 43B through the nine steps shown in FIGS. Return to the initial state of (A). Sorting operations that require such a large number of steps take a long time, and subsequent processing of each column is not performed efficiently, and therefore the purpose of improving productivity cannot be fully achieved. The same problem also exists when objects to be transported are assembled into one line from two lines after processing is completed.

C1 Purpose of the invention The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and includes:
A first conveying means (e.g., a first conveyor) and a second conveying means (e.g., two rows for one row of the first conveyor) that can simultaneously convey a larger number of objects than the first conveyor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyance device that can transfer objects to be conveyed between the conveyor and the second conveyor (or a second conveyor of three or more rows) in fewer steps.

28 Structure of the Invention The present invention comprises a first conveyance means, a conveyed object transfer means,
and a second conveying means capable of concurrently conveying a greater number of objects than the first conveying means, and the object transferring means is configured to transport objects of the first conveying means and the second conveying means. In the conveying device that moves to face each conveyed object delivery/reception position sequentially, thereby making it possible to transfer the conveyed object between the first conveying means and the second conveying means, The conveyed object transfer means has a plurality of conveyed object transfer parts, and except when the conveyed object transfer means is moving, the first carried object transfer part of the conveyed object transfer means is It is configured such that it is in a state opposite to the first conveying means, and a second conveyed object transfer section of the conveyed object transfer means is in a state opposite to the second conveying means. It may be used in a conveying device characterized by this, or it may be in a direction parallel to each other in an upward or downward direction, in other diagonal positions, or in any arbitrary direction.

E, Example The present invention will be explained in detail below.

In the conveying device based on the present invention, firstly, FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B)
The belt conveyor explained in can be used conveniently. however,
Multiple transfer conveyors will be installed in parallel.

In FIGS. 1(A) to (F), one first conveyor 41 and two transfer conveyors 42A and 42 are arranged in parallel on the left and right, and the objects to be conveyed on the first conveyor 41 are arranged in parallel on the left and right. 2 W
FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a main part schematically showing a procedure for transferring the table to second conveyors 43A and 43B. Note that parts common to those in FIG. 17 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The conveyors 41, 42A, 42B, 43A, and 43B are all those explained in FIGS.
B is fixed, and two transfer conveyors 42A,
On the 42nd, a movable common base 5 is installed as shown in Figure 4.
It is fixed on 1. Base 51. The transfer conveyors 42A, 42B are moved by wheels 46, 46 attached to E moving on rails 45 fixed on the floor 44. This movement is performed as follows. floor 44
Pulley support sections 47 and 47 are provided upright, and a belt 49 is hung around these rotatably supported pulleys 48 and 48, and both ends of the belt 49 are fixed to both end surfaces of the base 51. The base 51 is pulled by the belt 49 as the pulley 48 is rotated by a drive device (not shown).
It is designed to move left and right in the figure. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the transfer conveyors 42A and 42B move from the solid line position to the position shown by the imaginary line to the right in the figure, and from the position shown in FIG. ) is a right side view showing the state in which it is moved to the position shown in FIG.

FIG. 1(A) shows a state in which an object W is transported from an upstream transport section (not shown) to the first conveyor 41. FIG.

At this time, the first conveyor and the second conveyor 43A, 4
Of the transfer conveyors 42A and 42B provided for three days, 42A is linearly opposed to the first conveyor 41. In the figure, the arrow indicates the moving direction of the transported object W (the same applies hereinafter).

From this state, the first conveyor 41 and the transfer conveyor 42A are driven, and the conveyed object W is moved onto the transfer conveyor 42A as shown in the same figure (Sunday).

Next, as shown in the same figure (C), the transfer conveyor 42A
, 42B are moved, one conveyor 42A is linearly opposite to one conveyor 43A of the second conveyor, and the other transfer conveyor 42B is opposite to the first conveyor 41.
Directly opposite.

At the same time, the first conveyor 41 is driven and the next conveyed object W is conveyed thereon.

Next, the transfer conveyor 42A, the second conveyor 43A and the first conveyor 41 are driven, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyed object W on the transfer conveyor 42A is WIi-transferred to the second conveyor 43A, and the next conveyed object W on the first conveyor 41 is transferred to the transfer conveyor 4.
He will be transported on the 2nd.

Next, as shown in the same figure (E), the transfer conveyor 42
A, 42 days have moved so that 42B is linearly opposed to the other conveyor 43B of the second conveyor, and 42A is linearly opposed to the first conveyor 41.

At the same time, the second conveyor 43A and the first conveyor 41 are driven, and the objects to be conveyed on the second conveyor 43A are conveyed to a downstream conveyance section (not shown), and the first conveyor 41 is further moved to the next conveyor. Accepts the transported object W.

Next, the first conveyor 41, the transfer conveyor 42A,
42E3 and the second conveyor 43 are driven and the same figure (F
), the object W on the first conveyor 41 is transferred to the transfer conveyor 42A, and the object W on the transfer conveyor 42 is transferred to the second conveyor 43.

Next, the first conveyor 41 and the second conveyor 43 are driven, and the transfer conveyors 42A and 42B are moved, and as shown in FIG.
is linearly opposed to the second conveyor 43A, and the transfer conveyor 42 is linearly opposed to the first conveyor 41,
The conveyed object on the second conveyor 43 is sent to the downstream conveyance section, and the first conveyor 41 carries the next conveyed object W.
accept.

Next, when the first conveyor 41, transfer conveyor 42A, and second conveyor 43A are driven, the conveyed object W on the transfer conveyor 42A is transferred to the second conveyor 43A, and the transferred object W on the transfer conveyor 42A is transferred to the second conveyor 43A. The conveyed object W is transferred to the transfer conveyor 4.
2B, and return to the state shown in FIG. 2B.

That is, the conveying device is in a steady state after FIG. 1(D).

The following can be understood from Figure 1. In this example, (D) ~
In the four steps (G), the conveyance device receives new objects from the upstream side twice, and sends out the loaded objects twice to the downstream side. This conveyance speed is the same as the first
In the nine steps shown in Figures 7 (A) to (1), the speed is more than twice that of receiving a new object twice from the upstream side and sending the loaded object twice to the downstream side. This will significantly improve productivity. This speed-up of conveyance is brought about by the fact that the objects to be conveyed are moved from the first conveyor to the transfer conveyor and from the transfer conveyor to the second conveyor at the same time. be.

The steps in Figure 1 (A) to (C) and the following Figure 1 (D)
The objects to be conveyed are carried into a continuous processing device (not shown) one after another by repeating steps ) to (G), are subjected to predetermined processing, are discharged one after another from the continuous processing device, and are transferred to the downstream side of this continuous processing device. It is transported to the downstream side via the next transport device installed in the next transport device. This conveyance device has two rows of second conveyors, two rows of transfer conveyors, and a first conveyor located in this order, and each of these conveyors is shown in FIGS. 3(A), (B) and Figure 1 explained in Figure 4 (
A) to (G) conveyors 43A, 43rd, 42A, 42
It has the same structure as B.41.

Figure 2 (A) shows the procedure for transporting objects using this transport device.
This will be explained by ~(G).

The conveyed object W, which was first carried into the continuous processing apparatus in the step of FIG. 1(E), is eventually discharged from the continuous processing apparatus.
At the same time, the second conveyor 43A is driven and placed thereon as shown in FIG. 2(A).

Next, the second conveyor 43A and the transfer conveyor 42A linearly opposed thereto are driven, and the transported object W is conveyed to the transfer conveyor 42A as shown in FIG.

Next, the transfer conveyors 42A and 42 move, and the transfer conveyor 42B linearly faces the second conveyor 43. At the same time, the second conveyor 43B is driven and the conveyed object W that was next carried into the continuous processing apparatus in the step of FIG. 1(G) is discharged.
It is placed on the sun, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 3(C).

Next, the second conveyor 43rd, the transfer conveyor 42A
, 42nd and the first conveyor 41 are driven, the same figure (D)
As shown in FIG. 2, the object W on the transfer conveyor 42A is transferred to the first conveyor 41, and the object W on the second conveyor 43B is transferred to the transfer conveyor 42B.

Next, the transfer conveyors 42A and 42B move to 42
A and 42B are linearly opposed to the second conveyor 43A and the first conveyor 41, respectively, and the second conveyor 4
3A, transfer conveyor 42A and first conveyor 41
is driven, and the second conveyor 43 is driven as shown in FIG.
A receives the transported object W discharged from the continuous processing device,
The conveyed object W on the first conveyor is sent to a conveying device (not shown) on the downstream side.

Next, the second conveyors 43A, 43B, the transfer conveyors 42A, 42, and the first conveyor 41 are driven, and as shown in FIG. is transferred to the transfer conveyor 42A, and the conveyed object W on the transfer conveyor 42B is transferred to the first conveyor 41, respectively.

Next, the transfer conveyors 42A and 42B move to 42
A is on the first conveyor 41, 42nd is on the second conveyor 4
3B, and a second conveyor 4
On the 3rd day, the first conveyor 41 is driven, and as shown in FIG.
The upper transported object W is sent to the downstream transport device.

Next, the second conveyor 43rd, the transfer conveyor 42A
, 42nd, and the first conveyor 41 is driven, and the conveyed object W on the second conveyor 43B is transferred to the transfer conveyor 42B, and the conveyed object W on the transfer conveyor 42A is transferred to the first conveyor 42B. (D)
Return to state.

That is, this conveying device is in a steady state after FIG. 2(D).

This conveyance device also receives processed objects twice in the four steps shown in FIG. 2 (0) to (G), sends out the processed objects twice to the downstream conveyance device, and The conveying device on the upstream side and the conveying device on the downstream side can be driven in synchronization, and the conveyance of the transported object W can be carried out without any delay.

For each conveyor constituting these conveyance devices, a roller conveyor having a structure shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 can be used instead of the belt conveyor shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This roller conveyor is shown in a front view in Fig. 5 (A) and in Fig. 5 (A).
As shown in the same figure (El), which is the VS-V8 line arrow view,
A plurality of rollers 60 are rotatably attached to a beam 59 that extends over support columns 52 and 52 erected on a base 50, and these rollers 60 have a structure in which they are rotated by a drive device (not shown). . Further, the rollers 60 have a narrow width and are provided in two rows on the left and right, so that the objects W to be transported are placed on their side edges. FIG. 6 is a side view of the transfer roller conveyor similar to FIG. 4 described above.

The two roller conveyors are fixed in parallel to each other on a movable common base 51, and as in FIG. The roller conveyor moves by moving the platform 51 on the rail 45 by being pulled.

Next, an example in which the belt conveyors shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are installed on the upstream and downstream sides of the continuous heat treatment furnace will be described.

First, the structure of the continuous heat treatment furnace will be explained.

For heat treatment of semiconductor components, thick film integrated circuits made by forming a predetermined circuit pattern on a ceramic substrate by screen printing and firing, or electronic components such as glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices on which alignment films and deflection films are formed. If this is the case, the quality of the electronic components will deteriorate significantly due to the adhesion of dust, so the heat treatment must be performed in a clean atmosphere.

As a heat treatment furnace for continuously heat-treating the above-mentioned electronic components in a dust-free clean atmosphere, there are no sliding parts in the furnace, so in this example, a so-called walking beam conveyance mechanism that does not generate dust is used. A continuous heat treatment furnace is used.

This walking beam conveyance mechanism consists of a fixed beam consisting of a plurality of parallel bars whose positions are fixed, which penetrate the inside of a long furnace body from an inlet at one end to an outlet at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the furnace body; A movable beam is provided, which is made up of a plurality of parallel bars that extend through the furnace main body in parallel with the fixed beam and is displaceable vertically and longitudinally in relation to the fixed beam. ing. Then, the moving beam is driven by a driving device to raise, move forward, lower, and move the moving beam relative to the fixed beam.
By repeating and periodically displacing the objects in the order of retreat, the objects to be heated are placed alternately on both beams within the furnace body, and are gradually conveyed in the length direction of the furnace body. It is configured.

A continuous heat treatment furnace equipped with such a conveyance mechanism is normally used for heat treatment of steel billets, steel pipes, and the like.

9 and 10 show a continuous heat treatment furnace that continuously heat-treats the aforementioned electronic components (in this example, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices); FIG. 9 is a sectional view along the conveyance direction;
0 is a side view taken along the line X--X in FIG. 9.

The furnace walls, ceiling, and hearth are made of heat insulating material 3, and these are covered with a steel plate outer shell 5. A flat infrared heater 2 is arranged inside the ceiling and the hearth, and the inner peripheral surface of the furnace is The t-heater 2 is also covered with a covering layer 4 made of ceramics or quartz. These constitute a cylindrical furnace body 1, which is attached to the base 8 via a support stand (23).Furthermore, a charging port is formed by the opening 1a at one end of the furnace body 1, and a charging port is formed at the other end. The opening 1b forms a discharge port.

A plurality of (in this example, two sets of two) fixed beams 6.6 that penetrate through the furnace body 1 and are fixed in position, and a fixed beam that is parallel to the fixed beams 6.6 and when moving up and down. 6.6
A plurality of movable beams 9 (in this example, a set of two HII beams) are arranged so as not to come into contact with or come into contact with the
．． 9 is located, a fixed beam 6.6 and a moving beam 9.9
A plurality of rows (two rows in this example) are provided in parallel to each other, with the above combinations as one set (as shown by row A and row 8 in FIG. 10). Also, WJ71K)! ,! '
A, gV Open I/The fixed beam 6 and the movable beam 9 both protrude outside the main body through the openings 1a and 1b.

The fixed beam 6 and the movable beam 9 are both made of quartz to prevent dust from coming into contact with the object to be heated. The fixed beam 6 is supported outside the main body of the apparatus by a column 7.7 erected on the base 8. The moving beam 9 is
It is supported outside the main body of the apparatus by a column 10.10 fixed to a movable frame 11 that is movable vertically and longitudinally.

The moving beam 9 is driven vertically and longitudinally in the following manner. Note that FIGS. 9 and 10 show a state in which the moving beam 9 is raised.

That is, there are link support members 12 near both ends of the device main body 1.
12 is erected on the base 8, and the link support member 12.12
An L-shaped link 13.13 is rotatably supported on the
A roller 14.14 is rotatably supported at the tip of the link 13.13, and the movable frame 11 is placed on the roller 14.14. The rear ends of the links 13 and 13 are connected to each other by link pars 15, and the connecting portion of one link 13 to the link par 15 is rotatably mounted on the base 8 via a support member 16. It is connected to the piston rod end of the hydraulic cylinder 17. These constitute the vertical movement drive mechanism 244.

When the hydraulic cylinder 17 is actuated by a drive source (not shown) and the link 13.13 is rotated clockwise, the roller 1
4.14 descends while revolving clockwise, and the roller 14
．． The movable frame 11 placed on the movable frame 14 is lowered, and the movable beam 9 is lowered as indicated by the broken line arrow, and is located below the fixed beam 6.

From this state, the hydraulic cylinder 17 is driven and the link 13
．． When 13 is rotated counterclockwise, roller 14.14
The moving beam 9 rises while revolving counterclockwise, and the moving beam 9 rises as shown by the solid arrow U, as shown in FIG. 11(A) in a partial front view and in FIG. 11(B) in a side view. The moving beam 9 rises from the imaginary line position to the position shown by the solid line and is located above the fixed beam 6, and the workpiece W placed on the fixed beam 6 is placed on the moving beam 9.

The base 8 has two drive shaft support plates 20 equipped with bearings 20a.
．． 20 is installed upright, and the drive shaft 19 has a male thread.
It is rotatably supported by the drive shaft support plate 20.20 by bearings 20a, 20a, and is rotated by the motor 18. The drive shaft 19 is combined with a reciprocating drive member 22 having a female thread screwed into the male thread thereof, and the reciprocating drive member 22 is attached to a guide shaft 21 fixed between drive shaft support plates 20 and 20. The reciprocating drive member 22 moves forward and backward by rotation of the drive shaft 19 driven by the motor 18.

The reciprocating drive member 22 protrudes upward through a through hole (not shown) of an extension portion 11a extending from the movable frame 11, and as the reciprocating drive member 22 moves forward and backward, the movable frame moves. 11 moves forward and backward. These constitute the forward and backward drive mechanism 24B.

By the above driving of the forward and backward drive mechanism 24B, the movable frame 11 moves forward or backward on the rollers 14.14 while being rotated, and accordingly, the movable frame 11 moves forward or backward on the rollers 14.14 through the supports 10.10. The attached moving beam 9 moves forward or backward.

Next, a method will be described in which the object to be processed is transported within the apparatus body using the vertical movement drive mechanism 24A and the forward and backward drive mechanisms 24A and subjected to heat treatment.

First, power is supplied to the heater 2 to heat the inside of the device main body 1 to a predetermined temperature distribution. Next, the movable beam 9 is positioned below the fixed beam 6 as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. To do this, the hydraulic cylinder 17 is driven by a drive source (not shown) and the link 13.13 interlocked by the link par 15 is rotated clockwise, thereby lowering the roller 14.14 and lowering the movable frame 11. . Further, the motor 18 operates at a relatively high speed to drive the reciprocating drive member 22, thereby quickly moving the movable frame 11 in the direction of arrow R, and moving the movable beam 9 in the direction of transporting the workpiece. Then move it back to a predetermined position.

After making the above preparations, the object to be processed (in this example, width 400++n+, length 400++u++, thickness 1.
A glass substrate for a liquid crystal display (1 mIm) W is placed on the fixed beam 6 on the entrance 1a side of the main body. The hydraulic cylinder 17 is then driven in the opposite direction to rotate the link 13.13 counterclockwise and raise the roller 14.14, thereby raising the moving beam 9 in the direction of arrow U.

During this rising process, the workpiece W placed on the fixed beam 6 is pushed up by the moving beam 9 and the fixed beam 6
4 and is held by the moving beam 9 as shown in solid lines in FIG.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show this process object moving operation. Thereafter, the motor 18 is operated at a low speed for a predetermined period of time and the reciprocating drive member 22 is driven in the opposite direction to the above, thereby gradually moving the moving beam 9 by a predetermined distance in the direction of arrow F.

Thereby, as shown in FIG. 11(A), the workpiece W is gently transported by a distance flL in the transport direction. Next l
, driving cylinder 17 as before to link link 13 .
By lowering the rollers 14 and 14 through the rollers 13 and 13 (arrow O in Figure 9), the moving beam 9 is lowered to its initial low position, as shown in phantom lines in Figures 11A and 11. let In this lowering process, the object W to be processed is transferred from above the moving beam 9 to above the fixed beam 6 in the opposite manner to the above. Thereafter, as described above, the motor 18 is operated at high speed to drive the reciprocating drive member 22, and the moving beam 9 is quickly retracted to the initial predetermined position.

As described above, the movable beam 9 is repeatedly driven with respect to the fixed beam 6, with one cycle of movement and displacement as shown in FIG. The reason why the forward movement is slow and the backward movement is rapid in this drive is to change the temperature gradually so that the temporal heating characteristic curve does not become step-like. To change the moving speed between forward and backward in this way, for example, rotation can be used. Alternatively, a normal AC induction motor may be used, and the rotational speed of the drive shaft 19 may be changed by changing gears using a shift fork, similar to when changing gears in an automobile.

Due to the periodic displacement movement of the moving beam 9 described above, the workpiece W is gradually transported in the transport direction within the apparatus main body 1 by the distance described above, passes through a predetermined temperature region in a predetermined time, and during that time The required surface treatment is applied to the surface.

7 is a front view of the conveyance device installed in front of the charging port 1a of the furnace body 1 in FIG. 9, and FIG. 8 is a front view of the conveyance device similarly installed after the discharge port 1b of the furnace body 1. be. However, in both FIGS. 7 and 8, the furnace body 1 is shown in cross-sectional view.

These conveyance devices are comprised of belt conveyors 41 (first conveyor), 42A, 42 (transfer conveyors), 43A, and 43B (second conveyors) explained in FIGS. 1 to 4.

In FIG. 7, an object to be processed (an object to be transported) W that has been transported by a transport means (not shown) and placed on the first conveyor 41 is transferred to a transfer conveyor 42A according to the steps explained in FIG. or the second conveyor 4 via 42B
Transferred on day 3A or 43. At this time, the moving beam 9 has descended and retreated, and is at the position below the object W to be processed, as shown by the solid line. When the moving beam 9 rises from this state to the position shown by the dashed-dotted line, the workpiece W is placed on the moving beam 9 in the A row or the 8th row and is located at the position shown by the dashed-dotted line. Next, the moving beam 9 moves forward and the workpiece W is charged into the furnace body 1 as shown by the two-dot chain line.

Subsequently, due to the movement of the moving beam 9 described above, the workpiece W passes through the furnace body 1 and is subjected to a predetermined heat treatment, and then is discharged to the outside of the furnace body 1 from the discharge port 1b as shown in FIG. Ru. In this state, the belts 54 of the second conveyors 43A and 43B are lowered to the position indicated by the dashed line, which is located below the moving beam 9, and the workpiece W is moved from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the dashed line. As shown in , it descends and is placed on the second conveyor 43A or 43 days. After that, according to the procedure explained in FIG. 2, the object to be processed W is transferred to the first conveyor 411 via the transfer conveyor 42A or 42A, and then conveyed to the downstream side by a conveyance means (not shown). Ru.

Figure 13 shows that a large number of unprocessed objects stored in a cartridge are taken out one by one and conveyed to the walking beams in rows A and 8 of the furnace main body via the upstream transport device. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a main part schematically showing a pattern in which heat-treated objects are sequentially accommodated in empty cartridges via a conveyance device.

On the side of the charging port 1a of the furnace body 1, there is a walking beam conveying device 29 having a fixed beam 30 and a moving beam 31;
A transfer device 25 having a cassette platform 28 and a fork 26 is located, and a cassette 40 containing a large number of heated objects W (40 in this example) is transported by a walking beam transport device 29 and placed on the cassette platform 28. be done. Furthermore, the object to be heated W is a fork 2
Cassette 40 on cassette platform by 6
from there to the first conveyor 41 of the upstream conveyance device 27F, and are transferred one by one to the moving beams 9 in rows A and 8 (see FIG. 10) according to the steps in FIGS. 1 and 7. It has become. A downstream conveyance device 27R is installed on the discharge port 1b side of the furnace body 1, and a retention section 36 having a fixed beam 37 and a moving beam 38 follows the conveyance device 27R.
, the same transfer device 25, the same cassette platform 28, and the same walking beam conveyance device 29 as on the loading port side are located, and the processed objects W are transferred from the moving beams 9 of rows A and 8 to the second According to the steps shown in FIGS. and 8, the cassettes are transported to the storage section 36 via the downstream transport device 27R, and then loaded into empty cassettes 40 on the cassette platform 28 two by two by the fork 26 of the transfer device 25. The empty cassette 40 is supplied by the walking beam conveyance device 29 on the side of the discharge port 1b, and is transferred to the cassette platform 28 on the side of the discharge port 1b.

Walking beam 29 on the charging port side (left side in the figure)
The cassette 40 transported by is placed on the cassette platform 28, and the fork 26 of the transfer device 25 supports the unprocessed objects W one by one with respect to the cassette 40. In the cassette 40, the objects W to be processed are stored so as to be stacked one above the other with a small interval, and the fork 26 moves forward and is inserted under the objects W to be processed in order from the top. The processing object W is supported, and then moved backward and removed from the cassette 40. The cassette platform 28 rises every time a workpiece W is taken out to prepare for taking out the next workpiece W. The fork 26 supporting the workpiece W moves onto the first conveyor 41 of the transport device 27F, and then descends, and the workpiece W is moved onto the first conveyor 41.
1. Subsequently, the workpiece W is conveyed through the steps shown in FIG. Due to this movement, the metal passes through the furnace main body along rows A and 8, and is subjected to a predetermined heat treatment.

The cassette 40, which has become empty after all the objects to be heated W have been removed on the cassette platform 28, is transported to a predetermined position by a walking beam transport device 33 that is perpendicular to the direction of the A row and the 8th row. This conveyance is performed by a fixed beam 34 and a moving beam 35.

The processed material W discharged from the furnace body after the heat treatment is transferred to the second conveyor 43A or 43 of the downstream conveyance device 27R as shown in FIG. and is conveyed to the first conveyor 41.

Next, the moving beam 38 of the retention section 36 advances downstream of the workpiece W, and then rises, and the workpiece W is transferred to the moving beam 38.
The workpiece W is transferred to the rear end side of the retention section 36 by the movement of the moving beam 38 . Next, by the movement of the fork 26 of the transfer device 25 in the opposite direction to that described above, the objects to be processed W are successively stored one by one in the empty cassettes 40 on the cassette platform 28 . The retention section 36 contains the workpiece W
If there is a problem with the operation of supplying a new empty cassette on the discharge port side or the operation of transferring the processed material with the fork 26, the corresponding time will be increased. It is now possible to earn money.

Thus, the cassette 40 containing a predetermined number of processed objects W to be heated is transported to a predetermined position by the walking beam transport device 33 (having a fixed beam 34 and a moving beam 35) on the discharge port side (right side in the figure). be done.

Walking beam conveyor device on left and right side 29.29.33
．． 33 and the retention section 36 are shown in FIG. 11 and FIG.
It is based on a mechanism similar to that explained with reference to FIG.

As described above, the upstream and downstream conveying devices 27F
, 27R, the unprocessed workpieces W in the cassette 40 on the charging port side are transported one by one through the two rows of row A and row 8 in the furnace main body without wasting time. They pass smoothly, undergo heat treatment, and are stored one after another in the empty cassette 40 on the discharge port side.

In the conveying device shown in Fig. 14, the transfer conveyor has three belts arranged parallel to each other and equally spaced.The central belt is used as a common belt, and two 4'' belts are used to alternately transfer the objects to be processed. In other words, the transfer conveyor 62 has a position where the transported object W is placed at 62a,
There are two types of 62b. By making the transfer conveyor have the above structure, the second conveyor 43A
, 43EI can be narrowed. Others 1st
This is the same as in the conveyance device shown in the figure.

FIGS. 14(A) to 14(G) show that this conveying device is used to transport objects W from the first conveyor 41 to the two conveyors 43A.
, 43B is a schematic plan view of a main part schematically showing a procedure for transferring to . The procedure for this transfer is exactly the same as the procedure explained in FIGS. 1(A) to 1(G), so the explanation thereof will be omitted. In addition, using the transfer conveyor 62,
) to (G), the objects to be conveyed can be sequentially transferred from two conveyors to one conveyor.

By configuring the conveyance device as described above, the transfer conveyor has a simple structure, which reduces equipment costs and requires less space.

FIGS. 15(A) to 15(K) are schematic plan views of main parts illustratively showing a procedure for distributing and transferring transported objects from one conveyor to three conveyors. 3 second conveyors 43
The middle conveyor 43rd among A, 43B, and 43C is
It is located on an extension of the first conveyor 41. The structure of each conveyor is similar to that in FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 15(A), one of the transfer conveyors 42A is positioned between the first and second conveyors 41 and 438, and the first conveyor 41 is driven. The conveyed object W is placed on the first conveyor 41 from the upstream side conveying section.

Next, the first conveyor 41 and the transfer conveyor 42A
is driven, and the conveyed object W is transferred from the first conveyor 41 to the transfer conveyor 42A, as shown in FIG. 4(B).

Next, the transfer conveyor moves, and the transfer conveyor 4
2A to the second conveyor 43A, transfer conveyor 42
E3 are linearly opposed to the first conveyor 41 ((C) in the same figure).

Next, the first conveyor 41, the transfer conveyor 42A, and the second conveyor 43A are driven, and the transfer conveyor 4
The conveyed object W on 2A is transferred to the second conveyor 43A, and the next conveyed object W is conveyed from the upstream conveyance section to the first conveyor 41 ((O) in the same figure).

Next, the first conveyor 41, the transfer conveyor 42B, and the second conveyor 42A are driven, and the first conveyor 41
The upper conveyed object W is transferred to the transfer conveyor 42B, and the conveyed object on the second conveyor 43A is conveyed to a downstream conveyance section (not shown) ((E) in the same figure).

Next, the transfer conveyor moves and the transfer conveyor 4
2B to the second conveyor 43C, transfer conveyor 42
A linearly opposes the first conveyor 41 ((F) in the same figure).

Next, the first conveyor 41, the transfer conveyor 42B, and the second conveyor 43C are driven, and the transfer conveyor 4
The second-old object W is transferred to the second conveyor 43G, and the next object W is transferred from the upstream conveyance section to the first conveyor 41 ((G) in the same figure).

Next, the first conveyor 41, the transfer conveyor 42A,
42B and the second conveyor 43C are driven, and the conveyed object W on the first conveyor 41 is transferred to the transfer conveyor 42A opposite thereto, and the second conveyor 43
The conveyed object on C is conveyed to the downstream conveyance section (see figure (
H)).

Next, the transfer conveyor 42A and the second conveyor 43
B is driven, and the conveyed object W on the transfer conveyor 42A is transferred to the second conveyor 43B ((1) in the figure).

Next, the first conveyor 41 is driven and the next conveyed object W is conveyed from the upstream side conveyance section to the first conveyor 41 ((J) in the figure).

Next, the first conveyor 41, the transfer conveyor 42A, and the second conveyor 43B are driven, and the first conveyor 41
The upper conveyed object W is transferred to the transfer conveyor 42A, and the conveyed object on the second conveyor 43B is conveyed to the downstream conveyance section ((K) in the same figure).

Next, the transfer conveyor moves and the transfer conveyor 4
2A is linearly opposed to the second conveyor 43A, as shown in the same figure (
Return to state C).

That is, after FIG. 15(C), the conveying device is in a steady state.

The following can be understood from FIG. In this example, (C
In the nine steps ( ) to (K), the conveyance device receives new conveyed objects from the upstream side three times, and sends out the placed conveyed objects once each to the three rows of downstream conveyance sections. Moreover, contrary to the above, it is also possible to transfer the objects to be transported one after another from the three rows of upstream transport sections to the one row of downstream transport sections according to the procedure shown in FIG. Furthermore, it is also possible to transfer objects to be transported between a plurality of rows of first transport sections and an even larger number of rows of second transport sections using a similar mechanism.

Although the above example is an example in which a plurality of second conveyors are arranged in a planar manner, it is also possible to arrange the second conveyors so as to overlap in the vertical direction.

FIGS. 16(A) to 16(G) are vertically movable transferable conveyors between the first conveyor 41 and second conveyors 43A and 43B located above and below the first conveyor 41. Diagrammatically shows a procedure for arranging conveyors 42A and 42 one above the other and transferring objects W between the first conveyor 41 and second conveyors 43A and 43B using transfer conveyors 42A and 42B. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of main parts shown in FIG. By means of a transfer gear drive (not shown).

This conveyance device is the same as the procedure explained in FIGS. 1(A) to (G) except that the transfer conveyors 42A and 42B move up and down, so a description of the conveyance steps will be omitted. .

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to the transportation of various parts, semi-finished products, and finished products other than plate-shaped electronic components such as glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, and the objects to be transported include not only solid objects but also objects housed in containers. It may be a fluid or a powder. In addition, each conveyance means that constitutes the conveyance device includes the above-mentioned belt conveyor, roller conveyor, etc.
An appropriate conveying means can be used depending on the shape and size of the object to be conveyed. Moreover, the conveying direction of each conveying means can be set to various directions in addition to mutually parallel directions.

As described in detail in Section 1, the conveyance device according to the present invention has a conveyance device in which the conveyed object transfer means includes a plurality of conveyed object transfer sections (for example, the aforementioned transfer conveyors 42A, 42, or transfer conveyors). 62
, and the first and second conveyed object receiving/receiving parts and the first and second conveying means are placed in a position other than when the conveyed object transfer means is moving. Since the conveyed objects are arranged to face each other so that the conveyed objects can be transferred, the conveyed objects can be delivered and received between the first conveying means and the conveyed object transferring means, and the conveyed object transferring means and the second conveying means can be exchanged. Transferred objects can be transferred to and from the terminal at the same time. Therefore, the object to be transported can be transferred from the first transport means to the object transfer means, and then transferred from the object transfer means to the second transport means, or vice versa. Fewer steps are required to transfer from the second conveyance means to the jth conveyance means.

As a result, the objects to be transported are efficiently transported between the first transport means and the second transport means, which can simultaneously transport a larger number of objects, and the pre-process and post-process with different numbers of lines. Objects can be transported quickly between the two locations, improving productivity.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Figures 1 to 16 show embodiments of the present invention. (F
), and (G) are schematic plan views of main parts showing the procedure for sorting and conveying objects from the first conveyor to the second conveyor in two rows; Figure 2 (A), (B), (C) , (D), (E), (F
), and (G) are schematic plan views of main parts showing the procedure for conveying objects from the second conveyor to the first conveyor in two rows, Figure 3 shows the belt conveyor, and Figure (A) shows the belt conveyor. Front view,
Figure CB) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I[[B-111B in Figure A]. is a front view, same figure (Japanese)
6 is a side view of the transfer roller conveyor, FIG. 7 is a front view of the conveying device on the continuous heat treatment furnace charging inlet side, Figure 8 is a front view of the conveying device on the continuous heat treatment furnace outlet side, Figure 9 is a sectional view along the conveyance direction of the continuous heat treatment furnace, and Figure 10 is a
The figure is a side view taken along the line X-X in FIG. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the displacement movement of the moving beam, Figure 13 is a schematic plan view of the main parts of the continuous heat treatment furnace and the conveyance device before and after it, and Figure 14 (A) is a schematic side view. ), (B), (C), (D), (E), (
F) and (G) are schematic plan views of main parts showing procedures according to another example in which the first conveyor distributes and conveys the objects to the second conveyor in two rows; FIG. 15(A) , (B), (C), CD), (E), (
F), (G), (H), (1), (J) and (K) are outlines of main parts showing the procedure for sorting and transporting objects from the first conveyor to the second conveyor in three rows. Plan view Fig. 16 (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (
F) and (G) show the distribution of objects from the first conveyor to the second conveyor in two rows. Figure 17 (A), (Japanese), (C), (D), (E), (
F), (G), (H) and (1) distribute and transport the objects from the first conveyor to the second conveyor in two rows.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of main parts showing a conventional procedure. In addition, in the symbols shown in the drawings, 1...Furnace body 2...Heater 6...Fixed beam 9... ......Moving beam 24A...Vertical movement drive device 24th...
...Forward and backward drive device 41...
・First conveyor 42A, 42B, 62...
...Transfer conveyors 62a, 62b...
・Transferred object placement positions 43A, 43B, 43C...
...Second conveyor 46...Wheel 48.53...Pulley 49.54...
......Belt 50.51...Base 60...Roller W...Object to be transported (object to be processed) ). Agent Patent Attorney Hiroshi Osaka Figure 1 (G) Figure 11 (A) =: 222-', :==-==;, Nini Ding = 2:: Nini Ryo = 2 Audiences 9 Figure 12

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. It has a first conveying means, a conveyed object transfer means, and a second conveying means capable of concurrently conveying a greater number of conveyed objects than the first conveying means, The changing means moves to face each of the conveyed object delivery/reception positions of the first conveying means and the second conveying means in sequence, thereby increasing the distance between the first conveying means and the second conveying means. In the conveying device, the conveyed object transfer means has a plurality of conveyed object transfer parts, and the conveyed object transfer means has a plurality of conveyed object transfer parts, and except when the conveyed object transfer means moves, The first transferred object transfer section of the transferred object transfer means is in a state opposite to the first transfer means, and the second transferred object transfer section of the transferred object transfer means is opposite to the first transferred object transfer means. A conveyance device characterized in that it is configured to be in a state opposite to the conveyance means.