KR20150107044A - Tiltable transfer apparatus using ball array - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a slope-adjustable ball array transfer apparatus, and more particularly, to a slope-adjustable ball array transfer apparatus that includes a ball array transfer module capable of stably transferring in various transfer directions on a sloping platform as its outer side ascends and descends with respect to the center The present invention relates to a ball array conveying apparatus capable of both conveying control and inclination control of a conveyed object.
To this end, the present invention provides an elevator system comprising: a platform installed to be inclined; One or more ball array transfer modules mounted on top of the platform; A rotation support unit for rotatably supporting the platform; And at least one inclination adjusting unit for adjusting the inclination angle of the platform, wherein the ball array conveying module includes a plurality of first ball rollers rotating only in a first direction and a plurality of second balls rotating only in a second direction, A ball array having rows and columns in a combined form and spaced apart at regular intervals; A first driving unit for applying a rotational driving force to the first ball rollers rotating in the first direction and a second driving unit for applying a rotational driving force to the second ball rollers rotating in the second direction, 1 drive unit includes a plurality of first drive shafts arranged in a direction orthogonal to the first direction for rotationally driving the first ball rollers and transmitting rotational force in a first direction, And a plurality of second driving shafts arranged in a direction orthogonal to the second direction so as to rotationally drive the rollers and transmit the rotational force in the second direction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a ball array transfer device,

The present invention relates to a slope-adjustable ball array transfer apparatus, and more particularly, to a slope-adjustable ball array transfer apparatus that includes a ball array transfer module capable of stably transferring in various transfer directions on a sloping platform as its outer side ascends and descends with respect to the center The present invention relates to a ball array conveying apparatus capable of both conveying control and inclination control of a conveyed object.

Generally, a conveying device for conveying a certain conveyed object in a desired direction is currently being developed and used in various forms.

Commonly used as such a transfer device are a cylinder, a pallet transfer, a conveyor belt, and a transfer robot.

In this case, the cylinder does not have a big problem in conveying the conveyed object in one direction, but it is only possible to control the conveying distance end, and since a plurality of cylinders are required to be conveyed in the horizontal / vertical / diagonal direction, The cost is increased.

In addition, in order to precisely transfer the position, it is necessary to additionally install tools such as a jig necessary for precise position control, and the transfer position design is reset according to the change of the transfer object.

In addition, it is almost impossible to transfer the conveyed material while maintaining a specific inclination that varies from time to time.

The conveyor belt is suitable for conveying the conveyed object at a long distance. However, in order to convey the conveyed object to the precise position in the horizontal / vertical / diagonal direction, the conveyor belt is moved in the conveying direction It is difficult to manufacture and manage a plurality of position adjusting instruments. Further, due to the vibration of an additional belt line, many problems arise in accurate position control transfer.

In addition, it is almost impossible to convey the conveyed material while maintaining a certain inclination of the conveyor belt, which varies from time to time as described above.

In addition, although the transfer robot can transfer the objects to be transported in the x, y, and z directions by a single robot in a relatively large number of directions, it is difficult to secure a place for installing the transfer robot including the safety fence This is not only economical, but also requires a space according to the working radius of the robot in the workplace, thereby causing dead space in the workplace.

Further, in the case of the conventional conveying apparatus, the control of the conveyance of the conveyed object is inevitably limited. Therefore, the conveyor inclination control of the conveyed object during the conveyance of the conveyed object is controlled by the separate elevating / lowering means or lifting of the conveyed object through the robot, Lt; / RTI >

Such conveying and conveying inclination control is performed by continuously performing a plurality of processes such as a machining process or a conveyance of a part in which the center of gravity is to be kept at the center side of the bottom face by giving an inclination to the bottom face when the center of gravity is biased to the outside of the bottom face In this case, it can not be transferred in the conventional method.

Therefore, it is urgent to develop a conveyance device capable of simultaneously carrying out conveyance of the conveyed matter as well as conveying inclination control, and reducing installation cost and installation area.

US 8567587 B2 (Mar. 10, 2013)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a ball array transfer module that can be linearly moved in a target direction on a tilt- And to provide a transfer device.

The present invention has the following features in order to achieve the above object.

The present invention relates to a tiltable platform, One or more ball array transfer modules mounted on top of the platform; A rotation support unit for rotatably supporting the platform; And at least one inclination adjusting unit for adjusting the inclination angle of the platform, wherein the ball array conveying module includes a plurality of first ball rollers rotating only in a first direction and a plurality of second balls rotating only in a second direction, A ball array having rows and columns in a combined form and spaced apart at regular intervals; A first driving unit for applying a rotational driving force to the first ball rollers rotating in the first direction and a second driving unit for applying a rotational driving force to the second ball rollers rotating in the second direction, 1 drive unit includes a plurality of first drive shafts arranged in a direction orthogonal to the first direction for rotationally driving the first ball rollers and transmitting rotational force in a first direction, And a plurality of second driving shafts arranged in a direction orthogonal to the second direction so as to rotationally drive the rollers and transmit the rotational force in the second direction.

Wherein the rotary support unit is configured to rotatably support a center portion of a bottom surface of the platform, a base portion is spaced apart from a lower portion of the platform, and the inclination adjusting unit is installed in a vertically expandable structure between the platform and the base portion Thereby adjusting the inclination angle of the platform.

A ball array conveying module or inclined sensing means installed on one side of the platform for generating inclination angle information of the ball array conveying module or platform; And a controller for controlling the first drive unit, the second drive unit, and the tilt adjustment unit of the ball array transfer module by receiving the position information and the tilt angle information of the object to be delivered generated from the position sensing unit and the tilt sensing unit .

The position sensing means may be a position sensor mounted on the ball array conveying module at a predetermined interval, or may be a photographing device installed at a position spaced apart from the ball array conveying module to photograph the upper side of the ball array conveying module .

In addition, the inclination sensing means may be an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor installed on at least one side of the ball array conveying module or one side of the platform.

Wherein the first drive shaft and the second drive shaft are disposed so that any one of the first drive shaft and the second drive shaft is located below the other one so as not to interfere with the first drive shaft and the plurality of second drive shafts, And the outer circumferential surfaces of the second drive shaft are rotatably contacted with the first ball roller and the second ball roller, respectively.

The first driving unit further includes a plurality of first idle shafts symmetrically arranged and rotatably supported with respect to the first driving shaft with respect to each ball roller, and the first driving shaft is rotated by the first driving motor , And the second drive shaft of the second drive unit is rotated by the second drive motor.

In the ball array conveying module according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of first rotary contact portions are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the first drive shaft so as to be rotatably contactable with the first ball rollers, and the first rotary contact portion And a plurality of second rotary contact portions are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the second drive shaft so as to be rotatably contactable with the second ball rollers, and the second rotary contact portion has a larger diameter than the second drive shaft.

In the ball array conveying module according to another embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of first ball rollers and the second ball rollers are arranged in 2n-1 rows (n is a natural number) and 2n rows or 2n and 2n-1 rows, respectively Wherein one of the first ball rollers and the second ball rollers is disposed at a predetermined distance to the left or right of the other one of the first ball rollers and the second ball rollers, Is moved from the center line of the first unit of the first ball rollers to the left or right and the second drive shaft is selectively rotatably contactable only with the second ball rollers on the outside in the direction in which the second ball rollers are moved.

Further, the ball array conveying module according to another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the ball rollers constituted by any one of the first ball rollers and the second ball rollers have a 2n-1 (n is a natural number) And the other one of the ball rollers is disposed in the 2n column of 2n rows in the row / column structure.

Further, in the ball array conveying module according to another embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of first ball rollers and the second ball rollers are arranged in 2n-1 (n is a natural number) and 2n rows or 2n and 2n-1 rows Wherein one of the first ball rollers and the second ball rollers is formed to be larger in diameter than the other one of the first and second ball rollers and the second ball rollers, The roller is formed larger in diameter than the plurality of second ball rollers, and the positions of the upper ends of the first ball roller and the second ball roller are located on the same plane at the time of arrangement.

Wherein the first and second ball rollers and the first and second drive shafts of the ball array are supported by a support frame disposed below the ball array and the support frame is disposed below the ball array in the first direction At least one first support frame supporting the first drive shaft in accordance with the second drive shaft and at least one second support frame supporting the second drive shaft in the second direction under the ball array.

In addition, a lower plate for supporting the first support frame and the second support frame is further provided, and an upper plate is further provided on an upper side of the first support frame and the second support frame, A plurality of through holes are formed so that the roller protrudes to the upper side of a certain portion.

According to the present invention, not only the conveyance of the conveyed matter by the ball array conveying module but also the control of the conveyance of the conveyed matter and the inclination of the conveyed object are possible through the platform which supports the ball array conveying module and can rise and fall outside with respect to the center, It is possible to control the inclination angle while conveying the conveyed object in a specific direction without a device or a work process.

In addition, since the position and inclination information of the object to be conveyed are received through the sensing means during the conveyance, the control unit can instantaneously perform the conveyance and the inclination control, so that the promptness and reliability of the operation can be ensured.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a ball array transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view of a ball array transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a bottom exploded perspective view showing a state in which a platform and a rotary support unit are combined according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a view showing the inclination adjusting unit of Fig. 2. Fig.
5 is a perspective view illustrating a ball array transfer module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a partially exploded perspective view of a ball array transfer module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a perspective view of the ball array transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a plan view showing a state in which a first drive unit and a second drive unit of a ball array transfer module according to an embodiment of the present invention are installed.
9 is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'of FIG.
10 is a sectional view taken along the line BB 'in FIG.
11 is a view showing a state in which a first drive shaft and a second drive shaft of a ball array transfer module according to an embodiment of the present invention are disposed.
12 is a perspective view illustrating a ball array transfer module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
13 is an exploded perspective view of Fig.
FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a state in which the first drive unit and the second drive unit of the ball array transfer module according to FIG. 12 are installed.
15 is a perspective view showing a ball array transfer module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
16 is an exploded perspective view of Fig.
FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a state in which the first drive unit and the second drive unit of the ball array transfer module according to FIG. 15 are installed.
18 is a perspective view illustrating a ball array transfer module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
19 is an exploded perspective view of Fig.
20 is a plan view showing a state in which the first drive unit and the second drive unit of the ball array transfer module according to FIG. 18 are installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4, a conveying apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a platform 200 installed to be adjustable in inclination, at least one ball array conveying unit 200 mounted at an upper portion of the platform 200, A rotation support unit 300 for rotatingly supporting the platform 200 and at least one inclination adjusting unit 400 for adjusting the inclination angle of the platform 200. The module 100 includes a platform 200,

1, the first drive motor 25 and the second drive motor 35 except the first drive shaft 21 and the second drive shaft 31 are connected to the ball array transfer module 100 according to the present invention, A detailed illustration of the structure of the drive unit such as the first transmission mechanism 26 and the second transmission mechanism 36 is omitted for the sake of convenience and is shown in Fig.

The platform 200 is formed with a flat surface 110 on its top surface and one or more ball array transport modules 100 are fixed to the flat surface 210. The platform 200 has its outer edge moved up and down with respect to its central portion so that its inclination angle is adjustable.

The rotation support unit 300 is configured to rotatably support the bottom center portion of the platform 200. [ The rotary support unit 300 includes a post 310, a curved surface rotation support portion 320 provided at the upper end of the support 310, a mounting portion 330 provided at the lower end of the support 310, And a socket portion 340 rotatably contacted with the curved surface rotation support portion 320.

The posts 310 are installed upright perpendicular to the base 250 spaced apart from the bottom of the platform 200.

The curved surface rotation support portion 320 is configured to have a curved surface structure such as a hemisphere or a sphere and is configured to pivotally contact the curved surface groove 341 of the socket portion 340.

The mounting portion 330 is provided at the lower end of the strut 310 and fixedly mounted to the base portion 250.

The socket portion 340 is fixedly mounted to the center portion of the bottom surface of the platform 200. The socket portion 340 is formed with a curved surface groove 341. The curved surface groove 341 of the socket portion 340 is provided with a curved surface rotation support portion 320 are pivotally contacted. As such, the curved surface support portion 320 and the curved surface groove 341 of the socket portion 340 are brought into contact to allow rotation in various directions.

At least one inclination adjusting unit 400 is installed between the base unit 250 and the platform 200 so as to be vertically extendable and extendable to drive the platform 200 in an inclined manner.

The inclination adjusting unit 400 includes an upper frame 410 connected to the bottom edge of the platform 200, a lower frame 420 connected to the base unit 250, and upper and lower frames 410 and 420, And a driving mechanism 450 for driving the adjusting member 430. The adjusting member 430 may be formed of a metal plate or the like.

A hollow portion (not shown) is formed in the upper frame 410 so that the upper end of the adjustment member 430 can be received in a hollow portion (not shown) of the upper frame 410.

A hollow portion is formed in the lower frame 420 so that the lower end of the adjustment member 430 can be received in the hollow portion of the lower frame 420.

The hollow portion of the upper frame 410 and the hollow portion of the lower frame 420 may be formed to have a predetermined length to receive the upper and lower portions of the adjustment member 430. The hollow portion of the upper frame 410 and the hollow portion of the lower frame 420 are adjusted so that the hollow portion of the upper frame 410 and the hollow portion of the lower frame 420 And may be at least one half of the lengths of the upper frame 410 and the lower frame 420.

A female screw portion (not shown) is formed on the inner diameter surface of the hollow portion of the upper frame 410, and a female screw portion (not shown) is formed on the inner diameter surface of the hollow portion of the lower frame 420. The female threaded portion (not shown) of the upper frame 410 and the female threaded portion (not shown) of the lower frame 420 correspond to the first and second male threaded portions 431 and 432 of the adjusting member 430, And the helical directions are formed in directions opposite to each other.

The adjusting member 430 includes a lead screw having a first and a second male threaded portions 431 and 432 formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof. The adjusting member 430 rotates the upper frame 410 and the lower frame 420, The vertical distance between the upper and lower parts can be adjusted.

A first male screw portion 431 is formed on an upper outer circumferential surface of the adjusting member 430 and a second male screw portion 432 is formed on a lower outer circumferential surface of the adjusting member 430. The first male threaded portion 431 and the second male threaded portion 432 have opposite helical directions. The upper frame 410 is moved upward and downward by the screw movement of the first male screw portion 431 of the regulating member 430 with respect to the upper frame 410 and the second screw portion 432 of the regulating member 430 is screw- The lower frame 420 moves in the vertical direction by screwing the lower frame 420 with respect to the lower frame 420. [

The driving mechanism 450 is configured to rotate the adjusting member 430. The driving mechanism 450 includes a driving motor 451, a driving gear 452 connected to the driving motor 451, And a driven gear 453 which is coupled to the intermediate portion of the driving gear 452 and meshes with the driving gear 452.

According to one embodiment, the driving gear 452 and the driven gear 453 may be rotated to smooth the rotation of the adjusting member 430 by forming a bevel gear combination. Alternatively, the driving gear 452 and the driven gear 453 may be made of rack-and-pinion gears.

When the driving gear 452 and the driven gear 453 are driven by the driving motor 451 by the driving mechanism 450, the adjusting member 430 rotates, The frame 410 and the lower frame 420 can be adjusted in the direction in which they are spaced apart or approach each other.

In addition, the configuration of the driving mechanism 450 may be variously changed so as to rotate the adjusting member 430 about the vertical axis.

As the vertical distance between the upper frame 310 and the lower frame 320 is adjusted, one side of the platform 200 to which the upper frame 310 is connected is vertically moved up and down with respect to the center of the platform 200, (200) is adjusted in its inclination angle.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two or more inclination adjusting units 400 may be arranged in various structures.

The angle of inclination of the platform 200 with respect to the horizontal plane can be variously adjusted by the inclination adjusting unit 400 such that the product is transported in various transport directions by the ball array transporting module 100 of the platform 200 And the article may also be transported in an inclined direction with respect to the horizontal plane by adjustment of the inclination angle of the platform 200. [

The ball array transfer module 100 is provided with a position sensing means 500 for generating current position information of the article and generates inclination information of the platform 200 on the ball array transfer module 100 or the platform 200 The inclination sensing means 600 is provided.

The position information of the article generated by the position sensing means 500 and the tilt sensing means 600 and the tilt angle information of the platform 200 are transmitted to the controller 700. The controller 700 controls the ball array transfer module 100, And controls the driving of the tilt adjusting unit 400. [0050]

The position sensing means 500 may be a plurality of position sensors spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance on the upper surface of the upper plate 50. Alternatively, the position sensing means 500 may be spaced apart from the upper portion of the ball array transfer module 100 Or an installed photographing apparatus.

A light source is installed on the upper part of the ball array transfer module 100 for optical sensing of the light receiving sensor. The arrangement interval or the number of the light receiving sensors may be determined according to the positional information of the desired article And can be variously set.

The inclination sensing means 600 may be composed of one or more 3-axis acceleration sensors or gyro sensors installed on the upper and lower plates 50 and 60 of the ball array transfer module 100 or the bottom surface of the platform 200.

Embodiments of the position sensing means 500 and the inclination sensing means 600 may be configured in various other ways to generate position information of the articles and inclination information of the platform 200 in addition to the embodiments described above.

The control unit 700 can receive the sensing information by the position sensing unit 500 and the inclination sensing unit 600 in a wired or wireless manner and the control operation of the control unit 700 can be controlled by the user through the control program Can be operated.

Meanwhile, when the position sensing unit 500 is a photographing apparatus, the control unit 700 analyzes the captured image to determine the current position of the conveyed object. Such an image analysis technique may be variously adopted, But is not limited thereto.

In addition, if the position sensing means 500 is a light receiving sensor, among the plurality of light receiving sensors spaced apart at a predetermined interval, since the position area of the light receiving sensors where no light is detected is the current position information of the article P, will be.

In this way, by adjusting the inclination angle of the platform 200, the inclination angle of the ball array conveying module 100 can be adjusted so that the article can be conveyed in a desired direction on a plane and the article can be conveyed in an oblique direction, It is advantageous for the process.

The ball array transfer module 100 includes a plurality of first ball rollers 11 that rotate only in the first direction and a plurality of second ball rollers 12 that rotate only in the second direction, A first driving unit 20 for driving the plurality of first ball rollers 11 in a first direction to transmit a rotational force, a plurality of second balls And a second drive unit 30 that drives the roller 12 in the second direction to transmit the rotational force.

Here, in the ball array 10, a plurality of first ball rollers 11 and second ball rollers are arranged in a row / column structure at regular intervals in a uniform or somewhat uniform combination form, and in FIGS. 5 to 20 Supported by the support frame 40 and the upper and lower plates 50 and 60 as shown in Fig. The upper end of the ball roller 10 is installed so as to be exposed at an upper portion of the upper plate 50 so that the object to be conveyed is seated on the upper end of the ball array 10.

The ball array conveying module 100 including the first ball roller 11 rotating only in the first direction and the second ball roller 12 rotating only in the second direction as described above can be implemented in four embodiments in total And will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 5 to 11 illustrate a ball array transfer module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the ball array 10, the first drive unit 20, and the second drive unit 30 as described above.

Here, the first drive unit 20 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the first ball rollers 11 in the first direction (see arrow X direction in FIG. 5).

8 and 9, the first drive unit 20 includes a first ball roller 11 and a second ball roller 12 arranged in a column (see arrow Y direction in FIG. 8) A plurality of first driving shafts 21 configured to contact the first ball rollers 11 through a first rotary contact portion 21a of the first rotary shafts 21a and transferring rotational force in a first direction (see arrow X direction) And a plurality of first idle shafts (22) arranged symmetrically with respect to the first drive shaft (21) with respect to the first ball rollers (11) to rotatably support the first ball rollers (11) The one direction and the second direction are made orthogonal to each other.

Each of the first driving shafts 21 may include a first driving shaft 21 arranged in each column unit such as a first column C1, a second column C2, a third column C3, a fourth column C4, The first ball rollers 11 of the rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 are directly driven to rotate through the first rotation contact portions 21a.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the first ball rollers 11 according to this embodiment are configured to be adjacent to the second ball rollers 12 at two positions in units of rows. That is, one row (R1, C1), three rows (R3, C1) and five rows (R5, C1) in the case of one column are constituted by the first ball rollers 11 and two rows R4, C1), and sixth row (R6, C1) are arranged in the second ball rollers 12.

The first rotary contact portion 21a is formed in a tubular shape having a predetermined length and thickness in a section of the first drive shaft 21 that is close to the first ball roller 11 and is formed on the outer periphery of the first drive shaft 21 And is fixedly coupled.

The first rotary contact portion 21a selectively contacts only the first ball roller 11 of the first ball roller 11 and the second ball roller 12 on the same arrangement line and functions to apply the rotational force.

At least one of the first rotation contact portion 21a and the ball roller 11 or both of the first rotation contact portion 21a and the ball roller 11 is made of a resilient material such as urethane or rubber, The driving force of the first driving unit 20 is transmitted to the first ball roller 11 as the first rotating contact portion 21a and the first ball roller 11 come into close contact with each other in a rolling contact state, So that the driving of the first ball rollers 11 can be stabilized.

According to one embodiment, when the first ball roller 11 is made of a metal material and the first rotating contact portion 21a is made of a resilient material such as urethane, rubber or the like, The first rotation contact portion 21a is elastically deformed so that the first ball roller 11 and the first rotation contact portion 21a can make rotational contact with each other while establishing an airtight surface contact.

According to an alternative embodiment, when the first rolling contact portion 21a is made of a metal material and the first ball roller 11 is made of a resilient material such as urethane, rubber or the like, contact with the first rotating contact portion 21a The first ball rollers 11 and the first rotation contact portions 21a can be rotated and brought into contact with each other in an airtight surface contact state.

Both the first rotating contact portion 21a and the first ball roller 11 may be made of a resilient material such as urethane or rubber and the first rotating contact portion 21a and the first ball roller 11 So that the first ball rollers 11 and the first rotation contact portions 21a can be rotated and brought into contact with each other with a more airtight surface contact.

In addition, the first rotary contact portion 21a may be applied to the first idle shaft 22 to be described later.

Meanwhile, the first ball rollers 11 arranged in an array of (R1, C1), (R3, C1), (R5, C1), and so on as described above are configured to rotate in contact with the first drive shaft 21 The second ball rollers 12 are configured to be in rotational contact with the second drive shaft 31 in an arrangement of (R2, C1), (R4, C1), (R6, C1)

It should be noted that the combination of the first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 arranged alternately in this unit of heat is only an embodiment of the present invention and can be variously combined. The present invention is not limited thereto.

The plurality of first driving shafts 21 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the first direction (see arrow Y direction in FIG. 8) between the column units C1, C2, C3, and C4.

The plurality of first driving shafts (21) are configured to be simultaneously driven to rotate in the same direction by the first driving motor (25) and the first driving mechanism (26). The first transmission mechanism 26 includes a plurality of first pulleys 27 provided on the output shaft of the first drive motor 25 and the end of each first drive shaft 21, And a plurality of first winding motor sections (28) provided between the pulleys (27). The power of the first drive motor 25 is transmitted to the plurality of first drive shafts 21 through the first transmission mechanism 26 so that the plurality of first drive shafts 21 are rotationally driven in the same direction at the same time. The first winding motor section 28 is composed of a timing belt, a belt, a chain, etc., and is wound around the adjacent first pulleys 27.

8, the first transmission mechanism 26 includes a plurality of first pulleys 27, a plurality of first winding motor sections 28, and the like. The plurality of column units C1, C2, C3, C4, The ball rollers 11 of each row unit are independently provided with the first rolling mechanism independently, and the ball rollers 11 of each row unit are separately provided, May be configured to independently drive them simultaneously. Further, although the first transmission mechanism 26 exemplifies the winding transmission mechanism, various transmission mechanisms such as the gear transmission mechanism and the like can be applied.

8, the first transmission mechanism 26 is connected to the first drive shaft 21 adjacent to the first drive shaft 21 by a first winding drive section 28, and one first drive shaft 21 is separately provided on the left and right sides The entire first drive shaft 21 may be connected to the transmission section 28 such as one timing belt without forming the first winding motor section 28 of the first drive shaft 28. [

As long as the end of the first drive shaft 21 is connected to the first drive motor 25 and can receive the rotational force of the first drive motor 25, And the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first idle shaft 22 and the first drive shaft 21 are disposed symmetrically with respect to one ball roller 11 so that the first idle shaft 22 is driven by the first drive shaft 21 The first ball rollers 11 rotate in the opposite directions. The first idle shaft 22 is disposed along a direction perpendicular to the first direction (see arrow Y direction in FIG. 8) and is disposed in parallel with the first drive shaft 21, like the first drive shaft 21 .

In particular, the first idle shaft 22 is not connected to the first drive motor 25 and the first transmission mechanism 26 and does not transmit the driving force to the first ball roller 11, 1 drive shafts 21 so as to stably rotate the first ball rollers 11 to maintain the dynamic balance of the first ball rollers 11. [ Both end portions of the first idle shaft 22 are rotatably supported by the support frame 40 and the lower plate 60.

Although not shown in FIG. 8, the first drive unit 20 may further include a bearing structure for more rotatably supporting the first drive shaft.

Such a bearing configuration is a well-known structure for rotationally supporting the drive shaft, so an illustration and description thereof will be omitted from the separate drawings.

On the other hand, the second drive unit 30 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the second ball rollers 12 along the second direction (see arrow Y direction in Fig. 8).

8 and 10, the second drive unit 30 includes a first ball roller 11 and a second ball roller 12 arranged in a row unit (R1, R2, R3, R4, ...) And a plurality of second driving shafts 31 for rotationally driving the second ball rollers 12 in the second direction (see arrow Y direction) through the second rotation contact portions 31a to transmit rotational force, The direction X and the second direction Y are made orthogonal to each other.

Each of the second drive shafts 31 is arranged in two rows (C2), four columns (C4), and six columns (R1) in the case of one row (R1) C6) or the second ball rollers 12 arranged in each row unit such as the first column (C1), the third column (C3), and the like, (Refer to the arrow X direction in FIG. 8) perpendicular to the second direction while contacting the second ball rollers 11 of the unit by the second rotation contact portion 31a.

The second rotating contact portion 31a is provided with a first ball roller 11 and a second ball roller 12 alternately arranged in the same manner as the first rotating contact portion 21a described above, And the function and configuration of the first rotary contact portion 21a are the same as those of the first rotary contact portion 21a, so that further detailed description will be omitted.

On the other hand, the plurality of second driving shafts (31) are configured to be rotationally driven in the same direction by the second driving motor (35) and the second driving mechanism (36). The second transmission mechanism 36 includes at least one output shaft of the second drive motor 35 and at least one second pulley 37 provided at an end of each second drive shaft 31, And a second winding motor section (38) provided between the pulleys (37). Thus, the power of the second drive motor 35 is transmitted to the plurality of second drive shafts 31 through the second transmission mechanism 36, and the plurality of second drive shafts 31 are rotationally driven in the same direction. The second winding motor section 38 includes a timing belt, a belt, a chain, and the like, and is wound around the adjacent first pulleys 37.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the second driving shaft 31 is not provided with a second idle shaft for supporting the second driving shaft 31, unlike the first driving shaft 21.

The second idler shaft 31 is in contact with the second ball rollers 12 only if necessary. The second idler shaft 31 is symmetrical with the second idler shaft 31 in parallel with the first idler shaft 22, So as to stably rotate the ball rollers 11 to maintain the dynamic balance of the ball rollers 11. [

On the other hand, the first drive shaft 21 and the first idle shaft 22 of the first drive unit 20 are installed so as not to interfere with each other with respect to the second drive shaft 31 of the second drive unit 30.

The first drive shaft 21 and the first idle shaft 22 of the first drive unit 20 are positioned lower than the second drive shaft 31 of the second drive unit 30 by a predetermined distance, Is not configured.

The support frame 40 is provided to support the first drive shaft 21 and the second drive shaft 31. The support frame 40 is disposed at the lower portion of the ball array in the first direction, And at least one second support frame (42) supporting the second drive shaft in a lower portion of the ball array in the second direction.

The support frame 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention forms a mesh structure when viewed in a plan view by coupling the plate-shaped first support frame 41 and the second support frame 42 in an upright manner.

The plate-like support frame 40 formed in the mesh structure is relatively simple in structure and relatively small in volume to be formed, and can smoothly move the ball array 10, the first drive shaft 21 and the second drive shaft 31 smoothly It is possible to support the rotation.

The simplification of the configuration and the reduction of the formed volume can reduce the cost of the entire ball array transfer apparatus 100, reduce the number of installation and maintenance work operations, and enable a denser ball array 10 configuration.

Here, the dense ball array structure can increase the contact area between the conveyed object and the ball rollers 11 and 12, thereby achieving more stable conveyance control as well as an improvement in the control reaction speed due to the increase in the rotational force transmission efficiency.

Therefore, the smaller the diameter of the ball rollers 11 and 12 is, and the smaller the distance between the ball rollers 11 and 12 is, the more ideal the ideal feeding device can be realized. The structure of the support frame 40 is stable on the rotation supporting surface and the diameter of the ball rollers 11 and 12 and the gap between the ball rollers 11 and 12 can be reduced.

Meanwhile, the first support frame 41 and the second support frame 42 may be integrally formed, but may have a fitting structure in consideration of difficulty in manufacturing and easiness of assembly and disassembly.

The first and second support frames 41 and 42 may be inserted into the first support frame 41 and the second support frame 42 so that the first support frame 41 and the second support frame 42 intersect each other, An engaging groove portion is formed.

6 and 7, the lower and upper portions of the first and second support frames 41 and 42 support and receive the lower plate 60 and the upper plate 50 .

A plurality of through holes 51 are formed in the upper plate 50 so that the ball rollers 11 and 12 protrude upward from the upper portion of the ball rollers 11 and 12, Can be seated.

The through-hole 51 is formed to be spaced apart from the ball roller 11 by a predetermined gap, and the predetermined gap is preferably as small as possible.

In addition, although not shown in the figure, the lower plate 60 may have a groove in the form of a lattice, so that the first support frame 41 and the second support frame 42 may be fitted on the groove. Alternatively, a separate guide extension may be formed on the upper surface so that each support frame does not flow on the lower plate 60 by engaging the guide extensions.

At least one support protrusion 61 is formed on the upper surface of the lower plate 60 so as to be in close contact with the bottom surface of the upper plate 50 to support the upper plate 50.

Due to the support protrusions 61, the lower plate 60 is able to bear and support a certain amount of the downward load of the upper plate 50. If necessary, the support protrusions 61 form a hollow, The upper plate 50 and the lower plate 60 can be screwed together.

Of course, the first drive shaft 21, the first idle shaft 22 and the second drive shaft 31 to be disposed at positions where the support protrusions 61 are formed may be excluded or supported by the support protrusions 61 according to the size of the support protrusions 61 61).

The first drive shaft 21 and the second drive shaft 31 are not in the form of idle shafts but are not transferred from the drive motor to the parallel shafts of the ball rollers from the adjacent drive shafts or idle shafts It will play a role of keeping it.

In the ball array conveying module 100 constructed as described above, the first ball rollers 11 of the ball array 10 are driven in the first direction (arrow X direction) by the first drive unit 20 The second ball rollers 11 of the ball array 10 are driven by the second drive unit 30 in the second direction (the direction of the arrow Y).

The rotational force of each of the ball rollers 11 and 12 can be transmitted in various directions through the vector sum of the first direction X and the second direction Y, The conveyed object can be conveyed in various directions.

12 to 14 illustrate a ball array transfer module according to another embodiment of the present invention. The ball array 10 of the ball array transfer module 100 according to the present embodiment includes a first drive shaft 21, The ball rollers of any one of the first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers are rotated so that the two drive shafts 31 are in rotational contact with only the first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12, 1 (n is a natural number) row, and the other one of the ball rollers is arranged in the 2n-th row.

That is, when the first ball rollers 11 are arranged in the first row (n = 1), the second ball rollers 12 are arranged in the second row (n = 1) 2, the first ball rollers 11 are disposed.

The first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 are moved to a left or right side of the other one by a predetermined distance, The second ball rollers 12 can be brought into contact with only the second drive shaft 31 only at the drive shaft 21.

That is, for example, as the position of the second ball rollers 12 is moved to the position where the second drive shaft 31 is disposed by the distance L as shown in FIG. 14, The first ball roller 11 is rotated only on the first drive shaft 21 if the first drive shaft 21 is located only on the stage where the first ball roller 11 is disposed, And the second ball rollers 12 come into rotational contact with only the second drive shaft 31. [

Here, it is preferable that the arrangement moving distance L of the second ball rollers 12 is equal to or smaller than the diameter of the second drive shaft 31.

When the moving distance is smaller than the diameter of the second driving shaft 31, the first ball roller 11 is rotated by the second driving shaft 31 so that the rotational force can be transmitted to the second driving shaft 31, The other second ball rollers 21 located on the right side can be positioned at the home position before the movement.

Of course, the first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 have the same size and have the same size as the second ball rollers 12 by the moving distance of the moving second ball rollers 12, But it is not included in the present embodiment.

The configuration of the support frame 40 and the upper and lower plates 50 and 60 except for the combination of the ball array 10 and the first drive unit 20 and the second drive unit 30 connected thereto is not limited to the above- Replace the example explanation.

FIGS. 15 to 17 are views showing a ball array transfer module according to another embodiment of the present invention. The ball array 10 of the ball array transfer module 100 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 are arranged in the 2n-1 row of the 2n-1 (n is a natural number) row, and the ball rollers of the other group are arranged in the row / Is placed in the 2n column of the row.

In the figure, the second ball rollers 12 are arranged in 2n-1 columns (n is a natural number), and the first ball rollers 11 are arranged in 2n rows in the 2n rows.

That is, the first ball rollers 11 are arranged in the form of a second row, a fourth column and a sixth column of the second row, and the second ball rollers 12 are arranged in the first row, , And the fifth column.

The reason why the first drive shaft 21 can contact only the first ball roller 11 is that the first drive shaft 21 is disposed only at the position where the first ball rollers 11 are arranged according to the present embodiment.

That is, since the first drive shaft 21 is arranged only in the 2n-th row of the 2n-th row and the second ball rollers 12 are arranged only in the 2n-1-th row of the 2n-1-th row to be.

Of course, since the second drive shaft 31 is also not in contact with the first ball roller 11 for this reason, the first drive shaft 21 transmits the rotational force to rotate in the first direction only to the first ball roller 11, The driving shaft 31 transmits the rotational force to rotate only in the second direction to the second ball rollers 12 only.

The distances between adjacent rows of the same row and the inter-row distance of the same row are set so that the first ball roller 12 and the second ball roller 11, which are not intended to transmit rotational force by the first drive shaft 21 or the second drive shaft 31, It is preferable to suitably adopt such a structure.

The configuration of the support frame 40 and the upper and lower plates 50 and 60 except for the combination of the ball array 10 and the first drive unit 20 and the second drive unit 30 connected thereto is not limited to the above- Replace the example explanation.

18 to 20 are views showing a ball array conveying module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention in which the ball array 10 of the ball array conveying module 100 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers are arranged in the 2n-1 (n is a natural number) row, and the other one of the ball rollers is arranged in the 2n-th row.

That is, when the first ball rollers 11 are arranged in the first row (n = 1), the second ball rollers 12 are arranged in the second row (n = 1) 2, the first ball rollers 11 are disposed.

The reason why the first drive shaft 21 can contact only the first ball roller 11 is caused by the difference in diameters of the first ball roller 11 and the second ball roller 12 according to the present invention.

That is, the diameter of the second ball rollers 12 is made smaller than the diameter of the first ball rollers 11 and the upper ends of the ball rollers 11 and 12 are disposed on the same plane, The first drive shaft 21 located at the lower end side of the second ball rollers 12 can not contact the second ball rollers 12.

Accordingly, the first drive shaft 21 rotates only in contact with the first ball rollers 11 and transmits the rotational force, so that the first ball rollers 11 are rotationally driven in the first direction.

The diameter difference between the first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 is set to a range in which the second ball rollers 12 are not in contact with the first drive shaft 21 and the first idle shaft 22 Since the rotational force of the second ball rollers 12, which transmit to the conveyed object, is reduced, the smooth first direction and the second direction vector sum may not be formed. Therefore, A minimum range of diameter difference that does not contact the substrate 12 is desirable.

The first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 are brought into contact with both the first ball rollers 11 and the second ball rollers 12 in contact with the objects to be placed on the upper plate 50 The position of the uppermost end should be positioned on the same plane in the arrangement.

The ball array 10 of the ball array conveying module 100 according to the present invention has a structure in which the ball rollers 11 and 12 are directly driven and rotated by the first drive shaft 21 and the second drive shaft 22 The rotational force of each of the ball rollers 11 and 12 can be transmitted very effectively and the conveying efficiency of the object to be conveyed by the ball array 10 can be greatly improved.

In the present invention, since each of the plurality of ball rollers 11 and 12 is directly driven to rotate by the first drive unit 20 and the second drive unit 30, a part of the ball rollers 11, The remaining ball rollers 11 and 12 can be rotationally driven by the first drive shaft 21 and the second drive shaft 31 even if the ball rollers 11 and 12 malfunction due to breakage or displacement of the ball rollers 11 and 12 It is possible to transmit the rotational force while appropriately compensating for the rotational force, so that even when a part of the ball rollers malfunctions, proper rotational force can be transmitted.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. will be.

Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

10: Ball array 11: Ball roller
20: first drive unit 21: first drive shaft
22: first idle shaft 25: first drive motor
26: first transmission mechanism 30: second drive unit
31: second drive shaft 32: second idle shaft
40: support frame 41: first support frame
42: second support frame 50: upper plate
51: Through hole 60: Lower plate
100: ball array transfer module 200: platform
300: rotation support unit 400: inclination adjustment unit
500: position sensing means 600: inclination sensing means
700: Control unit 1000: Ball array transfer device

Claims (18)

An inclined adjustable platform;
One or more ball array transfer modules mounted on top of the platform;
A rotation support unit for rotatably supporting the platform; And
And at least one tilt adjusting unit for adjusting the tilt angle of the platform,
The ball array transfer module
A ball array having a plurality of first ball rollers rotating only in a first direction and a plurality of second ball rollers rotating only in a second direction and having a row / column structure and being spaced apart at regular intervals;
A first driving unit for applying a rotational driving force to a first ball roller rotating in the first direction;
And a second driving unit for applying a rotational driving force to the second ball rollers rotating in the second direction,
Wherein the first drive unit includes a plurality of first drive shafts arranged in a direction orthogonal to the first direction for rotationally driving the first ball rollers and transmitting a rotational force in a first direction,
Wherein the second drive unit includes a plurality of second drive shafts arranged in a direction orthogonal to the second direction to rotationally drive the second ball rollers and transmit rotational force in a second direction, Array transfer device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the rotary support unit is configured to rotationally support a bottom center portion of the platform.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein a base portion is provided at a lower portion of the platform,
Wherein the inclination adjusting unit is installed in a vertically expandable structure between the platform and the base to adjust the inclination angle of the platform.
The method according to claim 1,
A slope sensing means installed on one side of the ball array conveyance module or platform to generate inclination angle information of the ball array conveyance module or platform, And a controller for controlling the first drive unit, the second drive unit, and the tilt adjustment unit of the ball array transfer module by receiving the position information and the tilt angle information of the object to be delivered generated from the position sensing means and the tilt sensing means Characterized in that the inclined adjustable ball array transfer device.
5. The method of claim 4,
The position sensing means
A ball array transfer module, a ball array transfer module, a ball array transfer module, a ball array transfer module, and a ball array transfer module. The ball array transfer module may include a plurality of position sensors spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, Conveying device.
5. The method of claim 4,
The inclination sensing means
Wherein one or more acceleration sensor or gyro sensor is installed on the upper part of the ball array conveying module or one side of the platform.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of first drive shafts and the plurality of second drive shafts are disposed so that any one of the first drive shafts or the second drive shafts is positioned below the other one so as not to interfere with each other, Array transfer device.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the outer peripheral surfaces of the first drive shaft and the second drive shaft are installed so as to be rotatable and contactable with the first ball roller and the second ball roller, respectively.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the first drive unit further comprises a plurality of first idle shafts symmetrically arranged and rotatably supported with respect to the first drive shaft with respect to the respective ball rollers, the first drive shaft is rotated by the first drive motor,
And the second drive shaft of the second drive unit is rotated by the second drive motor.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein a plurality of first rotary contact portions are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the first drive shaft so as to be rotatably contactable with the first ball rollers, the first rotary contact portion has a diameter larger than that of the first drive shaft,
Wherein a plurality of second rotary contact portions are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the second drive shaft so as to be rotatably contactable with the second ball rollers and the second rotary contact portion has a diameter larger than that of the second drive shaft, Conveying device.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the plurality of first ball rollers and the second ball rollers are arranged in 2n-1 rows (n is a natural number) and 2n rows or 2n and 2n-1 rows, respectively, and either one of the first ball roller and the second ball roller Wherein the first and second guide members are disposed at left or right sides of the other one at a predetermined distance.
12. The method of claim 11,
The plurality of second ball rollers are arranged to be moved leftward or rightward from the center line of the thermal unit of the first ball rollers and the second drive shaft is rotatably contacted with only the second ball rollers on the outside in the direction in which the second ball rollers are moved Wherein the first and second angles of the first and second angles are different from each other.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the ball rollers constituted by any one of the plurality of first ball rollers and the second ball rollers are arranged in a 2n-1 column of 2n-1 (n is a natural number) row in a row / column structure, And the ball rollers are arranged in 2n rows of 2n rows in the row / column structure.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the plurality of first ball rollers and the second ball rollers are arranged in 2n-1 rows (n is a natural number) and 2n rows or 2n and 2n-1 rows, respectively, and either one of the first ball roller and the second ball roller And the diameter of the other one is larger than that of the other one.
15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the plurality of first ball rollers are formed larger in diameter than the plurality of second ball rollers and the positions of the upper ends of the first ball rollers and the second ball rollers are positioned on the same plane at the time of arrangement. Array transfer device.
14. The method according to any one of claims 10, 11, 13 or 14,
Wherein the first ball rollers, the second ball rollers, the first drive shaft and the second drive shaft of the ball array are supported by a support frame disposed under the ball array.
17. The method of claim 16,
The support frame
At least one first support frame disposed at a lower portion of the ball array in the first direction to support a first drive shaft and at least one second support frame disposed at a lower portion of the ball array in the second direction, Wherein the first and second sloping portions are formed on the sloping surface.
18. The method of claim 17,
And a lower plate is further provided at a lower portion of the first support frame and the second support frame, and an upper plate is further provided at an upper side of the first support frame and the second support frame,
Wherein a plurality of through holes are formed in the upper plate such that the ball rollers protrude upwards from a predetermined portion.

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