TW201930801A - Heat treatment furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

This heat treatment furnace performs a heat treatment on objects to be treated. The heat treatment furnace is provided with: a heat treatment part that is provided with a space for performing a heat treatment on the objects to be treated; an inward-conveyance part for conveying the to-be-treated objects into the heat treatment part; and a plurality of conveyance rollers that are arranged in the heat treatment part and that convey the objects conveyed into the heat treatment part. The conveyance rollers can have a plurality of the objects mounted thereon so as to be aligned in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction which is horizontal and is the conveying direction. The inward-conveyance part is configured so as to be able convey, into the heat treatment part, the to-be-treated objects mounted thereon and aligned in the second direction while having the to-be-treated objects individually shifted in the first direction.

Description

Heat treatment furnace

The technique disclosed in this patent specification relates to a heat treatment furnace for heat-treating a workpiece.

The object to be treated is sometimes subjected to heat treatment using a heat treatment furnace (for example, a roller hearth furnace or the like). This heat treatment furnace includes a plurality of conveyance rollers, and conveys the workpiece by rotating the conveyance roller while the workpiece is placed on the conveyance roller. An example of a heat treatment furnace is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2015-64189.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In such a heat treatment furnace, in order to improve productivity, a plurality of rollers are arranged on the conveyance roller in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (hereinafter also referred to as a first direction) and horizontally (hereinafter also referred to as a second direction). The processed object and the plurality of processed objects are simultaneously carried. In this case, a plurality of objects to be processed are simultaneously loaded into the heat treatment furnace while being aligned in the second direction. Further, a plurality of objects to be processed are transported in a heat treatment furnace by a conveyance roller, and are then carried out from the heat treatment furnace. Since a plurality of objects to be processed arranged and arranged in the second direction are conveyed by the same conveyance roller, they are preferably carried out simultaneously from the heat treatment furnace. However, there is a difference in the conveyance speed depending on which position of the object to be processed is placed in the conveyance roller due to deformation during the production of the conveyance roller or bending due to the weight of the workpiece. Therefore, there is a problem in that a plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged and placed in the second direction are not simultaneously carried out from the heat treatment furnace. This problem is remarkable especially in the heat treatment furnace in which the handling distance of the workpiece is long.

This patent specification discloses a technique of simultaneously carrying out a plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged horizontally and in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (second direction) and placed thereon.
[Means for solving the problem]

The object to be treated is heat-treated in the heat treatment furnace disclosed in this patent specification. The heat treatment furnace includes a heat treatment unit that includes a space for heat-treating the workpiece, a loading unit that carries the workpiece into the heat treatment unit, and a plurality of conveyance rollers that are disposed in the heat treatment unit and are transported to the heat treatment unit. The processed object that was moved in. The conveyance roller system can arrange and mount a plurality of objects to be processed in a horizontal direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction of the conveyance direction. Each of the plurality of objects to be processed arranged and placed in the second direction is placed in the heat treatment unit offset in the first direction.

In the heat treatment furnace described above, each of the plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged in the second direction and placed in the second direction can be shifted in the conveyance direction. Therefore, the loading unit can be adjusted to be simultaneously carried out when the workpiece is carried out from the heat treatment unit.

The main features of the embodiments described below are listed in advance. Further, the technical elements described below are independent of each other, and are technically useful individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the patent application scope when the patent is filed.

(Feature 1) The heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification may be provided with a conveyance roller that conveys a plurality of objects to be processed carried in the heat treatment unit at the loading unit. The conveyance roller provided in the loading unit may include a partial conveyance roller that is divided into a plurality of portions in the second direction. Each of the partial transport rollers divided in the second direction can be independently driven. According to this configuration, the plurality of objects to be processed arranged in the second direction can be individually transported in the carry-in portion. Therefore, the timing at which each of the plurality of objects to be processed is carried into the heat treatment unit can be easily adjusted to be simultaneously carried out when a plurality of objects to be processed arranged in the second direction are carried out from the heat treatment unit.

(Feature 2) In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the loading unit may include a pressing device that can independently push out a plurality of pieces arranged and placed in the second direction in the conveying direction. Each of the treatments. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily adjust the loading timing of each of the plurality of objects to be processed in the heat treatment portion by the pressing device.

(Feature 3) The heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification further includes: a sensor for detecting each of a plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged in the second direction and placed by the heat treatment portion; The calculation unit calculates the amount of deviation of the plurality of objects to be processed in the loading unit based on the amount of deviation of the movement time of each of the plurality of objects to be arranged and placed in the second direction detected by the sensor. The amount of offset in the first direction. According to this configuration, by detecting the object to be processed carried out from the heat treatment unit by the sensor, it is possible to detect the deviation of the carry-out timing of each of the plurality of objects to be processed. By calculating the amount by which the workpiece is shifted in the conveyance direction and adjusting the amount of the workpiece in the conveyance unit, the deviation of the carry-out timing of the plurality of workpieces can be made smaller.
[Examples]
(Example 1)

Hereinafter, the heat treatment furnace 10 of the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the heat treatment furnace 10 includes a heat treatment unit 20, a loading unit 34, a carry-out unit 40, a conveyance device 50, and a control device 62. In the heat treatment furnace 10, the workpiece 12 is conveyed between the workpieces 12 in the heat treatment unit 20 by the conveyance device 50, and the workpiece 12 is heat-treated.

The material to be processed 12 is, for example, a laminate in which a dielectric body (base material) made of ceramics and an electrode are laminated, or a positive electrode material or a negative electrode material of a lithium ion battery. When the ceramic laminate is heat-treated using the heat treatment furnace 10, the objects to be processed are placed in a flat carrier plate and conveyed in the furnace. Further, when the positive electrode material or the negative electrode material of the lithium ion battery is heat-treated by using the heat treatment furnace 10, the objects to be processed are stored in a box-shaped crucible and conveyed in the furnace. The heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment can be placed and transported in a state in which a plurality of sheet carrier plates or crucibles are arranged in the conveyance direction on the conveyance rollers 52 and 54 (described later). Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the entirety of the substance to be heat-treated, the carrier plate on which the material to be heat-treated, or the material containing the substance is placed is referred to as "the object to be treated 12". In the following description, the direction in which the workpiece 12 is conveyed (the direction perpendicular to the YZ plane in FIG. 1) may be referred to as "transport direction" or "first direction", and may be horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction. The direction (the direction perpendicular to the XZ plane of Fig. 1) is referred to as the "second direction".

The heat treatment unit 20 includes a substantially rectangular box-shaped furnace body, and an outer wall 22 is provided inside the furnace body to surround the surrounding space 24. An opening 26 is formed in the front end surface (the end surface on the -X side in Fig. 1) of the outer wall 22, and an opening 28 is formed in the rear end surface (the end surface on the +X side in Fig. 1) of the outer wall 22. The workpiece 12 is transported from the opening 26 into the heat treatment unit 20 by the transport device 50, and is transported from the opening 28 to the outside of the heat treatment unit 20. That is, the opening 26 is used as the carry-in port of the heat treatment portion 20, and the opening 28 is used as the carry-out port of the heat treatment portion 20.

In the space 24, a plurality of conveyance rollers 52 and a plurality of heaters 30 and 32 are disposed. The heaters 30 are disposed at a position above the conveyance roller 52 at equal intervals in the conveyance direction, and the heaters 32 are disposed at positions below the conveyance rollers 52 at equal intervals in the conveyance direction. The heaters 30, 32 are heated by heating in the space 24. Further, in the present embodiment, the heaters 30 and 32 are arranged at equal intervals in the conveyance direction, but are not limited to such a configuration. In addition, the heater may be appropriately changed to a desired position and disposed, for example, in accordance with the type of the workpiece 12 or the heat treatment condition of the heat treatment unit 20. Further, in the present embodiment, the heaters 30 and 32 are disposed in the space 24, but the configuration is not limited thereto. As long as the heating can be performed in the space 24, for example, a gas burner or the like may be provided in the space 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the heat treatment unit 20, a plurality of objects 12 to be processed are arranged and transported in the second direction. In the present embodiment, in the heat treatment unit 20 (that is, the entire heat treatment furnace 10), three objects 12 to be processed are arranged and conveyed in the second direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the dimension of the heat treatment portion 20 in the second direction is larger than the size of the three workpieces 12 arranged in the second direction, but the dimension of the heat treatment portion 20 in the second direction is not particularly large. limited. The size of the heat treatment portion 20 in the second direction may be arranged in the second direction and conveyed by more than three objects 12 to be processed. Moreover, the dimension of the heat treatment part 20 in the conveyance direction is relatively large, about 100 m, but the dimension of the heat processing part 20 in the conveyance direction is not specifically limited. For example, the dimension of the heat treatment portion 20 in the conveyance direction may be smaller than 100 m, may be 30 m to 100 m, or may be larger than 100 m. In addition, in the following description, the center side in the second direction in which the plurality of objects 12 are arranged in the second direction is referred to as "inside", and the center side in the second direction is in the side of the end (+Y direction and The -Y direction is called "outside". Further, the workpiece 12 is continuously carried into the heat treatment portion 20 at a predetermined interval. Therefore, the objects 12 to be processed are arranged not only in the second direction but also in the conveyance direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, among the three objects 12 to be placed and placed in the second direction, the person placed on the +Y direction side in the second direction is regarded as the object to be processed. In the 12a, the center (inside) of the second direction is regarded as the object to be processed 12b, and the person placed on the -Y direction side in the second direction is treated as the object to be processed 12c. Hereinafter, other constituent elements may be described using letters along the word when it is necessary to distinguish the constituent elements, and the letters along the word are omitted when it is not necessary to distinguish the constituent elements, and only numbers are described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the loading unit 34 is located on the upstream side of the heat treatment unit 20 (that is, on the upstream side in the conveyance direction, and in the -X direction of the heat treatment unit 20 in Fig. 1). The loading unit 34 receives the workpiece 12 conveyed from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10, and carries the received workpiece 12 into the space 24 of the heat treatment unit 20. The conveyance unit 34 is provided with a conveyance roller 54 and conveys the workpiece 12 conveyed from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10 by the conveyance roller 54. The specific configuration of the loading unit 34 will be described in detail later.

The carry-out portion 40 is located on the downstream side of the heat treatment portion 20 (that is, on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and in the +X direction of the heat treatment portion 20 in Fig. 1). The unloading unit 40 carries out the workpiece 12 from the space 24 of the heat treatment unit 20, and then delivers the workpiece 12 that has been carried out to the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10. In the carry-out unit 40, the conveyance roller 52 is provided, and the workpiece 12 is conveyed to the outside of the space 24 by the conveyance roller 52.

Further, the carry-out unit 40 is provided with a sensor 48 that detects that the workpiece 12 has been carried out from the heat treatment unit 20. The sensor 48 is disposed in the vicinity of the outer wall 22 of the unloading unit 40 (that is, outside the space 24) and above the conveyance path of the workpiece 12 (see FIG. 1). As shown in Fig. 10, in the present embodiment, the sensors 48 (the sensors 48a to 48c in Fig. 10) are arranged in the second direction and are provided in three. The three sensors 48a to 48c detect the objects to be processed 12a to 12c, respectively. Specifically, the sensor 48a is disposed on the +Y direction side, and the processed object 12a is detected from above. The sensor 48b is disposed at the center and detects the processed object 12b from above. The sensor 48c is disposed on the -Y direction side, and detects the processed object 12c from above. For example, in the sensor 48, an optical sensor can be used, and the sensor 48 can detect whether the object 12 is covered by the light path. Further, in the present embodiment, the sensor 48 is disposed above the conveyance path of the workpiece 12, but is not limited to such a configuration. The sensor system may detect that the workpiece 12 has been carried out from the heat treatment unit 20, or may be disposed below the conveyance path of the workpiece 12. Moreover, the sensor can also be a laser sensor. That is, the sensor may be disposed downstream of the workpiece 12 in the conveyance direction (in the +X direction of FIG. 1), and the sensor is processed by the object 12 based on the laser light output from the sensor. The position of the object to be processed 12 is measured by the time of reflection to the time of input to the sensor. The sensors 48a to 48c are connected to the control device 62, and input signals from the sensors 48a to 48c to the control device 62.

The conveying device 50 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 52 and 54 and a driving device 60. The conveyance device 50 conveys the workpiece 12 conveyed to the loading unit 34 from the loading unit 34 through the opening 26 into the space 24 of the heat treatment unit 20 . Further, the conveying device 50 is placed in the space 24, and conveys the workpiece 12 from the opening 26 to the opening 28. Further, the transport device 50 transports the workpiece 12 from the space 24 to the carry-out unit 40 via the opening 28 . The workpiece 12 is transported from the loading unit 34 to the carry-out unit 40 by the transport rollers 52 and 54.

The conveyance rollers 52 and 54 are cylindrical, and their axes extend in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The plurality of conveying rollers 52, 54 all have the same diameter, and are arranged at equal intervals at a fixed pitch in the conveying direction. The conveying rollers 52, 54 are supported to be rotatable about their axes, and are rotated by the driving force of the driving device 60. The conveyance roller 52 is disposed in a plurality of branches in the heat treatment unit 20 and the delivery unit 40. The dimension of the conveyance roller 52 in the axial direction is larger than the dimension of the heat treatment part 20 in the 2nd direction (refer FIG. 2). The conveyance roller 54 is disposed in a plurality of branches in the loading unit 34. The dimension of the conveyance roller 54 in the axial direction is smaller than the dimension of the conveyance roller 52 in the axial direction, and is larger than the dimension of the workpiece 12 in the second direction (see FIG. 3). In addition, the configuration of the conveyance roller 54 in the loading unit 34 will be described in detail later.

The drive devices 60a to 60d are driving devices (for example, motors) that drive the conveyance rollers 52 and 54. The drive devices 60a to 60d are connected to the conveyance rollers 52 and 54 via a power transmission mechanism. When the driving forces of the driving devices 60a to 60d are transmitted to the conveying rollers 52 and 54 via the power transmission mechanism, the conveying rollers 52 and 54 are rotated. As the power transmission mechanism, a well-known person can be used, for example, a mechanism composed of a sprocket and a chain. The drive devices 60a to 60d drive the respective conveyance rollers 52 and 54 so that the conveyance rollers 52 and 54 rotate at substantially the same speed. Further, the drive devices 60a to 60c are connected to the conveyance roller 54 provided in the loading unit 34, and the drive device 60d is connected to the conveyance roller 52 provided in the heat treatment unit 20 and the delivery unit 40. The drive devices 60a to 60d are driven separately. Further, the driving forces of the driving devices 60a to 60d are the same. Therefore, all of the conveyance rollers 52, 54 are rotated at the same speed. The drive unit 60 is controlled by the control unit 62.

Here, the configuration of the loading unit 34 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of conveyance rollers 54 are provided in the loading unit 34. The axis of the conveyance roller 54 extends in parallel with the second direction, and the three conveyance rollers 54a to 54c are disposed on the same straight line. Specifically, the conveyance roller 54a is disposed on the +Y direction side in the second direction, the conveyance roller 54b is disposed in the center (inside) in the second direction, and the conveyance roller 54c is disposed on the -Y direction side in the second direction. . When the loading unit 34 is viewed in the conveying direction, all of the conveying rollers 54a are arranged to substantially coincide with each other. Similarly, when the loading unit 34 is viewed along the conveying direction, all of the conveying rollers 54b and 54c are arranged to substantially coincide with each other.

In the conveyance rollers 54a to 54c, three objects 12a to 12c that are carried into the loading unit 34 from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10 are placed. Specifically, the workpiece 12a is placed on the conveyance roller 54a, the workpiece 12b is placed on the conveyance roller 54b, and the workpiece 12c is placed on the conveyance roller 54c. The conveyance rollers 54a to 54c convey the workpieces 12a to 12c to the heat treatment unit 20, respectively.

The conveyance rollers 54a to 54c provided in the loading unit 34 are connected to the separate driving devices 60a to 60c, respectively. Specifically, the plurality of transport rollers 54a are connected to the drive device 60a, the plurality of transport rollers 54b are connected to the drive device 60b, and the plurality of transport rollers 54c are connected to the drive device 60c. As described above, the driving of the driving devices 60a to 60c is controlled by the control device 62. The control device 62 controls the timings at which the driving devices 60a to 60c are driven, respectively.

As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 62 is connected to the heaters 30 and 32 and the drive units 60a to 60d, and controls the heaters 30 and 32 and the drive units 60a to 60d. Further, the control device 62 controls the timing at which the drive devices 60a to 60c are driven. As will be described in detail later, in the loading unit 34, the objects 12a to 12c are conveyed at different timings. In other words, the time from when the objects 12a to 12c are simultaneously carried into the loading unit 34 to the drive units 60a to 60c (hereinafter also referred to as a predetermined time) differs depending on the respective driving units 60a to 60c. The control device 62 calculates the predetermined time and drives the drive devices 60a to 60c based on the calculated predetermined time. The calculated time is calculated by the control device 62. Further, the control unit 62 is connected to the sensors 48a to 48c and inputs signals from the sensors 48a to 48c.

Next, the operation of the heat treatment furnace 10 when the workpiece 12 is subjected to heat treatment will be described. In order to heat-treat the workpiece 12, first, the heaters 30 and 32 are operated to set the ambient gas temperature of the space 24 to the set temperature. Next, the three objects 12 to be processed are moved from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10 to the conveyance rollers 54a to 54c provided in the loading unit 34. Then, the driving devices 60a to 60d are operated, and the three processed objects 12 arranged in the second direction are transported from the loading unit 34 through the opening 26 into the space 24 of the heat treatment unit 20. The workpiece 12 conveyed into the space 24 is transported from the opening 26 to the opening 28 in the space 24. Thereby, the workpiece 12 is subjected to heat treatment. Then, the workpiece 12 that has been subjected to the heat treatment is conveyed to the carry-out portion 40 through the opening 28, and is then carried out from the carry-out portion 40.

The workpiece 12 is conveyed from the loading unit 34 through the heat treatment unit 20 to the unloading unit 40 in a plurality of positions (three in the present embodiment) in the second direction. However, when the inlet of the heat treatment unit 20 is placed in a state in which the conveyance direction is aligned, a plurality of workpieces 12 are loaded, and the conveyance speed of each of the plurality of workpieces 12 varies between the conveyance of the heat treatment unit 20, and the heat treatment is performed. When the unit 20 is carried out, a plurality of objects 12 to be processed are in a state of being shifted (not aligned) in the conveyance direction. This shift is caused by warpage or the like generated during the manufacture of the conveyance roller 52, or by the conveyance roller 52 when the workpiece 12 is placed on the conveyance roller 52 due to the weight of the workpiece 12. Bending is produced.

For example, when the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52 is larger than the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52, the conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the inner side (center) of the conveyance roller 52 is likely to be higher than that of the conveyance roller 52. The conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the outer side (end side) is fast. That is, since the conveyance roller 52 is warped or deformed at the time of manufacture, it is impossible to make all the conveyance rollers 52 provided in the heat treatment furnace 10 into the identical shape. When the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52 is larger than the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52, the influence of the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52 becomes dominant, and the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52 determines the to-be-processed object 12a. 12c handling speed. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the conveyance roller 52 is warped, the rotational radius R1 of the portion where the warpage is large is larger than the rotational radius R2 of the other portion. Then, the conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the portion having a large radius of rotation is faster than the workpiece 12 placed on the portion having a smaller radius of rotation. The warpage of the conveyance roller 52 is likely to occur in the center portion rather than in the vicinity of the end portion. Therefore, the object to be processed 12b placed on the inner side (ie, the center) of the conveyance roller 52 is likely to be handled on the outer side (that is, the end side) due to the warpage caused by the conveyance roller 52. 12a, 12c are transported faster.

On the other hand, when the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52 is larger than the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52, the conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the outer side (end side) of the conveyance roller 52 is easy to be compared. The conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the inner side (center) of the conveyance roller 52 is fast. That is, when the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52 is larger than the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52, the influence of "warping" by the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52 is canceled, and the above tendency (in the conveyance roller) The conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 on the inner side (center) of 52 is faster than the outer side (that is, the end side). On the other hand, the influence of the unevenness of the diameter of the conveyance roller 52 is dominant, and the conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the outer side (end side) of the conveyance roller 52 is likely to be on the inner side of the conveyance roller 52. The conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the center is fast.

This will be explained using FIG. 6. Fig. 6 shows the workpiece 12 placed on the four transport rollers 52 in a pattern. The four transport rollers 52 are arranged in the order from the upstream to the downstream (in the +X direction) in the transport direction by the transport rollers 52a to 52d. Further, the four transport rollers 52a to 53d have large diameters of the transport rollers 52a and 52c, and the transport rollers 52b and 52d have small diameters.

Here, since the conveyance roller 52 is supported at both ends, the "bending" is large at the center and becomes small at the end. As described above, when the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52 is larger than the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52, since the influence of the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52 is canceled, it is assumed that the conveyance roller 52 does not "warp". song". In this case, if the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52 is small, the workpiece 12 is only in contact with the conveyance roller 52 having a large diameter. On the other hand, when the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52 is large, the workpiece 12 is greatly bent by the conveyance roller 52 having a large diameter, and as a result, it is also in contact with the conveyance roller 52 having a small diameter.

As shown in Fig. 6 (a), since the bending of the conveyance rollers 52a and 52c is large in the vicinity of the center of the conveyance roller 52, the workpiece 12b is in contact with the other conveyance rollers 52b and 52d. That is, the workpiece 12b is in contact with all of the conveyance rollers 52a to 52d. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 6 (b), since the bending of the conveyance rollers 52a and 52c is small at the end of the conveyance roller 52, the objects 12a and 12c are not in contact with the conveyance rollers 52b and 52d. . Therefore, at the end of the conveyance roller 52, the conveyed objects 12a and 12c are conveyed only by the conveyance rollers 52a and 52c having a large turning radius, and as a result, the conveyance speed of the workpieces 12a and 12c is increased. On the other hand, in the state shown in Fig. 6 (a), since the bending of the conveyance rollers 52a and 52c is large, the workpiece 12b is in contact with all of the conveyance rollers 52a to 52d, and the diameter of the conveyance rollers 52a to 52d is lowered. The effect of size. As a result, the conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the inner side of the conveyance roller 52 is slower than the conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 placed on the outer side (end side).

As described above, the conveyance speed of the workpieces 12a to 12c arranged and placed in the Y direction changes depending on the relationship between the "warpage" and the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52. When the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52 is larger than the "bending", the influence of the "warpage" of the conveyance roller 52 becomes strong, and the workpiece 12b disposed in the center of the conveyance roller 52 is more than the end portion. The disposed objects 12a, 12c are easily handled quickly. On the other hand, when the "bending" of the conveyance roller 52 is larger than the "warpage", the influence of the unevenness of the diameter of the conveyance roller 52 becomes strong, and the workpiece disposed at the end of the conveyance roller 52 is processed. The 12a, 12c are more easily handled than the workpiece 12b disposed at the center.

In this manner, the conveyance speed of the workpiece 12 varies depending on the warpage, bending, and unevenness of the conveyance roller 52. Therefore, the plurality of objects 12 to be processed arranged in the second direction may be displaced in the conveyance direction between the workpieces 12 to be conveyed by the heat treatment unit 20 . In particular, as described above, in the heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment, since the size of the heat treatment unit 20 in the conveyance direction is relatively long, the plurality of objects to be processed arranged and conveyed in the second direction are easily displaced in the conveyance direction. When the plurality of objects 12 to be processed in the unloading unit 40 do not coincide with each other in the second direction, it is difficult to carry out a plurality of objects 12 to be processed outside the heat treatment furnace 10. Therefore, in consideration of the amount of displacement between the heat treatment units 20, the plurality of objects 12 are shifted in the conveyance direction to carry out all of the objects 12a to 12c simultaneously from the heat treatment unit 20. Hereinafter, the configuration in which the plurality of objects 12 arranged in the second direction are shifted in the conveyance direction will be described in more detail in the loading unit 34.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the control device 62 when the loading unit 34 shifts the objects 12a to 12c in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the control device 62 calculates the time during which each of the objects 12a to 12c is conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20 based on the amount of bending of the conveyance roller 52 (S12). The amount of bending of the conveyance roller 52 can be calculated, for example, from the material, shape, size, and the like of the conveyance roller 52, the weight, the number of the workpiece 12 placed on the conveyance roller 52, the position to be placed, and the like. The control device 62 calculates the time during which the objects 12a to 12c are conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20 based on the calculated amount of bending. In other words, the conveyance speed of each of the objects 12a to 12c is calculated, and the conveyance time of each of the objects 12a to 12c is calculated from the conveyance speed. Further, the calculation in the step S12 is based on the assumption that the influence of the "warping" of the conveying roller 52 is small (that is, "bending" > "warping"), and the unevenness of the diameter of the conveying roller 52 is small to be negligible. Calculation.

Next, the control device 62 calculates a predetermined time for each of the drive devices 60a to 60c based on the calculated difference in the conveyance time of the workpieces 12a to 12c (S14). For example, when the control device 62 calculates that the time during which the workpiece 12b is conveyed by the heat treatment unit 20 is longer than the time period during which the workpieces 12a and 12c are conveyed by the heat treatment unit 20, the control unit 62 determines the drive unit 60b. The time is calculated to be 0, and the predetermined time for the drive devices 60a and 60c is calculated as t1. Further, the control device 62 is a predetermined time calculated by the memory. Further, in the present embodiment, the control device 62 executes step S12 and step S14, but is not limited to such a configuration. For example, it may be configured to calculate a predetermined time in advance and input the calculated predetermined time to the control device 62.

Next, the control device 62 conveys the objects 12a to 12c (S16). The objects to be processed 12a to 12c are transported in accordance with the following procedures. First, as shown in FIG. 8, the three objects 12a to 12c are carried into the loading unit 34 from the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10, and the objects 12a to 12c are placed on the conveyance rollers 54a to 54c, respectively. The control device 62 drives the driving devices 60a to 60c, respectively, after the processed objects 12a to 12c are placed on the transport rollers 54a to 54c, and after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

For example, when the control device 62 records the predetermined time of the drive device 60b as 0, when the workpiece 12b is placed on the conveyance roller 54b, the workpiece 12b is immediately conveyed. In addition, since the predetermined time of the drive devices 60a and 60c is stored as t1, the objects 12a and 12c are placed on the conveyance rollers 54a and 54c, and when the time t1 elapses, the objects 12a and 12c are conveyed. Since the driving forces of the driving devices 60a to 60c are the same, all of the conveying rollers 54a to 54c are rotated at the same speed (hereinafter, this speed is regarded as v). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the workpiece 12b is conveyed in a state in which the workpieces 12a and 12c are shifted by only the distance vt1 in the downstream direction of the conveyance direction, and is maintained at the distance vt1 while maintaining the distance It is carried into the heat treatment unit 20.

Next, the control device 62 determines whether signals of the sensors 48a to 48c have been input (S18). The objects 12a to 12c conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20 are detected by the sensors 48a to 48c when the heat treatment unit 20 is carried out. When the signals detected by the respective sensors 48a to 48c are not input to the control device 62, that is, there are cases where the sensors 48a to 48c that have moved out of the objects 12a to 12c are not detected (NO in step S18) In the case, the control device 62 repeats the processing of step S18. When the control device 62 has input the signals detected by the respective sensors 48a to 48c, that is, all of the sensors 48a to 48c detect the case where the objects to be processed 12a to 12c are carried out (YES in step ST18). ), the process moves to step S20.

When the signals detected by the respective sensors 48a to 48c are input (YES in step S18), the control unit 62 determines whether or not the signal input in step S18 has been simultaneously input (S20). In addition, the term "simultaneously" as used herein includes not only the case where the signal input in step S18 is input completely simultaneously, but also the case where all of the signals are input within a predetermined time (i.e., substantially simultaneously). As described above, when the workpieces 12a to 12c are conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20 during the conveyance time calculated in the step S12, the objects 12a to 12c are simultaneously carried out from the heat treatment unit 20. In this case, the objects to be processed 12a to 12c are simultaneously transported from the heat treatment unit 20 to the carry-out unit 40, and the objects 12a to 12c can be simultaneously carried out from the carry-out unit 40 to the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10. When the signals detected by the sensors 48a to 48c are simultaneously input (in the case of YES in step S20), the control device 62 does not change the predetermined time and continues the subsequent conveyance of the workpiece 12.

On the other hand, when the signals detected by the sensors 48a to 48c are not simultaneously input (in the case of NO in step S20), the control device 62 changes the predetermined time (S22). For example, when the warpage of the conveyance roller 52 or the unevenness of the diameter size greatly affects, the objects 12a to 12c are not conveyed in the heat treatment portion 20 as the time calculated based on the amount of bending. In this case, the control device 62 changes the predetermined time based on the deviation of the timing of inputting signals from the sensors 48a to 48c in step S18.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the objects to be processed 12c are carried out first, and the objects 12a and 12b are carried out after the time t2 is shorter than the object to be processed 12c. In this case, the control device 62, in step S18, inputs a signal detected by the sensor 48c indicating that the processed object 12c has been carried out, and then, after a time t2, inputs the representation detected by the sensors 48a, 48b. The signals of the objects 12a and 12b have been carried out. Then, the control device 62 determines in step S20 that the signals are not simultaneously input from the sensors 48a to 48c.

Then, the control device 62 changes the predetermined time based on the signal input in step S18. Specifically, the workpiece 12c is loaded only into the workpiece 12a that is carried into the heat treatment unit 20 at the same time as the workpiece 12c, and the workpiece 12b that is carried into the heat treatment unit 20 at a time t1 earlier than the workpiece 12c. The early time t2 is carried out from the heat treatment unit 20. Therefore, the control device 62 changes the predetermined time to the object to be processed 12c into the heat treatment unit 20 at a later time t2. That is, the predetermined time for the drive device 60c is time (t1 + t2).

After the predetermined time has been changed in step S22, the control device 62 returns to step S16 and executes the processing of step S16. Then, the objects to be processed 12a to 12c are transported in the loading unit 34 in a state where the conveyance direction is shifted in accordance with the predetermined time of the new memory. For example, in the control device 62, since the predetermined time of the drive device 60b is stored as 0, when the workpiece 12b is placed on the conveyance roller 54b, the workpiece 12b is immediately conveyed. On the other hand, since the predetermined time of the drive unit 60a is stored as t1, the workpiece 12a is placed on the conveyance roller 54a, and when the time t1 elapses, the workpiece 12a is conveyed. Further, since the predetermined time for the drive device 60c is stored as (t1 + t2), the workpiece 12c is placed on the conveyance roller 54c, and when the time (t1 + t2) elapses, the workpiece 12c is conveyed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the workpiece 12b is conveyed in a state where the workpiece 12a is shifted by only the distance vt1 from the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the workpiece 12c is conveyed in the conveyance direction. The downstream side offset is carried only in a state of distance v (t1 + t2). Further, the objects 12a to 12c are carried into the heat treatment portion 20 while maintaining the distance. By carrying the objects 12a to 12c into the heat treatment unit 20 in this manner, the objects 12a to 12c can be simultaneously carried out from the heat treatment unit 20. This adjustment of the predetermined time is repeatedly performed until the objects 12a to 12c are simultaneously carried out from the heat treatment unit 20. In addition, after the predetermined time has elapsed in step S22, the control device 62 does not perform the processing of steps S18 and S20 until the workpieces 12a to 12c conveyed in a state where the predetermined time has been changed are carried out from the heat treatment unit 20. In other words, the control device 62 considers the conveyance time of the objects 12a to 12c in the heat treatment unit 20, and detects that the objects 12a to 12c have been changed for a predetermined time by the sensors 48a to 48c, and does not execute the predetermined time. Adjustment.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of objects 12 to be loaded into the loading unit 34 are shifted in the conveying direction by the loading unit 34 in accordance with the difference in the speed at which the plurality of objects 12 are conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20. Thereby, the plurality of objects 12 to be processed can be simultaneously carried out from the heat treatment unit 20. As described above, the conveyance roller 52 provided in the heat treatment unit 20 is warped at the time of manufacture or warpage caused by the weight of the workpiece 12. Therefore, depending on which position of the conveyance roller 52 is conveyed in the second direction, the speed at which the workpiece 12 is conveyed in the heat treatment unit 20 is different. Therefore, when a plurality of objects 12 to be processed are arranged and transported in the second direction, the time during which the plurality of objects 12 are transported as a whole in the heat treatment unit 20 does not match. Then, the plurality of objects 12 to be processed and placed in the second direction in the heat treatment furnace 10 are in a state of being displaced in the conveyance direction, and are difficult to carry out from the heat treatment furnace 10 to the outside. In the heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment, the plurality of objects 12 arranged in the second direction are shifted in the conveyance direction by the loading unit 34. Therefore, the loading unit 34 can be adjusted in advance to simultaneously carry out a plurality of objects 12 to be processed from the heat treatment unit 20. Therefore, the plurality of objects 12 to be processed and placed in the second direction in the heat treatment furnace 10 can be aligned in the conveyance direction in the conveyance unit 40, and can be easily carried out from the heat treatment furnace 10.

Further, in the present embodiment, the three objects to be processed 12a to 12c are arranged and placed in the second direction, but the configuration is not limited thereto. In the loading unit 34, the plurality of objects 12 to be placed and arranged in the second direction may be shifted in the transport direction, and the plurality of objects 12 may be arranged in the second direction and placed more than three. Treatment 12. Further, the conveyance time of the objects 12a to 12c is calculated in step S12, but such a procedure can be omitted. For example, it is also assumed that the conveyance time of the objects 12a to 12c is the same, and the heat treatment of the objects 12a to 12c is started. In this manner, since the carry-out timing is detected every time the heat treatment of the workpiece 12 is performed, and the loading timing is adjusted based on the detection result, the objects 12a to 12c are gradually adjusted to be simultaneously carried out. Alternatively, the objects to be processed 12a to 12c may be conveyed experimentally, and the carrying time measured at that time may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, all of the conveyance rollers 52 and 54 have the same diameter, but the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, the diameter of the conveyance roller provided in the heat treatment unit 20 may be different from the diameter of the conveyance roller provided in the loading unit 34 and the delivery unit 40, or the diameter of the conveyance roller may match the type of the workpiece 12 or The conditions of the heat treatment and the like are appropriately changed. Further, in the present embodiment, all of the conveyance rollers 52 and 54 are disposed at equal intervals, but the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, the conveyance roller 52 provided in the heat treatment unit 20 may be disposed at a different pitch from the conveyance rollers 52 and 54 provided in the loading unit 34 and the delivery unit 40. Further, in the present embodiment, the drive unit 60 drives the respective conveyance rollers 52 and 54 so that the conveyance rollers 52 and 54 rotate at substantially the same speed, but the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, the heat treatment furnace 10 may include a plurality of driving devices having different driving forces, and may be configured by a plurality of driving devices, and the conveying rollers 52 provided in the heat treatment portion 20 and the loading portion 34 and the carrying portion 40 The set conveying rollers 52, 54 are rotated at different speeds.

Further, in the present embodiment, the objects 12a to 12c are shifted in the conveyance direction by shifting the timing of driving the drive devices 60a to 60c, but the configuration is not limited thereto. The timing of the plurality of objects 12 to be placed and placed in the second direction in the heat treatment furnace 10 to be carried into the heat treatment unit 20 may be shifted. For example, the conveyance rollers 54a to 54c may be different. The composition of the speed of rotation. In other words, the transport rollers 54a to 54c may be connected to a drive device that can change the drive speed. According to this configuration, in the loading unit 34, the objects 12a to 12c can be displaced in the conveyance direction and moved into the heat treatment unit 20 with a shift.
(Example 2)

In the heat treatment furnace 10 of the first embodiment described above, the conveyance unit 34 shifts the conveyance timing of the plurality of objects 12a to 12c arranged in the second direction, or conveys them at different conveyance speeds. The objects to be processed 12a to 12c are shifted in the conveyance direction in the loading unit 34, but the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, the heat treatment furnace 110 may also include a pressing device 70. Further, the configuration of the heat treatment furnace 110-based loading unit 134 of the present embodiment is different from that of the heat treatment furnace 10 of the first embodiment, and is basically the same as the other configurations. Therefore, the same configuration as that of the heat treatment furnace 10 of the first embodiment will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of conveyance rollers 52 are provided in the loading unit 134. The axis of the conveyance roller 52 extends in parallel with the second direction, and the plurality of conveyance rollers 52 are disposed at equal intervals in the conveyance direction at a fixed interval. The pitch of the conveyance rollers 52 disposed in the loading unit 134 is the same as the pitch of the conveyance rollers 52 disposed in the heat treatment unit 20. Further, the pitch of the conveyance rollers 52 provided in the loading unit 134 may be different from the pitch of the conveyance rollers 52 disposed in the heat treatment unit 20 .

In the loading unit 134, a pressing device 70 is provided. The pressing device 70 is disposed on the upstream side (the −X direction side) of the loading unit 134 in the conveyance direction. The pressing device 70 includes push plates 72a to 72c, and the front end faces (surfaces on the +X direction side) of the push plates 72a to 72c are provided to be rear end faces (-X) of the objects 12a to 12c to be carried into the carry-in portion 134. Contact on the side of the direction). The push plates 72a to 72c are driven by an actuator (not shown), and the objects 12a to 12c are pushed out in the conveyance direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the pressing device 70 is connected to the control device 62 and controlled by the control device 62. The amount by which the pressing device 70 pushes out the objects to be processed 12a to 12c is controlled by the control device 62.

In the present embodiment, the pressing device 70 can shift the objects 12a to 12c in the carrying direction by the loading unit 134 by a predetermined amount. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the plurality of objects 12 to be processed and placed in the second direction in the heat treatment furnace 10 may be shifted in the conveyance direction from the heat treatment unit 20 while being carried out. Therefore, the plurality of objects 12 to be processed and placed in the second direction can be aligned in the conveyance direction in the conveyance unit 40, and the plurality of objects 12 can be easily carried out from the heat treatment furnace 10.

Further, in the present embodiment, the pressing device 70 shifts the objects 12a to 12c in the conveyance direction in the loading unit 134, but the configuration is not limited thereto. It suffices that the timing of the plurality of objects 12 to be transported and placed in the second direction in the heat treatment furnace 10 can be shifted by a predetermined time. For example, a stopper can be used in the loading unit 134 to delay the respective The timing of handling of the workpiece 12. In other words, it is possible to shift the start of the conveyance timing of each of the workpieces 12 by the stopper, and the workpiece 12 is carried into the heat treatment unit 20 while being displaced in the conveyance direction. Further, in the present embodiment, the conveyance unit 34 is provided with the conveyance roller 52 that is not divided in the second direction, but the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in the loading unit 34 of the first embodiment, the conveying roller 54 divided in the second direction may be provided. In such a configuration, the pressing device 70 or the stopper can be used, and the objects to be processed 12a to 12c can be shifted in the conveying direction by the loading unit 134.

The specific examples of the technology disclosed in the present specification are described in detail above, but these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the patent application. The technology described in the patent application scope includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples described above. Further, the technical elements described in the patent specification or the drawings are technically useful individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims.

10‧‧‧heat treatment furnace

12‧‧‧Processed objects

20‧‧‧ Heat Treatment Department

22‧‧‧ outer wall

24‧‧‧ Space

26‧‧‧ openings

28‧‧‧ openings

30‧‧‧heater

32‧‧‧heater

34‧‧‧ Moving into the Department

40‧‧‧ Moving out

50‧‧‧Transportation device

52, 54‧‧‧Transport roller

60‧‧‧ drive

62‧‧‧Control device

70‧‧‧Pushing device

1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment furnace according to Examples 1 and 2, and is a longitudinal cross-sectional view when the heat treatment furnace is cut in a plane parallel to the conveyance direction of the workpiece.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a loading unit of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a control system of the heat treatment furnace of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining conveyance of a workpiece when the conveyance roller is warped.

[Fig. 6] is a view for explaining conveyance of a workpiece when the bending of the conveyance roller is large, and Fig. 6(a) shows a state in which the workpiece placed on the center of the conveyance roller is placed, 6(b) shows the state in which the workpiece placed on the end of the conveyance roller is placed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the control device when the loading unit shifts a plurality of objects to be processed arranged in the second direction and is moved in the conveyance direction.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which a plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged in the second direction and carried in are carried into the loading unit.

[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a view showing another form in which a plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged in the second direction and are carried in the transport direction are shifted in the transport direction.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which the object to be processed carried out from the heat treatment unit is detected by the sensor.

[Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a view showing another form in which a plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged in the second direction and are carried in the transport direction are shifted in the transport direction.

Fig. 12 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a loading unit of the second embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a control system of the heat treatment furnace of the second embodiment.

Claims (4)

A heat treatment furnace is a heat treatment furnace for heat-treating a workpiece, and the system includes: The heat treatment portion includes a space for heat-treating the object to be processed; The loading unit carries the object to be processed into the heat treatment unit; a plurality of transport rollers are disposed in the heat treatment portion and transport the processed object carried in the heat treatment portion; The conveyance roller is arranged in a horizontal direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction of the conveyance direction, and placed on the plurality of objects to be processed; The loading unit is configured to be able to carry the plurality of objects to be processed arranged in the second direction and to move the heat treatment unit offset in the first direction. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 1, wherein the loading unit is provided with a conveying roller that conveys a plurality of the objects to be processed carried in the heat treatment unit; The conveyance roller provided in the loading unit includes a partial conveyance roller that is divided into a plurality of the second direction; Each of the partial conveyance rollers divided in the second direction can be independently driven. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 1, wherein the loading unit includes a pressing device that can independently push out the plurality of processed and arranged in the second direction in the conveying direction. Everything of things. A heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which further comprises: The sensor detects each of a plurality of objects to be processed which are arranged in the second direction and are placed by the heat treatment unit; and The calculation unit calculates the plurality of objects to be processed in the loading unit based on the amount of deviation of the carry-out time of each of the plurality of objects to be processed and placed in the second direction detected by the sensor. Each of the amounts offset in the first direction.