JPH0581489B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a conveying device, and more particularly to a device capable of sequentially conveying a large number of objects to a predetermined position in a predetermined order.

[Conventional technology]

Devices that transport a large number of objects to be transported one after another in a predetermined order to a predetermined position are required in various fields, and belt conveyors, turntables, etc., are used as devices that meet such requirements. There is.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, conveyance by a belt conveyor requires time and effort to place the conveyed object on and off the belt conveyor each time at the start and end points.

Once multiple objects are placed on the table, turntables can save you the trouble of loading and unloading the objects one by one from the start point to the end point like a belt conveyor, but usually The disadvantage is that objects to be transported can only be placed in one row along the circumference, and the area efficiency is poor as a transport device.

Furthermore, all of these conveyance devices can only move the conveyed object in one direction, and moreover, the conveyed object is moved by moving the support platform on which the conveyed object is placed, that is, a belt or table. Therefore, a device for driving the support base is required. Therefore, it also has the disadvantage that if the object to be transported becomes larger, the drive device for the support stand must also become larger.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention focuses on the problems of such conventional conveyance devices, and instead of driving the support table on which the conveyed object is placed, only the conveyed object placed on it is moved.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyance device that can move the objects individually or in a necessary number in a desired direction and convey them to a desired position.

The conveyance device according to the present invention includes a top plate having a large number of ventilation holes, a gas chamber formed on the lower side of the top plate and communicating with the ventilation holes, and means for supplying gas to the gas chamber, means for supplying gas to the ventilation hole from the lower side of the top plate, and an object placed on the top plate so as to cover at least one of the ventilation holes, and a permanent magnet attached thereto. and,
A large number of electromagnets installed in an electromagnet storage chamber formed separately from the gas chamber along the moving path of the transported object on the top plate and below the gas chamber, and the magnitude of the current. and current control means for continuously changing the polarity of the electromagnet so that each of the electromagnets is in an attractive relationship with the permanent magnet provided on the object to be transported. be.

[Effect]

In the apparatus of the present invention, gas (hereinafter referred to as air because air is normally used) is ejected onto the top plate from a large number of vent holes, and the transported object placed on the top plate is slightly In this state, the electromagnet is energized so that the permanent magnet attached to the transported object creates a magnetic attraction relationship with the electromagnet, and the magnetic attraction between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet causes the transported object to float. Objects slide on the top plate.

The reason why the conveyed object moves along a desired path in the apparatus of the present invention is that a large number of electromagnets are installed along this path, and the magnetic force of these electromagnets changes sequentially. To explain this schematically, first, second, third, etc. electromagnets are installed along the moving direction of the moving route, and the transported object is located directly above the first electromagnet. When the object is being transported, only the first electromagnet is energized so as to attract the permanent magnet attached to the transported object, and the other electromagnets are not energized. Next, if the second electromagnet adjacent to the transported object in the traveling direction is energized so as to attract the permanent magnet, and then the first electromagnet is de-energized, the transported object will move to the second electromagnet due to the magnetic attraction relationship.
Move directly above the electromagnet. Similarly, if the third electromagnet is energized so as to be attracted to the permanent magnet, and then the second electromagnet is de-energized, the object to be transported will move directly above the third electromagnet.

Preferably, it is desirable to continuously change the magnitude of the current flowing through the electromagnet so that the object to be transported can move smoothly.

For example, move the object from directly above the first electromagnet to the second electromagnet.
When attempting to move the object directly above the electromagnet, the energization of the first electromagnet is gradually decreased while at the same time the energization of the second electromagnet is gradually increased. As a result, the attraction relationship with the permanent magnet gradually shifts from the first electromagnet to the second electromagnet, so that the conveyed object moves smoothly.

Furthermore, in order to stop the conveyed object, it is sufficient to maintain the current flowing through the electromagnet at a constant level when the magnetic attractive force between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet reaches its maximum at the stop position. Alternatively, after maintaining the current, the gas supply may be further interrupted and the object to be transferred may be fixed on the top plate by its own weight, or if desired, the gas in the gas chamber may be exhausted and the gas chamber may be removed. The conveyed object may be brought into close contact with the top plate under reduced pressure. Precise control of the fixing position can be easily performed by attracting the conveyed object with a permanent magnet.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The conveying device of the present invention will be explained in more detail below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1a is a schematic sectional view of a part of a moving mechanism of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1b is a diagram showing changes in the current flowing through the electromagnets constituting the moving mechanism and changes in the magnetic force of the electromagnets. It is a diagram showing changes corresponding to each electromagnet.

The top plate 1 is made of a non-magnetic material, and a large number of ventilation holes 2 are provided on the surface of the top plate 1 for conveying objects 5 that move on the top plate.
(Usually, it is transported in a suitable container, so below,
It is formed along the moving path of the container (abbreviated as container 5). The container 5 is placed so as to always cover at least one vent hole 2 on its moving path. In addition, the lower surface side of the container 5 effectively retains the air ejected from the vent hole 2 to enhance the floating effect, and reduces the contact area with the upper surface plate 1 to reduce the friction between the container 5 and the upper surface plate 1. A recess 6 with a slight depth is formed for the purpose of reducing resistance, and a permanent magnet 7 is fixed to the center of the recess 6 with adhesive or other appropriate means so as to partially embed it. There is.

A bottom plate 3 made of the same material and size as the top plate 1 is arranged below the top plate 1 with a slight interval therebetween. The gas chamber 4 is sealed with a recessed edge 8 (see FIG. 2). A second
As shown in the figure, a gas reservoir 9 having a relatively large capacity is attached, and the gas reservoir 9 is communicated with the gas chamber 4 through a hole formed in the bottom plate 3. A connection plug 10 is attached to the side wall of the gas reservoir 9 for connecting a pipe extending to a source of pressurized gas, such as a pneumatic pump (not shown). In this way, pressure loss can be suppressed by sending the pressurized air from the air pump to the narrow gas chamber 4 after passing through the gas reservoir 9 having a relatively large volume. In addition, instead of providing the gas chamber directly under the top plate, it is also possible to connect the gas reservoir provided at a distance from the top plate and each vent hole with a conduit, but this is not particularly necessary as it is cumbersome to manufacture. Unless otherwise available, the gas chamber method is advantageous.

A table guide 11 having an inverted L-shaped cross section is provided at the peripheral edge of the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 3, and a part of the table guide 11 located on the top plate prevents the container 5 from falling from the top plate 1. A side plate 1 is attached to the side of the table guide 11.
The upper end of the side plate 12 is fixed, and the lower end of the side plate 12 is fixed to the base plate 1.
It is fixed to the peripheral end face of 3. In this way, an electromagnet storage chamber 14 surrounded by the bottom plate 3, side plates 12, and base plate 13 is formed directly below the bottom plate 3.
In addition, if the electromagnet is set inside the gas chamber without providing such an electromagnet storage chamber, the volume of the gas chamber will increase if it is installed inside the gas chamber, and the blowout of air onto the top plate can be quickly controlled. Not only is it difficult to clean, but also objects falling from the ventilation holes, such as dust, etc.
If the object to be transported is a liquid, there is a risk that it will spill and contaminate the electromagnet, and it is also necessary to provide a separate electromagnet storage room in order to facilitate repair and removal of the electromagnet and its attached devices. be.

Coils a' to m' for magnetizing the electromagnets a to m are wound around the electromagnets a to m.

For example, every 4 coils are connected in series (or in parallel)
The coils are connected so that their magnetic poles (for example, N poles) do not extend in the same direction when energized. That is, when the permanent magnet attached to the conveyed object is attached so that the south pole faces downward, the electromagnet of each coil becomes the north pole when energized, so that an attraction relationship is established.

In this way, the windings W of coils a′, e′, i′, m′
- Windings X-X' of W', b', f', j', Y-Y' of C', g', k' and Z-Z of windings d', h', l' ′ are respectively,
They can be energized separately, and when energized, all the electromagnets corresponding to the windings are in an attractive relationship with the permanent magnets attached to the conveyed object.

In order to transfer an object using the transfer device configured as described above, the container 5, which is the object to be transported, is placed on the top plate 1, air is pressurized into the gas chamber 4, and the ventilation hole 2 is opened. The container 5 is slightly floated by the air jetted from the windings W-W', X-X', Y-Y' and Z.
−Z′ is energized sequentially. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1b, if the energized windings and the magnitude of the current are changed over time, the magnitude of the magnetic force of the electromagnets a to m will also change accordingly. As the magnetic force of electromagnets a to m changes, the permanent magnet facing the electromagnet moves toward the magnet with the strongest magnetic attraction. For example, in Figure 1a,
If the permanent magnet 7 is installed with the south pole on the lower side, and the polarity of the electromagnet c facing it is set to the north pole, as the magnetic force of the electromagnet c decreases from its maximum value to 0, the electromagnet d increases. The magnetic force increases from 0 and a current is supplied so that it reaches its maximum value (see Figure 1b).
As the magnetic force of the electromagnets c and d changes, the magnetic attraction force between the permanent magnet 7 and the electromagnet c decreases.
On the other hand, the magnetic attraction force with the electromagnet d increases, and as a result, the container 5 moves in the direction of the arrow.

To stop the movement of the conveyed object, if the magnetic attraction of the electromagnet at the corresponding position to the permanent magnet is at its maximum and the current supplied to the electromagnet is kept constant, the conveyed object will be suspended by the ejected air. It stops at that position due to magnetic attraction. Next, the supply of air to the gas chamber is stopped and the container 5 is fixed to the top plate by its own weight, or the gas chamber is depressurized and the container 5 is adsorbed onto the top plate to stop energizing the electromagnet. In these cases, the current magnitude at that time is held by the current control device. When restarting the movement of the transported object after it has been stopped, first apply the same current to the electromagnet that was maintained when the object was stopped, then restart the ventilation to the gas chamber and float the container to prevent the container from moving. After stabilizing, change the current.

Figure 3 shows the electromagnet windings W-W', X-X', Y-
This is an example of a control means for changing the magnitude of the current supplied to Y' and Z-Z'. A digital signal generated by a microcomputer is outputted from a data terminal to a latch-and-buffer circuit, and the current data is latched by the output of an address signal and held in the latch-and-buffer. The held signal is converted to an analog signal by a digital-to-analog converter, and simultaneously output to the driver, converted to an analog current signal with a size commensurate with the digital signal, and then connected to the winding W.
-W' to winding Z-Z'. At this time, the computer program is set so that the changes in the output signals for the windings W-W' to Z-Z' are shown in FIG. 1b. FIG. 1b shows an example of the control current, and if necessary, the movement of the conveyed object can be made smooth by changing it in a sinusoidal manner.

By increasing the number of electromagnets and gradually changing the magnetic force, the movement of the transported object can be made smoother. On the other hand, increasing the number too much is not economically advisable.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the conveying device of the present invention is applied to an auto sample changer of an automatic titration device, where A is the auto sample changer, B is the titration device, and 15 is a container for storing the titrant. It's a beaker. A permanent magnet 7 is attached to the lower side of the container 5 that houses the beaker 15, and an electromagnet (not shown) is housed in the electromagnet storage chamber 14.

To perform the titration, as shown in FIG. 5, after performing the titration operation at the titration position G, the containers 5 are moved one by one in the direction of the arrow. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the top plate 1 is viewed from above, the rectangular surface area of the top plate is equally divided into two from the center, and for convenience, the left area is designated as L and the right area is designated as R. , each area has
Four containers are lined up horizontally to form one row, and in the left area there are four rows (L
-1 to L-4), 5 columns (R-1 to R-4) in the right area
5) Arrange. To move the container, first
-1 column is sequentially moved laterally one by one to the left region L, and titration is performed at the titration position C with respect to the sample in the beaker supported in the container on the left end side. R-
When the titration for one column is completed, the R-1 column is moved to an empty column in the left region L, and the place where the R-1 column was in the right region R becomes vacant. Therefore, R in the right area
All rows -2, R-3, R-4 and R-5 are moved forward in the vertical direction (upward as viewed in FIG. 6) by one row, either all at the same time or one row at a time. As a result, the place where column R-5 was located (the last column of right area R) becomes vacant, so column L-4, which is the last column of left area L, is moved in the horizontal direction. Next, all the columns L-1, L-2, L-3 located in the left area L and R-1 that has moved from the right area are collectively moved one column at a time or one column at a time, vertically backward (first column). (Downward as seen in Figure 6)
, and make the front row of the left area L an empty row again. In the same way, each column after the titration operation was
Move it around as shown by the arrow in the figure. As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, the columns except the front row and the rear row can be moved all at once, and the peakers can be moved extremely efficiently.

The conveying device of the present invention is not limited to the auto sample changer of the above-mentioned titration device, but also various manufacturing automation devices, such as a mixing device for various raw materials such as paint, a solvent, a conveying device for processing in parts processing, etc. It can also be applied to

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the conveying device of the present invention, a drive device for the support base on which the transported object is placed is not required, which simplifies the structure of the entire conveying device and, in turn, simplifies its repair. be able to. Furthermore, by arranging electromagnets along the conveyance path of the transported object, it can be applied to any complicated conveyance path. In addition, the moving direction and speed of the transported object can be easily controlled by continuously changing the magnitude of the current flowing through the electromagnet using a current control means and by manipulating the polarity. can be moved to Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is also possible to arrange the objects to be conveyed tightly on a support stand, and in this case, the objects can be conveyed at the starting and ending points like a belt conveyor. It also eliminates the trouble of placing the conveyed object on and off the support stand, and allows the conveyed object to be conveyed more efficiently than with a turntable. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the volume of the gas chamber can be reduced by providing a large number of electromagnets in a magnetically attractive relationship with the permanent magnets provided on the conveyed object under the gas chamber. Since the electromagnet is located outside the gas chamber, the entire device can be miniaturized, and the gas ejection from the top plate can be easily interrupted and restarted in a short period of time. Contamination of the transportation means from water, fine particles, etc. can be prevented.
Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is also possible to arrange the objects to be conveyed densely on a support stand, and in this case, the objects can be conveyed at the starting and ending points like a belt conveyor. It also eliminates the trouble of placing the conveyed object on and off the support stand, and allows the conveyed object to be conveyed more efficiently than with a turntable.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1a shows one of the conveying mechanisms of the conveying device of the present invention.
Fig. 1b is a diagram showing the relationship between the change in current and the change in the magnetic force of the electromagnet when electricity is applied to the electromagnet constituting the transport mechanism in Fig. 1a, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the transport mechanism in Fig. A cross-sectional view of the gas chamber of the equipment, a part of the electromagnet storage chamber, the connection to the gas supply means for supplying gas to the gas chamber, and the gas reservoir, and Figure 3 shows the control system for the current flowing to the electromagnet. A schematic diagram, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the entire titration device when the conveyance device of the present invention is applied to an auto sample changer of the titration device, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are
The figure is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining the moving state of objects to be transported in the auto sample changer. 1...Top plate, 2...Vent hole, 4...Gas chamber,
5... Object to be transported, 7... Permanent magnet, a to m... Electromagnet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Consisting of a top plate having a large number of ventilation holes, a gas chamber formed on the lower side of the top plate and communicating with the ventilation holes, and means for supplying gas to the gas chamber, and a means for supplying gas to the gas chamber from the bottom of the top plate. means for supplying gas to the ventilation holes; a conveyed object placed on the top plate so as to cover at least one of the ventilation holes and equipped with a permanent magnet; A large number of electromagnets installed in an electromagnet storage chamber formed separately from the gas chamber along the moving path of the transported object and below the gas chamber, and a device for supplying current to the electromagnets; current control means for continuously changing the magnitude of the current and changing the polarity so that each of the electromagnets is magnetically attracted to the permanent magnet provided on the conveyed object; Transport equipment.