JPH1191941A - Reciprocating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To compactly and easily install, by making good use of a space three- dimensionally. SOLUTION: A chain-like member 10 capable of bending to one side in a linearly connected condition, and not to the other side in a connecting part 12 between adjacent connecting members 11, a large number thereof chain-like connected. A conveyor roller 20 which is provided as a linear guide means for guiding the chain-like member 10 linearly, on a bendable side of the chain- like member 10, and a feeding mechanism 30 which guides the chain-like member 10 from a condition where the chain-like member 10 is bent to one side and housed to the conveyor roller 20 so as to feed and reciprocate the chain-like member 10 linearly are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a reciprocating device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, reciprocating devices include those utilizing a cylinder device or an endless track, which are used in a transfer device or the like. FIG. 6 shows an example of a transfer device provided with a reciprocating device (extrusion device) using a conventional cylinder device. By the projection of the piston rod 60a of the cylinder device 60, the conveyor roller 2 serving as the mounting surface
0 in the horizontal direction (conveyor device 2
2 in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction). Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a reciprocating device (push-out device) that uses an endless track 70 to send a conveyed object by a pressing piece 72 is conceivable. Note that a chain or a timing belt can be used as the endless strip 74, and a sprocket or a timing pulley can be used as a member around which the endless strip 74 is hung (hanging member 76). Reference numeral 78 denotes a drive motor, the rotational power of which is transmitted via a chain and a sprocket.

[0003]

However, when the cylinder device 60 is used as an extruding device, the length of the cylinder device 60 is considered to be at least twice as long as the distance over which the conveyed material is fed, in consideration of the installation length of the cylinder device 60. Installation space is required. Therefore, there is a problem that the space cannot be effectively utilized three-dimensionally and the device cannot be made compact. The endless track 7 is used as an extrusion device.
When 0 is used, a large installation space is not required unlike the cylinder device 60, but the pair of hanging members 76 must be installed at least at a distance for feeding the conveyed object. Since the endless strip 74 is hung around, it is stretched in a reciprocating double line at least for a distance at which the conveyed object is sent. In order to arrange this in a desired device, There is a problem that various restrictions occur and installation is difficult.

An object of the present invention is to provide a reciprocating device that can be installed compactly and easily by effectively utilizing space in three dimensions.

[0005]

The present invention has the following arrangement to achieve the above object. That is, the present invention
A large number of connecting members are connected in a chain shape, and at a connecting portion between adjacent connecting members, a linear member that bends to one side from a linearly connected state, but does not bend to the other, Linear guide means provided on the bendable side to follow the chain member in a straight line, and the chain member being bent to one side to follow the straight guide means from a stored state, and linearly fed out. And a feeding mechanism for reciprocating the same.

[0006] Further, since a push-contact portion is provided at the tip of the chain-like member to abut on the conveyed object and push the conveyed object, the device can be suitably used as a transfer device by extrusion.

The linear guide means is a conveyor conveying surface on which a conveyed object of the conveyor device is supported and conveyed, and the chain member is reciprocated while being extended in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor device. Thus, the conveyed material can be transferred (discharged) from above the conveyor to the side without providing any special guide means in the conveyor device.

[0008] Further, the tip of each of the plurality of chain members is connected to the pressing portion so that the plurality of chain members are arranged in parallel and operate in synchronization with each other. Can be stably transferred.

The chain member is formed as a chain, and the feeding mechanism includes a sprocket that operates by engaging with the chain member, and a drive motor that drives the sprocket, so that the structure is simple. And a highly accurate reciprocating motion can be suitably obtained.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the reciprocating device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a use state of the embodiment of FIG. 1 (a state in which a chain member is extended).
FIG. Reference numeral 10 denotes a chain-like member, in which a large number of connecting members 11 are connected in a chain shape, and at a connecting portion 12 between the adjacent connecting members 11, the connecting member 12 bends in one direction from a linearly connected state, but bends in another. It is formed not to be.

At the tip end 10a of the chain member 10, there is provided a pressing portion 14 which comes into contact with a conveyed object as a work and presses and conveys the conveyed object. In addition, a trapezoidal sliding portion 14a having a lower bottom shorter than the upper bottom is provided at a lower portion of the pressing portion 14 to improve the sliding. The chain member 10
A hook or the like may be attached to the front end of the device, not limited to the above-described pressing portion 14. According to this, the reciprocating device according to the present invention can be suitably applied to a device that pulls and moves a work.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a conveyor roller of the conveyor device, which is provided on the bendable side of the chain member 10 and functions as linear guide means for causing the chain member 10 to follow a straight line.
That is, according to the present embodiment, the upper surface of the conveyor roller 20 serves as a conveyor conveyance surface on which the conveyed object is supported and conveyed, and the chain member 10 is slidably moved so as to be linearly slidable. It serves as a guide surface of the linear guide means for guiding the member 10. Therefore, in the transport device of the present embodiment, no special configuration is required as the linear guide means, and the conveyor roller 20 can be suitably used.

According to this embodiment, the chain member 10
Is stored in the side of the conveyor device, reciprocates by extending and retracting in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor device, and reciprocating, thereby transporting the conveyed material to the conveyor device (the conveyor roller 2).
Acts to push sideways from 0). In addition, as the linear guide means, the conveyor roller 20 as in this embodiment is used.
Not only the upper surface but also a simple plate surface, or a linear motion guide or the like whose sliding is improved by a bearing may be used.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a feeding mechanism, which is a chain member 10.
Is bent to one side and moved along the conveyor roller 20 as a linear guide means from the stored state, and operates so as to be linearly fed out and reciprocated. Further, in the feeding mechanism 30, the feeding port of the chain member 10 is disposed on the side of the conveyor device so as to be able to feed the chain member 10 to the upper surface of the conveyor roller 20, facing the conveyor device side. . In this embodiment, as is apparent from the figure,
The chain member 10 is formed as a chain, and the feeding mechanism 30 includes a sprocket 32 that operates by engaging with the chain member 10 that is a chain, and a drive motor 34 that drives the sprocket 32.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a chain, and a pinion 34a
And a power transmission sprocket 32a coaxially fixed to the sprocket 32. The driving force of the driving motor 34 is transmitted by the chain 36, and the sprocket 32 rotates. The drive motor 34
In this case, the feed-out length of the chain-shaped member 10 may be appropriately controlled by using a servomotor or the like and controlling the controller. Incidentally, the rear end 10b of the chain member 10 is rotatably fixed to the base 40 of the apparatus, and regulates the chain member 10 so as not to protrude (extend) beyond a predetermined length. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the chain member 10 is extended to the maximum. Since the chain member 10 is fixed to the base at the rear end 10b, the chain member 10 cannot protrude any more.

The feeding mechanism 30 includes a chain member 1.
An outer guide portion 38 that gives directionality to the chain-shaped member 10 is provided so that 0 is linearly fed along the conveyor roller 20. The outer guide portion 38 is connected to the sprocket 3
2 has a guide curved surface 38a of an inner wall provided at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery of the second. According to the guide curved surface 38a, the chain-shaped member 10 hanging in the vertical direction is guided in the horizontal direction. That is, the outer guide portion 38 contacts the outside of the chain member 10 having the chain structure, guides the chain member 10 so as to bite the sprocket 32, and in the present embodiment, the moving direction of the chain member 10 To bend 90 degrees
At the connecting portion 12 between the adjacent connecting members 11, the chain-shaped member 10 is bent to one side (inside) from the state of being connected linearly.

The outer guide portion 38 is connected to the chain-like member 1.
It also functions as a lift restricting portion that prevents the portion from starting to move horizontally at 0. A horizontal guide surface 38b that contacts the upper surface of the chain member 10 is provided near the conveyor device 22 of the outer guide portion 38. According to the horizontal guide surface 38b, the chain member 10 in the vicinity of the feeding port of the feeding mechanism 30 is suitably prevented from being lifted, and
The guide can be suitably guided so that the chain member 10 is fed horizontally.

As described above, the lifting of the rear end portion 10c of the extended chain member 10 is restricted, and the front end 10a of the chain member 10 is guided in contact with the upper surface of the conveyor roller 20. The chain member 10 reciprocates while being held linearly. That is, the chain member 10 is
The connecting members 11 are connected so as not to warp upward, and are not bent downward by the outer guide portion 38 and the linear guide means (conveyor roller 20). Even if a load is applied when pushing a conveyed object, it does not bend to either side. Therefore, it is possible to push the conveyed product and transfer it appropriately. In addition, since the downward bending is restricted by the conveyor roller 20, the own weight of the chain member 10 suitably acts so that the chain member 10 that is fed out maintains a linear shape. The guide means for causing the chain-shaped member 10 to bite the sprocket 32 and bend it linearly while preventing it from floating is not limited to the outer guide portion 38 of the present embodiment. For example, a rail may be provided on the side of the chain member 10 and the extension direction may be set so that the chain member 10 extends along the rail.

Next, an embodiment relating to the connection of a large number of connection members 11 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a part of a state in which a number of connecting members 11 are connected, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the embodiment of FIG. Each connecting member 11 is formed in the same shape, and has a fan-shaped notch at one end (90 in this embodiment).
The projection 11b having a fan-shaped convex portion (45 degrees in this embodiment) is provided at the other end. When the protrusion 11b at the other end is fitted into the through hole 11a at one end, the adjacent connecting members 11 are connected to each other, and the chain-like member 10 is formed by being sequentially connected.

In the chain member 10, since the angle of the fan-shaped protrusion of the projection 11b is smaller than the angle of the fan-shaped notch of the through-hole 11a, the connecting members 11 adjacent to each other by the difference in angle are different. Can be bent at the connecting portion 12. And
As shown in FIG. 3, the fan-shaped notch of the through hole 11a is formed symmetrically with respect to the center line in the longitudinal direction, while the fan-shaped protrusion of the projection 11b is formed in the longitudinal direction in the drawing. It is formed so as to be deviated to the counterclockwise rotation side from the center line.
Accordingly, the connecting portions 12 of the adjacent connecting members 11 are bent to one side (downward) but not to the other side (upward) in the drawing from the state where they are linearly connected. That is, it is possible to bend to one side and to be rounded and housed in a loop as a whole, but connected to the other so as not to bend.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting member 11 of this embodiment has a pair of through holes 11a and protrusions 11b formed on both side walls. For this reason, a pair of projections 11b are fitted into a pair of through holes 11a from the inside, and the connection member 11 can be connected appropriately and easily. In this mode, wiring such as an electric wire is inserted inside, and the wiring is
It is similar to a cable guide chain that guides with the movement of a moving body connected to the distal end and protects it in a suitably stored state. Therefore, the cable guide chain is frequently used in industrial robots, but can be suitably used in the reciprocating device of the present invention. In addition, the form of connecting the adjacent connecting members 11 is not limited to the present embodiment, and it is a matter of course that another form of stopper can be adopted for the form that limits the bending angle.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a description will be given of an overall configuration in a case where the reciprocating device according to the present invention is used as a T-shaped branch pushing device of the conveyor device 22. As is clear from the figure, the tips 10a of the two chain members 10 are connected to the pressing portion 14 so that the two chain members 10 are arranged in parallel and operate synchronously. By arranging the plurality of chain members 10 in parallel in this manner, a heavier object (conveyance) can be stably transferred to the working unit 50. In addition, the conveyor device 22 is a general one, and includes a plurality of conveyor rollers 20 rotatably mounted on a base 40. In addition, according to the present embodiment, a container in which a plurality of bottles used for mushroom cultivation are stored can be suitably used as a device for suitably discharging the container to the working unit 50.

In the above embodiment, the apparatus for moving the work (transported object) supported on the horizontal mounting surface by moving the chain member horizontally is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, as long as the direction in which the chain-like member extends and the directionality of the linear guide means coincide with each other, it goes without saying that the present invention can be suitably applied to other angular arrangements. As described above, the present invention has been described variously with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and it is needless to say that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. That is.

[0024]

According to the reciprocating device of the present invention, a large number of connecting members are connected in a chain, and the connecting portions between adjacent connecting members are bent from one straight line to one. The chain member which is not bent to the other side can be made to follow the linear guide means, and can be linearly fed out and reciprocated from the state of being bent to one side and stored by the feeding mechanism. Therefore, according to the present invention, space can be effectively utilized three-dimensionally, and compact installation is possible, and since there is no need for a special linear guide means or the like, it is easy to install.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of a reciprocating device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a use state of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an embodiment of a chain member according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the embodiment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the reciprocating device according to the present invention is applied to a transfer device.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example using a conventional cylinder device.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example using a conventional track.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Chain member 11 Connecting member 12 Connecting part 14 Press-contact part 20 Conveyor roller 22 Conveyor apparatus 30 Feeding-out mechanism 32 Sprocket 34 Drive motor 38 Outer guide part 40 Substrate 50 Working part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A chain-like member in which a number of connecting members are connected in a chain shape, and at a connecting portion between adjacent connecting members, a chain-like member that bends to one side from a linearly connected state but does not bend to the other side; Linear guide means provided on the bendable side of the chain member to follow the chain member in a straight line; and causing the chain member to follow the straight guide member from a state in which the chain member is bent to one side and stored. A reciprocating device comprising: a feeding mechanism for linearly feeding and reciprocating. 2. The reciprocating device according to claim 1, wherein a push-contact portion is provided at an end of the chain-shaped member to abut on the conveyed object and press and convey the conveyed object. 3. The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the linear guide means is a conveyor conveying surface on which a conveyed object of the conveyor device is supported and conveyed, and the chain member is reciprocated while being extended in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
Or the reciprocating device according to 2. 4. A tip of each of the plurality of chain members is connected to the pressing portion so that the plurality of chain members are arranged in parallel and operate in synchronization with each other. 4. The reciprocating device according to 2, 3 or 4. 5. The chain member is formed as a chain, and the feeding mechanism includes a sprocket that operates by engaging with the chain member, and a drive motor that drives the sprocket. Item 7. A reciprocating device according to Item 1, 2, 3, or 4.