JPWO2008012891A1 - Self-propelled cart vertical branching device - Google Patents

Abstract

A branching device for transferring a self-propelled carriage (10) between a horizontal rail (50) and a vertical rail (30, 30 ') arranged in an intersecting manner. Pinion gear (21), horizontal traveling wheels (22, 23) sandwiching each pinion gear in the front and rear in the traveling direction of the carriage, vertical traveling wheels (24, 25) sandwiching each pinion gear up and down, and driving the pinion gear The crossing part of the vertical and horizontal rails with the rack (36) surface meshing with the pinion gear and the traveling surfaces (33, 34) for rolling the vertical traveling wheels is divided, A curved rail portion (70) in which the rack (76) surface and the running surfaces (73, 74) are formed into a substantially L-shaped curve in a side view, and the vertical portion of the curve is connected to the vertical rail, and the rack (96) The surface and the running surface (93, 94) are formed in a straight line to make a vertical gauge A straight rail section (90) connected to, and positioned as the branch rail section, for selectively connecting the rail which is divided and a curved rail section and a linear rail portion of the branch rail section.

Description

  The present invention relates to a branching device for a self-propelled carriage. More specifically, a self-propelled carriage consisting of a container and a carriage is run while maintaining a horizontal posture on a plurality of floors of a building or the like along a rail laid horizontally on the floor or ceiling and vertically on the wall. The present invention relates to a vertical branching device for unloading a load such as documents and parts from a container at a destination station arranged in the above manner, and for causing a self-propelled carriage to travel to a target place in a transport system mounted on the container.

  Conventionally, this type of transport system includes a rail laid horizontally and vertically inside a building, a cart provided with a plurality of containers that run on the rail, a computer that controls the traveling of the self-propelled cart, and the like. It is composed of

The branching device installed to change the destination of the self-propelled carriage forms a part of the rail as a shift rail that shifts to another rail while the self-propelled cart is placed, and the shift rail is connected to the destination. It is formed to connect and guide the self-propelled carriage to the rail toward the destination. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a branching device for changing from a horizontal rail to a vertical rail has horizontal rails RH ₁ and RH ₂ and vertical rails RV ₁ and RV ₂ arranged in parallel. When the mobile stations RS ₁ and RS ₂ having shift rails are arranged in the portion and the self-propelled carriage MC reaches the shift base RS ₂ of the shift rail on the mobile base RS ₂ in the horizontal rail RH ₂ , for example, The traveling of the traveling cart MC is stopped, the mobile platform RS ₂ is shifted to the vertical rail RV ₂ while the traveling cart MC is mounted, and the traveling cart MC is traveling toward the destination. However, in the branching device as illustrated in FIG. 9, the self-propelled carriage MC must be stopped each time the branching unit (transfer unit) is reached, and the shift rail must be shifted by the moving units RS ₁ and RS ₂ . In order to change the destination, considerable operation time and waiting time were indispensable. In FIG. 9, RS _{3 to} RS ₅ are also mobile platforms provided with a shift rail for changing the rail of the self-propelled cart MC.

  This invention makes it the subject to provide the vertical branch apparatus of the self-propelled trolley | bogie which can perform the transfer between a horizontal rail and a vertical rail without waiting time in view of the above present conditions.

The configuration of the vertical branching device of the present invention made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is a branching device for switching between a horizontal rail and a vertical rail arranged crossing a self-propelled carriage carrying a load. There,
The self-propelled carriage has left and right pinion gears that act as drive wheels disposed on the same axis on both the left and right sides, and a horizontal running wheel that forms a pair that sandwiches the front and rear of each pinion gear in the running direction of the carriage, Comprising a pair of vertical running wheels that sandwich each pinion gear between the top and bottom, and a drive mechanism that rotates the pinion gear;
The intersection of the vertical rail and the horizontal rail having a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a running surface for rolling the vertical running wheel is divided to arrange a branching device;
In the dividing section, a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a traveling surface on which the vertical traveling wheel rolls are formed in a substantially L-shaped curve when viewed from the side, and the vertical portion of the curve is connected to the vertical rail. A curved rail portion, a rack surface that meshes with the pinion gear, and a linear rail portion that linearly forms a traveling surface on which the vertical traveling wheel rolls and is connected to the vertical rail, are arranged as a branch rail portion, and That the curved rail portion and the straight rail portion of the branch rail portion are selectively connected to the divided rail,
It is characterized by.

In the vertical branching device according to the present invention, in the above configuration, the horizontal rail is formed by providing a rail member having an I-shaped cross section on a plate-shaped rail base, while the self-propelled carriage rolls while holding the horizontal rail. A horizontal guide wheel, a horizontal drive wheel that rolls on the rail base, and an electric motor that rotates the horizontal drive wheel are used.
The vertical branching device of the present invention can also be applied to a rail using a horizontal rail that includes a rack surface that meshes with a pinion gear of a self-propelled carriage and a traveling surface that rolls a horizontal traveling wheel.
Note that the crossing angle between the horizontal rail and the vertical rail to which the vertical branching device of the present invention is applied is usually 90 degrees, but the present invention can be applied to an intersection at an angle smaller than 90 degrees or an angle larger than 90 degrees. Can be applied.

Furthermore, in the present invention, in order to transfer the self-propelled carriage between the vertical rails arranged in parallel, a branching device that transfers the self-propelled cart carrying the load between the vertical rails arranged in parallel. There,
The self-propelled carriage has left and right pinion gears that act as drive wheels disposed on the same axis on both the left and right sides, and a horizontal running wheel that forms a pair that sandwiches the front and rear of each pinion gear in the running direction of the carriage, A pair of vertical running wheels that sandwich each pinion gear between the top and bottom, and a drive mechanism that rotates the pinion gear;
The parallel vertical rails having a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a traveling surface for rolling the vertical traveling wheel are divided because the mutual transfer part of the self-propelled carriage has a branching device,
The vertical rail dividing section is formed in a substantially S-shaped curve when viewed from the side of the rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and the traveling surface on which the vertical traveling wheel rolls, and both ends of the curve are parallel to each other. The curved rail connected to the pinion, the rack surface meshing with the pinion gear, and the straight rail connected to the vertical rail on the same line are arranged as a branch rail with a straight running surface that rolls the vertical running wheel. In addition, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the curved rail portion and the straight rail portion of the branch rail portion are selectively connected to the divided rail.

The vertical branching device of the present invention is a branching device that transfers between a horizontal rail and a vertical rail arranged crossing a self-propelled carriage carrying a load,
The self-propelled carriage has left and right pinion gears that act as drive wheels disposed on the same axis on both the left and right sides, and a horizontal running wheel that forms a pair that sandwiches the front and rear of each pinion gear in the running direction of the carriage, A pair of vertical running wheels that sandwich each pinion gear between the top and bottom, and a drive mechanism that rotates the pinion gear;
The intersection of the vertical rail and the horizontal rail having a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a running surface for rolling the vertical running wheel is divided to arrange a branching device;
In the divided section, a curved rail in which a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a traveling surface for rolling the vertical traveling wheel are formed into a substantially L-shaped curve when viewed from the side, and the vertical portion is connected to the vertical rail. And a straight rail portion that is linearly connected to the vertical rail and that has a rack surface that meshes with the pinion gear and a running surface that rolls the vertical traveling wheel, and is arranged as a branch device. Since the part is selectively connected to the divided vertical rail, by connecting the currently running horizontal rail and the vertical rail cutting section leading to the destination by the curved rail in advance, You can change from a horizontal rail to a vertical rail without stopping the self-propelled carriage. Moreover, it can drive | work as it is on the connected vertical track, without stopping a self-propelled cart by connecting the divided vertical track on the straight line by a straight track part. As a result, it is possible to change from the horizontal rail to the vertical rail without any waiting time, that is, without temporarily stopping the self-propelled carriage.

  Embodiments of the vertical branching device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a branching mode in an embodiment of the vertical branching device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the self-propelled carriage, FIG. 5 is a right side view of the self-propelled carriage, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the vertical branch device of the present invention, FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the vertical branch device of the present invention, and FIG. It is a typical perspective view for demonstrating the outline | summary of the conventional vertical branch apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an example of the vertical branching device of the present invention allows the self-propelled carriage 10 to transfer between a vertical rail 30 and a horizontal rail 50 disposed orthogonal to the vertical rail 30. It is what I did.

  The horizontal rail 50 is formed in such a manner that a rail member 52 having an I-shaped cross section is disposed on the upper surface of the rail base 51, and both members are integrally formed with a flat and substantially T-shaped cross section (see FIG. 1).

Configuration examples of the self-propelled carriage 10 are shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the vertical guide wheel 12 that rolls in a horizontal posture while holding the rail member 52 of the horizontal rail 50 from both sides on the lower surface of the cart body 11 and the rail base 51 vertically. A horizontal guide wheel 13 that rolls in a proper posture is provided. The vertical guide wheel 12 and the horizontal guide wheel 13 are attached to the support base 14 with their rotation axes orthogonal to each other. The support base 14 is attached to the carriage main body 11 so as to be horizontally rotatable by a shaft 14a perpendicular to the carriage main body 11.
In addition, horizontal drive wheels 16 are attached to the cart body 11. The drive wheel 16 has a shaft held by the carriage main body 11 and is directly connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 17 via a gear train. When the electric motor 17 is operated, the upper surface of the rail base 51 rolls and is guided horizontally. The bogie body 11 is caused to travel along the horizontal rail 50 together with the wheel 13.

  The self-propelled carriage 10 further includes a pinion gear 21 in the same phase and coaxially in the middle between the left and right side surfaces (see FIGS. 1, 5 and 6), and the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the left and right pinion gears 21. The horizontal traveling wheels 22 and 23 are disposed on the side, and the vertical traveling wheels 24 and 25 are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the left and right pinion gears 21, respectively. By being supported, the cart 10 can travel vertically while being held in a horizontal posture.

  That is, the pinion gears 21 on both sides are fixed to both ends of the shaft 26 held by the carriage body 11, and a spur gear 27 that meshes with the spur gear 18 is fixed to the shaft 26. When the electric motor 17 is operated, both the pinion gears 21 are rotated via the spur gears 18 and 27, so that the pinion gears 21 mesh with the racks laid on the vertical rails 30 and rotate, and the vertical running wheels are moved to the vertical rails 30. 24 and 25 are supported, and this cart 10 travels along the vertical rail 30 in a horizontal posture (see FIG. 3).

  The vertical rails 30 are laid along walls and columns, and as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of rails are arranged in parallel on the left and right sides corresponding to the pinion gear 21. The vertical rail 30 is made of a member having a U-shaped cross section (see FIG. 2), and the inner sides of the front and rear walls 31 and 32 are the running surfaces 33 and 34 of the vertical running wheels 24 and 25, and the outer side close to the side wall 35. Is a travel path of the pinion gear 21 provided with a rack 36 with which the pinion gear 21 meshes.

  As described above, the vertical rail 30 and the horizontal rail 50 intersect at a right angle (see FIG. 3). The vertical rail 30 is divided at the intersecting portion, and the curved rail portion 70 and the straight rail portion 90 forming the vertical branch device of the present invention are arranged so as to be selectively connectable to the divided portion (hereinafter, referred to as the following). The vertical rail 30 below the dividing portion will be described with the same reference portion having a dash (').

As shown in FIG. 7, the curved rail portion 70 in the branching device of the present invention has a U-shaped cross-section member having a front wall 71, a rear wall 72, and a side wall 75 (this cross-sectional shape is the same as that of the vertical rail 30. ), A horizontal portion 70H, a vertical portion 70V, and a substantially L-shaped curve 70C sandwiched between the two portions. In the front wall 71, the running surface 73 provided on the inner surface of the vertical portion 70V is connected to the running surface 33 provided on the front wall 31 of the vertical rail 30 (see FIG. 3). In the rear wall 72, the inner surface of the vertical portion 70 </ b> V is formed on a traveling surface 74 connected to the traveling surface 34 provided on the rear wall 32 of the vertical rail 30. An intermediate portion between the front and rear walls 71 and 72 of the vertical portion 70V and the horizontal portion 70H is formed into a curved surface (curve 70C). The rack 76 of the vertical portion 70V is laid on the rear wall 72 so as to be connected to the rack 36 of the vertical rail 30 by the dividing line D.
The horizontal portion 70H is formed with a rack 76 that is continuous with the rack 76 of the vertical portion 70V, a running surface 74 that is continuous with the running surface 74 of the vertical portion 70V, and a running surface 73 that is continuous with the running surface 73 of the vertical portion 70V. . This is because the straight rail portion 70 is provided by a side surface shape obtained by bending the vertical rail 30 into a substantially L shape.

  In the branching device of the present invention, the wall of the curve 70 </ b> C of the rear wall 72 in the curved rail portion 70 allows the horizontal traveling wheel 22 of the self-propelled carriage 10 traveling along the horizontal rail 50 to pass horizontally and the vertical traveling wheel 25 to pass through. In order to enter the vertical portion 70V, a tunnel 77 is formed (see FIG. 3). The tunnel 77 is formed by an opening edge portion formed below the front and rear walls 71 and 72 in the vertical portion 70V of the curved rail portion 70 and an opening edge portion obtained by cutting the right sides of the front and rear walls 71 and 72 in the horizontal portion 70H. Having a vertical opening width. On the other hand, the front wall 71 located in the middle from the horizontal portion 70 </ b> H to the vertical portion 70 </ b> V is formed vertically so that the upper portion is connected to the front wall 31 of the vertical rail 30. The front wall 71 in the curve 70 </ b> C is formed in the tunnel 78 by removing the intermediate region so that the vertical traveling wheel 24 moves horizontally and enters the vertical portion 70 </ b> V.

  The curved rail portion 70 is carried on the moving table 112 on which the branching device of the present invention is installed together with the guide 111 for the horizontal traveling wheels 22 (see FIG. 7), and selectively with the straight rail portion 90. It arrange | positions so that it can mount and detach | leave in the space where the vertical rails 30 and 30 'were divided | segmented. Accordingly, the movable table 112 is configured as a part of a retracting mechanism (not shown) of the branching device of the present invention. On the other hand, when the self-propelled carriage 10 travels along the horizontal rail 50 and enters the curved rail section 70 of the branching device, the guide 111 is after the horizontal traveling wheels 22 of the carriage 10 exit the tunnel 77 of the curved rail 70. The movable table 112 is provided so as to be guided in the vertical direction in contact with the head. As an example, the retracting operation of the curved rail portion 70 causes the moving platform 112 to be supported and guided by the retreating rail, and the entire retracting mechanism including the moving platform 112 is obliquely moved in the upper right direction via a stroke transmission mechanism such as an electric motor or a cylinder (see FIG. 7 (see FIG. 7).

  In the branching device of the present invention, the straight rail portion 90 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 7 has the same cross-sectional shape and structure as the vertical rails 30 and 30 ′. That is, running surfaces 93 and 94 are provided on the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls 91 and 92, and a rack 96 is provided on the rear wall 92 in the vicinity of the side wall 95. The straight rail portion 90 has a height (length) commensurate with the distance (space) between the vertical rail 30 and the divided lower vertical rail 30 '. Therefore, the straight rail portion 90 is shifted to the left from the standby position shown in FIG. 3 as an example, thereby filling the dividing space between the vertical rail 30 and the vertical rail 30 ′ and connecting both the rails 30 and 30 ′. . As an example, the straight rail portion 90 is shifted by supporting the straight rail portion 90 on a guide member (not shown) or the like between a connection position between the vertical rails 30 and 30 ′ and a standby position by a stroke mechanism such as a cylinder. move. This stroke operation is performed in synchronism with the retracting motion of the curved rail portion 70 to the standby position, and the retracting operation of both 70 and 90 is continuously controlled by an external computer device or the like.

  The self-propelled cart 10 has a container 28 installed on the top surface of the cart body 11. In the container 28, for example, a load consisting of a case containing a sample or a reagent is accommodated. Handles 29 are provided on both side surfaces of the container 28. The self-propelled carriage 10 is mounted on the horizontal rail 50 by placing the vertical guide wheels 12 and the horizontal drive wheels 16 on the rail base 51 and holding the horizontal rail 50 between the horizontal guide wheels 13. Power supply to the electric motor 17 is, for example, by an overhead line arranged along the rails 50, 70, 30. Travel control is, for example, between a computer device outside the rail and a controller in the self-propelled carriage 10 as an example. Signals are exchanged between the external computer device and the controller through a communication line which is made by communication and runs parallel to the overhead line.

  The self-propelled carriage 10 travels on the horizontal rail 50 when the electric motor 17 rotates the horizontal drive wheels 16. When the self-propelled carriage 10 travels on the horizontal rail 50, it travels toward the vertical rail 30 while maintaining the horizontal posture by the horizontal guide wheels 13 and the horizontal drive wheels 16. On the other hand, the bogie 10 travels on the curved rail portion 70 by rotating while the pinion gear 21 meshes with the rack 76, and travels on the vertical rail 30 by rotating while the pinion gear 21 meshes with the rack 36.

  Therefore, when the self-propelled carriage 10 that has traveled along the horizontal rail 50 enters the curved rail portion 70 (see FIG. 3), the pinion gear 21 rotates while meshing with the rack 76. The vertical running wheel 24 rolls on the outer surface of the front wall 71 of the horizontal portion 70 </ b> H, and then is guided to the inside of the curved rail portion 70 through the tunnel 78. The vertical running wheel 25 rolls on the outer surface of the horizontal portion 70 </ b> H, then passes through the tunnel 77 and is guided into the curved rail 70. The horizontal traveling wheels 22 roll inside the horizontal portion 70 </ b> H, pass through the tunnel 77, and head toward the guide 111 outside the curved rail portion 70. The horizontal running wheels 23 roll inside the horizontal portion 70H, and then are guided to the outside of the front wall 71 of the vertical portion 70V through the tunnel 78. At this time, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the pinion gear 21 rolls on the rack 6, the horizontal traveling wheel 22 is directed to the guide 111, and the horizontal traveling wheel 23 is the inner surface of the entrance of the tunnel 78 in the front wall 71. In addition, the horizontal traveling wheel 22 rolls while being in contact with the outer surface of the guide 111 and the vertical traveling wheel 24 is in contact with the inner surface of the front wall 71, so that the carriage 10 maintains the horizontal posture and the pinion gears 21 and 2. The two vertical running wheels 24 and 25 are smoothly guided into the vertical rail 30.

  When the self-propelled carriage 10 further travels inside the curved rail 70 by the rotation of the pinion gear 21, the vertical traveling wheels 24 and 25 roll between the traveling surfaces 33 and 34 on the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls 31 and 32 of the vertical rail 30. Since it comes to move, the self-propelled carriage 10 enters the vertical rail 30 while maintaining the horizontal posture.

  On the other hand, in the vertical branching device of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, when the curved rail portion 70 is retracted as indicated by the arrow A, the straight rail portion 90 is synchronously disposed between the vertical rail 30 and the vertical rail 30 ′. It moves to a certain division | segmentation area, the vertical rail 30 and vertical rail 30 'are connected so that it may continue, and the running surfaces 93 and 94 of both the rails 30 and 30' are running surfaces 33 ', 34' and 33,34. The rack 96 is connected to the racks 36 and 36 '.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the divided vertical rails 30 and 30 ′ are connected by the shift operation of the straight rail portion 90, the self-propelled carriage 10 that has traveled upward along the vertical rail 30 ′ is The vertical traveling wheels 24 and 25 roll from the traveling surfaces 33 ′ and 34 ′ to the traveling surfaces 33 and 34 of the vertical rail 30 via the traveling surfaces 93 and 94. At the same time, the pinion gear 21 rotates while meshing with the racks 36 and 36 ′ from the rack 36 ′ via the rack 96, so that the self-propelled carriage 10 temporarily stops from the vertical rail 30 ′ to the vertical rail 30 through the straight rail portion 90. Continue running without having to.

  In the example described above, the horizontal rail 50 uses a rail base 51 and an I-shaped rail member 52 integrally formed. Therefore, the self-propelled carriage 10 is guided by the rail base 51 and the rail member 52. The self-propelled carriage 10 provided with the vertical driving wheel 12, the horizontal guiding wheel 13, and the horizontal driving wheel 16 rolling on the rail base 51 was used.

  However, in the present invention, the horizontal rail 50 is divided into the vertical rail 30 'by using the horizontal rail 50' having the same cross-sectional shape and structure as the vertical rails 30 and 30 'as illustrated in FIG. Another embodiment of the vertical branching device of the present invention that can be switched to 30 can be formed.

In the conveyance system using the horizontal rail 50 'of FIG. 8, the configuration related to the guide wheels 12, 13 and the drive wheel 16 of the self-propelled carriage 10 in the above-described embodiment is unnecessary, so the branch of FIG. In the apparatus, it is possible to use a self-propelled carriage 10 ′ that does not include the above-described constituent members 12, 13, and 16. In the horizontal rail 50 'of FIG. 8, 76' is a rack meshing with the pinion gear 21, 74 'is a running surface of the horizontal running wheels 22, 23, 71' is an upper wall connected to the front wall 71, and 72 'is a rear wall. A lower wall D ′ connected to 72 is a dividing line with the curved rail portion 70.
In the example of the vertical branching device of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, the curved rail portion 70 is retracted from the connected state of the horizontal rail 50 ′ and the vertical rail 30 in FIG. Then, the straight rail portion 90 is connected to the vertical rail 30 and the same 30 ′ in such a manner that it is shifted down from above the horizontal rail 50 ′ and shifted to the dividing space of the vertical rails 30 and 30 ′.

  Next, an example of the branching device of the present invention in the case where a plurality of vertical rails are arranged in parallel and the self-propelled carriage 10 is transferred between the respective rails will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, between two parallel vertical rails 30 and 30 ′ and the vertical rails 30 a and 30 ′ separated from the upper and lower rails 30 and 30 ′. In this case, by installing the present invention branching device for shifting the curved rail portions 70, 70'a and the straight rail portions 90, 90a to the left and right, the rail 30 'is changed from the rail 30'a to the rail 30a. 30 can change the self-propelled carriage 10 (or 10 ').

  For example, in the transfer from the rail 30 ′ to the rail 30 a in FIG. 9, before the self-propelled carriage 10 traveling on the vertical rail 30 ′ reaches the crossing section (branch device portion), the straight rail portions 90, 90 a Are shifted to the right in the figure and retracted, and the curved rail portion 70a is synchronously shifted, and the vertical rail 30 'and the vertical rail 30a are connected by this rail portion 70a. As a result, the self-propelled carriage 10 traveling in a horizontal posture can be transferred to the vertical rail 30a without temporarily stopping. The curved rail portion 70a used here is a rail having a shape in which two curved rail portions 70 in the previous embodiment are connected point-symmetrically. Further, if the curved rail portion 70a and the symmetrical curved rail portion 70'a are used, the self-propelled carriage 10 can be transferred between the vertical rail 30'a and the same 30.

  In the above embodiment example, the vertical rail and the horizontal rail are laid along the floor and wall of the building, but may be laid on a pillar or a ceiling. When the transported item is an item that must maintain a specific posture and must travel on the ceiling, by selecting how these rails are laid, for example, the vertical and horizontal rails are stepped. By laying the ceiling, the horizontal position of the self-propelled carriage can be maintained without gyroscopic means on the ceiling.

  The present invention is as described above, and by the vertical branching device of the present invention, before the self-propelled carriage reaches the branch portion of the rail, by selecting and replacing the curved rail portion and the straight rail portion in advance, Without waiting time, the self-propelled carriage can be changed from a horizontal rail to a vertical rail, or vice versa. Moreover, in the vertical rail in which the divided portions are connected by the straight rail portion, the self-propelled carriage can be driven straight as it is, and the transfer between adjacent vertical rails can be performed.

  Furthermore, when the self-propelled bogie is traveling on a horizontal rail, the cart can maintain a horizontal posture, as well as when traveling on a curved rail or a vertical rail (including a straight rail), the pinion gear, Since the self-propelled carriage can maintain a horizontal posture by the cooperative action of the wheels and the vertical running wheels, the container incorporated in the self-propelled carriage is run in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction while holding the container in the horizontal posture. be able to. As a result that the self-propelled carriage can always maintain a horizontal state, in the transfer system equipped with the branching device of the present invention, it is not necessary to provide a gyro mechanism between the container and the carriage, and as a result, the loading capacity of the container can be increased. There are also side effects.

The front view which shows an example of the branch aspect in embodiment of this invention vertical branching apparatus. The top view of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the 2-2 line of FIG. The enlarged front view of a self-propelled cart. The right view of a self-propelled cart. Sectional drawing which follows the 5-5 line of FIG. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 which shows the other branch aspect in this invention vertical branching apparatus. Explanatory drawing which shows other embodiment examples of the vertical branch apparatus of this invention Explanatory drawing which shows another embodiment of the vertical branch apparatus of this invention. The typical perspective view for demonstrating the outline | summary of the conventional vertical branch apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Self-propelled bogie 11 Bogie main body 12 Vertical guide wheel 13 Horizontal guide wheel 14 Support stand 16 Horizontal drive wheel 17 Electric motor 18 Spur gear 21 Pinion gear 22, 23 Horizontal running wheel 24, 25 Vertical running wheel 26 Axis 27 Spur gear 28 Container 29 Handle 30, 30a, 30 ', 30'a Vertical rail 31 Front wall 32 Rear wall 33, 34 Running surface 35 Side wall 36 Rack 50 Horizontal rail 51 Rail base 70 Curved rail portion 71 Front wall 72 Rear wall 73, 74 Running surface 75 Side wall 76 Rack 77, 78 Tunnel 90, 90a Straight rail portion 91 Front wall 92 Rear wall 93, 94 Running surface 95 Side wall 96 Rack 111 Guide 112 Moving table

Claims (4)

A branching device for transferring a self-propelled carriage carrying a load between a horizontal rail and a vertical rail arranged crossing each other,
The self-propelled carriage has left and right pinion gears that act as drive wheels disposed on the same axis on both the left and right sides, and a horizontal running wheel that forms a pair that sandwiches the front and rear of each pinion gear in the running direction of the carriage, Comprising a pair of vertical running wheels that sandwich each pinion gear between the top and bottom, and a drive mechanism that rotates the pinion gear;
The intersection of the vertical rail and the horizontal rail having a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a running surface for rolling the vertical running wheel is divided to arrange a branching device;
In the dividing section, a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a traveling surface on which the vertical traveling wheel rolls are formed in a substantially L-shaped curve when viewed from the side, and the vertical portion of the curve is connected to the vertical rail. A curved rail portion, a rack surface that meshes with the pinion gear, and a linear rail portion that linearly forms a traveling surface on which the vertical traveling wheel rolls and is connected to the vertical rail, are arranged as a branch rail portion, and That the curved rail portion and the straight rail portion of the branch rail portion are selectively connected to the divided rail,
A vertical branching device for self-propelled trolleys.   The horizontal rail is formed by providing a rail member having an I-shaped cross section on a plate-shaped rail base, while the self-propelled carriage rolls on the horizontal guide wheel and the rail base that roll while holding the horizontal rail. The vertical branch device according to claim 1, further comprising a horizontal driving wheel and an electric motor that rotates the horizontal driving wheel.   The vertical branch device according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal rail includes a rack surface that meshes with a pinion gear of a self-propelled carriage and a traveling surface on which a horizontal traveling wheel rolls. A branching device for transferring a self-propelled carriage carrying a load between vertical rails arranged in parallel,
The self-propelled carriage has left and right pinion gears that act as drive wheels disposed on the same axis on both the left and right sides, and a horizontal running wheel that forms a pair that sandwiches the front and rear of each pinion gear in the running direction of the carriage, Comprising a pair of vertical running wheels that sandwich each pinion gear between the top and bottom, and a drive mechanism that rotates the pinion gear;
The parallel vertical rails having a rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and a traveling surface for rolling the vertical traveling wheel are divided because the mutual transfer part of the self-propelled carriage has a branching device,
The vertical rail dividing section is formed in a substantially S-shaped curve when viewed from the side of the rack surface meshing with the pinion gear and the traveling surface on which the vertical traveling wheel rolls, and both ends of the curve are parallel to each other. The curved rail connected to the pinion, the rack surface meshing with the pinion gear, and the straight rail connected to the vertical rail on the same line are formed as a branch rail with a straight running surface that rolls the vertical running wheel. The curved rail portion and the straight rail portion of the branch rail portion are selectively connected to the divided rail,
A vertical branching device for self-propelled trolleys.

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