KR20220157727A - Slant conveyor apparatus with improved function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a conveyor apparatus capable of providing a precise conveying function in an inclined section. The present invention provides a conveyor apparatus having an improved function so that an inclined conveyor forms a vacuum pressure on an upper surface of a top chain to prevent an object to be transported from slipping out of the position in an inclined section and to apply a highly reliable process.

Description

Conveyor device with improved function {SLANT CONVEYOR APPARATUS WITH IMPROVED FUNCTION}

The present invention relates to a technology related to a conveyor applied to production and transfer processes, and more particularly, to a conveyor device capable of providing a precise transfer function in an inclined section.

A conveyor belt refers to a device that transports materials, semi-finished products, or finished products in an endless track by power. In recent years, as automation processes have become common, conveyor devices exist in very diverse forms.

Such a conveyor includes a driving unit, a friction conveying device such as a belt or chain, a support frame, etc., and is divided into a belt conveyor, a chain conveyor, a screw conveyor, a bucket conveyor, a roller conveyor, etc. according to the moving method of an object.

Among them, the top chain type conveyor may be installed at various positions on the conveyor by interconnecting a plurality of chain elements. The top chain conveyor can also be classified according to its material and shape. For example, a plastic modular chain has a conveying surface of a belt shape with a wide width and thus has an advantage in maintainability.

Plastic top chain conveyor (TOP CHAIN CONVEYOR) is constructed by integrally molding a plastic plate and a chain part that can prevent scratches of conveyed goods, and interconnecting them with pins. In particular, it is known that the conveyor, which is a plastic tower chain, provides a space advantage because the transfer connection part can be configured simply and small.

These top chain conveyors are widely used in the manufacture of containers and are essential for process automation in bottle manufacture, pharmaceutical and beverage companies.

Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0199551 discloses a top chain conveyor of the prior art, and FIG. 1 is a plan view thereof.

Looking at this in detail, a loop-type top chain 10 providing a mounting surface to mount an object to be transported on the upper surface, a transfer frame supporting the top chain 10 and guiding transfer, and the top chain 10 It is composed of a chain sprocket 20 disposed at the front and rear ends to wind and rotate the top chain, and a drive motor 50 installed on one side of the chain sprocket 20 to drive the chain sprocket. Transfer rails are formed at upper and lower ends of the transfer frame, and clip rails for preventing abrasion of the top chain are covered around the transfer rails. Guide rails may be assembled on both sides of an object moving on the top chain 10 to allow the conveyed object to flow smoothly without falling off the conveyor. Describing the operation of the top chain conveyor configured as described above, when power is applied to the drive motor 50, the drive motor 50 drives the chain sprocket 20, and the driven chain sprocket 20 is a sprocket ( 20) is rotated, and the rotated top chain 10 transfers the object mounted on the upper surface of the top chain 10 to a desired position.

As shown in the figure, the conveyor in the form of a modular top chain is widely used because it is particularly efficient in the conveying process of containers or caps and is easy to adapt according to the process. In recent years, since the speed of the automation process and the efficiency of process conversion are important, in addition to the traditional two-dimensional process, the request for three-dimensional transfer increases.

However, in the case of a modular plastic top chain, there is no major problem in horizontal transfer, but inevitably, an inclined surface must be formed during vertical transfer, and in this case, slip occurs, so the accuracy of the process cannot be guaranteed.

In order to solve this problem, it is possible to consider attaching guides or holding devices, but in this case, since the structure becomes complicated and the weight increases, not only is it uneconomical, but also the advantage in maintainability is reduced, so countermeasures are required.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device that can be applied to three-dimensional and complex conveying processes, including inclined sections, and can guarantee the accuracy and speed of conveying.

The present invention includes a tower chain 1110 in which a plurality of plates 1010 are connected by links, a chamber frame 2100 forming a trajectory of the tower chain and having a negative pressure forming part 2120 formed therein, and the tower Provided is a conveyor device including an inclined conveyor 2000 having an upper guide 1300 formed in the longitudinal direction in a form surrounding the upper side of a transfer object disposed on the upper side of the chain from left and right.

Preferably, the vacuum pressure formed in the negative pressure forming unit is provided to the object to be transferred through the gap between the plates to form an adhesive force between the tower chain and the object to be transferred in the inclined section, thereby improving the reliability of the transfer.

In addition, the inclined conveyor may be provided with a side guide 2200 covering the side surface of the tower chain and having a gap between the upper plate parts corresponding to the width of the object to be transferred.

In addition, the chamber frame may include a flange 2111 supporting the lower plate portion of the side guide and forming a communication opening for pressure communication at the center in the width direction, and an under cover 2130 opening and closing the bottom portion. .

On the other hand, the top chain 1110, the horizontal side frame 1100 forming the track of the top chain, the bottom guide 1200 that surrounds the flange of the horizontal side frame and supports the bottom surfaces of both sides of the top chain, and the inclined It may be configured to further include a horizontal conveyor 1000 having an upper guide connected to the conveyor.

It is configured to further include a transfer section in which the object to be transferred is transferred by changing its position on the inclined conveyor and the horizontal conveyor, and the inclined conveyor allows the transfer of the object to be transferred in the left and right directions by omitting the side guide in the transfer section and allows the transfer of the object to be transferred in the upper guide Depending on the shape, the transfer object can be delivered by a horizontal conveyor.

According to the configuration of the present invention described above, the accuracy of transferring the object to be transferred in the inclined section is ensured, and since it can contribute to reducing process errors or defects in the manufacturing or assembly process, the effect of improving the speed and reliability of the entire process have.

In addition, by adopting a structure capable of achieving both the application of vacuum pressure and the guide for conveying, there is an economical effect because vacuum pressure can be effectively formed on the top chain conveyor without applying a complicated structure.

1 is a plan view of a prior art top chain conveyor.
2 is a side view showing the conveyor device of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a front sectional view for explaining the configuration of the inclined conveyor in the conveyor device of the present invention.
4 is a front cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a horizontal conveyor in the conveyor device of the present invention.
5 is a configuration diagram for explaining a transfer section in the conveyor device of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an inclined conveyor having improved functions according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description, when a part is said to be 'connected' to another part, this includes not only the case where it is directly connected but also the case where it is connected with other parts or devices interposed therebetween. In addition, when a certain part 'includes' a certain component, this means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

The present invention is basically composed of a top-chain type conveyor capable of transporting objects on the upper surface, and a conveyor device with improved functions including an inclined conveyor disposed in an inclined section to enable transportation to a position with a different height. provides

In the concept of the present invention, the inclined conveyor provides a vacuum pressure to the upper surface of the tower chain to provide an adsorption or attachment function to prevent the object to be transported from slipping out of position or falling in the inclined section. At the same time, a structure capable of maintaining the vacuum pressure on the transfer path while the object to be transferred can be properly guided is adopted, and specific embodiments thereof will be described later.

In the present invention, the cap of the container is basically described as a transfer object, but it should be understood that the transfer object includes various products, parts, raw materials, etc. that are transferred while seated on the upper surface of the top chain type conveyor.

2 is a side view showing the conveyor device of the present invention.

As an overall conveyor transport system, the horizontal section 100 and the inclined section 200 are connected, and the horizontal section 100 and the inclined section 200 or the horizontal section 100 and the horizontal section 100 or the inclined section ( 200) and the slope section 200, a transfer section 300 capable of changing a route between conveyors may be installed. A detailed embodiment of the transfer section 300 will be described later.

The conveyor of the present invention constitutes the horizontal conveyor 1000 and the inclined conveyor 2000 in a top chain method in which predetermined plates are connected by pins, and various known methods can be applied to the structure and shape of the top chain. The description is omitted.

In the basic concept of the present invention, in configuring the inclined conveyor 2000, vacuum pressure is provided to the inside and upper surface of the conveyor so that the object to be transferred is attached to the upper surface of the tower chain to maintain the position. To this end, the inclined conveyor 2000 side The vacuum forming unit 3000 is connected. A known vacuum pump, blower, air pump, etc. may be applied to the vacuum forming unit 3000.

The vacuum forming unit 3000 is installed at an appropriate location, connected to the inclined conveyor 2000 through a vacuum line 3020, and can be coupled to a frame constituting the conveyor through a chamber connecting unit 3010. A predetermined chamber for forming a vacuum pressure is formed inside the frame of the inclined conveyor 2000, and an embodiment thereof will be described later.

In the description of the present invention, vacuum does not mean only a state in which pressure is completely removed, but includes a state in which an object to be transferred can be attached because the pressure inside and above the conveyor is lower than atmospheric pressure.

Figure 3 is a front sectional view for explaining the configuration of the inclined conveyor in the conveyor device of the present invention.

The plates 1010 constituting the top chain constitute the seating surface of the conveyor and can appropriately form the conveying surface according to a path such as an inclined, horizontal, or curved path. In the inclined conveyor 2000 of the present invention, the chamber frame 2100 supporting the movement of the plates 1010 isolates the interior space from the outside to some extent, and the plate 1010 is in the form of an endless track, and the chamber frame 2100 on the upper side ), and is disposed inside the chamber frame 2100 on the lower side.

The plates 1010 may be made of a synthetic resin material selected in consideration of abrasion resistance and frictional force. For example, it is preferable to make polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

The chamber frame 2100 may basically have a similar shape to the horizontal side frame (1100 in FIG. 4) disposed on the horizontal conveyor 1000, but it needs to be sealed up and down and left and right to some extent. According to this concept, the chamber frame 2100 is formed in the form of a box surrounding the side, and the bottom may further include an under cover 2130 to be opened and closed for maintenance.

Flanges 2111 are formed on both sides of the upper side of the chamber frame 2100 to support the movement of the plate 1010, and communication openings 2112 are formed between the flanges 2111 to provide vacuum pressure to the upper side. . A negative pressure is formed at the upper part in the gap of the tower chain formed by the plates 1010 disposed above the communication opening 2112. The inside of the chamber frame 2100 functions as a negative pressure forming unit 2120.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the beverage cap 500 is described as a transfer object, and structures for guides to be described below may be appropriately modified according to the type, size, and shape of the transfer object.

Side guides 2200 are coupled to the upper portion of the flange 2111 from both sides, and the side guides 2200 are formed in a shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the top chain. As shown in the illustrated example, the side guide 2200 is formed in a 'c' shape on the front end to cover the outer edge of the plate 1010, and the lower plate 2210 coupled to the flange 2111 is in contact with the plate 1010. It may be formed of an upper plate portion 2220 surrounding the upper side.

In the illustrated example, the upper plate portion 2220 extends further in the center in the width direction than the lower plate portion 2210, and the distance extending toward the center of the upper plate portion 2220 corresponds to the lower width of the object to be transferred.

However, it is preferable that the distance between the lower plate parts 2210 is greater than the distance between the upper plate parts 2220 in order to efficiently transfer the pressure inside the negative pressure forming part 2120 .

As shown, since the distance between the top plate 2220 of the side guide 2200 is determined corresponding to the width of the cap 500, the pressure loss of the vacuum pressure formed on the top of the tower chain is sufficiently negligible even if there is some clearance. be worth.

Additionally, it is preferable that an upper guide 1300 is disposed to guide stable transfer while preventing leakage of additional pressure from the upper side of the object to be transferred. The upper guide 1300 is configured to cover the upper side of the cap 500, and may be formed long in the longitudinal direction while the upper side is closed and the transfer object is wrapped around the side. Accordingly, the upper guide 1300 configures an accommodation space 1310 corresponding to the shape of the upper part of the object to be transferred inside.

The lower side of the upper guide 1300 faces the upper plate 2220 of the side guide 2200, and according to this configuration, the bottom of the cap 500 is in close contact with the upper surface of the plate 1010 of the top chain, and the lower side The upper guide 1300 of the silver side guide 2200 and the side wall of the upper guide 1300 are wrapped around, and the upper end side will be facing the ceiling surface of the receiving space 1310 of the upper guide 1300. Accordingly, the negative pressure acting at the communication opening 2112 can act on the bottom surface of the cap 500 by communicating the tower chain, and the plate 1010 and the cap 500 have an adhesive force.

The distance between the upper guide 1300 and the side guide 2200 and the distance between the side guide 2200 and the cap 500 may be made in consideration of process tolerances or allowable air inflow.

Since the upper guide 1300 is configured to be spaced upward from the plate 1010 and the side guide 2200, it can be supported at the top by a predetermined bracket coupled to the chamber frame 2100, and the horizontal section 100 And since the side guides 2200 and the upper guides 1300 are also formed to be long in the longitudinal direction due to their long arrangement in the inclined section 200, the brackets can be arranged at intervals selected in the longitudinal direction.

Due to this configuration, most of the top of the side guide 2200 and the top guide 1300 are covered when the cap 500 is transported, so most of the plate 1010 and the cap 500 will not be exposed to the outside. However, in the transfer section, the side guide 2200 may be removed and the plate 1010 may be exposed, which will be described later in this regard.

4 is a front cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a horizontal conveyor in the conveyor device of the present invention.

In the case of the horizontal conveyor 1000, it is common with the inclined conveyor 2000 in transferring the object to be transferred to the upper surface by the tower chain. Therefore, the fact that the horizontal side frame 1100 supports the top chain from the upper surface and accommodates the lower plate 1010 in the inner space is as described above, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

In the case of the horizontal conveyor 1000, since there is no need to form a vacuum pressure, the under cover 2130 of the inclined conveyor 2000 does not need to be installed, and as shown, the horizontal side frame 1100 can support the side. Enough is enough.

The horizontal side frame 1100 supports the plates 1010 to be transported upward, but the air leakage prevention structure can be omitted, so that the shape surrounding the cap 500 is not configured like the side guide 2200 described above. good night. However, there is a possibility of loss and damage due to friction between the flange 1111 made of a metal material (preferably stainless steel) and the continuously moving plate 1010, and for this purpose, the bottom guide 1200 is added between them it is desirable The bottom guide 1200 may be symmetrically disposed on both sides in a form surrounding the side surface of the flange 1111, and may perform a function of reducing frictional force during movement by directly contacting the bottom surface of the plate 1010 from the top surface. .

In addition, outer protrusions 1210 may be formed on both ends of the bottom guide 1200 by protruding upward, and by fixing the outer teeth on the side of the plate 1010, it may perform a function of guiding the accurate transfer of the top chain. .

On the other hand, an upper guide 1300 may be disposed in a form surrounding the upper side of the transfer object, and the function of the upper guide 1300 as a guide is the same as that of the inclined conveyor 2000. The same parts may be commonly applied to the upper guide 1300 in the horizontal section 100, the inclined section 200, and the transfer section 300. In particular, the upper guide in the transfer section 300 where the route is variable 1300 may function to change the topchain. In this regard, specific embodiments will be described later.

The side guide 2200, the upper guide 1300, and the bottom guide 1200 in which the friction between the continuously moving plate 1010 and the object to be transferred are directly made of a material having relatively low frictional force and excellent wear resistance is appropriate.

Preferably, the material of the guides may be GUR (UHMW PE, Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene), and has a high molecular weight, excellent abrasion resistance, and non-toxicity. In addition, since the material has non-adhesive properties during the manufacturing process or the transfer process of parts, it will be suitable for application to various products, parts, and raw materials.

5 is a configuration diagram for explaining a transfer section in the conveyor device of the present invention.

Based on the matters shown, the transfer object passes through the transfer section 300 to be transported from the inclined conveyor 2000 on the right side to the horizontal conveyor 1000 on the left side.

In the transfer section, the end of the withdrawal side of the inclined conveyor 2000 and the end of the entry side of the horizontal conveyor 1000 overlap each other and are arranged in parallel. However, the connection and progress relationship may be substituted.

The chain driving unit 4000 for driving the top chain in each of the horizontal conveyor 1000 and the inclined conveyor 2000 can provide power to one conveyor element or a plurality of conveyor elements, and such a chain driving unit 4000 Known configurations may be applied to the motor and control panel for the configuration.

As described above, in the inclined conveyor 2000, most of the upper side is covered by the side guide 2200 and the upper guide 1300, but in the transfer section 300, the side guide 2200 of the inclined conveyor 2000 is removed It should be noted that left and right movement of the object to be transferred is allowed.

According to this feature, it is preferable that the negative pressure forming unit 2120 is removed in the transfer section 300 of the inclined conveyor 2000.

The top chain 1110 of the inclined conveyor 2000 and the top chain 1110 of the horizontal conveyor 1000 are exposed on both sides of the transfer section 300, and the upper guide 1300 follows the center line of the inclined conveyor 2000. After being followed, it is curved and deformed toward the top chain 1110 side of the horizontal conveyor 1000, and is arranged along the center line of the horizontal conveyor 1000. The cab 500 is transferred along the arrangement of the upper guide 1300, and the provision of transfer power of the inclined conveyor 2000 is converted to the provision of transfer power of the horizontal conveyor 1000.

The path of the horizontal conveyor 1000 may form or include a curved path as shown, and even in this case, the upper guide 1300 guides the transfer to the correct position.

The transfer section 300 varies between the inclined conveyor 2000 and the inclined conveyor 2000, between the inclined conveyor 2000 and the horizontal conveyor 1000, and between the horizontal conveyor 1000 and the horizontal conveyor 1000. It may be applied accordingly, and the above-described embodiments may be applied or applied mutatis mutandis.

The above-described conveyor device having an improved function according to the present invention has an advantage in that the accuracy of conveying an object to be transferred in an inclined section is ensured. Since this can contribute to reducing process errors or defects in the manufacturing or assembly process, it leads to the effect of improving the speed and reliability of the entire process.

In addition, it is economical because vacuum pressure can be effectively formed on the tower chain conveyor without applying a complicated structure by adopting a structure that can achieve both the application of vacuum pressure and the guide of transport.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail based on examples and accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the above embodiments and drawings, and the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the content described in the claims below.

100...horizontal section 200...slope section
300...transfer section 1000...horizontal conveyor
1010 ... plate 1100 ... horizontal side frame
1111 ... flange 1200 ... bottom guide
1210 ... outer protrusion 1300 ... upper guide
1310 ... receiving space 2000 ... inclined conveyor
2100 ... chamber frame 2111 ... flange
2112... Communication opening 2120... Negative pressure forming part
2130 ... under cover 2200 ... side guide
2210 ... lower plate 2220 ... upper plate
3000 ... vacuum forming part 3010 ... chamber connection part
3020...Vacuum line 4000...Chain driving part

Claims (5)

A top chain 1110 in which a plurality of plates 1010 are connected by links, a chamber frame 2100 forming a trajectory of the top chain and having a negative pressure forming part 2120 formed therein, and An inclined conveyor 2000 having an upper guide 1300 formed in the longitudinal direction in a form wrapping the upper side of the object to be transferred from left to right;
The vacuum pressure formed in the negative pressure forming unit is provided to the object to be transferred through the gap between the plates to form an adhesive force between the top chain and the object to be transferred in the inclined section.
According to claim 1,
The inclined conveyor,
Conveyor device having a side guide (2200) covering the side surface of the top chain and having a gap between the upper plate parts corresponding to the width of the object to be transported.
According to claim 2,
The chamber frame,
A conveyor device comprising: a flange 2111 supporting a lower plate at the lower side of the side guide and forming a communication opening for pressure communication at the center in the width direction, and an under cover 2130 opening and closing the bottom.
According to claim 2,
The top chain 1110, the horizontal side frame 1100 forming the trajectory of the top chain, the bottom guide 1200 that surrounds the flange of the horizontal side frame and supports the bottom surfaces of both sides of the top chain, and the inclined conveyor A conveyor device further comprising a horizontal conveyor 1000 having an upper guide connected thereto.
According to claim 4,
A transfer section in which the object to be transferred is transferred by changing its position on the inclined conveyor and the horizontal conveyor;
The inclined conveyor,
A conveyor device that allows the transfer of transfer objects in the left and right directions by omitting the side guide in the transfer section and delivers the transfer object to the horizontal conveyor according to the shape of the upper guide.

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