WO2001055012A1

WO2001055012A1 - Roller conveyor device

Info

Publication number: WO2001055012A1
Application number: PCT/JP2000/000377
Authority: WO
Inventors: Takashi Yoshida; Yuuichi Komazawa
Original assignee: Technowave, Ltd.
Priority date: 2000-01-26
Filing date: 2000-01-26
Publication date: 2001-08-02

Abstract

A roller conveyor device having a main transfer surface formed by disposing a plurality of rollers in parallel with each other, characterized in that each roller is formed by disposing a plurality of belt conveyor mechanisms in polygonal prism shape, and the belt transfer direction in each belt conveyor mechanism is perpendicular to the transfer direction of the main transfer surface, whereby a load can be moved also in a direction perpendicular to the main transfer direction by the belt conveyor mechanism forming the rollers while the load is transferred in the main transfer direction.

Description

Description Conveyor system Technical field

The present invention relates to a conveyor device, and more specifically, to a roller conveyor device capable of moving articles in a direction perpendicular to a main transport direction. Background art

In general, typical conveyor devices used in distribution centers are a belt conveyor and a roller conveyor.

The former is mainly driven by power, and in the latter case, articles are often conveyed using the drop inertia on an inclined surface.

By the way, in the field of automatic control of physical distribution equipment, it is necessary to move a load in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the load in order to control the branching and merging of the load. For this reason, conventional logistics equipment uses a belt conveyor to push a pad called a "shu", which operates along a rail provided in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the belt conveyor, against the load, and moves the load orthogonally. Moving in the direction, branching and merging.

However, once such a conventional conveyor system is used to construct a logistics system, the hardware must be reworked to change the layout, which is a huge cost. It takes time.

In addition, it has a problem that it cannot withstand high-speed branching and merging.

Therefore, we aimed to perform complicated branch control and merging control at high speed. In this case, the types of physical distribution devices are increased, and the shapes are long and large. This resulted in a decrease in processing capacity and complicated installation work, leading to a reduction in cost performance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device capable of moving a load in a direction perpendicular to a main transport direction and capable of performing branching and merging control flexibly and easily. Disclosure of the invention

To achieve the above objectives,

The invention described in claim 1

A roller conveyor device comprising a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel to form a main transport surface,

Each of the rollers is formed by arranging a plurality of belt conveyor mechanisms in a polygonal column shape,

The transport direction of the belt in each of the belt conveyor mechanisms is a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the main transport surface.

It is a mouth conveyor system characterized by the above-mentioned.

Therefore, in the roller conveyor device of the present invention, the load can be moved not only in the main transport direction but also in the direction orthogonal to the main transport direction by the belt conveyor mechanism that constitutes the rollers. The invention described in Claim 2 is

The roller has a main shaft passing through its center,

The plurality of belt conveyor mechanisms constituting the rollers are driven by transmitting the rotation of the main shaft via a rotation transmission mechanism. 2. The roller conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein: The invention described in claim 3 is:

The rotation transmitting mechanism is provided with a worm coaxially with the main shaft, a worm wheel is combined with the worm, and a center axis of the worm wheel is a direction orthogonal to a center axis of the worm. Transmission of wheel rotation to belt drive pulley via intermediate gear

3. The roller conveyor device according to claim 2, wherein:

Therefore, in these inventions, the belt constituting the belt conveyor mechanism is driven by the rotation of the main shaft. The invention described in Claim 4 is

The stop or drive of the belt conveyor mechanism can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the main shaft with reference to the rotation speed of the roller itself. It is a roller conveyor device.

Therefore, in the present invention, the driving speed of the belt of the belt conveyor mechanism that moves the load in the orthogonal direction is controlled by the difference between the number of rotations of the main spindle to be rotated and the number of rotations of the roller itself. The invention described in claim 5 is

A roller conveyor unit for forming a roller conveyor device, comprising a polygonal pillar-shaped roller for forming a main transport surface of the roller conveyor device,

Each side of the polygonal column of the roller comprises a belt conveyor mechanism A roller conveyor unit characterized in that: The invention described in claim 6

A main shaft penetrating the center axis of the roller;

A rotation transmitting mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the main shaft to the belt of the belt conveyor mechanism.

6. The roller conveyor unit according to claim 5, wherein: The invention described in claim 7 is

A roller formed in the shape of a polygonal column, both ends of which are supported by bearing portions of a bearing bracket;

A main shaft disposed so as to penetrate the center of the roller, and having one end protruding from one end of the bearing portion and rotatable;

A plurality of guide pulleys disposed on each side of the end plate, inside a pair of polygonal end plates disposed on both ends of the roller, and disposed on corresponding side portions of the pair of end plates; A plurality of belts which are wound endlessly between the two guide pulleys, and which are arranged in parallel with the main shaft as a center,

A rotation transmission mechanism that is arranged inside the roller and converts rotation of the main shaft into belt drive.

This is a mouth-to-mouth conveyor unit.

Therefore, these inventions are a unit conveyor unit which is a unit for constituting the unit conveyor system. The invention described in claim 8 is A mouth-to-mouth conveyor device configured using the roller conveyor unit according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

The roller conveyor device of the present invention does not need to be constituted solely by a single type of roller conveyor unit, but may include any of the conveyor units of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a roller conveyor device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a single unit constituting the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the external configuration of the unit alone and its A and B views.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the internal configuration of the unit alone.

FIG. 5 is a front view and a right end view showing details of left and right end plates of the roller.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line EE of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view, a side view, and a front view of the belt feeding device.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line FF of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line GG of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line HH of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 shows a roller conveyor device according to the present invention. The conveyer apparatus is configured by arranging a number of side-by-side conveyor units 1 (hereinafter referred to as “unit 1”) of FIG. 2 described later in parallel. The unit 1 has rollers 2 each having an octagonal prism shape. Each roller 2 rotates in conjunction with a main feed device (motor) (not shown), and these rollers 2 form a main transport surface of the roller conveyor device of the present invention. That is, when these rollers 2 rotate, the luggage on the mouth-to-mouth conveyor device is moved in the direction in which the rollers 2 rotate, that is, in the transport direction of the main transport surface (hereinafter, referred to as “main transport direction”). .

In addition, each of the octagonal prism-shaped eight surfaces of the roller 2 has a function as a belt conveyor (belt conveyor mechanism) that is driven in a direction orthogonal to the main transport direction (hereinafter, referred to as an “orthogonal direction”). Thus, the load on the main transport surface can be moved in the orthogonal direction by the movement of the belt 8.

Therefore, the conveyed articles W placed on the conveyor device are moved and conveyed in the main conveying direction along with the simultaneous rotation of the opening of each unit 1 and the roller 2, and the movement of the belt 8 on each surface of each roller 2 causes an arrow. As shown in the figure, it also moves in the orthogonal direction, allowing the luggage W to branch and merge. Next, the configuration of the unit 1 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one of the units 1 in the above-described conveyor apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the unit 1 and a view of an A section and a B section. In each of the figures, the butt 1 is formed in the shape of an octagonal column, and both ends thereof are supported by a pair of bearing brackets 3 having a bookend shape. (Shown on the left) and a main shaft 4 rotatably mounted on a bearing bracket 3. Each of the eight sides of the octagonal roller 2 has a belt conveyor function that is driven in a direction orthogonal to the main transport direction (hereinafter, referred to as an “orthogonal direction”). This allows the goods on the main transport surface to move in the orthogonal direction. That is, the roller 2 includes a pair of end plates 5 having an octagonal shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, eight connecting plates 6 for integrally connecting the both end plates 5 at corresponding sides thereof, Each end belt 5 comprises a guide pulley 7 rotatably supported inside on each side, and a belt 8 endlessly looped between guide pulleys 7 on the corresponding sides of both end plates. 8 covers the outer periphery of the roller 2.

Since each of the belts 8 is driven in the orthogonal direction, it is possible to simultaneously move, in the main transport direction, the load on the roller conveyor device in the orthogonal direction.

Next, a front view showing the internal mechanism of the roller 2 is shown in FIG.

The inside of the roller 2 has belt support mechanisms 50a and 50b including an end plate 5, a guide pulley 7 and the like at both ends, and are flanged coaxially between the two belt support mechanisms. It is provided with four rotation transmission mechanisms 9 connected to the main shaft 4 to simultaneously drive the belts 8 in the same direction. Each of the rotation transmission mechanisms 9 has a function of rotating the pair of belts 8 at the rotationally symmetric position and feeding the belts 8 in connection with the rotation of the main shaft 4. It is arranged at an angle of 45 ° around it.

A shaft portion 5a protrudes from the belt support mechanism 50a, and the shaft portion 5a passes through a pulley 10 provided on the outside of one of the bearing brackets 3 (shown on the right side in the figure). Roller 2 rotates itself.

The main shaft 4 projects rotatably with respect to the roller 2 from the other belt support mechanism 50b (shown on the left side in FIG. 5). The main shaft 4 is one bearing It is connected to the motor shaft of a servomotor M for orthogonal movement control arranged inside the bracket 3 via pulleys 11, 12 and a belt 14, and is rotationally driven by the rotating power of the motor M. Reference numeral 15 in the figure is a tension pulley. The rotation of the motor M causes the main shaft 4 to rotate and the belt 8 to be driven, so that the baggage can move in the orthogonal direction. Next, the belt support mechanisms 50a and 50b and the rotation transmission mechanism 9 outlined above will be described in detail.

First, the belt support mechanisms 50a and 50b will be described.

5 to 8 show the detailed structure of the belt supporting mechanisms 50a and 50b in the roller 2. FIG.

In both belt support mechanisms 50a and 50b, an octagonal support plate 16 having the same shape as the end plate 5 is coaxially arranged inside the end plate 5 at both sides of each side between the plates 5 and 16. A support frame 17 is arranged, and the guide pulley 7 and a tension pulley 18 are rotatably supported inside the support frame 17, and a belt 8 wrapped around the guide pulley 7 is wrapped around the tension pulley 18, whereby: The belt 8 is tensioned.

In the belt support mechanism 50a, the shaft portion 5a, which also serves as a bearing portion at one end of the main shaft 4, protrudes from the center of the shaft end of the end plate 5 disposed on the main feed device side, and the outer periphery of the shaft portion 5a The roller 2 is rotatable by connecting the pulley 10 to a main feed device via a belt or the like. At the center of the support plate 16, a cylindrical portion 20 having a slightly larger inner diameter than the shaft portion is protrudingly arranged so that the main shaft 4 can be inserted.

On the other hand, the belt support mechanism 50b arranged on the motor M side has a shaft end inside a hollow shaft portion 5b rotatably supported by the bracket 3 on the motor M side. The main shaft 4 protrudes through the core, and connects the main shaft 4 to the motor M via the pulleys 12 and 11 and the belt 14 as described above. That is, the main shaft 4 is rotated by the motor M. Next, the rotation transmission mechanism 9 in the roller 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, the rotation transmission mechanism 9 is vertically openable and rotatable up and down of a rectangular case 22 and a case 22 which are flanged to each other via a cylindrical portion 21 which passes through the spindle 4 to the left and right. A pair of pinch pulleys 23 are provided, and a driving pulley 24 is rotatably disposed between the pinch pulleys 23.

On the other hand, in the case 22, a worm 25 is attached to the outer periphery of the main shaft 4, and a worm wheel 26 is combined above and below the worm 25, and an intermediate gear 27, which is provided coaxially with the worm wheel 26, 28 is combined with a gear 29 provided coaxially with the driving pulley 24.

Although the main shaft 4 is divided between the cases 22, the main shaft 4 is connected to each other via a coupler 29 in the cylindrical portion 21.

In the above, the lower side of the belt 8 is wound around the pinch pulley 23 and the driving pulley 24 as shown in FIG. The driving pulley 24 is rotated through this, so that the belt 8 can be driven according to the rotation speed and direction of the main shaft 4. The above-described rotation transmission mechanism 9 can move the upper and lower belts 8 sandwiching the main shaft 4 in the same direction. Then, when the belts 8 are arranged on eight sides as in this embodiment, a total of four feeders 40 are arranged inside the roller 2 and connected coaxially, so that all eight The belt 8 can be moved in the same direction. At this time, the moving speed of the belt 8 for moving the load in the orthogonal direction is controlled by the difference between the rotation speed of the main shaft 4 rotated by the motor M and the rotation speed of the roller 2 itself. When the rotation speed of the roller 2 rotated by the main feeder and the rotation speed of the main shaft 4 rotated by the motor M are the same, the main shaft 4 rotates with respect to the rotation transmission device 9 disposed inside the roller 2. The belt 8 is kept stopped because it does not. Therefore, at this time, the article W on the main transport surface is moved only in the main transport direction, and does not move in the orthogonal direction.

On the other hand, if control is performed to increase or decrease the rotation speed of the main shaft 4 with respect to the rotation speed of the roller 2, the main shaft also rotates relatively to the rotation transmission mechanism 9, and As a result of operating the transmission mechanism, each belt 8 moves in the orthogonal direction according to the difference. Therefore, at this time, the article W on the main transport surface moves not only in the main transport direction but also in the orthogonal direction. The roller conveyor unit 1 described above is configured as one roller conveyor device by arranging a plurality of rows as shown in FIG. 1 described above.

In the above embodiment, the lip is made octahedral, but is not limited to this.

Also, if the center of the cross section of the belt 8 is raised to form a camber shape and the shape of the roller 2 is made similar to a cylindrical shape, the movement of the article accompanying the rotation can be performed more smoothly.

If the rotation of each motor M of each unit 1 is appropriately controlled by a computer or the like while taking into account the number of rotations of the main feeder (speed in the main transport direction), the posture and position of the load can be changed arbitrarily. And complex control, such as

In this embodiment, one motor M for driving the main spindle 4 is mounted on one unit 1, but one motor can be shared by a plurality of units 1. Of course. Industrial applicability

The roller conveyor device can move the articles on the main conveyance surface in the main conveyance direction, and at the same time, move them in the orthogonal direction as needed, making it easy to control the branching and merging of articles in the distribution system. , Fast, and reliable.

In addition, by increasing or decreasing the number of roller conveyor units 1, a conveyor line length corresponding to a required transport length can be secured.

In addition, if a malfunction occurs in the assembled conveyor system, the unit 1 at the troubled area only needs to be replaced, which is more maintainable than the conventional belt conveyor system. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the operation rate due to a failure that was a disadvantage of the belt conveyor.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A mouth conveyor device in which a plurality of mouth rollers are arranged in parallel to form a main conveying surface,

Each of the mouth rollers is formed by arranging a plurality of belt conveyor mechanisms in a polygonal column shape,

A roller conveyor device characterized by the above-mentioned.

2. The main shaft of the roller passes through its center,

The plurality of belt conveyor mechanisms constituting the rollers are driven by transmitting the rotation of the main shaft via a rotation transmission mechanism.

The roller conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The rotation transmitting mechanism, wherein a worm is provided coaxially with the main shaft, a worm wheel is coupled to the worm, and a center axis of the worm wheel is in a direction orthogonal to a center axis of the worm. Transmission of wheel rotation to belt drive pulley via intermediate gear

3. The roller conveyor device according to claim 2, wherein:

4. The stop or drive of the belt conveyor mechanism can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the main shaft with reference to the rotation speed of the roller itself. Mouth-to-mouth conveyor described

5. A roller conveyer unit for constituting a mouth conveyor device, comprising a polygonal pillar-shaped roller for constituting a main transport surface of the roller conveyor device,

A side-by-side conveyor unit, wherein each of the polygonal side surfaces of the roller comprises a belt conveyor mechanism. A main shaft penetrating the center axis of the roller;

A rotation transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the main shaft to the belt of the belt conveyor mechanism.

6. The roller conveyor unit according to claim 5, wherein:

7. A roller formed in the shape of a polygonal column, with both ends bearing on the bearings of the bearing bracket,

A main shaft that is arranged to penetrate the center of the roller and that is rotatable by projecting one end from one end of the bearing portion;

A plurality of guide pulleys disposed on each side of the end plate, inside a pair of polygonal end plates disposed on both ends of the roller, and disposed on corresponding side portions of the pair of end plates; A plurality of belts which are endlessly wrapped between the two guide pulleys and arranged in parallel with the main shaft as a center,

A rotation transmission mechanism that is arranged inside the roller and converts the rotation of the main shaft into belt drive.

A roller conveyor unit, characterized in that: 8. Roller conveyor unit according to any one of claims 5 to 7 Roller conveyor equipped with