JPH05201527A - Supporting stand circulation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a supporting stand circulation device whose construction is simpler compared with one heretofore in use. CONSTITUTION:In a supporting stand circulation device 2, direction turning sections are formed by mounting driving rollers 1-4 at respective four corner parts of a nearly rectangular loop transport route that lies along nearly horizontal longitudinal and transverse axes, these driving rollers are so provided that their rotation axes are inclined with respect to longitudinal and transverse axes, and positions and inclinations of driving rollers are symmetrical each other with respect to both longitudinal and transverse axes, and their rotations are controlled by a driving control part so as to selectively advance supporting stands in respective directions of longitudinal and transverse axes. With these means, respective pairs of winding transport devices provided in the direction of longitudinal and transverse axes in the conventional direction changing section and a lifting device that relatively reverse the height of the transport surface of this device are not necessary, thereby the construction that changes the directions of supporting stands becomes more simple, and advantageous even in points of manufacture and repair.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a support base circulating device for circulating a plurality of support bases.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to move luggage or furniture to a place where a person is present, a plurality of various articles are placed on a support such as a pallet and can be circulated and moved to a necessary place. There is a practical application No. 2-130078).

In this support platform circulation device, each of the four corners of the substantially rectangular annular transport path is spaced apart from the length and width of the support platform by a distance slightly smaller than the length and width of the support platform.
A diverting section is provided with a pair of wrapping conveyors arranged therein. In this support base circulation device, in order to change the direction of the support base in the direction change section, it is necessary to relatively reverse the heights of the transfer surfaces of the pair of winding transfer devices in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, A device for raising and lowering each of the pair of wrapping and conveying devices is provided. Therefore, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high, and the repair work is troublesome and costly due to the complicated structure.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a support base circulating apparatus which can move the support base with a simple structure which is lower in cost than conventional ones.

The above object of the present invention is a support base circulation device for circulating a plurality of support bases in a substantially rectangular annular transport path along a substantially horizontal vertical axis and a horizontal axis, wherein the four corner portions of the rectangular shape are provided. In each of them, a drive roller is arranged at a position corresponding to each corner of a rectangle substantially parallel to the rectangle with a space slightly narrower than the length and width of the support base to form a direction changing section, These drive rollers have an axis of rotation inclined with respect to the vertical axis and the horizontal axis, and the position and the inclination of the drive roller are symmetrical with respect to both the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. The adjacent diverting sections are arranged such that a carrier is arranged between them or in contact with each other so that a support can be moved from one to the other, the drive rollers being The vertical axis and the horizontal axis of the drive controller Is achieved by the support stand circulating apparatus being controlled rotation to produce a transport force component along each direction of travel to selectively progress support base in the direction.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a support circulator (Z) for carrying a load according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a support base circulation device (Z)
Includes six sections (A) to (F) corresponding to the size of the pallet (P) for transportation, and a substantially rectangular annular transportation path along a substantially horizontal vertical axis and a horizontal axis. One of these sections is empty due to the sequential movement of the pallet (P). In the state shown, section (C)
Is empty and no pallet (P) is placed. In this case, the palette in the section (D) is, for example, D →
Circular movement can be performed with movement of other pallets, such as C → B → A → F → E → D, and movement in the opposite direction is also possible. In the present specification, with respect to the moving direction of the pallet, for example, (A) → (B) is referred to as the left direction, and the opposite is referred to as the right direction. For example, (A) → (F) is referred to as the backward direction, and the opposite is referred to as the forward direction. I shall call it.

An outer frame (10) is provided around the outer circumference of the support circulator (Z) so as to surround the six sections (A) to (F).
0) is formed and guides the circulating passage of the pallet (P) from the outside. Further, a guide (G) is provided between each of the sections (C) and (D), the sections (B) and (E), and the aligned sections (A) and (F).
1), (G2) and (G3) are provided respectively.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the support base circulating device (Z) in a state where all the pallets (P) are removed from the state of FIG. Sections (A) located at each of the four corners of the rectangle in the support circulator (Z),
(C), (D) and (F) for moving the pallet (P) from the longitudinal passages F to D of the support circulator to the adjacent longitudinal passages C to A or in the opposite direction. A turning section is formed, the turning section including:
The drive roller is arranged at a position corresponding to a corner of a rectangle substantially parallel to the rectangle with a space slightly narrower than the length and width of the pallet (P). For example, in the section (C) which is the direction changing section, four driving rollers (1), (2), (3) and (4) are arranged.
The rotation axes of these drive rollers are inclined by 45 ° with respect to the vertical axis and the horizontal axis, and the position and the inclination of the drive roller are symmetrical with respect to both the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. Is set. In the other direction changing sections (D), (F) and (A) other than the section (C), four driving rollers are similarly arranged.

Each driving roller in the direction changing section includes a roller for supporting the lower surface of the pallet (P) and a motor for driving the roller. For example,
A drive roller (1) arranged in the section (C),
(2), (3) and (4) are rollers (10), (2
0), (30) and (40) and motors (11), (21), (31) and (4) for driving the rollers, respectively.
1) are provided respectively. The outer peripheral surface of the roller is preferably provided with a suitable member such as vinyl chloride or rubber for reducing noise when moving the pallet.

The sections (B) and (E) located between the adjacent sections (A) to (C) and between the sections (D) to (F) are arranged so that the pallet can be moved from one to the other. , A pair of winding and conveying devices extending in the longitudinal direction of the support base circulation device (Z) are arranged. Further, the adjacent sections (A) and (F), (C) and (D) are arranged in contact with each other.

In the section (B), a pair of transport chains (T1) and (T2) extending in the longitudinal direction of the rectangle are arranged at intervals slightly narrower than the width of the pallet (P). The transport chains (T1) and (T2) have one end in the longitudinal direction wound around the sprocket on the shaft (α1) and the other end wound around the sprocket on the shaft (α2). The drive shaft of the motor (M1) and the shafts (α1) and (α
Drive chains (9) and (9 ') are arranged between the two and. The pallet transport direction by the transport chains (T1) and (T2) is controlled by changing the rotation direction of the motor (M1) to any of section (B) → (A) or section (B) → (C). it can.

Similarly, a pair of transport chains (U1) and (U2) are arranged in the section (E). The transport chains (U1) and (U2) have one end in the longitudinal direction wound around the sprocket on the shaft (β1) and the other end wound around the sprocket on the shaft (β2). Drive shaft of motor (M2) and shafts (β1) and (β2)
Drive chains (9) and (9 ') are arranged between and. With the motor (M2)
Section (E) → (F) or section (E) →
It can be controlled in either direction of (D).

Next, a method of turning the pallet in the turning section will be described. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, for example, in the section (C) which is the direction changing section, as described above, the rotation axis (of each of the drive rollers (1), (2), (3) and (4) ( X
1), (X2), (X3) and (X4) are inclined by 45 ° with respect to the vertical axis or the horizontal axis, and the position of the drive roller and the inclination are with respect to both the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. It is set to be symmetrical to each other. The pair of drive rollers (2), (4) are controlled so as to rotate in the same direction (direction a or b) with respect to the axes (X2), (X4), and the pair of drive rollers (1), (3) is the axis (X
Both 1) and (X3) are controlled so as to rotate in the same direction (a or b direction).

For example, when the rotations of the pair of drive rollers are both in the a direction, the pallet conveyance force is the pallet conveyance component force Fl obtained as the longitudinal component of the drive force F generated by the rotation of each drive roller. The combined force (arrow 5) is obtained, and the section (C) → (B) direction (to the right)
Becomes Further, when the rotation of the rotating roller of the section (C) is in the b direction with respect to the axis lines (X2) and (X4) and the a direction with respect to the axis lines (X1) and (X3), the pallet (P) conveyance force is the same. The pallet conveyance component force Fw obtained as the width direction component of the driving force F generated by the rotation of each driving roller becomes a combined force (arrow 6), and becomes the section (C) → (D) direction (backward). Thus, the direction of the pallet conveyance component force obtained by the combination of the rotation directions of the drive rollers in the section (C) is shown in Table 1.
Are summarized in.

[0016]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, the direction change of the pallet (P) can be freely controlled in any of front, rear, left and right directions by combining the rotation directions of the drive rollers by a drive control unit (not shown). .. The drive control unit includes, for example, a sensor that detects arrival of the pallet to the direction changing section, and a control device that controls forward and reverse rotation of each motor based on the output of the sensor. Similarly, the other sections (D), (F), and (A) can be controlled freely in any of the front, rear, left, and right directions, and the support base circulation device (Z) forms each of the direction changing sections. You can freely change the direction of the pallet in the front, back, left or right direction in the section.

Also, when the pallets move from one of the adjacent directional change sections to the other, the guides (G1) or (G3) existing between the directional change sections do not obstruct the movement of the pallets by a guide device (not shown). Be descended in advance. After the movement of the pallet is completed in this lowered state, the guide is raised again to guide the pallet as it moves in the longitudinal direction of the support table circulation device. At this time, it is preferable to appropriately arrange various limit switches, detection sensors, etc. for confirming whether the guide is accurately lowered or raised. Further, the guide device may employ various structures other than the above-mentioned lifting type.

When the pallet is turned in the turning section, if the loads W applied to the four driving rollers via the conveying pallet are not uniform, a twisting force f is generated in the horizontal direction on the pallet surface. .. This twisting force f is the difference Δ in the uneven load applied to the drive roller.
W is the coefficient of friction between the bottom surface of the pallet and the contact surface of the drive roller μ
Multiplied by and expressed as approximately μΔW, which hinders the straight movement of the pallet. However, in the support base circulation device according to the present embodiment, the guide (G1) or (G3) forming the inner guide and the outer frame (10 forming the outer guide).
Since 0) prevents the support base from rotating or moving in an oblique direction due to the twisting force f, the moving direction of the pallet is appropriately changed at a substantially right angle.

Further, when the pallet moves between the two directional change sections, the drive rollers arranged in the adjacent sections support the moving pallet bottom surface, but the pallet vertically moves due to an unbalanced load on the pallet. There is a risk that the pallet ends are tilted up and down and the pallet ends are lifted or lowered. For this reason, it is desirable to provide a supporting member (not shown) having a slidability adapted to the height level of the horizontal movement of the pallet at an appropriate position between the sections.

The inclination of the rotation axis of the drive roller is 5 °
The angle can be set in the range of from 85 ° to 85 °, but if the angle is close to the upper and lower limits of the range, the conveying component force cannot be effectively used for moving the pallet, so it is preferably set to about 45 °.

Next, the movement operation of the pallet in the support base circulating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The support circulator of FIG. 4 has eight sections (G) to (N) and seven transfer pallets (P1).
(P7). In this apparatus, an opening / closing door is provided at the position of the section (G), and at this position, the luggage can be taken out or stored as indicated by the arrow in the figure.

First, the user specifies the number of the pallet desired to be moved to the section (G) by an operation panel (not shown) installed near the section (G). As a result, the movement in the support table circulation device is started. For safety, when the section (G) door is open, the pallet is kept stopped regardless of the above instruction.

When the pallet (P5) is instructed to move while the pallets are placed as in the arrangement shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of pallets cyclically move in the clockwise direction, (P5) is section (L) →
Move in the order of (M) → (N) → (G). In addition, for example, when the movement of the pallet (P4) is instructed, the pallet (P4) has the sections (K) → (J) → (I) →
Move in the order of (H) → (G). In this way, the positions of the pallets having the designated numbers are set to the sections (L), (M), (N) so that the pallets can be moved efficiently.
When any one of the sections (K), (J), (I), and (H) is moved in the clockwise direction, it is moved in the counterclockwise direction. As described above, if a computer-controlled program is determined so that the pallet on which the load to be taken out is placed can be efficiently conveyed to the take-out port, it is easier to use. When the pallet with the designated number moves to the section (G), the moving motor is stopped and the door of the section (G) is opened. In this way, the pallets designated in the section (G) are loaded and unloaded. Arrangement of the luggage outlet is free.

[0026]

As described above, according to the support base circulation device of the present invention, each of the four corners of the substantially rectangular annular conveying path along the substantially horizontal ordinate and the abscissa is substantially parallel to the rectangle. Driving rollers are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective corners of the rectangular shape to form the direction changing section. These drive rollers are
The rotation axis is inclined with respect to the vertical axis and the horizontal axis, and the position and the inclination of the drive roller are set so as to be symmetrical with respect to both the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. The rotation is controlled by the control unit so as to generate a carrier component force along each traveling direction so as to selectively advance the support base in each of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. As a result, a complicated device such as a pair of winding and conveying devices provided in the vertical and horizontal directions in the conventional turning section, and a lifting device for relatively reversing the height of the conveying surface of the device. Is unnecessary, and the structure for changing the direction of the support base is simpler, which is also advantageous in terms of manufacturing and repair.

Therefore, for example, an exhibit such as a showroom can be placed on a transfer pallet and circulated and moved as needed for viewing, and it is also convenient when a narrow attic space is used as a storage. is there. Furthermore, if the vehicle is used in a full-floor parking lot without a passage for carrying in an automobile, a desired automobile can be efficiently taken out or moved to a carry-in position in a short time. Further, by providing a loading / unloading port outside the warehouse by using it as a circulation device for frozen products in the frozen warehouse, it is possible for the worker to secure work safety without having to enter the warehouse.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a support base circulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the support base circulation device of FIG. 1 with a pallet removed.

FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a section of a turning section.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing another embodiment of the support base circulating device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, 3, 4 Drive roller 9, 9'Drive chain A, B, C, D, E, F section G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N section P Pallet P1, P2, P3 , P4, P5, P6, P7 Pallets G1, G2, G3 Guides 10, 20, 30, 40 Rollers 11, 22, 33, 44 Motor Z Support base circulation device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A support base circulation device for circulating a plurality of support bases in a substantially rectangular annular transport path along a substantially horizontal vertical axis and a horizontal axis, wherein a support is provided at each of the four corners of the rectangle. A drive roller is arranged at a position corresponding to each corner of a rectangle substantially parallel to the rectangle with a space slightly narrower than the length and width of the table to form a direction changing section. The axis of rotation is inclined with respect to the vertical axis and the horizontal axis, and the position and the inclination of the drive roller are set to be symmetrical with respect to both the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. Adjacent said diverting sections are arranged such that a carrier is arranged between them so as to be able to move a support from one to the other, or are arranged in contact with each other, and said drive roller is arranged by said drive controller to Supports are selected in each direction of the vertical axis and horizontal axis A support circulator, wherein rotation is controlled so as to generate a carrier component force along each traveling direction so that the carrier circulates. 2. A support table is located between the direction changing section and the conveying device so as to guide the support table in the direction in which the support table is to be advanced when the support table is in the direction changing section, and the support table is provided in the direction changing section. 2. The support according to claim 1, further comprising a guide device that is located outside the guide position so as to allow the movement while moving across the transport device. Table circulation device.