JPH0597213A - Vertically circulating rotational rack - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To let a guide roller for preventing chain runout run smoothly on a joint part between vertical linear rail part of a guide rail for retaining tray position and each turn rail part of a vertically circulating rotational rack, while the structure of the joint part is very simple. CONSTITUTION:In a vertically circulating rotational rack, for which endless tray circulating driving chains 7 are provided on both sides of a vertical circulating route of a tray 12, while the tray 12 is supported between the respective chains 7 so that the tray can be vibrated around a horizontal axis, and a pair of guide rails 6A, 6B for retaining tray position, to which guide rollers arranged on both sides of each tray 12, are provided, the heights are different from each other between joint parts a1 and b1 (or a2 and b2) that form a pair between vertical linear rail parts 15 of the guide rails 6A, 6B for retaining tray position and upper lower turn rail parts 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a carousel equipped with a plurality of trays which rotate in a fixed path in a beaded manner, and more particularly to an endless tray circulating drive on the left and right sides of a vertical circulating path of the tray. Stretch the chain and support the tray between the two chains so that it can swing around the horizontal axis.
The present invention relates to a vertical circulation type rotary rack in which a pair of left and right tray attitude holding guide rails, into which guide rollers arranged on both the left and right sides of each tray fit, are installed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a carousel of this type, when a tray circulation drive chain is loosened, when the chain is vertically extended by a required amount by take-up or the like, the tray is moved in accordance with the movement adjustment amount of the chain. It is necessary to adjust the posture-maintaining guide rails at the same time. Therefore, each of the pair of left and right tray posture maintaining guide rails is divided into a pair of front and rear vertical linear rail portions and a pair of upper and lower U-shaped turn rail portions connected to the upper and lower ends of these vertical linear rail portions. When adjusting the movement of the chain, the upper and lower turn rails of the guide rails for holding the left and right tray postures can be moved and adjusted so as to move upward and downward with respect to the vertical straight rail.

By the way, as the tray posture maintaining guide rails, a pair of left and right guide rails has been used so far, and a joint between a vertical straight rail portion and upper and lower turn rail portions is at the same height position on the left and right sides. Therefore, when the distance between the vertical straight rail portion and the turn rail portion of the guide rail becomes large due to the above-described movement adjustment, a pair of chain steady rest guide rollers arranged on both the left and right sides of each tray. However, when transferring from the vertical straight rail part to the turn rail part or from the turn rail part to the vertical straight line rail part, it catches on or fits into the seam part, causing rattling and chain steadying. This will hinder the running of the guide roller for the vehicle.

In order to eliminate such inconvenience, in the conventional tray posture maintaining guide rail, the vertical straight rail portion and the upper and lower turn rail portions each having a U-shaped cross section in the bottom wall and the both side walls, respectively. , The bottom wall portion and each side wall portion of the end of the vertical straight rail portion are substantially L, respectively.
The bottom wall portion and each side wall portion of the end portion of the turn rail portion facing each other are formed in a notch shape so as to form a shape complementary to the bottom wall portion and each side wall portion on the side of the vertical linear rail portion. By forming a notch in a substantially L shape, and arranging the L-shaped bottom wall portions of both rail portions facing each other and the respective L-shaped side wall portions in a so-called nesting manner, the chain to the joint portion of the rail portion is formed. It is designed to prevent catching and fitting of the steady rest guide roller.

[0005]

However, in the conventional method as described above, there is a problem that the structure of the seam portion of the rail portion becomes extremely complicated, which requires a great deal of time and effort for production and increases the cost. It was Therefore, according to the present invention, while the structure of the joint between the vertical straight rail portion and each turn rail portion in the tray posture maintaining guide rail is extremely simple, the chain steadying guide roller can smoothly run on the joint portion. The purpose is to do so.

[0006]

According to the present invention, an endless tray circulation drive chain is stretched on both left and right sides of a vertical circulation path of a tray, and the tray can be swung about a horizontal axis between the chains. In a vertical circulation type rotary rack having a pair of left and right tray posture-maintaining guide rails, which are fitted to guide trays disposed on both the left and right sides of each tray, the vertical straight rail portion of the tray posture-maintaining guide rails. And the heights of the seam portions forming a left-right pair between the upper and lower turn rail portions are vertically different from each other.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B in FIGS.
Is a pair of left and right side frames installed on both left and right sides of the tray vertical circulation path, and each side frame 1A, 1B has a yoke member 3 installed between a pair of front and rear vertical frame members 2 and 2 at appropriate vertical intervals. Chain guide rails 5 and 5 having chain roller guide grooves 4 and tray posture holding guide rails 6A and 6B are mounted inside the side frames 1A and 1B, respectively. Reference numeral 7 denotes an endless tray circulation drive chain mounted on each chain guide rail 5, and has drive toothed wheels 9 attached to both ends of a drive shaft 8 located at the lower U turn portion of the tray vertical circulation path. It is suspended between the driven toothed wheel 9 and a driven toothed wheel 11 which is axially supported by the upper U-turn portion of the tray vertical circulation path so as to correspond to these drive toothed wheels 9. 12
Is a tray, the left and right ends of which are suspended from the pair of left and right tray circulation drive chains 7 via tray supporting links, respectively. Reference numeral 13 is a motor with a reduction gear that is linked to the drive shaft 8 via a transmission mechanism 14.

The pair of left and right tray posture holding guide rails 6A and 6B are respectively a pair of front and rear vertical linear rails 15, and a pair of upper and lower U vertically connected to the upper and lower ends of the vertical linear rails 15 so as to be movable. It is constituted by a character-shaped turn rail portion 16. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the left tray posture holding guide rail 6A is provided.
In the above, the joint portions a1 which are the connecting portions between the upper and lower ends of the front side vertical linear rail portion 15 and the upper and lower turn rail portions 16 are respectively connected to the upper and lower ends of the rear side vertical linear rail portion 15 and the upper and lower turn rail portions 16 respectively. And the right vertical tray guide rail 6B is provided at a position higher than the respective seam portions a2 of the front side vertical straight rail portion 15
The joints b1 between the upper and lower ends of the rear vertical vertical rails 15 and the upper and lower turn rails 16 and the upper and lower turn rails 16 respectively.
It is provided at a lower position than the vertical straight rail portion 1 in the left and right tray posture maintaining guide rails 6A and 6B.
The level (height) of the seam portions a1 and b1 (or a2 and b2) forming a left-right pair between 5 and the upper and lower turn rail portions 16 is vertically different by α. In FIG. 1, only the level difference between the seams a1 and b1 is indicated by α, but the level difference between the seams a2 and b2 is also the same α. Further, the end surfaces of the rail portions 15 and 16 forming the joint portions a1, b1, a2 and b2 are formed so that the entire end surfaces form a right angle to the length direction of the rail portions.

The vertical straight rail portion 15 and the turn rail portion 16 are the guide rails 6 for holding the left and right tray postures.
A and 6B are the same except that they are arranged and oriented differently, so that the two tray posture holding guide rails 6A and 6B can be constituted by these two types of rail portions 15 and 16. 2 shows the left tray posture maintaining guide rail 6A.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tray 1 is
A reinforcing plate 18 having a U-shape in a plan view is fixed to the left and right side plates 17 inwardly at the center position of the side plate 17 inward and downward, and at a position near the upper end of the reinforcing plate 18,
An auxiliary plate 19 having a U-shape in plan view is externally fitted and fixed inward. A pair of left and right tray supporting links 20 attached to each of the pair of left and right tray circulation drive chains 7.
Is a structure in which the outer ends of a pair of links 21a and 21b are overlapped with each other and pivotally attached to the outside of the bracket 22 by a horizontal support shaft 23. , 21b has the inner end portion of the chain 7
Of the horizontal support shaft 23, the guide roller 25 fitted to the guide rails 6A and 6B for holding the tray posture is pivotally supported, and the arm 26 is fixedly protruded. It is set up. The tray circulation drive chain 7 has a pair of left and right chain guide rails 5 via guide rollers 27 connected to both ends of a link connecting pin 24 that supports the tray supporting link 20.
And will be guided by the chain guide rail 5 to rotate.

In the above-described carousel, a pair of left and right tray circulation drive chains 7 are rotationally driven by a motor 13 via a drive shaft 8 and a drive tooth ring 9 so that each vertical circulation path is long in the vertical direction. It is possible to rotate the trays 12 in a daisy chain, call the specific tray 12 to a predetermined place and stop it, and carry out the loading / unloading work of the specific tray 12. Since each rotating tray 12 is supported between the pair of left and right tray supporting links 20 by the horizontal support shaft 23 located concentrically, it swings back and forth around the horizontal support shaft 23. However, the guide roller 25 at the tip of the arm 26 fixed to the both side plates 17 of the tray 12 via the horizontal support shaft 23 is fitted to the tray posture maintaining guide rails 6A and 6B. As a result of the rotation of the tray 12, the swinging of the tray 12 around the horizontal support shaft 23 is prevented by the tray posture holding guide rails 6A and 6B, and the posture of the tray 12 is held constant.

In this carousel, in the left and right tray posture holding guide rails 6A and 6B, a joint portion a1 and b1 (a pair of left and right) is formed between the vertical straight rail portion 15 and the upper and lower turn rail portions 16 respectively. Or a2, b2)
Since the heights of the trays are different by about 5 to 6 times the diameter of the guide rollers 25, the tray circulation drive chains 7 are moved and adjusted by take-up or the like as shown in the explanatory view of FIG. The guide rails 6A and 6B
With the space between the joints a1 and b1 (or a2 and b2) between the vertical linear rail portion 15 and the turn rail portion 16 being considerably large, for example, each tray 12 is transferred from the vertical linear rail portion 15 to the turn rail portion 16. When the guide roller 25 on the left side of the pair of left and right guide rollers disposed on the left and right sides of the tray 12 passes through the joint portion a1 (or a2) of the left guide rail 6A, The right guide roller 25 is still on the vertical straight rail portion 15 of the right guide rail 6B, and this right guide roller 25 is the right joint portion b1.
(Or b2), the left guide roller 25 is already in the seam portion a1 (or a
The guide roller 25 does not pass through the joint portions a1 and b1 (or a2 and b2) at the same time in the form of moving on the turn rail portion 16 after passing through 2).

As described above, since both the left and right guide rollers 25 in each tray 12 do not pass through the joint portions a1 and b1 (or a2 and b2) at the same time, even if one guide roller 25 enters the joint portion. , The load applied to the tray 12 in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction is applied to the other guide roller 25.
Is supported by the bottom wall or both side walls of the vertical linear rail portion 15 or the turn rail portion 16 with which the right and left guide rails 25 are fitted, and therefore both the left and right guide rollers 25 do not generate rattling vibrations and always maintain the left and right tray postures. It is possible to move smoothly on the guide rails 6A, 6B.
The vertical straight rail portion 15 and the upper and lower turn rail portions 16
And a seam a1, b1 (or a
The level difference α of 2, b2) may be equal to or larger than the diameter of the guide roller 25, but is preferably about 4 to 5 times.

Each chain guide rail 5 is composed of a rail body 28 made of an aluminum extruded material and a detachable cover plate 29 made of a suitable metal plate, and the chain is provided on both front and rear sides thereof. A guide groove 4 is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the rail main body 28 is divided into two front and rear aluminum extruded mold members 28a, 28a whose cross-sectional shapes are symmetrical, and each divided mold member 28a is formed by each side frame 1A, 1
A mounting groove 31 into which a rectangular plate-shaped mounting nut member 30 on B is slidably fitted in the longitudinal direction, and the cover plate 29.
A mounting groove 32 into which a nut member 30 for detachably mounting is fitted slidably in the length direction is integrally formed continuously in the length direction of the rail body 28. It should be noted that the rail main body 28 may be constructed entirely of a single aluminum extruded mold material without being divided, but by dividing the rail main body 28 into two symmetrical shapes as described above, the manufacturing cost of the molding die is low and the cost is reduced. It is also easy to carry and assemble.

Therefore, when mounting the chain guide rails 5 on the side frames 1A and 1B, as shown in FIG. 5, the mounting grooves 31 of the split mold members 28a are mounted.
The mounting nut member 30 is incorporated at a predetermined position in the inside, and the required yoke material 3 that constitutes each of the side frames 1A and 1B.
Pre-drill a bolt insertion long hole at that position,
Then, the front and rear two split mold members 28a are attached to the side frames 1A and 1B, respectively.
Are arranged in a state of being abutted with each other symmetrically in the front-rear direction, and the bolt 33 is screwed into the threaded hole of the mounting nut member 30 assembled in the mounting groove 31 from the bolt insertion long hole of the yoke material 3. The rail main body 28 can be attached and fixed to each of the side frames 1A and 1B by tightening. After that, the mounting nut member 30 is assembled in the mounting groove 32 of each of the split mold members 28a, and a bolt insertion long hole is preliminarily formed at a predetermined position of the cover plate 29 so that the two split mold members 28a already mounted can be mounted. Cover plate 29
The cover plate 28 can be integrally attached and fixed to both split mold members 28a by abutting with each other and screwing the bolt 33 into the screw hole of the mounting nut member 30 in the same manner as described above.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the vertical linear rail portions 15 of the guide rails 6A and 6B for holding the tray posture is made of an extruded aluminum material, and is attached to each of the side frames 1A and 1B. A mounting groove 34 into which the nut member 30 is slidably fitted in the length direction is integrally formed continuously in the length direction of the vertical linear rail portion 15. Each of the upper and lower turn rail portions 16 is formed by bending a U-shaped section material made of aluminum or another suitable metal material into a U shape. Each of the vertical straight rail portions 15 has the mounting groove 3
4. The chain guide rail 5 as described above is attached to the side frame 1 by the nut member 30 and the bolt 33 fitted therein.
Exactly the same method as attaching to A and 1B, each side frame 1
It is attached and fixed to the yoke materials 3 of A and 1B.

When connecting the upper and lower turn rail portions 16 to the vertical linear rail portion 15, as shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, a bracket 36 having a plurality of connecting bolt insertion holes 35 is fixedly projectingly provided at each connection end of the turn rail portion 16, and the vertical linear rail portion 15 is provided with the mounting groove 34.
The nut member 30 is inserted therein, and the back side of the connecting end of the vertical linear rail portion 15 is brought into contact with the bracket 36, and the connecting bolt insertion hole 35 of the bracket 36 is inserted.
By twisting the nut 33 into the screw hole of the nut member 30 and tightening the nut 33, the turn rail portion 16 can be connected to the vertical linear rail portion 15.

[0018]

According to the vertical circulation type carousel of the present invention, the pair of left and right tray rails for holding the posture of the vertical straight rail portion and the upper and lower turn rail portions of the left and right joint portions forming a left and right pair are formed. By making the heights different from each other, each tray circulation drive chain is moved and adjusted by take-up etc., and the space between the joints between the vertical linear rails and the turn rails becomes considerably large.
When each tray is moving in the vertical circulation path,
When one of the pair of left and right guide rollers arranged on both the left and right sides of each tray, for example, the left guide roller, passes through the same joint part of the left guide rail, the right guide roller is the right guide rail. When the right guide roller tries to pass through the seam of the same right guide rail,
The left guide roller has removed the joint portion of the left guide rail. That is, the left and right guide rollers in each tray do not pass through the joints of the left and right guide rails at the same time.

As described above, since the left and right guide rollers in each tray do not pass through the joint portion at the same time, even if one guide roller enters the joint portion, the load applied to the tray in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction is the other. Will be supported by the bottom wall or both side walls of the vertical straight rail part or turn rail part to which the guide roller of
Therefore, the left and right guide rollers do not rattle and vibrate, and can always move smoothly on the left and right tray posture maintaining guide rails.

Further, according to the present invention, each end surface of the vertical straight rail portion and each end surface of each of the upper and lower turn rail portions forming the seam portion are flat surfaces which form a right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the rail. Since it can be formed into a shape,
The structure of the seam portion is extremely simple, and therefore the rail portions are easily manufactured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an overall structure of a vertical circulation type carousel.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the left side frame of the vertical circulation carousel shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the inside thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a tray mounting portion.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of essential parts of the vertical circulation carousel shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a semi-transverse plan view of the chain guide rail.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the guide roller of the tray passes through the joint portion of the tray posture maintaining guide rail.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a connection structure between a vertical straight rail portion and a turn rail portion.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

1A Side Frame 1B Side Frame 2 Vertical Frame Material 3 Yoke Material 4 Chain Roller Guide Groove 5 Chain Guide Rail 6A Left Tray Posture Holding Guide Rail 6B Right Tray Posture Holding Guide Rail 7 Tray Circulation Drive Chain 12 Tray 15 Tray Vertical straight rail part of guide rail for posture holding 16 Tray turn rail part of guide rail for posture holding a1 Seam portion a2 Seam portion b1 Seam portion b2 Seam portion 25 Guide roller fitted to the guide rail for posture holding 27 Chain guide rail Guide roller engaging with

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An endless tray circulation drive chain is stretched on both left and right sides of a vertical circulation path of the tray, and the tray is supported between the two chains so as to be swingable around a horizontal axis. In a vertical circulation carousel having a pair of left and right tray attitude holding guide rails fitted with guide rollers arranged on both sides, the vertical straight rail part of the tray attitude holding guide rail and the upper and lower turn rail parts A vertical circulation carousel characterized in that the heights of the seams forming a left-right pair are made different from each other. 2. The vertical circulation carousel according to claim 1, wherein the entire end surfaces of the upper and lower rail portions of the joint portion are horizontally arranged at right angles to the length direction.