WO2019054714A1

WO2019054714A1 - Article carriage apparatus capable of changing direction in group

Info

Publication number: WO2019054714A1
Application number: PCT/KR2018/010585
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김호연; 김용록
Original assignee: 주식회사 가치소프트
Priority date: 2017-09-13
Filing date: 2018-09-11
Publication date: 2019-03-21
Also published as: KR102006744B1; KR20190030104A

Abstract

Disclosed is an article carriage apparatus capable of changing a direction in a group. An article carriage apparatus according to an embodiment includes a plurality of cell-based carriage units, which can change their direction while transferring articles, wherein the carriage units are controlled in a group through a connection belt to simultaneously change their direction.

Description

A goods carrier capable of turning into a group

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a logistics processing technique, and more particularly, to a technology for transporting a product through a transfer path.

Generally, a conveyor is a mechanical device that is fixedly installed in a workplace to transport an article in one direction by the power of the machine, thereby reducing manpower and improving work efficiency. Conveyor devices play a major role in the automation of the workplace.

In addition to the function of transporting the goods to such a conveyor, it is possible to automatically classify the transported goods according to predetermined positions, or to arrange the items to be delivered disorderly, which will greatly contribute to the automation of the workplace.

According to one embodiment, there is proposed an article carrying apparatus capable of changing the flow of articles while being able to change direction while conveying various articles. Further, the present invention proposes an article carrying apparatus capable of changing the flow of articles easily and flexibly by controlling the direction switching in a group when the article flow is changed.

The article carrying apparatus according to an embodiment includes a plurality of conveying units in units of cells capable of changing directions while conveying the articles, and each conveying unit is controlled in groups through a connecting belt so that the directions are simultaneously switched.

The article carrying apparatus includes a first carrying unit for changing a flow of an article on the first carrying unit while transferring an article, and a first carrying unit arranged to be separated from the first carrying unit in a cell unit, And a connecting belt for connecting the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit to simultaneously switch the directions of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit.

Each of the conveying units includes a conveying unit for conveying the article placed on the conveying unit, a rotation unit for switching the advancing direction of the conveying unit as it rotates in a plane, a conveying drive unit for transmitting power to the conveying unit, . At this time, the conveying portion may include at least one conveying belt. Or the conveying portion may include one or more rollers.

The connecting belt according to an embodiment connects the gear mounted on the first conveying unit and the gear mounted on the second conveying unit so as to transmit the rotational force to the gear of the second conveying unit at the time of gear rotation of the first conveying unit And the direction of each of the conveying units is switched together as the rotational force is transmitted to the gears of the first conveying unit at the time of gear rotation of the second conveying unit. At this time, the angle at which the gear of the first carrying unit connected by the connecting belt rotates and the angle at which the gear of the second carrying unit rotates are the same, so that the first carrying unit and the second carrying unit can be turned at the same angle.

Each conveying unit includes a plurality of gears mounted on different layers having the same rotation axis in the conveying unit, and the connecting belts can connect the gears formed in the same layer to each other in parallel when connecting the conveying units.

As the linking belts serially connect neighboring carrying units, the serially connected carrying units can be redirected to the relays. At this time, the connection belt includes a first connection belt connecting first gears respectively formed in the first layer of the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit in the same line to each other, and a second connection belt connecting the first conveyance unit in the same line and the third conveyance unit And a second linking belt connecting the second gears formed on the second layer of the second linking belt.

The connecting belt connects the adjacent carrying units in a tree structure, so that the carrying units connected in a tree structure can be switched hierarchically. At this time, the connection belt includes a first connection belt connecting first gears respectively formed in the first layer of the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit in the same line to each other, and a second connection belt connecting the first conveyance unit in the same line and the third conveyance unit A third connecting belt connecting the third gear formed in the third layer of each of the in-line first conveying unit and the fourth conveying unit, which are different from each other, .

The rotation drive unit includes a single rotation mechanism that transmits power for switching the directions of the transport units together, so that it is possible to simultaneously control the direction change of the transport units connected through the connection belt by driving only the single rotation mechanism. The conveying drive unit can freely change the direction of each conveying unit without any physical limitation as the conveying drive unit transmits the power by the magnetic force using at least one magnet.

According to one embodiment, it is possible to change the flow of the article by diverting while carrying various articles. As a result, it is possible to carry out processing such as sorting or sorting at the same time while conveying the article accurately and quickly. For example, it may be possible to sort and change the flow of items that are supplied in an irregularly chaotic manner, but not yet aligned, and to sort articles by changing the flow of aligned articles.

According to one embodiment, by using a conveyor belt for conveying and redirecting articles, it is possible to treat various articles with a wide contact area. Further, in the case of the roller, the surface friction of the article is small and can be slipped, and in the case of the belt, the problem of the problem can be prevented because the contact area of the article is wide.

According to one embodiment, multiple cells can be controlled simultaneously and the flow of goods can be changed easily and flexibly by controlling the redirection as a group when changing the flow of the goods. At this time, it is easy to control by changing the direction at the same time and the size of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, as the direction is switched by combining with the power transmission system using at least one magnet, there is no restriction on the direction change, and therefore, the direction can be freely changed 360 degrees.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a plan view of an article carrying apparatus including a plurality of carrying units according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.

2 is a plan view of an article carrying apparatus including a plurality of carrying units according to another embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of use of the article carrying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,

4 is a plan view of a plurality of conveying units for conveying an article through a roller according to an embodiment of the present invention and an article carrying apparatus including the same,

Figure 5 is a top view of a transport unit for transporting an article through a transport belt according to an embodiment of the invention,

6 is a configuration diagram of a transportation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an article carrying apparatus connected through a connecting belt according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a configuration diagram of a product carrying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention,

9 is a configuration diagram of a product carrying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 10 is a detailed configuration diagram of a control unit in a product transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,

11 and 12 are a plan view of a delivery unit according to an embodiment of the present invention,

13 is a structural view of a transportation unit including a transportation driving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a front view of the conveyance unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

15 is a front view showing a connection structure of two conveyance units according to an embodiment of the present invention;

16 is a structural view of a transportation unit including a rotation driving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 17 is a front view of serially connected carrying units in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 18 is a top view of serially connected carrying units in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 19 is a front view of the transport units connected in a tree structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

20 is a top view of the transport units connected in a tree structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following description of the present invention, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. , Which may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user, the operator, and the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are plan views of an article carrying apparatus including a plurality of carrying units according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the article carrying apparatus 1 processes the articles by changing the direction of the articles by changing the directions of the articles while conveying the articles supplied to the conveying path 10. Processing of the goods includes registering, receiving, sorting, sorting, storing, inspecting, etc. For example, each mail passing through the conveying route 10 is automatically classified into a predetermined place for each recipient. In another example, the irregularly disordered supplies are automatically aligned over a row. Goods can be any object that can be transported, for example, parcels, parcels, postal items, objects for inspection purposes, and so on.

To change the flow of articles to be conveyed, the article carrying apparatus 1 includes a plurality of conveying units 2 that are separately arranged on a cell basis in the conveying path 10. Each conveying unit (2) conveys the goods through the conveying part (6). Along with the transportation, the traveling direction of the transportation part is switched through the rotation of the rotation part 7 to switch the flow of the articles passing over the transportation part. At this time, the transport unit (2) divided into cell units can be redirected through collective control. If collective control over the transport units is possible, the form of the transport unit may vary. For example, the carrier 6 may be in the form of a belt as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or in the form of a roller as shown in Fig.

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, as the rotary part 7 turns left or right on the plane, the carrying part 6 is turned together. The rotating part 7 rotates in accordance with the article processing environment, and can freely rotate 360 degrees without restriction of the angle. Magnet-based magnetic rotation can be used for 360 degrees free rotation. 1 and 2, the rotation unit 7 may be circular in order to facilitate rotation and minimize an area occupied by the rotation unit 7, but the shape is not limited to a circular shape.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 exemplify the form in which the transport unit 2 is arranged in 3x3 or 3x6. Fig. 1 shows a case where the conveying belt is constituted by one conveyor belt in each of the revolving portions 7, and Fig. 2 shows a case where the conveying belts are separated from each other in the respective revolving portions 7 and composed of two conveyor belts.

Figs. 1 and 2 (a) and 2 (b) show the form of the conveying units when the article goes straight on the conveying path 10. Fig. 1 and 2 (c) show the shapes of the conveyance units when the direction of the conveying unit 6 in the rotation unit 7 is changed to the left as the rotation unit 7 of each conveyance unit is turned to the left. At this time, the goods are sorted and transported to the left. 1 and 2 (d) show the forms of the transport units when the direction of the transport section 6 in the rotation section 7 is changed to the right as the rotation section 7 of each transport unit is turned to the right. At this time, the goods are classified and transported to the right.

The transport units can cause the article to be transported in a predetermined direction of travel as the rotary unit 7 in each transport unit sequentially switches its direction in accordance with the transport direction and the transport speed of the article over it. With respect to one conveying unit 2 as a reference, the article A is rotated leftward to rotate the article to the left, the article B coming next is turned to the right to rotate the article 7, And the like.

According to one embodiment, by controlling the direction change of each conveying unit as a group, it is possible to control several conveying units at the same time and to easily and flexibly change the flow of the goods. For example, as each conveying unit is connected through a connecting belt, for example, a timing belt, the conveying unit connected by the connecting belt can be simultaneously turned to the target. By turning the direction at the same time, the control is easy and the size of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, as the direction is switched by combining with the power transmission system using at least one magnet, there is no restriction on the direction change, and therefore, the direction can be freely changed 360 degrees.

3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of use of the article carrying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, when an article is fed to the feed path 10, it is processed while the article is carried on the feed path. At this time, the conveying unit can change the traveling direction of the conveying unit 6 by changing the direction of the rotating unit 7, and change the traveling direction of the conveying unit 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the first row 12 is disposed on the left side of the conveying path 10. At this time, if the article A is an article to be classified into the first row 12, if the rotary section 7 of each conveyance unit is turned left at a predetermined angle, the direction of the conveyance section 6 is changed to the left, The article A passing above is carried to the first row (12).

4 is a plan view of a plurality of conveying units for conveying an article through rollers and an article carrying apparatus including the conveying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 4, the article carrying apparatus 2 includes a plurality of carrying units, each carrying unit including a rotating portion 7 and a roller 62. Fig. Roller 62 is a form of carrier and may be composed of one or more numbers.

Figure 5 is a top view of a delivery unit for delivering an article through a carrier belt in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 5, the conveying unit 2 includes a rotating portion 7 and a conveying belt 60. Fig. 5A shows a case where the conveyor belt 60 in the rotary part 7 is single and FIG. 5B shows the case where there are a plurality of conveyor belts 60 in the rotary part 7, respectively.

The conveyor belt 60 is annularly conveying the article placed thereon while rotating repeatedly when the article conveying apparatus 1 is driven. The number and shape of the conveyor belt 60 are varied. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the number of the conveying belts 60 in the rotating portion 7 may be one to two, but may be more than one. The shapes may also be in a row, but are not limited thereto.

The direction of the conveyor belt 60 is changed in accordance with the rotation of the rotary part 7 to the left or right. At least a part of the conveyor belt 60 has a protrusion penetrating the upper surface of the rotating portion 7, and the traveling direction of the rotating portion 7 is changed in accordance with the rotation of the rotating portion 7, for example, the left-right rotation on the plane. In this case, the traveling path of the article passing through the projecting portion of the conveyor belt 60 is also changed. 5, the portion of the rotating portion 7 which is visible to the outside may correspond to the protrusion of the conveyor belt 60. [

By using the conveyor belt 60 for conveying and redirecting the goods, it is possible to treat various articles with a wide contact area. Further, in the case of the roller, since the surface friction of the article is small, it is possible to slip. In the case of the conveyor belt 60, this problem can be prevented because the contact area of the article is wide.

6 is a configuration diagram of a transportation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6, the transportation unit 2 includes a transportation section 6, a rotation section 7, a transportation drive section 8-1, and a rotation drive section 8-2.

The carrying section 6 carries the article placed thereon. The conveying portion 6 may be in the form of a roller as shown in Fig. 4, or in the form of a conveying belt as shown in Fig.

The rotation unit 7 changes the traveling direction of the transportation unit 6 as it rotates in a plane. The transportation drive unit 8-1 transmits power to the transportation unit 6 and the rotation drive unit 8-2 transmits power to the rotation unit 7. [

The rotation driving unit 8-2 according to an embodiment can simultaneously control the switching of the conveyance units via a single rotation mechanism. In this case, as long as one conveying unit is connected to a single rotation mechanism, it is possible to control the redirecting of the conveying units connected through the connecting belt in a group. Accordingly, since only one rotation mechanism is required, the number of rotation mechanisms can be reduced and cost competitiveness can be enhanced.

The rotation mechanism can be a servo motor, a stepping motor (pulse motor), a BLDC motor, a cylinder or a solenoid capable of rotating and reciprocating. As another example, a sensor for position control or a stopper can be used. In the case of the stopper, the rotation angle can be controlled by setting the rotation angle range in advance.

The rotation driving unit 8-2 according to the embodiment rotates the rotation unit 7 by the magnetic force using at least one magnet so that the rotation unit 7 can freely change the direction without any physical limitations.

7 is a configuration diagram of a product conveying apparatus connected through a connection belt according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 7, the conveying units 2-1 and 2-2 constituting the article carrying apparatus 2 are connected via a connecting belt 23.

The first conveying unit 2-1 and the first conveying unit 2-1 are arranged on a cell basis in the conveying path and change the flow of the articles on the conveying path by changing the direction of conveying the articles. At this time, the first conveying unit 2-1 and the first conveying unit 2-1 are controlled in a group by the connecting belt 23 to switch the direction at the same time.

The connecting belt 23 according to one embodiment is constituted by a first gear 25-1 mounted on the first conveying unit 2-1 and a second gear 25 mounted on the second conveying unit 2-2 -2) so that the rotational force is transmitted to the second gear 25-2 of the second conveying unit 2-2 when the first conveying unit 2-1 is rotated by the first gear 25-1 Or transmits the rotational force to the first gear 25-1 of the first conveying unit 2-1 when the second conveying unit 2-2 rotates the second gear 25-2, 2-1, 2-2) are switched together. The gears of the respective conveying units are mounted on the conveying unit and rotate, and can be mounted on a part of the conveying unit, for example, a rotating body of the conveying unit.

The article carrying apparatus 2 according to the embodiment is configured such that the angle at which the first gear 25-1 of the first conveying unit 2-1 connected by the connecting belt 23 rotates and the angle at which the second conveying unit 2-2 The first conveying unit 2-1 and the second conveying unit 2-2 are turned at the same angle by rotating the second gear 25-2 of the first conveying unit 2-1.

For group control for redirection, the number of gears in each delivery unit may be multiple. For example, based on one delivery unit, each gear is formed on a different layer with the same axis of rotation. The connecting belt 23 can connect the gears formed in the same layer to each other in parallel when connecting the carrying units.

The article carrying apparatus 2 according to one embodiment redirects the serially connected carrying units to the relays as they connect the neighboring carrying units in series via the connecting belts 23, respectively. Serial connection will be described later with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. FIG. An article carrying apparatus according to another embodiment hierarchically redirects carrying units connected in a tree structure by connecting neighboring carrying units respectively via a connecting belt in a tree structure. Tree connection will be described later with reference to FIG. 19 and FIG.

8 is a configuration diagram of a product transport apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8, the article carrying apparatus 1 includes a plurality of conveying units 2 and a control unit 3 for controlling each conveying unit 2. [

The conveying units 2 are separately arranged in the conveying path on a cell-by-cell basis, so that the conveying units 2 convey the articles and simultaneously switch the proceeding direction of the articles. To this end, the conveying unit 2 includes a conveying unit 6, a rotating unit 7, and a control unit 3. The rotation unit 7 changes the direction of the transport unit 6 and changes the traveling direction of the article passing over the transport unit 6. [

The control unit 3 determines a traveling direction of each article and transmits a control command to each shipping unit 2 so that each article proceeds according to the determined traveling direction. At this time, the control unit 3 controls the traveling direction of the transport units as a group. For example, while the conveyor belt 60 rotates in the running direction on the conveying path, the control unit 3 can control the conveying units as a group to collectively change the traveling direction of the conveying units included in the group. The change of the traveling direction is a direction different from the running direction on the plane, for example, an inclined direction or a vertical direction. For the group control, the control unit 3 can transmit a driving command to the driving unit for driving the rotation unit 7 to control the traveling direction of the transportation units as a group.

The control unit 3 can be located in the computer. The control unit 3 may be a central control unit, an operation control server, or a combination thereof. The control unit 3 controls the transport unit 2 to process the goods. For example, when transporting goods, they are classified as fixed places. As another example, irregularly disordered articles are sorted while transported.

9 is a configuration diagram of a product transport apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 9, the article carrying apparatus 1 further includes an information providing unit 4 and a database 5, as compared with the configuration of Fig.

The respective conveying units 2-1, 2-2, ..., 2- (n-1), 2-n are connected via connection belts 23-1, 23-2, ..., 23- Respectively. The information providing unit 4 obtains information for direction determination for the articles to be transferred, processes the obtained information, and transmits the processed information to the control unit 3. At this time, the information for determining the direction may be the identification information of the article. In this case, the control unit 3 controls the conveying unit 2 to convey the article in accordance with the determined direction by using the item information of the article.

The information providing unit 4 may include an information obtaining unit 40 and an information processing unit 42 and may further include a position sensing unit 44. [

The information acquiring unit 40 acquires the item information of the article placed on the transfer path of the conveying apparatus 1 and the information processing unit 44 supplies the item information obtained through the information acquiring unit 42 to the control unit 3 send. The information acquiring unit 40 may acquire the division information through a method of directly measuring the article being carried, and may receive input from outside through communication means. In this case, the division information is recognized from the outside before the article carrying apparatus 1 loads the article.

The identification information may be an identifier information of a barcode, an RFID (RFID) or an item indicated by a character, a delimiter code or address information. For example, if the article is a mail item, a bar code is printed or attached to the mail item, and the mail item identifier information (ID) is recorded in the bar code. The mail identifier information is a code including a series of numbers such as an invoice number and a receipt number uniquely assigned to a mail item for mail management when mail is received. The mail identifier information of the bar code is stored in the database 5 and used as an identifier for tracking or referencing the mail item. In addition, the sender information and the recipient information received from the sender at the time of receiving the mail are matched with the product identifier information and stored in the database 5. The sender and recipient information includes the name, address, and zip code. In another example, the classification information may be information such as the style, color, size, and number of articles.

The information acquiring unit 40 acquires the classification of an article by using a camera, a laser scanner, an RF reader, a Bluetooth, a Zigbee, a Near Field Communication (NFC) Information can be obtained. The information obtaining unit 40 may be installed at a predetermined height on the movement path of the conveying apparatus 1 and may be mounted on the conveying apparatus 1. [ Taking a camera as an example, a camera captures an image of an article loaded on the conveying apparatus 1, acquires image data, and recognizes the classification information from the acquired image data. In the case of a laser scanner, the moving article is scanned to recognize the identification information. In the case of the RFID reader, the RFID tag attached to the article is read to recognize the identification information.

The database 5 stores various kinds of information. In the database 5, the article classification information and the article classification position information may be mapped and stored. For example, according to the bar code or address information of the mail, information on which transport route the goods are to be transported is stored.

The information acquired by the information acquiring unit 40 may be position and attitude information of the article. For example, an image of the articles can be acquired and the direction of movement of the article from there can be determined. For this, the information obtaining unit 40 may be a camera, and the number of the information obtaining unit 40 is not particularly limited. The information obtaining unit 40 obtains a video signal for each item to be transferred, converts the video signal into an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to the information processing unit 42. The information acquiring unit 40 may be supported by a support and installed at the top of the conveying path, but the shape is not limited thereto.

The information processing unit 42 analyzes the images obtained by the information obtaining unit 40 to recognize the positions and postures of the articles. The information processing unit 42 can identify the positions of the objects in a large amount and detect the positions and orientations of the objects by using the image processing and recognition technology. To this end, the information processing unit 42 may detect an object from the image data and detect the position and attitude of the object from the detected object. Even though the object recognition technology through video works in a limited environment, the efficiency of automation can be improved by applying image recognition technology. Because the image processing is computationally expensive, real-time processing is not easy, but GPU can be used with parallel processing for real-time control based on measured results in real time. The information processing unit 42 according to an embodiment can sequentially select each article when the controller 3 individually controls each article by sequentially assigning numbers to the recognized articles.

The position sensing unit 44 senses a conveying point of the article in the conveying path, and may be a position sensing sensor. When the transporting point where the goods are positioned is detected through the position sensing unit 44, more accurate position information can be obtained from the image of the corresponding point product through the information obtaining unit 40.

The control unit 3 receives information for direction determination from the information providing unit 4 and transmits a control command to the conveying unit 2. [ To this end, the control unit 3 groups the conveying units 2 according to the information received through the information providing unit 4, and processes the articles, while conveying the articles without stopping them via the conveying unit 2. [ The detailed configuration of the control unit 3 will be described later with reference to Fig.

FIG. 10 is a detailed configuration diagram of a control unit in the product transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the control unit 3 includes an article control unit 30, a direction switching control unit 32, and a feed speed control unit 34.

The article control unit 30 determines the proceeding direction of each article so that the articles can be processed and carried out in order using the information received from the information providing unit 4. [ The article control unit 30 according to an embodiment determines the proceeding direction of each article using the article identification information received from the information providing unit 4. [ The direction of travel can be determined according to the processing purpose. For example, in the case of classification, it is possible to determine the traveling direction of each article according to a classification condition set in advance. For example, when the first article being transported along the transport path is a postal item to be sent to Seoul, the article control section 30 switches the proceeding direction to the left side. When the second article is a postal item to the charge, . The article control unit 30 can change the posture as well as change the position of the article when each article is conveyed. For example, the posture can be changed so that the narrow side of the object faces the front side of the conveyance path and the long side faces the side of the conveyance path.

The direction switching control unit 32 controls the direction change of each conveying unit to be grouped so that each article advances in accordance with the progress direction determined by the article control unit 30. [ The conveyance speed control unit 34 controls the conveyance speed of each article. Accordingly, it is possible not only to change the traveling direction of the moving article, but also to adjust the speed, so that the best performance can be achieved irrespective of the arrangement state of the supplied articles.

Figs. 11 to 16 are detailed structural diagrams of a conveying unit constituting an article carrying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 and Fig. 12 show a plan view of the conveying unit 2, Fig. 14 is a front view of the transportation unit 2, Fig. 15 is a front view showing a connection structure of two transportation units, and Fig. 16 is a structural diagram of a transportation unit including a rotation driving unit .

Figs. 11 to 15 illustrate the case where the conveying unit 2 is composed of two conveying belts 60-1 and 60-2, which is an embodiment for facilitating understanding of the present invention, But is not limited thereto.

The conveying unit 2 according to one embodiment includes a conveying portion, a rotating portion 7, a conveying driving portion 8-1, a rotation driving portion 8-2, a supporting portion 9 and a connecting belt 23, The part may be a belt conveyor 21 having two conveyor belts 60-1 and 60-2.

The belt conveyor 21 carries the articles thereon through rotation of the conveyor belts 60-1 and 60-2. The conveyor belts 60-1 and 60-2 are annular bands. The rotating portion 7 accommodates the conveying belts 60-1 and 60-2 and exposes at least a part of the conveying belts 60-1 and 60-2 to the outside. As it rotates in a plane, the traveling direction of the conveying belts 60-1 and 60-2 is changed to change the traveling direction of the articles passing over the traveling belts 60-1 and 60-2. The supporting part 9 supports the rotation part 24. [ The transport driving unit 8-1 drives the belt conveyor 21 by transmitting the power. The conveyance drive unit 8-1 can transmit power using magnets, for example, two

magnets

912 and 913, as shown in Figs. A connection structure such as a bearing is added between the rotation part 24 and the support part 9 but this is a general structure and it is considered that the gist of the present invention may be unnecessarily blurred and detailed description thereof has been omitted.

In the belt conveyor 21, the power of the conveying drive unit 8-1 is transmitted through the belt pulleys 925-1 and 925-2 fixed to the belt shaft 289, and the conveying belts 60-1 and 60-2 are rotated do. Specifically, the belt conveyor 21 includes conveyor belts 60-1 and 60-2, belt pulleys 925-1 and 925-2 that are wound around the conveyor belts 60-1 and 60-2, And a belt shaft 289 fixed to the belt pulleys 925-1 and 925-2 and the belt shaft 289 is connected to the second driven gear 914-2 of the conveyance drive unit 8-1 to transmit power Receive.

The conveyance drive unit 8-1 according to the embodiment drives the belt conveyor 21 using magnets. Here, the magnets may be a plurality of, for example, two (912, 913), and each of the

magnets

912, 913 may be in a form of rotating orthogonally to each other as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. Each of the

magnets

912 and 913 may have a spiral-shaped permanent magnet magnetized. Each of the

magnets

912 and 913 may be of a disc shape. In the case of driving through the

magnets

912 and 913, the rotation unit 20 can freely rotate 360 degrees, which facilitates directional switching.

The conveyance drive unit 8-1 according to the embodiment includes a drive motor 900 that generates initial power and a first power transmission gear 904- 1, a first power transmission belt 906 having a belt-like shape wound around the first power transmission gear 904-1, and a first power transmission belt 906 formed at a predetermined distance in parallel with the first power transmission gear 904-1, A first driven gear 904-2 which is wound around a power transmission belt 906 and a first magnet 912 fixed to the driven shaft 910 of the first driven gear 904-2, A second magnet 913 formed perpendicular to the first magnet 912 and rotated by the first magnet 912 and a second power transmission shaft 916 connected to the second magnet 913 A second power transmission belt 918 with a belt-shaped band around which the second power transmission gear 914-1 is wound, a second power transmission gear 914-1, And is spaced a predetermined distance apart By cold air in the second rotational drive transmission belt 918 and a second driven gear (914-2) to transmit power. The second power transmission belt 918 is located at the center of the two conveyance belts 60-1 and 60-2. The two

magnets

912 and 913 have the same polarity and the second power transmission gear 914-1 is rotated by the force that the first magnet 912 pushes the second magnet 913, (60-1, 60-2).

The first driven gear 904-2 can be composed of two, one used for connection with the drive motor 900 and the other used for transferring power to the adjacent carrying unit .

11 to 14 illustrate the case where two conveying belts 60-1 and 60-2 are provided. In the case where there is only one conveying belt, the second power transmitting belt 918 is positioned at the center It is possible to take the form of conveying the power by coming out sideways along the belt axis 922 and by hanging the second power transmission belt 918 outwardly.

15, the gears 25-1 and 25-2 in the respective conveying units 2-1 and 2-2 are connected to each other via the connecting belt 802 in order to control the direction change of the conveying units as a group do. Thus, when the gear 25-1 of the first delivery unit 2-1 is rotated, the gear 25-2 of the second delivery unit 2-2 connected by the connection belt 802 rotates together do. The connecting belt 802 may be a timing belt. As shown in Fig. 15, the gears in each of the transportation units 2-1 and 2-2 may be a plurality of gears having the same rotation axis and formed in different layers. At this time, the connecting belts 802 can connect the gears 25-1 and 25-2 formed in the same layer between the conveying units 2-1 and 2-2 in parallel. The angle at which the gear 25-1 of the first conveying unit 2-1 connected by the connecting belt 802 rotates and the angle at which the gear 25-2 of the second conveying unit 2-2 rotates are the same So that the first conveying unit 2-1 and the second conveying unit 2-2 can be turned to the same angle.

Referring to FIG. 16, the rotation drive unit 8-2 may provide power for rotation through a rotation mechanism 808. [ The gear 804 fixed to the power transmission shaft 806 of the rotation mechanism 808 rotates when the rotation mechanism 808 generating the initial power is driven. The belt 802 has a band shape around the rotation mechanism side gear 804 and the conveyance unit side gear 25 and the conveyance unit side gear 25 is spaced apart from the rotation mechanism side gear 804 by a predetermined distance And is wound around the belt 802 to rotate. Therefore, when the rotation mechanism side gear 804 rotates, the conveying unit side gear 25 rotates by the belt 802 at the same time.

As shown in Fig. 16, there can be two conveying unit side gears 25 for rotation, one for connection with the rotation mechanism 808 for rotational drive, the other for the gears of the other conveying units And can be used for power transmission for rotation. As another example, both of the constituent members of the conveying unit side gear 25 may be used for transmitting power for rotation to gears of other conveying units. In this case, one reference transporting unit is connected to the rotation mechanism 808, and the reference transporting unit and the adjacent transporting units 2-1 and 2-2 are connected to each other via a connection belt 232. Accordingly, by driving one rotation mechanism 808, a series of groups, for example, conveying units located in one row, can be continuously and simultaneously rotated. At this time, each conveying unit can rotate at the same angle. To this end, the angles at which the respective gears of the conveying unit connected by the connecting belt are rotated may be the same so that each conveying unit is rotated at the same angle.

The rotation mechanism 808 may be a servo motor, a stepping motor (pulse motor), a BLDC motor, a cylinder or a solenoid capable of rotating and reciprocating. As another example, a sensor for position control or a stopper can be used. In the case of the stopper, the rotation angle can be controlled by setting the rotation angle range in advance.

17 and 18 show a structure in which the conveyance units according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected in series, in detail, Fig. 17 is a front view of the cascade-connected conveyance units and Fig. 18 is a plan view of the cascade- It is.

Referring to Figs. 17 and 18, as a series of groups, for example the same in-line carrying units, are connected in series via a connecting belt, respectively, the series connected carrying units are redirected to relays. For ease of understanding, the carrying units of Figs. 17 and 18 are exemplified. Each of the transportation units 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4 has gears 25-1, 25-2, 25-3, and 25-4. At this time, there may be at least two gears per transport unit, and each gear is formed in a different layer. For example, the first gear of each conveying unit is formed parallel to the first layer, and the second gear is formed parallel to the second layer.

A method of connecting the connecting belts in an alternating manner, that is, connecting the gears formed on the first layer with the previous carrying unit on the basis of one carrying unit, and then connecting the gears formed on the second layer with each other , The direction of the in-group carrying units can be switched to the relay at the same time.

17 and 18, the first connecting belt 23-1 is connected to the first gear of the first carrying unit 2-1 and the second gear of the second carrying unit 2-2 1, the second connecting belt 23-2 connects the second gear of the second conveying unit 2-2 and the second gear of the third conveying unit 2-3, The belt 23-3 connects the first gear of the third conveying unit 2-3 and the first gear of the fourth conveying unit 2-4. A group whose direction is switched to a relay may be a bundle of carrying units located on the same line. The same line includes the same column or the same row.

19 and 20 illustrate a structure in which the transport units according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected in a tree structure. Specifically, FIG. 19 is a front view of transport units connected in a tree structure, and FIG. And a plan view of the transport units.

Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, a series of groups, for example, different in-line carrying units, are connected in a tree structure via a connecting belt, respectively, so that the carrying units connected in a tree structure are hierarchically redirected. In this case, the connecting belts are hierarchically connected to the gears of the different in-line carrying units in a tree structure so as to spread out the connection, so that the carrying units connected to the in-group connecting belt can be collectively redirected. For ease of understanding, the carrying units of FIGS. 19 and 20 are exemplified. Each of the transport units 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, ... has gears 25-1, 25-2, 25-3, 25-4, .... At this time, there may be three or more gears per transport unit, and each gear is formed in a different layer. For example, the first gear of each conveying unit is formed parallel to the first layer, the second gear is formed parallel to the second layer, and the third gear is formed parallel to the third layer.

A method of linking in a hierarchical tree structure, that is, connecting the gears formed on the first layer to the conveying units of the same line on the basis of one conveying unit, and forming the second conveying units on the second layer And the gears formed on the third layer are connected to each other in a manner that the gears formed on the third layer are connected to each other so that the connection is spread out so that the directions of the in-group carrying units can be switched at the same time .

19 and 20, the first connecting belt 23-1 is connected to the first gear of the first carrying unit 2-1 in the same line and the second gear of the second carrying unit 2-2 And the second connecting belt 23-2 connects the second gear of the second carrying unit 2-2 and the second gear of the third carrying unit 2-3 in the same line And the third connecting belt 23-3 connects the third gear of the in-line second carrying unit 2-2 and the third gear of the fourth carrying unit 2-4, which are different from each other.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims

A plurality of conveying units in units of cells capable of changing directions while conveying the articles; / RTI >

And each conveying unit is controlled in a group through a connecting belt so that the directions are simultaneously switched.
2. The article carrying apparatus according to claim 1,

A first conveying unit that changes the flow of the article thereon by switching the direction while conveying the article;

A second conveying unit arranged to be separated from the first conveying unit by a cell unit and switching the direction in accordance with the direction change of the first conveying unit; And

A connection belt for connecting the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit so as to simultaneously switch the directions of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit;

And a conveying device for conveying the article.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each conveying unit

A carrying part for carrying the article placed thereon;

A rotation unit for switching a traveling direction of the transportation unit as it rotates in a plane;

A transportation driving unit for transmitting power to the transportation unit; And

A rotation driving unit for transmitting power to the rotation unit;

And a conveying device for conveying the article.
4. The apparatus of claim 3,

At least one conveyor belt; And a conveying device for conveying the article.
4. The apparatus of claim 3,

One or more rollers; And a conveying device for conveying the article.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

The gear mounted on the first conveying unit and the gear mounted on the second conveying unit are connected to each other so that the rotational force is transmitted to the gear of the second conveying unit at the time of gear rotation of the first conveying unit, And the direction of each of the conveying units is switched together as the rotational force is transmitted to the gear of the first conveying unit.
The method according to claim 6,

Characterized in that the angle at which the gears of the first conveying unit connected by the connecting belt rotate and the angle at which the gears of the second conveying unit are rotated are the same so that the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit are turned to the same angle Goods conveying device.
The method according to claim 1,

Each conveying unit including a plurality of gears mounted on different layers having the same rotational axis in the conveying unit,

Wherein the connecting belts connect the gears formed in the same layer in parallel to each other when connecting the conveying units.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

Characterized in that as the adjacent carrying units are cascaded, the cascaded carrying units are redirected to the relays.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9,

A first connecting belt connecting the first gears respectively formed in the first layer of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit in the same line to each other; And

A second connecting belt connecting a second gear formed in each of the first conveying unit in the same line and the second layer of the third conveying unit;

And a conveying device for conveying the article.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

And connecting the adjacent carrying units in a tree structure, whereby the carrying units connected in a tree structure are hierarchically redirected.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11,

A first connecting belt connecting the first gears respectively formed in the first layer of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit in the same line to each other;

A second connecting belt connecting a second gear formed in each of the first conveying unit in the same line and the second layer of the third conveying unit; And

A third connecting belt connecting a third gear formed in each of the first conveying unit in the line and the third layer in the fourth conveying unit, which are different from each other;

And a conveying device for conveying the article.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the rotation drive unit

A single rotating mechanism for transmitting power for switching the directions of the transport units together; Wherein the control unit simultaneously controls the switching of the transport units connected through the connection belt by driving only the single rotation mechanism.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3,

Wherein at least one magnet is used to transmit power by magnetic force so that each of the transport units can be freely redirected without any physical limitations.