JPH0586153B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) This invention provides a system in which a traveling body is driven by a linear induction motor to travel along a predetermined path, and is brought to a stop by coming into contact with a stop wall at a stop position. This invention relates to a method for stopping a traveling body.

(Prior Art and its Problems) Such a traveling body can be used, for example, as a transport device for transporting an object in the air along a fixed route. In this case, the traveling body travels on rails installed at a predetermined location such as the ceiling from a starting point to an ending point while carrying the transported object in suspension. At the end point, the traveling body comes into contact with the stop wall and stops at a predetermined position, but in order to avoid the traveling body colliding with the stop wall at this time, it is necessary to appropriately decelerate when approaching the stop wall. Although a mechanical brake may be provided, in addition to a special mechanism for that purpose, special means such as a drive device for the brake is required, making the device complicated and large.

(Object of the Invention) In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, an object of the present invention is to appropriately control the energization of the linear induction motor that drives the running body, thereby decelerating the running body and allowing the vehicle to run without any special mechanism. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for stopping a traveling body that can ensure flexible and stable stopping of the body.

(Means for Achieving the Object) In order to achieve the above object, the stopping method according to the present invention is such that the vehicle is driven by a linear induction motor and travels along a predetermined path, and at the stopping position, it comes into contact with a stopping wall and stops. The primary windings of the linear induction motor are arranged at predetermined intervals along the path, and the secondary conductors thereof are attached to the traveling body at a predetermined position near the stop wall. is provided with a sensor for detecting the arrival of the traveling object, and when the traveling object is traveling toward the stop wall, a sensor is disposed in the predetermined primary winding near the stop wall and in front of the sensor. The driving direction of the primary winding is set to be opposite to the traveling direction of the traveling body, and when the sensor detects the arrival of the traveling body, the driving direction of the predetermined primary winding is switched to the forward direction.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view showing the overall appearance of an embodiment in which the method of stopping a traveling body according to the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned conveyance device. rail 1
is installed in the required manner at the required location such as the ceiling.
This rail 1 has a pair of left and right track surfaces 1a and 1b,
A traveling body 2 is placed on the rail 1 so as to be able to run freely along the rail 1. The running body 2 is driven using a linear induction motor composed of a primary winding 3 and a secondary conductor 4, and the secondary conductor 4 is connected to the running body 2.
A large number of primary windings 3, 3... are arranged on the top surface of the
The rail 1 is placed opposite the movement path of the secondary conductor 4.
are arranged at predetermined intervals along the rail 1 above. This predetermined interval (distance between centers of primary winding 3)
For example, due to unforeseen circumstances such as a power outage, the traveling body 2
The length is set to be approximately equal to the length of the secondary conductor 4 so that it can be restarted even if it stops at an arbitrary position. By sequentially energizing the primary windings 3, 3, . . . , thrust in the longitudinal direction of the rail 1 is applied to the traveling body 2. Shock absorbers 5a, 5b as stop walls are attached to both ends of the rail 1, and stoppers 6a, 6b acting on these shock absorbers 5a, 5b are attached to the front and rear parts of the traveling body 2. Also rail 1
In the vicinity of both ends, there are inputs for detecting the arrival of the traveling body 2 and controlling the energization to the primary windings 3, 3, etc. in a predetermined manner as will be described later, thereby ensuring flexible stopping of the traveling body 2. Light-receiving photoelectric sensors 7a and 7b are provided.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the rail 1 viewed from the front. As shown in the figure, the rail 1 has side walls 1d,
1e, and the primary winding 3 of the linear induction motor is formed with an inverted U on these side walls 1d and 1e.
It is suspended and fixed within a support frame 8 formed in a letter shape. The side walls 1d and 1e of the rail 1 also act as joints with a suspension support member (not shown) when the rail 1 is installed at a required location such as a ceiling. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 3 and the right side view of FIG.
It is composed of a rear pair of inverted U-shaped frames 8a, 8b and two beams 8c, 8d extending between them in the front and back direction at the center. Both lower ends are the side walls 1 of the rail 1
d and 1e are bolted and fixed. 1
The next winding 3 has its both sides attached to the side plates 9 of the installation frame 9.
a, 9b with bolts, and the upper plate 9c of the installation frame 9 is fixed to the beams 8c, 9b of the support frame 8.
The primary winding 3 is suspended and fixed from each of the two bolts 8d, and thus the primary winding 3 is positioned and fixed within the support frame 8. At the center of the front and rear ends of the installation frame 9, panels 9d and 9e are projected in a U-shape, and a pair of left and right rollers 14 for regulating the position of the secondary conductor 4 are rotatably attached to the lower ends of the panels. .

On the other hand, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the right side of the traveling body 2, and referring to this figure and FIG. 2, the traveling body 2 is constructed with the main member 10 as the center. A plate-shaped secondary conductor 4 is horizontally arranged above the main member 10, and stoppers 6a and 6b made of elastic material are attached to the front and rear of the main member 10, respectively. Further, near the lower front end and rear end of the main member 10, supporting members 11a, 1
The axles of a pair of left and right front wheels 12a and a pair of rear wheels 12b are pivotally supported via 1b. These support members 11a and 11b are made of cross-shaped members as shown in FIG.
The rotating shaft is supported by the rotary shaft. Support member 1
1a and 11b are rotatably attached to the lower surface of the main member 10 around an attachment shaft 11c protruding from the center of the cross.

Then, the running body 2 having such a configuration is connected to the rail 1.
When placed on the rail 1, the left and right wheels of the front and rear wheels 12a, 12b (only the front wheel 12a is visible in FIG. 2) are on the left and right track surfaces 1a, 1b of the rail 1, respectively, as shown in FIG. supported by the guide roller 1
3 is rotatably fitted in the gap 1c of the rail 1, and the secondary conductor 4 rests in light contact with the position regulating roller 14 at a position separated from the primary winding 3 by a small gap.

In this state, an object to be transported, for example a container 16, is supported on the lower surface of the traveling body 2 via suspension members 15a and 15b as shown in the side view of FIG. 6 and the front view of FIG. Suspension members 15a, 15b
Bolts 17a and 17b are attached to the upper ends via brackets 16a and 16b, respectively, and the lower ends of the suspension members 15a and 15b are formed into flat surfaces, on which the container 16 is placed.
For example, the attachment to the lower surface of the traveling body 2 is performed using cross-shaped support members 11a, 11 pivotally supported on the lower surface of the traveling body 2.
A bolt hole (not shown) is provided in the center of the lower surface of b, and the bolts 17a and 17b are inserted into this bolt hole.
may be connected through the gap 1c of the rail 1.

After the object to be transported is carried on the traveling body 2 in this manner, the primary windings 3, 3, etc. of the linear induction motor are sequentially energized depending on the direction in which the traveling body 2 is to move (forward, backward). Eventually, as is well known,
Due to the interaction between the traveling magnetic field generated by the primary winding and the secondary current generated in the secondary conductor, a thrust force is exerted on the running body 2 in the length direction (front/backward direction) of the rail 1, causing it to run. The body 2 moves forward or backward along the rail 1 in a desired direction. Thereby, the object to be transported (container 16 in the illustrated example) carried by the traveling body 2 is transported in the air along a predetermined route. Sequential power supply to the primary windings 3, 3...
For example, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the arrival of the traveling body 2 is provided for each primary winding, and a power supply board (not shown) for each primary winding is provided on one side wall (for example, side wall 1d) of the rail 1. ), and the switching of the power supply board can be controlled by the main controller based on the detection output of the sensor. There is no need to supply power to the traveling body 2, and therefore there is no need to provide electrical contacts such as current collectors that are prone to failure. In addition, since the linear induction motor has no rotating parts, there is almost no noise during operation, and since the running body 2 and the primary windings 3, 3, etc. are contained inside the rail 1, it has a high level of safety. can be secured. Primary winding 3, 3... and 2
Regardless of the load of the conveyed object carried by the traveling body 2, the gap between the secondary conductor 4 and the secondary conductor 4 is maintained by the function of the position regulating rollers 14 installed at the front and rear of each of the primary windings 3, 3... Therefore, it is always maintained constant.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing how the traveling body 2 passes through a curved portion of the rail 1. A shows a state in which both the front wheels 12a and rear wheels 12b are on a straight line, B shows a state in which only the front wheels 12a enter a curved part, and C shows a state in which both front wheels 12a and rear wheels 12b enter a curved part. Supporting members 11a and 11b that pivotally support the axles of the front and rear wheels 12a and 12b, respectively, are supported by guide rollers 13 that are rotatably fitted into the gaps 1c of the rails 1.
Since it moves along the rail 1 while being guided by the front and rear of the axle, at the curved portion of the rail 1, a change in direction is given to the axles of the front and rear wheels 12a and 12b according to the curvature of the curve. Therefore, the direction of the axle always coincides with the radial direction of the curve, as shown by the dashed lines B and C. Therefore, the traveling body 2 can smoothly pass through the curve. At this time, the center line of the traveling body 2 is displaced as shown by the dotted line in the figure, and the overall length of the traveling body 2, the mounting positions of the front and rear wheels 12a and 12b, the total width of the rail 1, and the curvature of the curve are adjusted in advance. By designing this, collision between the side walls 1d and 1e and the traveling body 2 can be avoided.

FIG. 9 shows a running body 2 at one end of the rail 1 provided with a shock absorber 5a, for example.
FIG. In FIG. 9, for convenience of explanation, the primary windings 3, 3, .

When the traveling body 2 moves rightward in the drawing toward the shock absorber 5a that acts as a stopping wall, as shown in A, the primary windings 3a and 3c receive a rightward thrust and a primary winding 3b is energized to generate leftward thrust. Therefore, when the traveling body 2 reaches the position shown in A (below the primary winding 3c), the rightward thrust is still acting on the traveling body 2, and the traveling body 2 is sent to the right. It will be done. Note that the rightward thrust due to the primary winding 3a is caused by the primary winding 3c.
It is desirable that the rightward thrust be set relatively weaker than the rightward thrust caused by other primary windings such as.

Next, as shown in B, the traveling body 2 is connected to the primary winding 3b.
When the vehicle reaches the lower side, thrust in the opposite direction (leftward) acts on the traveling body 2 as a brake, and the traveling body 2 is gradually decelerated. Then, it passes through the primary winding 3b at a sufficiently slowed down speed to the right, and the primary winding 3
When the traveling body 2 reaches the lower side of the primary winding 3a
The weak rightward thrust generated by

Eventually, the traveling object 2 interrupts the optical axis of the light emitting/receiving photoelectric sensor 7a as shown in C, and at this time, the photoelectric sensor 7a outputs a detection signal that detects the arrival of the traveling object 2, and responds to this detection signal. and primary winding 3
The thrust caused by b is switched to the forward direction (to the right). Figure 10 shows an example of a circuit for performing this switching, in which the reversible relay 1 is
8 to switch the relay contact 18a. When the power is initially turned on, the reversible relay 18 is not activated, and the three-phase power supplies R, S, and T are connected in the positive direction of R→U, S→V, and T→W as shown in the diagram. The primary winding 3b generates leftward thrust. Next, when the photoelectric sensor 7a is activated and outputs a detection signal, the sensor contact 19
is closed, and the reversible relay 18 is activated. At this time, the relay contact 18a switches, and the reversible relay 18
is latched in that state. As a result, the three-phase power supplies R, S, and T are connected in the opposite directions of R→U, S→W, and T→V, and the primary winding 3b is switched to rightward thrust.

The traveling body 2 is weakly driven to the right by the primary winding 3a, and eventually bounces off the shock absorber 5a. At this time, even if the traveling body 2 rebounds to the lower side of the primary winding 3b as shown in D, the primary winding 3b has switched to rightward thrust as described above, so The traveling body 2 is moved rightward again, and eventually comes into contact with the shock absorber 5a and stops while being weakly urged rightward by the primary winding 3a.

In the above description, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a conveyance device for conveying articles has been described in detail, but the present invention can be widely used in all cases in which a traveling body is driven by a linear induction motor. . Also in this case, the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be achieved. In addition, the primary winding that should switch the direction of the thrust may be a predetermined winding (not limited to one) near the stop wall, and the direction of the thrust can be switched after detecting that the traveling object has passed there. You can configure it as follows.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, a traveling body can be stopped flexibly and stably by simple electrical control without providing a special brake mechanism. It is possible to realize the following stopping method.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory plan view showing the overall appearance of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a conveyance device, Fig. 2 is an explanatory view of the rail viewed from the front, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the primary winding attachment part. 4 is an explanatory right side view of the primary winding attachment part, FIG. 5 is an explanatory right side view of the moving body, FIGS. 6 and 7 are a side view and a front view of the container suspension member, respectively, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram when the vehicle passes through a curve, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the situation when the traveling body is stopped, and FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a circuit for switching current to the primary winding. 1...Rail, 2...Traveling body, 3...Primary winding, 4...
Secondary conductor, 5a, 5b...Shock absorber, 7
a, 7b...Photoelectric sensor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A method for stopping a traveling body which is driven by a linear induction motor and travels along a predetermined path, and comes into contact with a stop wall at a stop position and stops. The primary windings of the induction motor are arranged at predetermined intervals along the route, and the secondary conductors thereof are attached to the traveling body, and a sensor for detecting the arrival of the traveling body is arranged at a predetermined position near the stop wall. and when the traveling body is traveling toward the stop wall, the driving direction of the predetermined primary winding near the stop wall and before the sensor is reversed to the traveling direction of the traveling body. A method for stopping a traveling object, characterized in that when the sensor detects the arrival of the traveling object, the driving direction of the predetermined primary winding is switched to the forward direction. 2 1 between the predetermined primary winding and the stop wall
The method for stopping a traveling body according to claim 1, wherein the driving force of the secondary winding is set to be relatively weaker than the driving force of the other primary windings.