JPH10169237A - Roller conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the cost for installing a conveying passage and that for operating it. SOLUTION: A plurality of rollers 17 are arranged in parallel to form a set of rollers 21 each freely rotationally supported. Of the rollers 21, only a predetermined number of roller 17a facing an adjacent conveying means 18 is provided with a power delivery means and a chain 22 is wound thereon. A driving force for moving a vehicle 5 mounted on the rollers 21 is produced by the roller 17a. Of the rollers 21, the roller 17b having no power delivery means is used as a freely rotating driven roller, which is given the role of a guide means for moving the mounted vehicle 5 smoothly. An object accepted on the rollers is placed across the rollers 17a, 17b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roller conveyor used for conveying articles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a roller conveyor has been used as a transporting means for configuring a transport line for articles of various sizes. As shown in FIG. 5, the roller conveyor includes a set of rollers 18 in which a plurality of rollers 17 are arranged in parallel, and each roller 17 is rotatably held by a frame (not shown). A transport line is formed by connecting a plurality of the roller groups 18. By the way, the roller 17
Is provided with a power transfer means such as a sprocket so as to rotate integrally with the roller, and is driven by a power transmission means such as a chain 20 between the roller and an input shaft 19 connected to a power source. Each of the rollers 17 receives a driving force from the chain 20, and rotates to convey an article.
The length of the roller conveyor can be changed according to the set number of rollers, and the roller conveyor can be formed to have a length according to the situation.

Here, a mechanical parking device will be described below as an example of a transport line using the roller conveyor. The mechanical parking device, as shown in FIGS.
It is often installed in the basement of the building 1 such as an office building, a store, a warehouse, or the like. The inside is formed by combining a plurality of units 2, 3 and the like arranged side by side so as to accommodate more vehicles. These units 2 and 3 are configured as follows.

[0004] Inside one unit 2, a traveling path 4
And a traveling rail 6 of a traveling vehicle 5 erected on the traveling path 4.
And a plurality of parking rooms 7 arranged in tandem on both left and right sides of the traveling path. Each parking room 7 is formed on parking shelves 8 (FIG. 8) arranged in multiple stages (for example, two stages), and a plurality of traveling vehicles 5 are arranged in the traveling path 4 corresponding to each parking shelf 8. Have been. The unit 3 is also the same as the unit 2
And its description is omitted.

On the other hand, an entrance / exit passage 10 is set on the first floor of the building 1 or the like, and an entrance room 11 and an exit room 12 are provided in the middle of the passage. The storage room 11 and the storage room 12 are provided with an elevator 13
Is in communication with Unit 2. In addition, the traveling carriage 5, the parking room 7, the entrance room 11, the exit room 12, and the elevating device 13 are provided with a front-wheel traverse conveyor 14 and a rear-wheel traverse conveyor 15 for transferring vehicles between each other. doing. As for the unit 3, the storage room 11, the storage room 12, and the elevating device 13 are shared with the unit 2, and the transfer provided between the elevating device 13 and the traveling carriage 5 of the unit 3 is provided for transferring between units. Delivery of the vehicle 9 is performed by contacting with the rear-wheel transverse conveyors 14 and 15 in front of the room 16. In mechanical parking systems, these front and rear wheel traverse conveyors 14, 15
, A roller conveyor is used.

[0006]

By the way, in the case of the mechanical parking device described above, a roller conveyor for smoothly moving the vehicle is provided in the entire range in which the vehicle 9 can move in the transport path of the vehicle. Provided. For example, for all of the parking rooms 7 at the end of the transport path, the front and rear wheel side-feeding conveyors
14 and 15 are provided to ensure delivery of the vehicle 9. For this reason, the cost of the conveyor increases according to the number of parking rooms 7 installed. Therefore, there has been a demand for a roller conveyer that does not hinder delivery of the vehicle, simplifies the structure, and can reduce the cost as much as possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a roller conveyor located at the end of a transport path without affecting the operation of a conventional roller conveyor. An object of the present invention is to simplify a structure by partially omitting a structure considered to be indispensable for a conveyor, and to reduce costs related to installation of a transport path and operation costs thereof.

[0008]

A means according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a conveyor located at the end of a transport path connecting a plurality of transport means, wherein a plurality of rollers are arranged in parallel. A pair of rollers, each of which is rotatably supported, is formed, and power transfer means is provided only for a predetermined number of rollers on the side facing the adjacent conveying means in the set of rollers. Characterized by

In one set of rollers, a power transfer means is provided only for rollers of various constants on the side facing the adjacent transport means, and a driving force for moving the articles placed on the set of rollers is provided. , Generated by a roller having the power transfer means.
Further, a roller having no power transfer means is used as a rotatable driven roller, and has a role as a guide means for smoothly moving a placed article. Then, the articles received by the group of rollers are placed so as to straddle the roller provided with the power transfer means and the roller not provided with the power transfer means.

In the present invention, it is preferable that at least one of the pair of rollers not provided with the power transfer means is provided with a braking means for suppressing rotation in one direction. .

When an article is received from the adjacent transport means toward the roller group and stopped thereon, the article is drawn into the roller group by a roller having the power transfer means, and then the power transfer means is used. The article is stopped by the braking force of the roller and the braking force generated by the braking means of the roller not provided with the power transfer means. Also,
When moving the article again to the adjacent transporting means, the braking means rotates freely without suppressing the rotation, and does not hinder the movement of the article by the driving force of the roller having the power transfer means. Deliver the article to the adjacent transport means.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the same or corresponding portions as in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows an example in which a roller conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention is used in a parking room 7 at the end of a transport path of a mechanical parking device. The roller conveyor according to the embodiment of the present invention is used as the front and rear wheel side conveyors 14 and 15 for the parking room 7 and the roller 17.
Are arranged in parallel, and each roller 17 comprises a set of roller groups 21 rotatably held by a frame (not shown).
A traveling vehicle 5 serving as a conveying means is adjacent to the traveling path 4 facing the parking room 7 and faces a roller group 18 of the traveling vehicle 5 among a plurality of rollers 17 constituting a roller group 21. Only a predetermined number of rollers (five in the example of FIG. 1 counting from the right end) are provided with power transfer means such as sprockets. Hereinafter, the roller (drive roller) having the power transfer means will be described with reference numeral 17a. Further, a roller having no power transfer means (a driven roller) will be described with reference numeral 17b.

A chain 22 is wound around each of the drive rollers 17a to transmit a drive force and a braking force of the input shaft 19. Further, the driven roller 17b is provided with a braking means such as a ratchet mechanism for suppressing only rotation in one direction. In the example of FIG. 1, the rotation of the driven roller 17b in the counterclockwise direction is regulated by the braking means, and the clockwise rotation can be freely performed. That is, the braking means is set to generate a braking force when the vehicle 9 is moved in the direction of entering the parking room, and to rotate freely when the vehicle 9 exits the parking room. Depending on the magnitude of the required braking force, it is not necessary to provide this braking means on all the driven rollers 17b. The number of driven rollers 17b provided with the means is reduced. In addition, the vehicle 9 that has entered the parking room 7 stops at a position on the roller group 21 such that one wheel is placed on the driven roller 17b and the other wheel is placed on the drive roller 17a.

The operation of the roller conveyor having a set of rollers 21 will now be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, the roller group 21 drives only the roller 17a facing the roller group 18 without driving all the rollers. Therefore, when only one wheel of the vehicle is on the driving roller 17a, the driving force and the braking force that can be transmitted to the wheel are equal to those of all the rollers 17 like the roller group 18.
Is about half as compared with a roller conveyor of the type that drives. Therefore, the following operation control is performed to compensate for the reduced driving force and braking force.

FIG. 2 shows the moving speed v and the acceleration a corresponding to the moving distance L of the vehicle 9 when the vehicle 9 enters the parking room 7. The vehicle 9 mounted on the traveling carriage 5 as shown in FIG. 1 rotates the rollers 17 of the roller group 18 and the driving rollers 17a of the roller group 21 at the same speed in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. Is moved in the direction of the parking room 7 by being guided by the roller 17 and the driving roller 17a. At a point in time just after the movement starts, the wheels on both sides of the vehicle 9 are on the rollers 17 of the roller group 18 or
Of the vehicle and the driving rollers 17a of the roller group 21, the wheels on both sides of the vehicle receive driving force from these rollers. In this state, the roller 17
Even if a large driving torque is applied to the wheel from the driving roller 17a (that is, even if rapid acceleration is performed), it is possible to transmit a sufficient driving force without causing a slip between the wheel and the roller. . Therefore, a large acceleration (acceleration a) is applied to the vehicle 9 as shown in FIG. The magnitude of the driving torque applied to the roller 17 and the driving roller 17a for obtaining the acceleration a is T as shown in FIG.

The vehicle having reached the moving speed V is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the moving distance from the traveling vehicle 5 to the parking room 7 is increased while maintaining the constant speed V. To compensate for the reduction of the moving speed V by this period of the transfer resistance, it should give a constant assist torque T ₀ as in FIG. 3 to the roller 17 and the driving roller 17a. Subsequently, when the wheel on one side of the vehicle (the left side in FIG. 1) moves from the installation range of the drive roller 17a of the roller group 21 to the installation range of the driven roller 17b (this is detected by a proximity sensor or the like). As shown in FIG.
A deceleration torque 1/2 T is added to a. The driven roller 17b
Provided with a braking means, the braking force generated by the braking means is also applied to the vehicle 9 (the driven roller 17b).
The braking force provided by the braking means provided for the purpose is only to assist the deceleration of the vehicle 9. ). Then, as shown in FIG.
At 2a, the vehicle 9 is decelerated for a time 2t which is twice as long as the start of the movement. As described above, the vehicle 5 has one wheel on the driven roller 17b and the other wheel on the driven roller.
17a (drive roller 17a and driven roller 17b)
In the state of straddling).

As described above, the deceleration is set to half of the acceleration,
The reason for decelerating over twice the time is as follows. At the time of deceleration, only one wheel (right side in FIG. 1) of the vehicle 9 is in a state of being mounted on the drive roller 17a. Also,
When the vehicle 9 decelerates, a greater load is applied to the wheel placed on the driven roller 17b due to the movement of the center of gravity. Therefore, when the same deceleration torque as during acceleration is given,
By applying this deceleration torque to only one wheel (right side in FIG. 1), a slip may occur between the wheel and the drive roller 17a, and the braking force from the drive roller 17a may not be sufficiently transmitted. It is because there is. Therefore,
When only one wheel is positioned on the drive roller 17a, it is necessary to perform gentle acceleration / deceleration.

Next, the operation control of the drive roller 17a when the vehicle 9 leaves the parking room 7 to the traveling carriage 5 will be described. As described above, the vehicle stored in the parking room 7 has one wheel placed on the driven roller 17b and the other wheel placed on the drive roller 17a. In this state, even when the vehicle 9 is moved, a large acceleration torque cannot be given for the same reason as that at the time of deceleration. Therefore, contrary to the control of storage, the drive torque during acceleration is reduced by 1 /
As 2T, acceleration is performed at acceleration 1 / 2a over time 2t. Note that the braking means provided on the driven roller 17b can rotate freely without exerting a braking force at the time of unloading, so that the movement of the vehicle 9 is not hindered.

Then, the moving speed of the vehicle 9 is increased to V, and the vehicle 9 is moved at a constant speed V in the same manner as when entering the warehouse. At this time,
To compensate for the reduction of the moving speed V by the moving resistance, it should give a constant assist torque T ₀ to the roller 17 and the driving roller 17a. When the vehicle 9 moves to the traveling carriage 5 and the wheels on both sides of the vehicle 9 move on the roller group 18 (detected by a proximity sensor or the like), a deceleration torque T is given, and the acceleration- The deceleration of a is performed. In this case,
Since the wheels on both sides of the vehicle 9 are located on the rollers 17 having the power transfer means of the roller group 18, even if a large deceleration torque T is applied, the wheels 9 receive the large deceleration torque T, and between the wheels and the rollers 17 It can be stopped without causing a slip.

As described in the example at the time of retrieval, when the acceleration needs to be reduced, the following measures are taken in order to prevent an increase in the time required for retrieval. FIG.
(A) shows the speed and the movement amount corresponding to the elapsed time in the case of the acceleration a. The maximum speed at this time is V1
, The total movement amount is S1 (the portion indicated by oblique lines). FIG. 4B shows the speed and the movement amount corresponding to the elapsed time when the acceleration is set to 1 / 2a. When the acceleration is halved, the maximum speed is increased to V2 so that the movement amount S2 during a predetermined time is equal to S1 in order to prevent an increase in the time required for leaving the warehouse. If the acceleration is always set to 1 / 2a regardless of the conditions, a low-torque high-rotation type motor can be used as a power source for driving the roller 17.

By the way, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the case where the ratio of the installation of the driving roller 17a and the driven roller 17b in the set of rollers 21 is set to 1: 1 has been described. It is sufficient that at least the wheel on one side of the vehicle 9 on the side facing the traveling path 4 has a width enough to mount the wheel.

The operation and effect obtained from the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration are as follows. The roller group 21 of the roller conveyor is driven by a driving roller 17 having power transfer means.
a and the driven roller 17b having no power transfer means reduces the number of drive rollers 17a. Therefore, the required number of frames of the chain 22 decreases,
The drive resistance of the chain 22 can be reduced. For this reason, the power consumption of the motor driving the chain 22 decreases,
Operation costs can be reduced. Further, since the number of drive rollers 17a is reduced, the number of power transfer means such as sprockets can be reduced, and the installation cost of the transport path can be reduced due to the reduction in component costs.

By the way, in order to move the once mounted vehicle 9 again, one of the wheels is placed on the drive roller 17a and stopped, that is, the vehicle 9 is moved to the drive roller 17a.
It is necessary to stop in a state of straddling a and the driven roller 17b. However, the roller conveyor according to the present embodiment is used in the parking room 7 at the end of the transport path, and does not serve to pass the vehicle from one end to the other end. Even if the above condition is added to the stop position, no hindrance to traffic of other vehicles will occur. As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the parking room 7 at the end of the transport path of the mechanical parking device is used.
In this case, the cost of the roller conveyor can be reduced, and the effect becomes greater as the number of parking rooms 7 installed increases. In addition, due to the configuration of the transport path, even those having a large number of ends, for example, a mechanical warehouse, a mechanical sorting device, and the like, can use the roller conveyor to reduce the operation cost and the installation cost thereof. .

[0025]

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained. In the roller conveyor according to claim 1 of the present invention, the power transfer means is provided only to rollers of various constants on the side facing the adjacent conveying means in a set of rollers forming the roller conveyor, A driving force for moving the articles placed in the group is generated by a roller having the power transfer means. Further, a roller having no power transfer means is used as a rotatable driven roller, and has a role as a guide means for smoothly moving a placed article. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of required power transfer means, to reduce the installation cost, and to reduce the number of rollers to be driven, so that the operation cost can be reduced.

Further, in the roller conveyor according to the second aspect of the present invention, the number of rollers having power transfer means is reduced by providing braking means for suppressing rotation in one direction on rollers not provided with power transfer means. Thus, the braking force that is insufficient can be compensated, and the article can be stopped at a desired position. Therefore, a part of the power transfer means provided for all the rollers of the conventional roller conveyor can be partially omitted, and the cost related to the installation of the transport path and the operation cost thereof can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a roller conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how the acceleration and the moving speed of the article with respect to the movement amount of the article change when the article is moved by the roller conveyor shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2, showing a state of a change in drive torque.

FIG. 4 is a comparison diagram showing a difference in maximum speed for changing an acceleration without changing a time required for moving an article.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a conventional roller conveyor.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a mechanical parking device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 17 roller 17a drive roller 17b driven roller 19 input shaft 21 one set of rollers 22 chain

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A conveyor located at the end of a transport path connecting a plurality of transport means, wherein a plurality of rollers are arranged in parallel to form a set of rollers each rotatably supported, and A roller conveyor, wherein a power transfer means is provided only for a predetermined number of rollers on a side facing an adjacent conveying means in a set of rollers. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the rollers not provided with the power transfer means is provided with a braking means for suppressing rotation in one direction. The described roller conveyor.