JPH0432360Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention is applicable to lightweight objects with a circular or elliptical cross section or a similar shape (hereinafter referred to as cylindrical), such as food, medicine, etc. This invention relates to a pneumatic transport conveyor used to transport cylindrical lightweight solids.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of conveyor has a transport path with a V-shaped cross section on the top surface of the plenum, and a plurality of slots on both sides of the transport path at a certain height from the bottom of the plenum, and air is directed through these slots in the transport direction. I tried to blow out almost parallel. This air flow was used to transport objects while levitating them (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 125494/1983).

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in conventional conveyors of this type, objects are levitated and moved only by the air blown out from the slots, so the buoyancy force due to the air flow is not very large, and therefore the weight of the objects that can be transported is very small. It was hot.

Also, when trying to transport something slightly heavier, the pressure of the air supplied to the plenum increases,
Although it is necessary to increase the air blowing speed to obtain a larger buoyancy force, this also increases the transport speed, which is often undesirable.

Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a pneumatic transport conveyor that can transport heavier objects than conventional pneumatic transport conveyors without increasing the air blowing speed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pneumatic transport conveyor that can effectively use the blown airflow to improve the operating efficiency of the conveyor, thereby contributing to energy savings.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a pneumatic transport conveyor in which the formation of air blowing holes provided on the top surface of the plenum is very simple.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, this invention provides a pneumatic transport conveyor that transports a substantially cylindrical transport object 9 by blowing air from inside the plenum 1 into a transport path 5 provided on the upper surface of the plenum 1. , the top plate 4 of the plenum 1 constituting the transport path 5 has a bottom portion 4a having a substantially planar bottom surface and substantially vertical surfaces standing up on both sides thereof; A pair of flat plate-shaped side portions 4b are provided on both sides of the upper end so as to be symmetrically inclined, and the pair of side portions 4b are formed in an upwardly open shape, and the bottom surface of the bottom portion 4a , a plurality of holes 6 for blowing air upward from the inside of the plenum 1 are arranged in parallel in the transportation direction in the transportation path 5, and in the pair of side portions 4b, the holes 6 are provided in the transportation path 5. A plurality of slots 7 for blowing out air from inside the plenum 1 substantially parallel to the transportation direction are arranged in parallel in the transportation direction, and the width between the substantially vertical surfaces of the bottom portion 4a is larger than the diameter of the transportation object 9. It is set to be small and to form an air reservoir space with a constant depth.

Here, the air flow blown out from the hole 6 is
It does not necessarily have to face directly above (direction perpendicular to the transportation direction). There is no problem even if the air is blown out at a slight angle forward.

In addition, in the case of the transport object 9 whose cross section is not circular,
The diameter shall mean the length of the transport object 9 in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction) in the state during transport.

[Effect]

As a result of the above configuration, when the cylindrical transport object 9 is placed on the transport path 5, the transport object 9 has an air flow blown out from the hole 6 provided at the bottom of the bottom 4a of the top plate 4, and a pair of The air stream blown out from the slot 7 provided on the side 4b of the holder hits the holder. Bottom part 4a
Since the air flow from the hole 6 in the bottom of the holder is directed upward, the transported object 9 is levitated by this, and the air flow from the slot 7 in the side portion 4b is approximately parallel to the transport direction, so that this The transport object 9 is propelled forward.

In this way, since the transported object 9 is floated and propelled by separate air flows, it is possible to transport objects that are heavier than conventional conveyors of this type without increasing the air blowing speed. be.

Furthermore, in this invention, since the width between the substantially vertical surfaces of the bottom portion 4a of the top plate 4 is set smaller than the diameter of the transport object 9, the transport object 9 during transport is
It does not fit completely inside the bottom part 4a, but moves while floating with its diagonally downward curved side surface closest to the pair of side parts 4b of the top plate 4.
For this reason, if the slot 7 is provided at the position where the transport object 9 is closest to the side part 4b, the air flow blown out from the slot 7 will hit the transport object 9 immediately after being blown out, thereby maximizing the propulsive force of the air flow. It can be used effectively.

On the other hand, in this invention, the depth of the substantially vertical surface of the bottom 4a of the top plate 4 is set so that a certain air reservoir space can be formed, so that there is no space between the transported object 9 and the top plate 4. A wider space is created than when using a V-shaped top plate. During transportation, almost all of the air blown out from the hole 6 provided in the bottom surface of the bottom portion 4a hits the transportation object 9 and is temporarily stored in the space. Furthermore, it is thought that part of the air blown out from the slot 7 provided in the side part 4b hits the transport object 9 and flows below the transport object 9, so that part of the airflow also temporarily flows into the space. It will be stored in. This accumulated air acts to levitate the transport object 9.

Therefore, according to this invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the propulsive force generated by the air flow blown out from the slot 7, and moreover, the buoyancy force due to the air flow (dynamic pressure) blown out from the hole 6 and the temporary It is possible to utilize both the buoyant force due to accumulated air (static pressure) and the buoyant force due to air temporarily accumulated in the space (static pressure), so airflow can be used effectively. Therefore, it is possible to effectively utilize the air flow, and as a result, it is possible to obtain a sufficient buoyancy force for the transport object 9.

Furthermore, since the top plate 4 is formed to open upward, the slots 7 in both side portions 4b can be easily formed simultaneously from above the top plate 4 by press molding or the like. Further, the hole 6 on the bottom surface of the bottom portion 4a can be similarly easily formed by punching or the like.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3 show an embodiment of the pneumatic transport conveyor according to this invention, in which 1 is a plenum, 2 is a blower, and 3 is a blower pipe.

The top plate 4 of the plenum 1 differs from a conventional conveyor in which the cross section is simply V-shaped, and has a bottom portion 4a with an enclosure-shaped cross section having a substantially flat bottom surface in the center and substantially vertical surfaces standing up on both sides thereof. And this bottom 4
It is composed of a pair of flat plate-shaped side portions 4b that are symmetrically inclined and provided on both sides of the upper end of the substantially vertical plane of a, and both side portions 4b are opened upward. Furthermore, a pair of side parts 4b are formed to open diagonally upward so as to form part of a V-shape, and a bottom part 4a as described above is formed between them, so that the lower edges of both side parts 4b are substantially perpendicular to the bottom part 4a. It is provided so as to be connected to the upper edge of the surface. The upper part of the upper surface plate 4 is defined as a transport path 5.

At the center of the bottom surface of the bottom portion 4a of the top plate 4, that is, on the axis of symmetry, a plurality of holes 6 are arranged in a row at intervals. In this embodiment, the hole 6 is a round hole and is provided at right angles to the horizontal bottom surface of the bottom part 4a, so that the air inside the plenum 1 is blown out into the transport path 5 at right angles to the transport direction. ing. The position of the holes 6 and the number of rows are appropriately set to obtain the optimum transport speed.

Since the width between both vertical surfaces of the bottom portion 4a is set smaller than the diameter of the transportation object 9, during transportation, the diagonally lower portion of the side surface of the transportation object 9 is connected to both side portions 4b.
Since the depth of the substantially vertical plane is set so as to form a certain air reservoir space, a large gap is created between the transported object 9 and the bottom portion 4a.

On the left and right sides 4b of the top plate 4, at a constant height from the horizontal plane of the bottom 4a of the top plate 4, that is, from the bottom of the transport path 5, a plurality of slots 7 are provided at intervals in the transport direction, similar to the holes 6. They are placed side by side. The slot 7 in this embodiment has a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 3, so that the air inside the plenum 1 is blown out substantially parallel to the side portion 4b. Therefore, the air flow blown out from the slot 7 into the transportation path 5 is approximately parallel to the transportation direction.

In this embodiment, a pair of slots 7 arranged in parallel on both left and right sides 4b are formed simultaneously by press molding. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, molding portions 8a are first formed in two rows on the upper mold 8.
The upper plate 4, which has been bent in advance to have a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 2, is placed on a lower mold (not shown) so that the bottom surface of the bottom part 4a is horizontal.
Next, the upper mold 8 is lowered onto the both sides 4b.
By pressing the slot into a substantially trapezoidal shape to form a long hole in a part, and at the same time forming the pressed part into an inclined shape as shown in FIG. be. and,
After moving the upper plate 4 or the upper mold 8 a certain distance, the slot 7 is press-molded in the same manner. Since each slot 7 is formed in this way,
Compared to a method in which each side portion 4b is formed in a separate step, the steps are halved, and there is no fear that the positions of the pair of slots 7 formed on the left and right side portions 4b will be misaligned. If the position of the slot 7 is shifted, the levitation and propulsion forces acting on both sides of the transport object 9 will become unbalanced, and there is a risk that smooth transport will not be possible.

The height of the slot 7 from the bottom surface of the transportation path 5 is set at or near the position where the side surface of the transportation object 9 is closest to the both sides 4b during transportation. In this case, the airflow blown out from the slot 7 immediately hits the transport object 9 (before the propulsive force weakens), so that the propulsive force due to the airflow can be utilized to the maximum.

Note that two or more rows of holes 6 may be arranged in parallel along the axis of symmetry on the bottom surface of the bottom portion 4a, but in this case, in consideration of the balance of buoyancy force, as shown in FIG. Preferably, each row is arranged symmetrically or in a staggered manner with respect to an axis of symmetry. It goes without saying that the slots 7 can also be arranged in a plurality of rows in the same way.

Next, the usage conditions of the pneumatic transportation conveyor configured as above will be explained.

The air flow generated by the blower 2 passes through the blower pipe 3 into the plenum 1 and is blown out into the conveying channel 5 through the hole 6 and the slot 7.

When a cylindrical transportation object 9 is placed in the transportation path 5 so that its center axis coincides with the transportation direction, it is lifted upward by the air flow blown out from the hole 6, and at the same time, it is almost pushed out from the left and right slots 7. Since contact with the side parts 4b is prevented by the air flow blown out parallel to the transport direction, the transport object 9 has the diagonally lower left and right parts of the side faces closest to the both sides 4b, as shown in FIG. They float close to each other and maintain a state in which the distance between the central lower part and the bottom surface of the bottom part 4a is considerably larger than the distance between the transport object 9 and the both sides 4b.
It is then propelled forward by the airflow from slot 7.

In fact, we used the pneumatic transport conveyor of this invention, one with a U-shaped cross-section, and the other with a V-shaped transport path, to transport a cylindrical rod with a diameter of 25 mm, total length of 115 mm, and weight of 30 g. The required air pressure was about 25% lower for the U-shaped cross section and about 15% lower for the V-shaped cross section.

In the above description, the transported object 9 is cylindrical, but the conveyor according to this invention can similarly transport objects having an elliptical cross section and other cylindrical objects having a similar shape.

[Effect of idea]

This invention has the above-mentioned configuration and has the following excellent effects.

The transport object 9 is mainly levitated by the airflow blown out from the hole 6 provided on the bottom surface of the central bottom 4a, and at the same time is propelled by the airflow blown out from the slots 7 provided on both sides 4b. It is possible to transport heavier objects than traditional pneumatic transport conveyors without increasing the air blowing speed. Conversely, this means that the blowing speed of the airflow can be reduced, so the blower 2 can be operated with lower power than a conventional conveyor, which also contributes to energy saving.

Moreover, this also makes it possible to transport the transport object 9 obliquely upward by tilting the transport path 5, or to transport the transport object 9 along a curved line by making the transport path 5 curved.

Immediately after the airflow from the slots 7 on both sides 4b is blown out, it hits the transport object 9, and the propulsive force of this airflow can be effectively utilized. Since not only the buoyancy force due to the dynamic pressure) but also the buoyancy force due to the air (static pressure) accumulated below the transported object 9 acts, the operation efficiency of the conveyor can be improved by effectively using the effect of the air flow. This also contributes to energy conservation.

Since the top plate 4 of the plenum 1 is formed to open upward, the holes 6 and slots 7 provided in the top plate 4 can be easily formed by press molding or the like.

Since the depth of both substantially vertical surfaces of the bottom 4a of the top plate 4 is set so that a certain air reservoir space can be formed, even if the angle formed by the both sides 4b is increased, the transport object 9 will not be A large space is always secured below, the effect of static pressure of air can be effectively utilized, and the buoyancy force of the transport object 9 is stabilized.

In a transportation route with a V-shaped cross section, the symmetrical axis portion where the holes 6 are to be provided is bent, so it is not easy to form the holes 6 in the top plate 4 in the correct position and shape, and the top plate 4 is inclined. Therefore, it is difficult to provide multiple rows of holes 6.

However, in this invention, the width between the substantially vertical sides of the bottom 4a of the top plate 4 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the transport object 9, and the depth of the substantially vertical surfaces is a constant space for the air reservoir. Since the bottom part 4a is set to form a hole 6, the position and number of rows of the holes 6 can be arbitrarily set to achieve the optimum transport speed. It can be easily formed as

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the pneumatic transport conveyor according to this invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view of the plenum. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of press-molding a slot. FIG. 6a is a partial plan view of a plenum in which two rows of holes are arranged symmetrically. Chapter 6b
The figure is a partial plan view of a plenum with two rows of holes arranged in a staggered pattern. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Plenum, 2... Air blower, 3... Air pipe, 4... Top plate, 4a... Bottom, 4b... Side part, 5... Transportation path, 6... Hall, 7... Slot, 8 ... Upper mold, 8a ... Molding section, 9 ... Transport object.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] In an air bed transport conveyor that transports a substantially cylindrical transport object 9 by blowing air from inside the plenum 1 into a transport path 5 provided on the upper surface of the plenum 1, the transport The upper surface plate 4 of the plenum 1 constituting the channel 5 has a bottom portion 4a having an enclosure type cross section having a substantially planar bottom surface and substantially vertical surfaces standing up on both sides thereof, and both sides of the upper end of the substantially vertical surface of the bottom portion 4a. and a pair of flat plate-shaped side portions 4b that are symmetrically inclined at the left and right sides, and the pair of side portions 4b are formed in an upwardly open shape, and the bottom surface of the bottom portion 4a includes: A plurality of holes 6 for blowing air upward from the inside of the plenum 1 are arranged in parallel in the transportation direction in the transportation path 5, and holes 6 in the plenum 1 in the transportation path 5 are provided in the pair of side portions 4b. A plurality of slots 7 are arranged in parallel in the transport direction for blowing out air from the inside substantially parallel to the transport direction, and furthermore, the width between the substantially vertical surfaces of the bottom portion 4a is set to be smaller than the diameter of the transport object 9. 1. A pneumatic transportation conveyor characterized by being set so as to form an air reservoir space with a constant depth.