JP6565546B2 - Transport mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport mechanism, and more particularly to a transport mechanism that moves articles in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction.

Examples of the article transport mechanism include those described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus including a roller conveyor for conveying an article in a lateral direction and a mechanism for rotating the roller conveyor to move one end side up and down.
By the way, in general, in order to move an article in order to move the article in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, the article is once moved in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction and then moved in the other direction again. . In this case, for example, it is conceivable to store energy in a spring or the like when moving in one direction and use this energy for movement in the other direction.

JP 2009-132518 A

Under such circumstances, there has been a strong demand for a transport mechanism that simultaneously moves articles in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described present situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport mechanism that moves an article in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a transport mechanism characterized in that the article is moved in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction by using a force for moving the article in the horizontal direction. is there.
Furthermore, the invention described in claim 1 is a mechanism main body, a slope member that is rotatably attached to the mechanism main body, and a shaft that is rotatable in the middle of the slope member. An attached pushing member,
The pushing member includes a lever member and an abutting member fixed in the middle of the lever member,
One end of the lever member is rotatably attached to the lower surface of the slope member,
The other end of the lever member is provided so as to protrude above the upper surface of the slope member,
When the article is moved laterally on the slope member, the other end of the lever member is pushed by the article to turn the pushing member, and the contact member of the pushing member serves as a fulcrum. By the lever action, the slope member rotates so that the other end side of the slope member moves upward, whereby the article on the slope member moves in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the conveyance mechanism according to the first aspect , the contact member is provided with a wheel.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the transport mechanism according to the first or second aspect , the movement in the vertical direction operates in a plurality of stages.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the transport mechanism according to the second aspect, a plurality of the wheels are provided, and the plurality of the wheels are arranged such that the distances from the shaft portion of the pushing member are different from each other. Has been
In the initial state, the plurality of wheels are in contact with the wheel with the shortest distance from the shaft portion and the other wheels are floating,
When the pusher member turns, the pusher member turns while the nearest wheel is grounded, and then the pusher member moves to the grounded state in the order of the distance from the shaft portion among the plurality of wheels. When the member rotates, the movement in the vertical direction operates in a plurality of stages.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the transport mechanism according to any one of the first , second, and fourth aspects, a rotating body is rotatably attached to the other end side of the lever member. The pushing member rotates when the rotating body is pushed by the article.
The invention according to claim 6 is the conveyance mechanism according to claim 5 , wherein a plurality of the rotating bodies are provided side by side in the width direction.

  According to the transport mechanism of the present invention, since the article is moved in the horizontal direction as well as in the vertical direction by using a force for moving the article in the horizontal direction, the article can be easily moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction simultaneously.

Further, the transport mechanism includes a mechanism main body, a slope member that is rotatably attached to the mechanism main body, and a pushing member that is rotatably attached to the middle of the slope member by the shaft portion. ,
The pushing member includes a lever member and an abutting member fixed in the middle of the lever member,
One end of the lever member is rotatably attached to the lower surface of the slope member,
The other end of the lever member is provided so as to protrude upward from the upper surface of the slope member,
When the article is moved laterally on the slope member, the other end of the lever member is pushed by the article, so that the pushing member is rotated. by the other end of the slope member to move upwardly rotates, the articles on the slope member is also moved in the vertical direction together with the transverse direction, the following effects. That is, it is possible to realize a transport mechanism that can easily move the article in the vertical direction as well as the horizontal direction with a simple configuration.
Moreover, when the wheel is provided in the contact member, friction between the contact member and the ground contact surface can be reduced, and the operation can be performed with a relatively small force.

  Further, the movement in the vertical direction is highly convenient because it can be operated with a relatively small force when operating in a plurality of stages.

Further, a plurality of wheels are provided, and the plurality of wheels are arranged so that the distances from the shaft portion of the pushing member are different from each other,
In the initial state, the wheels closest to the distance from the shaft are grounded and the other wheels are floating,
When the pushing member turns, the pushing member turns while the nearest wheel is in contact with the ground, and then the pushing member turns while shifting to the grounded state in order of the shortest distance from the shaft portion among the plurality of wheels. Thus, the movement in the vertical direction has the following effects when operating in a plurality of stages. That is, it is possible to realize a transport mechanism that operates in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction with a simple configuration.

  In addition, a rotating body is rotatably attached to the other end side of the lever member, and when the rotating member is pressed by the article and the pushing member is rotated, a force for moving the article laterally is applied. The force can be effectively converted into a force for rotating the pushing member.

  In addition, when a plurality of rotating bodies are provided side by side in the width direction, the article can be brought into contact with the surface, and the reliability of the operation can be improved.

The present invention will be further described in the following detailed description with reference to the drawings referred to, with reference to non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. Similar parts are shown throughout the several figures.
It is a figure which shows typically the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a top view which shows the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is the elements on larger scale for demonstrating the pushing member which concerns on an Example. It is the elements on larger scale for demonstrating the pushing member and return member which concern on an Example. It is the elements on larger scale for demonstrating the pushing member and stopper member which concern on an Example. It is the elements on larger scale for demonstrating the pushing member and stopper member which concern on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the conveyance mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the conveyance mechanism which concerns on other embodiment.

  The items shown here are exemplary and illustrative of the embodiments of the present invention, and are the most effective and easy-to-understand explanations of the principles and conceptual features of the present invention. It is stated for the purpose of providing what seems to be. In this respect, it is not intended to illustrate the structural details of the present invention beyond what is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the present invention. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how it is actually implemented.

The transport mechanism (1) according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the article is moved in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction by using a force for moving the article (3) in the horizontal direction.
The article 3 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, the article (3) can be a cart.

In order to simultaneously move the article in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction using the force that moves the article in the horizontal direction, the article is moved in the vertical direction by the force that moves in the horizontal direction.

The movement in the vertical direction may operate in one stage, but it is preferable to operate in a plurality of stages. The number of stages may be two or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited. However, from the viewpoint of simplifying the transport mechanism, six steps or less are preferable.
A cam may be used for the vertical movement.

  According to the transport mechanism of the present embodiment, since the article is moved in the horizontal direction as well as in the vertical direction using the force for moving the article in the horizontal direction, the article can be easily moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction simultaneously. It can be widely applied to various devices.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis of each structure described in the said embodiment shows the correspondence with the specific structure as described in the Example mentioned later.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the right side in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front, and the left side is referred to as the rear.
(1) Configuration of Transport Mechanism The transport mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment includes a slope member 5, a pushing member 7, a return member 9, and a stopper member 11, as shown in FIGS. Yes. The transport mechanism 1 can place the article 3 thereon. The transport mechanism 1 is a mechanism that transports the placed article 3 forward without power. The article 3 moves on the upper surface of the slope member 5. In this embodiment, a cart is illustrated as the article 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slope member 5 is formed in a plate shape. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the slope member 5 is formed by arranging two plate-like members substantially in parallel at a predetermined interval. The pushing member 7, the return member 9, and the stopper member 11 are disposed between the two slope members 5. The slope member 5 is attached to the mechanism main body (base) B of the transport mechanism 1 so as to be rotatable by a shaft portion 5A.

  The pushing member 7 is pushed into the article 3 to incline the slope member 5 forward. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pushing member 7 is attached on the way from the front side to the rear side of the slope member 5. The pushing member 7 is attached to the slope member 5 so as to be rotatable by a shaft portion 7A.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the push-in member 7 includes a lever member 13 and an abutting member 15 fixed to the lever member 13. In the present embodiment, the lever member 13 is formed to be bent in a substantially L shape. One end (the rear side in FIG. 4) of the lever member 13 is rotatably attached to the slope member 5 by the shaft portion 7A. A rotating body 17 is rotatably attached to the lever member 13 on the other end side of the lever member 13. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotating body 17 is in a state where a plurality (four in this embodiment) are arranged in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the contact member 15 includes a main body 15A and wheels 15B and 15C. The wheels 15B and 15C are rotatably attached to the main body portion 15A.

The pushing member 7 is rotatable with respect to the slope member 5 by a shaft portion 7A. The pushing member 7 rotates when the rotating body 17 is pushed by the article 3 as the article 3 moves, and can be tilted forward.
As shown in FIG. 4, the wheel 15C is arranged at a position farther from the shaft portion 7A than the wheel 15B. In other words, when the maximum diameter R1 from the shaft portion 7A of the pushing member 7 to the outer periphery of the wheel 15B is compared with the maximum diameter R2 from the shaft portion 7A of the pushing member 7 to the outer periphery of the wheel 15C, R1 <R2. ing.

The pushing member 7 is provided with a balance weight 19. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the balance weight 19 is attached to a position on the front side of the lever member 13 near the rotating body 17. The balance weight 19 acts so that the pushing member 7 can be tilted with a smaller force when the pushing member 7 is tilted forward, and the weight of the slope member 5 is increased when the pushing member 7 is tilted forward. Against this, it acts to keep the pushing member 7 tilted.
As shown in FIG. 5, the pushing member 7 tilted forward is supported by a support member 21 attached to the mechanism main body B, and is not tilted beyond a predetermined angle.

  The return member 9 is a member for returning the pushing member 7 tilted forward to the initial position. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the return member 9 is attached in front of the pushing member 7 of the slope member 5. The return member 9 is rotatably attached to the slope member 5 by a shaft portion 9A. The return member 9 extends in the front-rear direction across the shaft portion 9A, and is formed in a substantially L shape in which one end on the front side is bent upward. As shown in FIG. 5, one end on the rear side of the return member 9 is provided so as to be positioned below the pushing member 7 when the pushing member 7 is tilted forward.

  The stopper member 11 is a member for stopping the article 3 placed on the transport mechanism 1. The stopper member 11 is attached to a position near the rear end of the slope member 5 as shown in FIGS. The stopper member 11 is attached to the slope member 5 so as to be rotatable by a shaft portion 11A. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the stopper member 11 is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction across the shaft portion 11A. An abutting portion 11 </ b> B for abutting against the article 3 is formed at the rear end portion (upper end side in FIG. 7) of the stopper member 11. A wheel 11 </ b> C is rotatably attached to the front end portion (lower end side in FIG. 7) of the stopper member 11.

  Further, one end of the elastic member 11 </ b> D is attached to a position near the front end of the stopper member 11. The other end of the elastic member 11D is attached to the mechanism main body B. Thereby, the force which urges | biases the front end side (lower end side) to the stopper member 11 back is acting. Further, a wire (not shown) is connected in the vicinity of the wheel 11 </ b> C of the stopper member 11. By pulling the wire against the urging force of the elastic member 11D, the upright stopper member 11 shown in FIG.

(2) Operation of Transport Mechanism Next, the operation of the transport mechanism 1 having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 8 shows a state when the transport mechanism 1 is on standby. In this state, the slope member 5 is inclined so that its rear side is lowered. The pushing member 7 is in a state in which the rotating body 17 protrudes above the slope member 5. The return member 9 is in a state where the rear arm portion has moved upward. The stopper member 11 is laid down.

When the cart as the article 3 moves laterally to the transport mechanism 1, the article 3 comes into contact with the rotating body 17 of the pushing member 7 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. When the article 3 further moves laterally, the pushing member 7 pushed by the article 3 tilts forward. At this time, the push-in member 7 pushes up the slope member 5 upward by the shaft portion 7A serving as an action point by using the lever 15 as a fulcrum and the lever 17 as a force point. Thereby, the slope member 5 rotates so that the back side may be lifted.
When the article 3 further moves sideways and the push-in member 7 is pushed in, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, both the wheel 15B and the wheel 15C are grounded. If the article 3 further moves laterally from this state, as shown in FIG. 13, the wheel 15B is lifted, and this time the slope member 5 is pushed up with the wheel 15C as a fulcrum.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the maximum diameter R1 from the shaft portion 7A of the pushing member 7 to the outer periphery of the wheel 15B is larger than the maximum diameter R2 from the shaft portion 7A of the pushing member 7 to the outer periphery of the wheel 15C. Is also getting smaller. For this reason, while pushing up the slope member 5 with the wheel 15B as a fulcrum, the slope member 5 can be pushed up with a smaller force than when the wheel 15C is used as a fulcrum. That is, in this embodiment, a two-stage operation is performed in which the wheel 15B is first pushed up with the fulcrum as a fulcrum and then the fulcrum is switched to the wheel 15C.

  When the article 3 is further moved laterally and the pushing member 7 is further pushed, the slope member 5 is further pushed up. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the return member 9 moves downward while the pusher member 7 is pushed by the article 3 and the rear arm is pushed by the pusher member 7. And as shown in FIG. 13, it will be in the state which the arm part of the front side of the return member 9 moved upwards. Further, the stopper member 11 is in a raised state as shown in FIG. When the stopper member 11 rises to a predetermined position, the contact portion 11B of the stopper member 11 contacts the rear end side of the article 3. Thereby, the movement of the article 3 in the lateral direction is regulated. In this state, the article 3 is stationary and placed on the slope member 5.

  The stopper member 11 is provided in a natural state with a weight balance such that the front arm portion moves downward, and a force that urges the front arm portion rearward by the elastic member 11D works. . Accordingly, the stopper member 11 rises while the wheel 11C is kept in contact with the ground as the slope member 5 is pushed up.

  Next, the case where the cart as the article 3 is transported forward from the transport mechanism 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, the article 3 is stationary on the transport mechanism 1 by being restricted by the contact portion 11 </ b> B of the stopper member 11. In this state, when a wire (not shown) connected to the front arm portion of the stopper member 11 is pulled, the stopper member 11 is rotated and the regulation of the article 3 is released as shown in FIG. Then, the article 3 moves forward by its own weight along the slope of the slope member 5.

  When the article 3 moves along the slope of the slope member 5, as shown in FIG. 15, the rear end portion of the article 3 contacts and pushes the front arm portion of the return member 9. As a result, the return member 9 rotates, and the arm on the rear side of the return member 9 moves upward. Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the pushing member 7 is pushed upward by the rear arm portion of the return member 9 moved upward. Thereby, the pushing member 7 returns to an initial state. Along with this, the slope member 5 that has lost the support by the shaft portion 7A of the pushing member 7 is lowered by its own weight. Furthermore, the stopper member 11 returns to the state where it is laid down as the slope member 5 is lowered.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 13, a predetermined inclination is applied to the contact portion 3 </ b> A that is a portion that contacts the rotating body 17 of the article 3. Thereby, the force caused by the lateral movement of the article 3 can be effectively converted into a force for rotating the pushing member 7. In the present embodiment, the contact portion 3A has a predetermined width in the lateral direction (direction intersecting the moving direction of the article 3). As a result, the four rotators 17 arranged in the horizontal direction come into contact with each other, and the rotator 17 can be pushed in stably.

(3) Effects of Example According to the transport mechanism 1 of this example, the article 3 is moved in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction by using the force for moving the article 3 in the horizontal direction. At the same time, it can be easily moved in the vertical direction simultaneously.
Further, the movement in the vertical direction is highly convenient because it operates in two stages and can be operated with a relatively small force.
Further, by providing the stopper member 11 with the elastic member 11D, it is possible to assist the stopper member 11 to stand up by the urging force of the elastic member 11D. Thereby, the followability of the stopper member 11 when the slope member 5 moves upward can be improved, and the contact portion 11B can be brought into contact with the article 3 more reliably.
In addition, since a plurality of rotating bodies 17 with which the article 3 abuts are provided, the force due to the lateral movement of the article 3 can be reliably received.
Further, the force due to the lateral movement of the article 3 can be effectively converted into a force for rotating the pushing member 7 by giving a predetermined inclination to the abutting portion 3A which is a portion of the article 3 that abuts the rotating body 17. As a result, the pushing member 7 can be reliably tilted forward.

In the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention depending on the purpose and application.
In the above embodiment, a cart is used as the article 3, but it can also be used for transporting other objects.

Moreover, in the said Example, although the two wheels 15B and 15C were provided in the contact member 15 of the pushing member 7, it is not limited to this, For example, you may make it provide only one wheel. Further, three or more wheels may be provided, and the slope member 5 may be moved in the vertical direction in three or more stages.
In the above embodiment, the balance weight 19 is attached to the push-in member 7 so that the push-in member 7 is held in a tilted state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. When the member 7 is tilted, the wheel 15 </ b> C serving as a fulcrum may be positioned behind the vertical portion of the shaft portion 7 </ b> A that is the rotation shaft of the push-in member 7. Thereby, the state in which the pushing member 7 tilted can be hold | maintained more reliably.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the example which provides elastic member 11D in the stopper member 11 was shown, this is not essential and it is good also as a structure which does not provide an elastic member. In this case, the stopper member 11 is preferably provided with a weight balance such that the front arm portion moves downward more reliably.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which four rotating bodies (rotating members) are arranged in the horizontal direction is shown as the rotating body 17, but the number of rotating bodies is not particularly limited, and may be one or five or more. Good. However, it is preferable that a plurality of rotating members constituting the rotating body are provided. This is because the thickness can be increased in the width direction by the plurality of rotating members, so that the article can be brought into contact with the surface, and the reliability of the operation is improved.

  The foregoing examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Although the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the language used in the description and illustration of the invention is illustrative and exemplary rather than limiting. As detailed herein, changes may be made in its form within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Although specific structures, materials and examples have been referred to in the detailed description of the invention herein, it is not intended to limit the invention to the disclosure herein, but rather, the invention is claimed. It covers all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses within the scope.

  It is widely used as a technique for moving an article in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Conveyance mechanism 3; Article 3A; Contact part 5 of article 5; Slope member 5A; Shaft portion 7 of slope member 7; Pushing member 7A; Shaft portion 9 of pushing member 9; Return member 9A; Member 11A; Stopper member shaft 11B; Stopper member contact portion 11C; Stopper member wheel 11D; Elastic member 13; Lever member 15; Contact member 15A; Main body portion 15B, 15C; Contact member wheel 17; Rotating body 19; balance weight 21; support member B; mechanism main body

Claims (6)

A transport mechanism for simultaneously moving the article in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction using a force for moving the article in the horizontal direction ,
The transport mechanism includes a mechanism main body, a slope member that is rotatably attached to the mechanism main body, and a pushing member that is rotatably attached to the middle of the slope member by a shaft portion. With
The pushing member includes a lever member and an abutting member fixed in the middle of the lever member,
One end of the lever member is rotatably attached to the lower surface of the slope member,
The other end of the lever member is provided so as to protrude above the upper surface of the slope member,
When the article is moved laterally on the slope member, the other end of the lever member is pushed by the article to turn the pushing member, and the contact member of the pushing member serves as a fulcrum. Due to the lever action, the article on the slope member moves in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction by rotating the slope member so that the other end side of the slope member moves upward. mechanism. The transport mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the contact member is provided with a wheel. The movement in the vertical direction, the transport mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that operating in a plurality of stages. A plurality of the wheels are provided, and the plurality of wheels are arranged such that the distances from the shaft portion of the pushing member are different from each other,
In the initial state, the plurality of wheels are in contact with the wheel with the shortest distance from the shaft portion and the other wheels are floating,
When the pusher member turns, the pusher member turns while the nearest wheel is grounded, and then the pusher member moves to the grounded state in the order of the distance from the shaft portion among the plurality of wheels. The transport mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the movement in the vertical direction is performed in a plurality of stages by rotating the member. Claim 1 to the other end of the lever member, the rotary body is mounted rotatably, wherein the pushing member by said rotating body is pushed into the article characterized in that it rotates, The conveyance mechanism as described in any one of 2 or 4 . The transport mechanism according to claim 5 , wherein a plurality of the rotating bodies are provided side by side in the width direction.

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