WO2002032793A1

WO2002032793A1 - Conveyor device

Info

Publication number: WO2002032793A1
Application number: PCT/JP2000/007196
Authority: WO
Inventors: Naoya Sato; Motonori Kawato; Tomoaki Hachiya; Yuuichi Komazawa
Original assignee: Technowave, Ltd.
Priority date: 2000-10-17
Filing date: 2000-10-17
Publication date: 2002-04-25

Abstract

A conveyor device, comprising a drive cylinder (2) rotated in conjunction with a drive motor (8) and an endless belt disposed in proximity to and along the axial direction of the drive cylinder, characterized in that a drive guide (6) is provided spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder, a moving guide (7) for engagement with the drive guide is installed on the surface of the endless belt, and the endless belt is driven according to the rotation of the drive cylinder through the engagement of the drive guide with the moving guide, whereby, when the drive cylinder is rotated, the endless belt is moved endlessly in the longitudinal direction by a kind of screw-feeding mechanism formed by the engagement of the drive guide with the moving guide.

Description

Conveyor device

Technical field

The present invention relates to a conveyor device using a screw feed mechanism and a roller using the same.

Conveyor device.

Field background technology

Generally, the belt conveyor mechanism mainly has a structure in which a belt is suspended between a pair of rollers and one of the rollers is connected to a motor via a belt or the like to enable endless movement of the belt. It has a structure with multiple guide rollers and guide plates between rollers.

As an advanced application of such a conventional belt conveyor, the present inventors have already developed a roller conveyor device capable of moving loads in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction (see International Application No. PCT / JP 00/0 0 3 7 7).

FIG. 11 shows a roller conveyor device of the related invention. The conveyor device is configured by arranging a large number of roller conveyor units 101 (hereinafter referred to as “units 101”) in the related invention shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 described later. The unit 101 has a roller 102 in the form of a polygonal prism (octagonal prism in the figure). Each of the rollers 102 rotates in conjunction with a main feed device (motor) (not shown), and these rollers 102 form a main transport surface of the roller conveyor device of the present invention. That is, these rollers 102 rotate As a result, the luggage on the roller conveyor device is moved in the direction in which the rollers 102 rotate, that is, in the transport direction of the main transport surface (hereinafter, referred to as “main transport direction”).

Each of the octagonal pillars of the roller 102 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 “orthogonal direction”). The movement of the belt 108 makes it possible to move the load on the main transport surface in the orthogonal direction.

Therefore, the conveyed object W (hereinafter referred to as “baggage” for convenience) placed on the conveyor device is moved and conveyed in the main conveying direction with the simultaneous rotation of the rollers 102 of each unit 101, and The movement of the belt 108 on each surface of each roller 102 also moves in the orthogonal direction, as indicated by the arrow, thereby allowing the luggage W to branch and join.

Next, the configuration of the unit 101 will be described.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing one of the units 101 in the above-described conveyor device, and FIG. 13 is a front view of the unit 101 and a view of an A part and a B part arrow. .

The unit 101 in each figure is formed in the shape of an octagonal column, and its both ends are supported by a pair of bearing brackets 103 having a book-end shape. And a main shaft 104 rotatably mounted on one end (shown on the left side in the figure) of one of the bearing brackets 103. Each of the side surfaces of the octagonal roller 102 has a belt conveyor function that is driven in a direction orthogonal to the main transport direction (hereinafter, referred to as “orthogonal direction”). It is possible to move the load on the main transport surface in the orthogonal direction by the movement of. That is, the roller 102 is shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. End plates 105 that form an octagon as described above, eight connecting plates 106 that integrally connect the two at the corresponding sides of both end blades 105, and two end plates 105 Each belt 1 consists of a guide pulley 107 rotatably supported inside on each side and a belt 108 endlessly looped between the corresponding guide pulleys 7 on both sides of both end plates. 08 covers the outer periphery of the roller 102.

Since each of the belts 108 is driven in the orthogonal direction, it is possible to simultaneously move the packages moving in the main transport direction on the mouth-to-door conveyor device in the orthogonal direction. However, in a conventional belt conveyor, the belt material is stretched or shrunk due to a change in the feeding speed because the rotating roller applies tension to one point of the belt and feeds it. It was difficult to keep up with sudden changes in feed speed and sudden changes in direction, and in extreme cases the belt could break.

Also, even when trying to control the feed position, fine position control could not be performed due to the error of the belt expansion and contraction.

Therefore, the present invention has a simple structure and disperses the tension in the feeding direction of the belt, thereby minimizing the expansion and contraction of the belt, and thereby can accurately follow changes in the feeding speed and the feeding direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device as described above.

Further, in the above-described roller conveyor apparatus which is an application form of the belt conveyor, when a conventional belt conveyor mechanism is used for the unit 101, the mechanism has to be complicated and large. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a compact and operable conveyer unit for constructing the same, which enables accurate operation. Disclosure of the invention

The invention described in claim 1

A drive cylinder that rotates in connection with the drive motor;

An endless belt disposed in the vicinity of the drive cylinder along the axial direction thereof,

A drive guide is provided spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder,

The endless belt surface is provided with a moving guide for engaging with the driving guide, and the endless belt is driven by the rotation of the driving cylinder by the engagement of the driving guide and the moving guide.

It is a conveyor device characterized by the above-mentioned. In addition, the invention described in claim 2

A drive cylinder in which the cylinder shaft is rotatably supported by bearings at both ends of the main frame;

A pair of left and right mouth frames fixed to both sides of the main frame at the top of the drive cylinder,

A plurality of rollers rotatably supported between the roller frames, and an endless belt wrapped around rollers at both ends of the roller frame, and a lower surface of the endless belt extends along a longitudinal direction of the drive cylinder. Parallel to and A drive guide is installed spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder,

A plurality of moving guides are installed on the surface of the endless belt at a pitch corresponding to the driving guide,

The endless belt is driven by the rotation of the drive cylinder by the engagement of the drive guide and the movement guide.

It is a conveyor device characterized by the above-mentioned. The conveyor device according to the present invention is a conveyor device based on a completely new idea that has never existed before, in which a belt is moved endlessly by rotation of a drive cylinder.

The mechanism is simple and accurate feeding is possible.

Furthermore, since there are multiple contact surfaces between the drive guide and the moving guide, the drive tension on the belt is dispersed according to the number of contacts, so there is no speed change or belt expansion and contraction due to direction change, This enables accurate feeding. The invention described in claim 3 is:

3. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein one of the driving guide and the moving guide is a groove, and the other is a projection. In this invention, the drive guide is a concave groove and the moving guide is a convex portion, or the drive guide is a convex portion and the moving guide is a concave groove, The drive guide is engaged with the drive The endless belt is driven as the cylinder rotates. The invention described in Claim 4 is

A drive cylinder that rotates in connection with the drive motor;

A plurality of endless belts arranged in the vicinity of the drive cylinder along the axial direction thereof,

A drive guide is provided spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder,

Each endless belt surface is provided with a moving guide for engaging with the driving guide,

By the engagement between the drive guide and each of the moving guides, each of the endless belts is driven with the rotation of the drive cylinder,

Each of the endless belts is supported via a rotary support so that the outer circumference of the drive cylinder can be rotated.

It is a roller conveyor unit characterized by the above. The invention described in claim 5 is

A plurality of endless belts concentrically arranged on the outer periphery of the drive cylinder,

A drive guide is provided spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder,

The rotation of the drive cylinder is achieved by the engagement between the drive guide and the moving guide. Each endless belt is driven with the rolling,

In addition, both ends of the roller frame disposed on both side surfaces of the endless belts are respectively fixed to rotating supports that are rotatably supported by the bearings, and the endless belts are connected via the rotating supports. The outer circumference of the drive cylinder can be rotated simultaneously.

It is a roller conveyor unit characterized by the above. The invention described in claim 6

7. The roller conveyor unit according to claim 5, wherein the driving guide is a groove, and the moving guide is a projection. According to the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the endless belts are arranged in parallel on an outer periphery of the drive cylinder, and the endless belt is rotatably supported on an outer periphery of the drive cylinder. Features.

Therefore, each endless belt of the unit can be rotated as a rotating body, and at the same time, each endless belt can be moved in the longitudinal direction. At this time, since such a drive does not require a complicated mechanism such as a differential mechanism, it can be made simple and inexpensive. The invention described in claim 7 is

A roller conveyor device comprising a plurality of roller conveyor units according to any one of claims 4 to 6 arranged in parallel to form a main conveying surface, wherein the conveying direction of the endless belt of each roller conveyor unit is Direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the main transport surface It is a roller conveyor device characterized by the above-mentioned. Further, in the roller conveyor device of the present invention, a large number of the roller conveyors are arranged in a horizontal row, and the rotation of the unit group causes the transfer of the object to be transferred as a so-called roller conveyor, and at the same time, the transfer of the objects is performed. The conveyed object can also be moved in a direction perpendicular to the main conveying direction. This makes it possible to perform branch control, merge control, attitude control, and the like of the transferred object. The invention described in claim 8 is

The transport speed in the orthogonal direction by each endless belt,

Determined based on the difference in rotation between each drive cylinder and the rotating support

8. The roller conveyor device according to claim 7, wherein: The invention described in claim 9 is

A roller conveyor device,

It is provided with at least one main feed device for rotating a part or all of the rotary supports for transporting the transported object in the main transport direction,

Each of the mouth conveyor units is provided with an orthogonal feeder for rotating its drive cylinder,

A control device for controlling the operation of the main feed device and the Z or orthogonal feed device;

By appropriately adjusting the rotation speed of the drive cylinder and the rotation speed of the rotary support by the control device, it is possible to control the position and Z or posture of the transferred object. Noh

9. The roller conveyor device according to claim 8, wherein: When the rotating support is rotated in the roller conveyor unit to move the transported object in the main transport direction, each endless belt rotating with the rotary support rotates relative to the drive cylinder, As it is, the endless belt is driven in a direction perpendicular to the endless belt by the relative rotation of the drive cylinder. Therefore, by appropriately rotating the drive cylinder at such a speed as to cancel the rotation of the rotary support, it is possible to control the movement of the transferred object in the orthogonal direction. The invention described in Claim 10 is

Equipped with a measuring device for measuring the position of the transferred object,

The control device calculates the required movement amount of the endless belt of each roller competition based on the measurement result of the measurement device, and controls the drive speed of the main feed device and the Z or orthogonal direction feed device.

10. The roller conveyor device according to claim 9, wherein: In order to perform the control necessary for the movement of the transported object in the orthogonal direction, it is necessary to know where the transported object is currently placed on the roller conveyor device. The present invention is a roller conveyor device provided with a measuring device for measuring this.

The measuring device may be a device for recognizing the position or the like before the object to be measured enters the roller conveyor device, or after being placed on the roller conveyor. Anything that recognizes this may be used. There is no limitation on the method, and a device using a photoelectric tube or infrared light, or a method using image recognition or the like may be used. The invention described in Claim 11 is:

The measuring device includes an imaging unit and an image recognition unit.

The roller conveyor device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The object to be transported is photographed by the imaging means, and is analyzed by the image recognition means to calculate its position and the like. The invention described in claims 1 and 2

The measuring device recognizes the position of the transferred object immediately before it is placed on the main transfer surface.

The roller conveyor device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized by the above. If it is possible to know the point at which the transferred object enters the main transfer surface, the position of the transferred object after that can be determined by the rotation and movement of each mechanism in each roller conveyor unit, the size and spacing of each mechanism, etc. Can be grasped. Therefore, the present invention recognizes the position of the transferred object immediately before the transferred object is placed on the main transfer surface. The invention described in Claims 13 is

A product provided with the conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Flow system. The invention described in Claim 14 is:

A logistics system comprising the roller conveyor device according to any one of claims 7 to 12. Here, the distribution system refers to a system that aims to classify and branch many packages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side view, a plan view, and a front rear view showing a conveyor device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the conveyor device of the present invention.

FIGS. 4 (a) and (b) are front sectional views showing examples of the shape of a convex portion serving as a driven guide.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a roller conveyor unit according to the present invention. 6 (a) is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a mouth conveyor unit of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a roller conveyor device in which the roller conveyor unit of the present invention is combined.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an aspect of the orthogonal movement of the load in the roller conveyor device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the control method in FIG. 9 (b). FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a roller conveyor device capable of moving in an orthogonal direction. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a mouth-to-mouth conveyor unit.

FIG. 13 is a front view and a side view of the roller conveyor unit. Explanation of reference numerals

2 Drive cylinder

5 Endless belt

6 Guide groove (drive guide)

7 Convex (follower guide)

8 Drive mode

2 0 Conveyor unit

2 1 Rotating disk (support) Best mode for carrying out the invention

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a conveyor device according to the present invention.

In the figure, the conveyor device is composed of a drive cylinder 2 in which a cylinder shaft 2a is rotatably supported by bearings 1a at both ends of a main frame 1; A pair of left and right roller frames 3 fixed to the roller frame, a plurality of rollers 4 rotatably supported between the two roller frames 3, and An endless belt 5 that moves endlessly using a group of rollers 4 as a guide roller, and the endless belt 5 has an upper surface along a longitudinal direction of the drive cylinder 2 on a lower surface thereof. Touches in parallel.

On the surface of the drive cylinder 2, spiral guide grooves 6 (drive guides) are continuously engraved at a predetermined inclination and pitch width, while on the surface of the endless belt 5, the guide grooves 6 correspond to the guide grooves 6. A plurality of inclined protrusions 7 (moving guides) are provided at the same pitch with respect to the guide grooves 6, and the protrusions 7 engage with the guide grooves 6 at the upper surface position of the drive cylinder 2. I have.

A drive motor 8 is provided at a lower portion of the drive cylinder 2 at one end of the main frame 1 and is connected to the drive cylinder 2 via a pair of pulleys 9, 10 and a timing belt 11. . This may, of course, continue with a combination of spur gears and gears.

In the above configuration, the endless belt 5 is rotated by the driving power of the drive motor 8 so that the endless belt 5 is driven by a kind of screw feed mechanism by the engagement of each protrusion 7 of the endless belt 5 with the guide groove 6. It moves endlessly in the longitudinal direction. At this time, the tension on the endless belt 5 is dispersed according to the number of engagements of the projections 7 with the guide grooves 6, so that the tension does not expand or contract due to speed change or direction change, but follows the rotation of the drive cylinder 2 High-precision feeding is possible.

However, in such a feed mechanism, not only the feed direction but also a horizontal component force perpendicular to the feed direction is applied, but the horizontal movement is regulated by the opening frame 3 The flanges are provided on both sides of the roller 4 To prevent lateral movement.

In addition, by setting the spiral pitch of the guide groove 6 and the convex portion 7 engaged with the guide groove 6 small, the moving torque of the belt 5 can be set large, and conversely, by setting the spiral pitch large, Guide tilt is small, lateral component is small The transmission loss can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the guide groove 6 has a single-thread structure. However, if the guide groove 6 has a multi-thread structure, the moving torque can be increased and the lateral component can be minimized.

Further, in the above embodiment, the drive guide is a guide groove which is a concave groove, and the moving guide is a convex portion. However, in this embodiment, machining of the drive cylinder is simple, and the belt is provided with a position where the moving guide is formed. An advantage is that the belt strength can be ensured because it is sufficient to form the belt thicker than the general part. However, it goes without saying that the drive guide on the drive cylinder side may be formed as a convex portion, and the movement guide on the endless belt 5 may be formed as a concave groove.

Further, the depth and width of the guide groove 6 and the thickness and width of the protrusion 7 are appropriately set. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the protrusion 7 is formed along the peripheral surface of the guide groove 6. By forming it in a curved shape, the area of the contact portion can be increased, and the bonding force can be increased.

Conversely, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the convex portion 7 can be provided in the form of a pin at the center of the belt 5 in the width direction. In this case, the pins may be formed integrally with the endless belt 5, or a separate pin or the like may be embedded in the endless belt 5.

The above-described conveyor device of the present invention can be realized not only with a conventional conveyor device but also as a minute device, and also in a case where the conventional conveyor device is used, its simplicity and high simplicity. It can be replaced effectively due to advantages such as accuracy. FIGS. 5 to 7 show a unit 101 for using the present invention in a mouth conveyor system. (Hereinafter, referred to as “unit 20”). That is. The unit 20 is used as a unit constituting a roller conveyor device and the like in FIG. 8 described later. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only different parts or newly added parts will be described using different reference numerals.

In each of the drawings, a plurality of endless belts 5 are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface of the drive cylinder 2 constituting the unit 20. In this example, eight endless belts 5 are arranged, and each of the projections 7 (moving guides) is engaged with the guide groove 6 (drive guide) of the drive cylinder 2 so that the drive cylinder 2 rotates. It can be moved endlessly all at once.

The two ends of the roller frame 3 arranged on both sides of each endless belt 5 in the longitudinal direction are concentrically arranged on the outer periphery of the cylinder shaft 1a, and are rotatably supported by the bearing portion 1a. Rotating support).

At the outer end of the rear bearing 1a, a pulley 22 is axially connected to the rotating disk 21. The pulley 22 is continuously connected to a power transmission means (main feed device) (not shown). ing. Therefore, both disks 21 are rotated by the pulley 22 being rotated by the power transmission means, whereby each endless belt 5 is simultaneously rotated on the outer periphery of the drive cylinder 2. Due to this rotation, when the roller 20 is combined with a unit 20 to form a main conveyor surface as will be described later, conveyance in the main conveyance direction is performed.

In addition, similarly to the above-mentioned conveyor device, also in this unit 20, the drive motor 8 is connected to the drive cylinder 2 via a pair of pulleys 9, 10 and a timing belt 11, and The rotation of the drive cylinder 2 by the rotation power of the drive motor 8 causes the belt 5 to move each of the convex portions 7 of the belt 5 with respect to the guide groove 6. It moves endlessly in the longitudinal direction by a kind of screw feed mechanism by engagement. In the case of the unit 20, there are a plurality of endless belts 5 driven in this way. Due to the endless movement of the endless belt 5, when a roller conveyor device is configured by combining the units 20 as described later, the endless belt 5 moves in a direction orthogonal to the main transport surface (hereinafter, referred to as an "orthogonal direction"). Movement of luggage is performed.

In the above embodiment, the eight endless belts 5 are arranged by dividing the outer periphery of the drive cylinder 2 equally, but in the case of a single-conveyor unit using the present invention, a conventional belt conveyor is used. Unlike the roller conveyor unit, any number of two or more belts 5 can be arranged as long as the diameter of the drive cylinder 2 is not limited and the rotation does not impair the smoothness of transportation. Asymmetric arrangements are also possible. A mouth-to-mouth conveyor device configured by combining a plurality of the above units 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the prior art roller conveyor of FIG. 11, a unit 20 is used instead of the unit 101. As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of units 20 are arranged in parallel to function as one roller conveyor device.

In this configuration, each pulley 22 is connected to a main feeder (not shown), not shown, with the rotation direction of each unit 20 as the main transport direction, so that each unit 20 rotates simultaneously, The article is transported in the transport direction of the main transport surface constituted by the unit 20. Further, as described above, in the unit 20, the driving motor 8 The endless belt 5 is connected to the cylinder 2 via a pair of burries 9, 10 and a timing belt 11. The projection 7 is moved endlessly in the longitudinal direction by a kind of screw feed mechanism by engagement of each projection 7. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately drive the endless belts 5 in the orthogonal direction by appropriately rotating the drive motor 8 at such a speed as to cancel the rotation speed of the main feeder. The article can be moved in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction, or the orientation of the article can be changed. More specifically, for example, when the cylinder shaft is stopped and the outer periphery (the rotating disk 21) is rotated by one rotation, the cylinder shaft makes one rotation relative to the outer periphery in the opposite direction. Therefore, each endless belt 5 on the outer periphery moves in the orthogonal direction by a pitch corresponding to one rotation according to the screw pitch. Therefore, in order to move the articles in the main transport direction, in the roller conveyor device, when the rotating disk 21 is rotated via the pulley 22 by the main feed device, when the units 20 constituting the main transport surface rotate. At the same time, each belt 5 constituting this moves in the orthogonal direction. To cancel this movement, the drive cylinder 2 may be rotated in the same direction and at the same speed as the rotating disk 21. As a result, the luggage moves only in the main transport direction, does not move in the orthogonal direction, and does not change its attitude. Conversely, when it is desired to move the load in the orthogonal direction, the drive cylinder 2 may be controlled to rotate relatively to the rotating disk 21. That is, as the drive cylinder 2 rotates relative to the rotating disk 21, each endless belt 5 Move in the orthogonal direction by the amount corresponding to the screw pitch of the drive guide and moving guide. Therefore, given the screw pitch, it is possible to reversely calculate how much the relative rotation amount of the drive cylinder 2 should be in accordance with the target moving distance in the orthogonal direction. At this time, if the same operation is performed on all the units 20 on which the load is placed, the load moves in the orthogonal direction without changing the posture. That is, the movement as shown in FIG. 9 (a) becomes possible.

At this time, the position of the baggage can be known by a sensor or the like as appropriate. Each unit 20 is equipped with a sensor (measurement device) that recognizes whether a load is placed on itself and on which part of the unit, and between each unit 20 Or, if the roller conveyor device is configured so that information can be exchanged between each unit 20 and the control device by communication or the like, it is possible to reliably control the load.

Further, as a simpler configuration, if the position of the package is recognized by a sensor (measuring device) or the like and the position information of the package immediately before the package is placed on the roller conveyor device can be obtained, the subsequent package can be obtained. Can be determined from the distance moved by the roller conveyor device. If, for example, a servomotor is used for the drive motor 8 and the main feeder, the number of rotations can be ascertained, so that the distance that the load has been moved by the roller conveyor device can also be ascertained. In this way, it is possible to calculate on which unit 20 the package is currently placed.

Then, if the corresponding luggage is detected in advance on the upstream side, the passage timing is calculated, and the driving mode 8 is determined in one or more corresponding units 20 as described above. By canceling the main conveyed portion according to the formula and rotating it appropriately, the sent baggage can be moved in the orthogonal direction by the movement of the endless belts 5.

This makes it possible to perform control such as discharging the package at a certain position in the orthogonal direction. As a similar function, it is possible to arrange the packages in the orthogonal direction. Furthermore, by changing the movement of the endless belt 5 in the orthogonal direction in each unit 20 on which the load is placed, to the respective unit 20, the posture of the load can be controlled.

For example, as shown in Fig. 9 (b), when a rectangular package is sent at an angle to the transport direction on the upstream side, by shifting the moving speed in the orthogonal direction between adjacent units. The posture can be corrected to the normal state. An example of a method of calculating the amount of movement of the endless belt 5 in each unit 20 in this case will be described with reference to FIG.

Assume that when a certain point in the middle of the process of moving the luggage is taken out as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the state is as shown in FIG. 10 (i). That is, the luggage W is placed on the three units 20. At this moment, the luggage is moved by the endless belt 5 facing the upper surface in each unit 20. In the figure, G is the position of the center of gravity of the load. To move the package W as shown in Fig. 9 (b), the package W must be moved in the main transport direction and the orthogonal direction while rotating as shown in Fig. 10 (i). . This movement is realized by controlling the endless belts 5 of each unit so that the movement speeds thereof are different from each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 (ii), each endless belt 5 on the upper surface is approximated by a straight line (B1 to B3), and the distance from the center of gravity G to each endless belt is L1 to L3. At this time,

(1) The movement in the main transport direction is controlled by the movement of the main feeder, and need not be considered here.

(2) The amount of rotation of the drive cylinder for moving in the orthogonal direction consists of the following three components.

(a) Rotation to cancel the rotation of the rotating disk for movement in the main transport direction

(b) Rotation to move the center of gravity of the load in the orthogonal direction

(c) Rotation to rotate the load around the center of gravity

(3) The above (a) is given as the same speed in the direction opposite to the rotational speed in the main transport direction.

(4) The above (b) is required in the same way as when the luggage is moved without changing its posture.

(5) The above (c) is as follows.

The speed of the load on the straight line B1 to B3 is given by ω, where ω is the speed around the center of gravity of the load to be targeted.

L1ω-L3ω

Becomes

Therefore, the relative rotation amount of each drive cylinder per unit time is set so that the moving distance per unit time of the endless belt 5 corresponding to each straight line Β1 to Β3 is L1co to L3ω. You only have to do the back calculation. By using the method as exemplified above, that is, the main feed device for moving in the main transport direction and the driving motors 8 for moving in the orthogonal direction are appropriately driven by the control device using the position information and the like. Thus, the movement of the load in the main transport direction and the orthogonal direction can be controlled, and further, the attitude of the load can be controlled. In the present embodiment, one motor 8 is used for driving the cylinder for driving one unit 20. However, one unit 8 can be shared by a plurality of units 20 if necessary.

In addition, the units 20 described above are mainly deployed at positions where the branching, merging, sorting, and sorting of items are to be performed in the entire conveyor system, and the other parts of the compare system are general rollers or belts. Needless to say, it can be configured by a conveyor.

Industrial applicability

As is clear from the above description, according to the conveyor device of the present invention, the structure is simple, the belt does not expand or contract due to the tension change due to the speed change or the moving direction change, and the accurate feeding can be performed. It becomes possible.

In addition, the roller conveyor unit and the mouth-to-mouth conveyor device to which this conveyor device is applied have an advantage that branching, merging, posture change, rotation, and the like can be controlled at high speed and flexibly. This also contributes to layout savings.

Claims

Claims. The drive that rotates in conjunction with the drive mode:

A drive guide is provided spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder,

The endless belt surface has a moving guide for engaging with the driving guide,

The endless belt is driven by the rotation of the drive cylinder by the engagement between the drive guide and the moving guide.

A conveyor device characterized by the above-mentioned.

A pair of left and right mouth frames fixed to both sides of the main frame at the upper portion of the drive cylinder, wherein the cylinder shaft is rotatably supported by bearings at both ends of the main frame;

A plurality of rollers rotatably supported between the mouth and frame, and an endless belt wrapped around rollers at both ends of the roller frame, and a lower surface of the endless belt extends along a longitudinal direction of the drive cylinder. In parallel with this,

A drive guide is installed spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder, and a plurality of transfer guides are installed on the surface of the endless belt at a pitch corresponding to the drive guide.

The endless belt is driven by the rotation of the drive cylinder by the engagement between the drive guide and the moving guide. A conveyor device characterized by the above-mentioned.

3. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein one of the drive guide and the movement guide is a groove, and the other is a protrusion. A drive cylinder rotating in connection with the drive motor;

A plurality of endless belts arranged in the vicinity of the drive cylinder and along the axial direction thereof,

A drive guide is provided spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder,

A moving guide for engaging the drive guide is provided on each of the endless belt surfaces,

A mouth-to-mouth conveyor unit.

5. A drive in which the cylinder shaft is rotatably supported by bearings at both ends of the main frame, and a plurality of endless belts concentrically arranged on the outer periphery of the drive cylinder,

A drive guide is provided spirally on the surface of the drive cylinder,

By the engagement of the driving guide and the moving guide, each of the endless belts is driven with the rotation of the driving cylinder,

And both ends of the mouth frame arranged on both sides of each endless belt, The endless belts are fixed to rotating supports rotatably supported by the two bearing portions, respectively, and the endless belts can simultaneously rotate around the outer periphery of the drive cylinder via the rotating supports.

A roller conveyor unit characterized by the above.

7. The carousel conveyor unit according to claim 5, wherein the driving guide is a groove, and the moving guide is a projection.

A roller conveyor device comprising a plurality of roller conveyor units according to any one of claims 4 to 6 arranged in parallel to form a main conveying surface, and conveying the endless belt of each roller conveyor unit. The direction is a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the main transport surface.

A roller conveyor device characterized by the above-mentioned.

. The transport speed in the orthogonal direction by each endless belt is

Determined based on the difference in rotational speed between each drive cylinder and the rotating support

8. The roller conveyor device according to claim 7, wherein:

. A mouth-to-mouth conveyor device,

Each of the roller conveyor units has an orthogonal feed device for rotating its drive cylinder,

A control device for controlling the operation of the main feed device and Z or the orthogonal direction feed device;

By appropriately adjusting the rotation speed of the drive cylinder and the rotation speed of the rotary support by the control device, the position and the Z or posture of the transferred object can be controlled. Enabled

9. The mouth-to-mouth conveyor device according to claim 8, wherein:

10. Equipped with a measuring device for measuring the position of the transferred object,

The control device calculates a required movement amount of the endless belt of each roller conveyor unit based on a measurement result of the measurement device, and controls a driving speed of the main feed device and the Z or orthogonal feed device.

10. The roller conveyor device according to claim 9, wherein:

1 1. The measuring device comprises imaging means and image recognition means

The mouth-to-mouth conveyor device according to claim 10, characterized in that:

1 2. The measuring device recognizes the position of the transferred object immediately before it is placed on the main transfer surface.

The roller conveyor device according to claim 10 or claim 11, characterized in that:

13. A distribution system provided with the conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

1 4. A row according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

Logistics system with storage.