JPH09272428A - Overhead conveyer branching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the cost of installation and parts manufacture as well as enabling transfer of a trolley to another conveying rail in an overhead conveyer not requiring any free rail on which a trolley is allowed to run by being guided. SOLUTION: In an overhead conveyer branching device provided with a trolley 2 to run on a conveying rail 1 including a drive chain 12 in its inside by being pulled by a traction means attached to the drive chain 12, is provided a slantly swinging rail member 5 slantly arranged swingably between the conveying rail 1 and another different conveying rail 15 for enabling the trolley 2 to transfer to another conveying rail 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an overhead conveyor provided with a trolley that travels on a transport rail, and the trolley that is slanted and has traveled on the transport rail is transferred to another transport rail. The present invention relates to an overhead conveyor branching device including an inclined rail member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional overhead conveyor is composed of a power rail P having a conveyor chain C therein and a free rail F on which a trolley T is guided as shown in FIG. The pulled tow dog D is engaged with the towed dog H of the trolley T, and the trolley T is pulled and run.
An object to be conveyed (not shown) is placed on a carrier K suspended on the trolley T and conveyed.

The trolley traveling on the transport rail is engaged with the dog D as shown in FIG.
The disengagement cam M of the branch portion B that releases the power is disconnected from the power rail P, and the tongue G of the branch rail BR is switched to engage another power rail BP and pull in the direction of the branch rail BR. The branching device of the overhead conveyor is configured as described above.

[0004]

The above-described conventional overhead conveyor branching device has two rails, the power rail P having the conveyor chain C therein and the free rail F on which the trolley T is guided and travels. Since it is necessary, there is a problem that equipment and parts manufacturing costs are high.

Further, since it is necessary to support two rails, the bower rail P and the free rail F, the installation method of the equipment becomes complicated and the equipment mass becomes large.
There is a problem that it is necessary to secure a large mounting strength and the installation work cost increases.

Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has found that in an overhead conveyor having a trolley that travels on a transport rail, an inclined rail member that is disposed at an angle separates the trolley that has traveled on the transport rail from another transport rail. In addition to focusing on the first technical idea of the present invention of shifting to, the one end of the chain comes into contact with a carrier rail that has a chain for driving the trolley to drive the trolley, and it is arranged obliquely upward, and An inclined rocking rail member, which is swingably arranged as a fulcrum, moves to transfer the trolley to another transport rail, and when the center of gravity of the trolley exceeds the fulcrum, rocks and tilts downward. As a result of further research and development, focusing on the second technical idea of the present invention that enables the transfer of the trolley to the another transport rail, the trolley is guided. It is possible to transfer the trolley to another transfer rail in an overhead conveyor that does not require a free rail to run and reduce the cost of manufacturing equipment and parts, simplify the installation method of equipment, and reduce the equipment mass. The present invention has achieved the object of reducing the installation work cost by reducing the size and making it unnecessary to secure a large mounting strength.

[0007]

The overhead conveyor branching device of the present invention (the first invention according to claim 1) comprises:
In an overhead conveyor including a trolley that travels on a transport rail, the overhead conveyor is provided with a slant rail member that is arranged at an angle and that transfers the trolley that has traveled on the transport rail to another transport rail.

An overhead conveyor branching device of the present invention (the second invention according to claim 2) is the overhead conveyor branching device according to the first invention, wherein the inclined rail member is swingably arranged with one point as a fulcrum. It is configured so that it can swing when moving to another transport rail.

The overhead conveyor branching device of the present invention (the third invention according to claim 3) is an overhead equipped with a trolley for towing by a towing means attached to a chain on a conveyor rail having a conveyor drive chain inside. In the conveyor branching device, one end is in contact with the transport rail and is disposed so as to be inclined obliquely upward, and is swingably disposed with one point as a fulcrum so that the trolley moves to another transport rail. When the trolley is moved and the center of gravity of the trolley exceeds the fulcrum, the trolley is rocked to be in a horizontal state, and the tilted rocking rail member is provided for enabling the transfer of the trolley to the another transport rail.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the present invention (the fourth invention according to claim 4), in the third invention, when the trolley is transferred to the another transport rail, the inclined swing rail member is moved downward. It is provided with a vertical movement mechanism for moving the inclined rocking rail member upwards when the trolley is completely moved.

The overhead conveyor branching device of the present invention (the fifth invention according to claim 5) is the overhead conveyor branching device according to the fourth invention, wherein when the trolley is transferred to the another transport rail,
A pressing mechanism is provided that pushes the trolley in the longitudinal direction of the transport rail, releases the engagement with the drive chain, and moves the trolley to the inclined swing rail member.

(Operation) In the overhead conveyor branching device of the first invention having the above-mentioned structure, in the overhead conveyor provided with the trolley that travels on the transport rail, the inclined rail members that are inclined and arranged are: The trolley that has traveled on the transport rail is guided and moved to the other transport rail.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the second aspect of the present invention having the above structure, the tilted rail member, which is swingably arranged with one point as a fulcrum, swings when the trolley moves to another transport rail. Then, the trolley traveling on the transport rail is guided and moved to the other transport rail.

The overhead conveyor branching device of the third aspect of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure is an overhead conveyor branching device provided with a trolley that is pulled by a pulling means attached to a chain on a transport rail having a transport drive chain therein. One end of the inclined swaying rail member is arranged so as to be in contact with the transport rail and inclined obliquely upward, and is swingably disposed about one point as a fulcrum, and the trolley is transferred to another transport rail. Therefore, when the center of gravity of the trolley moves beyond the fulcrum, the trolley swings to a horizontal state and the trolley can be transferred to the another transport rail.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the fourth aspect of the present invention having the above structure, when the vertical moving mechanism moves the trolley to the another transport rail, the inclined swing rail member is moved downward to move the trolley. When the shift is completed, the inclined rocking rail member is moved upward.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the fifth aspect of the present invention having the above structure, the pressing mechanism pushes the trolley in the longitudinal direction of the transport rail and the drive chain when the trolley moves to the other transport rail. Is disengaged and the trolley is transferred to the inclined swing rail member.

[0017]

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the first aspect of the present invention, which has the above-described operation, the inclined rail member, which is arranged at an inclination, guides the trolley traveling on the conveyance rail to perform another conveyance. Since the trolley is transferred to the rail, it is possible to transfer the trolley to another transfer rail in the overhead conveyor, and it is possible to reduce the cost of manufacturing equipment and parts.

In the overhead conveyor branching device according to the second aspect of the present invention, which has the above-described operation, the inclined rail member, which is swingably arranged with one point as a fulcrum, swings when the trolley moves to another transport rail. As a result, the trolley that has traveled on the transport rail is guided and moved to the other transport rail, which has the effect of facilitating the transfer of the trolley.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the third aspect of the invention having the above-mentioned operation, one end thereof comes into contact with the transport rail having the transport drive chain for pulling and traveling the trolley therein, and is arranged obliquely upward. At the same time, the inclined rocking rail member, which is swingably arranged with one point as a fulcrum, moves to move the trolley to another transport rail, and rocks when the center of gravity of the trolley exceeds the fulcrum. The trolley moves to another transport rail in an overhead conveyor that does not require a free rail for guiding the trolley to travel because it becomes horizontal and allows the trolley to shift to the another transport rail. This reduces the equipment and component manufacturing costs, simplifies the equipment installation method, reduces the equipment mass, and increases the installation strength. Large and eliminates the need to ensure, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce the installation costs.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the fourth aspect of the present invention having the above-mentioned operation, the vertical moving mechanism moves the inclined swing rail member downward when the trolley moves to the another transport rail, and the trolley. When the shift of the trolley is completed, the inclined rocking rail member is moved upward, so that there is an effect that it is possible to shift the trolley to the another transport rail by a simple mechanism.

In the overhead conveyor branching device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the pressing mechanism pushes the trolley in the longitudinal direction of the transport rail and the drive chain when the trolley moves to the other transport rail. Is disengaged and the trolley is transferred to the inclined swing rail member, so that the engagement with the drive chain is automatically released and the trolley is transferred to the inclined swing rail member. Has the effect of realizing.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention are described below.
This will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the overhead conveyor branching device of the first embodiment, a drive rail 12 having a drive chain 12 therein is attached to the drive chain 12. In an overhead conveyor branching device equipped with a trolley 2 that is towed by a towing means, the trolley 2 is further slantably disposed between the transport rail 1 and another transport rail 15, and the other transport of the trolley 2 is performed. The inclined swing rail member 5 that enables the shift to the rail 15 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the carrier rail unit 10 includes a carrier rail 1, a drive chain 12 inserted inside the carrier rail 1, and a tow dog attached to the drive chain 12. 13 and a guide rail 14 which is formed on the upper surface of the transport rail 1 and serves as a traveling guide for the trolley 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the trolley portion 20 is formed on the upper surface of the transport rail 1 and runs on the guide rail 14, and the trolley 2.
And a carrier 22 that is hung on the carrier and places a conveyed product (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dog portion 30 includes a towed dog 31, which is an L-shaped swing member locked to the trolley 2, the towed dog 31, and the tow dog. 13 and the trolley 21. The spring 32 restricts the engaged state, and the dog releasing rod 33 that swings the towed dog 31 to release the engaged state of the towed dog 31.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dog releasing portion 40 is attached to an air cylinder 41 and moves up and down. A dog releasing plate 42 and the towed dog 31 are swung to swing the towed dog 31. And a dog release latch plate 43 for releasing the engaged state.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the branch rail portion 50 includes the carrier rail 1 and the other carrier rail 1.
5 is inserted between the curved rail and one end of the rail to contact the transport rail 1 and is inclined obliquely upward by the urging force of the spring 51, and is swingably arranged with one point as a fulcrum. When the trolley 2 moves to move to another transport rail 15 and the center of gravity of the trolley 2 exceeds the fulcrum, the trolley 2 swings to a horizontal state and the trolley moves to the another transport rail. The inclined swing rail member 5 that enables

As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical movement mechanism 60 includes a support member 6 for swingably supporting the curved rail as the other transport rail and the inclined swing rail member 4.
And an air cylinder 61 that moves the support member 6 up and down. When the trolley 2 moves to the other transport rail, the inclined swing rail member 5 is moved downward, and the transfer of the trolley 2 is completed. Then, the inclined rocking rail member 5 is configured to be movable upward.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pressing mechanism 70 comprises an air cylinder 71 that pushes the trolley 2 and a rotary cylinder 72 that rotationally moves the transport rail 1 in the transport direction. When the trolley 2 is transferred to the transport rail 15, the trolley 2 can be transferred to the inclined swing rail member 5 by pushing the trolley 2 in the longitudinal direction of the transport rail 1 and releasing the engagement with the drive chain 12. Consisting of a composition.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 8 is arranged at a position where the dog release latch plate 43 is located, and detects that the trolley 2 has traveled and reached the dog release latch plate 43. It outputs a signal.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 9 has a structure capable of controlling the operation of the entire branching device based on the output from the sensor 8.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the first embodiment having the above structure, the trolley 2 engages the drive chain 12 on the guide rail 14 of the transport rail 1 and the tow dog 13 and the tow dog. The trolley 2 is run by being pulled by the engagement with 31.
However, when the dog release latch plate 43 is reached, the sensor 8 detects the arrival of the trolley 2.

Based on the output from the sensor 8, the control section 9 outputs a control signal, the air cylinder 41 of the dog releasing section 40 moves upward and is attached to one end of the air cylinder 41. The dog release plate 42 rises.

When the dog releasing plate 42 moves up, the dog releasing rod is also pushed up at the same time, and the towed dog 3
1 is disengaged.

The support member 6 for swingably supporting the tilt rocking rail member 5 is lowered by the air cylinder 61 of the vertical moving mechanism 60, and the tilt rocking is arranged so as to tilt to the lower right. The lower end of the rail member 5 contacts the guide rail 14 formed on the upper surface of the inclined rocking rail member 5.

The rotating cylinder 72 of the pressing mechanism 70 rotates to move the air cylinder 71 that pushes the trolley 2 in the carrying direction, and then the air cylinder 71 pushes the trolley 2 forward.

When the pushed trolley 2 passes through the dog release latch plate 43, the dog release rod 33
Is further lifted, the towed dog 31 rotates 45 degrees or more, and the released state is held by the spring 32.

When the trolley 2 is pushed further forward, it runs upward on the inclined rocking rail member 5, and when the center of gravity of the trolley 2 exceeds the fulcrum of the inclined rocking rail member 5, it rocks and becomes horizontal. It becomes a state.

When the tilt rocking rail member 5 rocks,
The trolley 2 is lifted as a whole, and the trolley 2 moves forward due to inertia, and the trolley 2 that has moved forward has a curved rail as the other transport rail 15 which is lowered forward with respect to the horizontal direction. Since it is attached, it naturally travels on the curved rail by gravity falling.

After the trolley 2 has passed through the curved rail as the other transport rail 15, the support member 6 for supporting the inclined rocking rail member 5 rises and returns to its original position, and the dog is released. As the plate 42 descends, the rotary cylinder 72 of the pressing mechanism 70 also reversely rotates, and the air cylinder 71 also returns to its original position.

On the other hand, in the case where the trolley 2 does not branch, the dog release plate 4 does not move even if the trolley 2 passes the position of the sensor 8.
Since 2 does not rise, the dog release rod 33 passes through the dog release plate 42 with a gap.

Even if it goes further forward, the dog releasing rod 3
3 can pass through the lower side of the dog release latch plate 43 with a gap, so that the engaged state of the dog portion 30 is maintained, and the trolley 2 is branched by the pulling by the drive chain 12. Instead, it travels on the guide rail 14 of the transport rail 1.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the first embodiment having the above-described operation, the trolley 2 moves to move to the curved rail 15 serving as the another transport rail, and the center of gravity of the trolley 2 serves as the fulcrum. When it exceeds, the inclined rocking rail member 5 rocks to be in a horizontal state,
The effect that the transfer of the trolley 2 to the other transport rail 15 is realized with a simple configuration is achieved.

In the overhead conveyor branching device of the first embodiment, another conventional transfer rail 1 of the trolley 2 in the overhead conveyor which does not require a free rail for guiding and traveling the trolley 2 in the related art.
Since it is possible to move to 5, the cost of manufacturing equipment and parts can be reduced, the installation method of equipment can be simplified, the mass of equipment can be reduced, and it is not necessary to secure large installation strength. There is an effect that can lower.

Furthermore, in the overhead conveyor branching device of the first embodiment, when the vertical moving mechanism 60 moves the trolley 2 to the another transport rail 15, the tilt swing rail member 5 is moved downward, Said trolley 2
When the shift of the trolley 2 is completed, the inclined swing rail member 5 is moved upward, so that there is an effect that it is possible to shift the trolley 2 to the another transport rail 15 by a simple mechanism.

Further, in the overhead conveyor branching device of the first embodiment, the pressing mechanism 70 has the trolley 2
Is transferred to the other transport rail 15, the trolley 2 is pushed and the dog release rod 33 releases the engagement of the towed dog portion 31 with the drive chain 12 to tilt the trolley 2. Since the rocking rail member 5 is moved, the engagement with the drive chain 12 is automatically released, and the trolley 2 is moved to the tilt rocking rail member 5.

Further, in the overhead conveyor branching device of the first embodiment, the sensor 8 arranged at the position where the dog release latch plate 43 is located causes the traveling trolley 2 to reach the dog release latch plate 43. When this is detected, a signal is output to the control unit 9, and the control unit 9 controls the operation of the entire branching device based on the output from the sensor 8. Therefore, the separate transport rail 15 of the trolley 2 is provided. This has the effect of realizing automatic transition to.

The embodiments described above are merely examples for the purpose of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to them. Those skilled in the art will recognize from the claims, the detailed description of the invention and the description of the drawings. Modifications and additions can be made without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an overhead conveyor branching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged side view showing a trolley and a dog portion in the branching device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a branching device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a conventional overhead conveyor device.

FIG. 5 is a partial side view showing a branch portion in a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Transport Rail 2 Trolley 5 Tilt Swing Rail Member 12 Drive Chain 15 Another Transport Rail

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An overhead conveyor provided with a trolley that travels on a transport rail, comprising an inclined rail member that is arranged at an inclination and that transfers the trolley that has traveled on the transport rail to another transport rail. An overhead conveyor branching device characterized in that 2. The inclined rail member according to claim 1, wherein the inclined rail member is swingably arranged with one point as a fulcrum, and is configured to be swingable when the trolley moves to another transport rail. An overhead conveyor branching device characterized in that 3. An overhead conveyor branching device provided with a trolley that is pulled by traveling means attached to a chain on a transport rail having a transport drive chain inside, wherein one end of the trolley is in contact with the transport rail to incline obliquely upward. The trolley moves so as to move to another transport rail, and swings horizontally when the center of gravity of the trolley exceeds the fulcrum. An overhead conveyor branching device comprising an inclined rocking rail member which is brought into a state and enables the transfer of the trolley to the another transport rail. 4. The tilt oscillating rail member according to claim 3, wherein the tilt oscillating rail member is moved downward when the trolley is moved to the another transport rail, and the tilt oscillating rail member is moved upward when the trolley is completely moved. An overhead conveyor branching device having a vertically moving mechanism for moving. 5. The trolley according to claim 4, wherein when the trolley is moved to the another transport rail, the trolley is pushed in a longitudinal direction of the transport rail and disengaged from the drive chain to move the trolley to the trolley. An overhead conveyor branching device comprising a pressing mechanism for shifting to an inclined rocking rail member.