NZ770384B2 - Diverging/merging device for conveying equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

conveying equipment branch convergence device including a curving transportation device (8) that tangentially connects to a straight track (7), and is anchored at a fixed height, so as to transport an object along the entirety of a curving track at the same level as the straight track. The straight track comprises a straight track section (7) of a fixed length encompassing an entire area of overlap with the curving transportation device (8). A straight transportation device (9) comprises vertical transportation means (17, 19, 20) that tilt in the vertical direction with pivot points at both ends of the straight track section (7). When the vertical transportation means (17, 19, 20) are in a downward state, the straight transportation device (9) is retracted beneath the transported object and so the object follows the arc-shaped path of the curving track. When the vertical transportation means (17, 19, 20) are in an upward state, the transported object passes over the curving transportation device (8) and continues on the straight path.

Claims (7)

1. [Claim 1] A diverging/merging device for conveying equipment including an arc-shaped path section, at an end portion of another conveying path, being tangentially connected in a middle of a straight path which has a constant length straight path section having an entirety of an overlapping area with the arc-shaped path section from a connection position with the arc-shaped path section, the diverging/merging device comprising: an arc-shaped conveying device forming the arc-shaped path section is fixed at a constant height so that a conveyed object can be conveyed over an entire area of the arc-shaped path section at the same level as the straight path tangentially connected with the arc-shaped path section; and a linear conveying device forming the constant length straight path section including vertically moving conveyance means tilting in a vertical direction with respect to an end portion of the straight path tangentially connected with the arc- shaped path section, wherein when the vertically moving conveyance means are at a lower retracted position of tilting downward, the linear conveying device is located below a conveyed object conveyed by the arc-shaped conveying device, and when the vertically moving conveyance means are at an upper working position of tilting upward, a conveyed object conveyed by the linear conveying device passes above the arc-shaped conveying device, the linear conveying device includes first vertically moving conveyance means tilting in the vertical direction with respect to one end of the constant length straight path section, the linear conveying device includes a second vertically moving conveyance means tilting in the vertical direction with respect to the other end of the constant length straight path section, and when both the first and second vertically moving conveyance means are at the upper working position, a conveying surface on the linear conveying device is configured to be deformed in a mountain shape in which an intermediate part is raised.

2. [Claim 2] The diverging/merging device for conveying equipment according to claim 1, wherein the linear conveying device is formed of an outer linear drive conveyor unit on a side farther from an arc center of the arc-shaped path section and an inner linear drive conveyor unit on a side closer to the arc center, and the arc- shaped conveying device is formed of an arc-shaped drive roller array on a side farther from the arc center and an arc-shaped idler roller array on a side closer to the arc center, and the arc-shaped drive roller array has its one end arranged at a position adjacent, on a side where the arc center is located, to one end of the outer linear drive conveyor unit and has its intermediate portion arranged so as to cross an intermediate position of the inner linear drive conveyor unit, and the arc-shaped idler roller array has its one end arranged at a position adjacent, on a side where the arc center is located, to one end of the inner linear drive conveyor unit, and the outer linear drive conveyor unit is formed of an outer vertically moving conveyance means forming the area overlapping with the arc-shaped path section and an outer non-vertically- moving conveyance means forming an outside of the area, and the outer non- vertically-moving conveyance means is fixed at a height such that the outer non- vertically-moving conveyance means is connected to the outer vertically moving conveyance means when at the upper working position, and the inner linear drive conveyor unit has its entire length formed of an inner vertically moving conveyance means.

3. [Claim 3] The diverging/merging device for conveying equipment according to claim 2, wherein at the connection position, conveyed object support levels of the straight path and the arc-shaped conveying device and the linear conveying device are configured to be the same, and the outer vertically moving conveyance means has one end on the connection position side pivotally supported so as to be vertically movable and the other end supported by a support height changeable first support means, and the inner vertically moving conveyance means has its entire length divided into two parts and is formed of a first inner vertically moving conveyance means on the connection position side and a second inner vertically moving conveyance means on the opposite side, and the first inner vertically moving conveyance means and the second inner vertically moving conveyance means have respective inner end portions adjacent to each other supported by a support height changeable second support means and third support means and have respective outer end portions on the opposite side pivotally supported so as to be vertically movable.

4. [Claim 4] The diverging/merging device for conveying equipment according to claim 3, wherein the first support means, the second support means, and the third support means are respectively composed of rotary cams attached to one common drive shaft and cam follower rollers respectively supported by the rotary cams.

5. [Claim 5] The diverging/merging device for conveying equipment according to claim 3 or 4, wherein to one end on the connection position side of the constant length straight path section, a first driving rotary shaft is supported along a path transverse direction, and to the other end on a side opposite to the connection position side of the constant length straight path section, a second driving rotary shaft is supported in the path transverse direction, and the outer vertically moving conveyance means and the first inner vertically moving conveyance means are supported by the first driving rotary shaft so as to be vertically movable, and the second inner vertically moving conveyance means is supported by the second driving rotary shaft so as to be vertically movable, and drive rollers forming the outer vertically moving conveyance means, drive rollers forming the first inner vertically moving conveyance means, and drive rollers of the arc-shaped drive roller array are interlockingly coupled to the first driving rotary shaft, and drive rollers forming the outer non-vertically-moving conveyance means and drive rollers forming the second inner vertically moving conveyance means are interlockingly coupled to the second driving rotary shaft.

6. [Claim 6] The diverging/merging device for conveying equipment according to claim 5, wherein the drive rollers forming the second inner vertically moving conveyance means are provided only outside the arc-shaped drive roller array, and idler rollers are provided at an area inner than the arc-shaped drive roller array of the second inner vertically moving conveyance means.

7. [Claim 7] The diverging/merging device for conveying equipment according to claim 5 or 6, wherein one end drive roller forming a drive roller array of the first inner vertically moving conveyance means and one end drive roller forming the arc- shaped drive roller array are attached to the first driving rotary shaft, and the drive roller at one end on the connection position side of a drive roller array of the outer vertically moving conveyance means and the idler roller at one end on the connection position side of the arc-shaped idler roller array are separated from the first driving rotary shaft.