JP6765705B2 - Transfer device and transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport device for transporting a transported object and a transfer device provided in the transport device to change the carry-in direction and the transport direction of the transported object.

When transporting an article (conveyed object) from a predetermined location to another location, it is convenient to use a transport device such as a roller conveyor. Further, if a branch path is provided in the transport path and the transport destination is changed for each type of article, sorting can be performed while transporting the article.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a transfer device for changing the transport direction of an article. Patent Document 1 discloses a transfer device arranged at a location where a main transport path and a sub transport path intersect.
The transfer device of Patent Document 1 has a main transfer member and a sub transfer member composed of a conveyor device. The main transport member transports the article in the direction along the main transport path, and the sub transport member transports the article in the direction along the sub transport path.
The height of the transport surface of the main transport member is set at the height position of the transport surface of the main transport path and the sub transport path.
The sub-conveyor member has an elevating mechanism for projecting the conveyor device higher than the height of the transport surface of the main transport path and the sub-conveyor path, or retracting the conveyor device below the height of the transport surface.
That is, the conveyor device constituting the main transport member does not move up and down, and the conveyor device constituting the sub transport path moves up and down.

Japanese Patent No. 5114246

By the way, in the conventional transfer device as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the sub-conveyor member is integrally configured with the conveyor device and the elevating mechanism, so that the product is uniform. That is, the width of the transport path is limited, and it is not possible to support transport paths of various widths.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device having a high degree of freedom in layout that can accommodate transport paths of various widths and lengths. Another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device provided with such a transfer device.

The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above problems is a transfer device installed in a transport path that changes the carry-in direction and / or the carry-out direction of a transported object, in which two or more linear transport units and an elevating unit are used. The linear transport unit has a moving force applying member that comes into contact with the bottom of the transported object and applies a force for moving the article in one direction, and has a length in a direction that applies a force to the width. The elevating unit has two or more elevating members that alternately elevate and elevate, and is arranged in a direction in which the two linear transport units intersect, and the elevating unit is placed at the intersection of the two linear transport units. Arranged, the elevating member of the elevating unit engages with the two linear transport units, the two linear transport units move up and down in response to the elevating of the elevating member , the elevating unit has a cam, and the elevating member has a cam. It is a cam follower, and the cam rotates around a vertical axis and has an uneven surface on the upper surface. The cam follower has two cam followers, and each cam follower is placed on the uneven surface of one cam. cage, a transfer device, characterized in that it is connected to the two linear transport unit which each cam follower intersect respectively.

The transported object includes an article and a container such as a pallet on which the article is loaded.
In the invention according to claim 1, since the transfer device has two or more linear transport units and an elevating unit, each unit can be handled individually. That is, the transfer device can be configured by carrying it to an arbitrary place in units of units and assembling it.
The two linear transport units are arranged in the intersecting direction, the elevating unit is arranged at the intersection of the two linear transport units, and the elevating member of the elevating unit is engaged with the two linear transport units. Therefore, each linear transport unit is supported by a common elevating unit and elevates and elevates. That is, one elevating unit can also be used to elevate and lower one end side of two intersecting linear transport units.

The invention according to claim 2 has four linear transport units and four elevating units, and each linear transport unit is arranged at a position on each side of a quadrangle, and the elevating unit is located at an intersection of the linear transport units. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device is arranged.

In the invention according to claim 2, since there are four linear transport units and each linear transport unit is arranged in a quadrangle, it is possible to transport the transported object by two linear transport units that are separated from each other and face each other. it can. That is, two pairs of opposing unit groups can be formed by the four linear transport units, the transported object can be supported by any of the unit groups, and the transported objects can be transported in different directions.
Further, since the elevating unit is arranged at the intersection of the linear transport units, one elevating unit can control the elevating and lowering of one end side of the two intersecting linear transport units. Then, by supporting both sides of each linear transport unit with separate elevating units, each linear transport unit can be supported in a well-balanced manner.

The invention related to the present invention includes two or more linear transport units and an elevating unit in a transfer device installed in a transport path to change the carry-in direction and / or carry-out direction of the transported object, and the linear transport unit. Has a moving force applying member that comes into contact with the bottom of the transported object and applies a force for moving the transported object in one direction, and has a long length in the direction in which the force is applied with respect to the width. It has two or more elevating members that alternately elevate and lower, and is arranged in the direction in which the two linear transport units intersect, and the elevating unit is arranged at the intersection of the two linear transport units to elevate and lower the elevating unit. The transfer device is characterized in that a member engages with two linear transport units and the two linear transport units move up and down in response to the raising and lowering of the elevating member.

In the invention according to claim 1, it has two cam followers, each cam follower is placed on an uneven surface of one cam, and each cam follower is connected to two linear transport units that intersect each other. Therefore, when the cam rotates around the vertical axis, each cam follower moves on the uneven surface. Therefore, one end side of each linear transport unit connected to each cam follower moves up and down at the same time.

The invention according to claim 3, wherein the cam is a transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a rotation stopper mechanism for stopping by concave or convex portion of the uneven surface of the cam followers.

In the invention according to claim 3 , since the cam has a rotation stopper mechanism for stopping each cam follower at a concave portion or a convex portion of an uneven surface, complicated control is not required for a drive source for rotationally driving the cam.

The invention according to claim 4 is the transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the cam is temporarily holding both cam followers at the convex portion of the uneven surface at the same time.

In the invention according to claim 4 , since both cam followers are temporarily held at the same time by the convex portions of the uneven surface, the intersecting linear transport units connected to both cam followers are temporarily at the same height at a high place. It is placed in the position. That is, the intersecting linear transport units can temporarily support the transported object, and the height position of the transported object does not change. Therefore, the linear transfer unit does not lift the conveyed object, and an unreasonable load is not applied to the linear transfer unit.

The invention according to claim 5 is the transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the moving force applying member is composed of a plurality of rollers or rollers.

In the invention according to claim 5 , since the moving force applying member is composed of a plurality of rollers or rollers, it is easy to support the conveyed object at the height position of the conveyed surface.

Invention according to claim 6, wherein the moving force imparting member, the transfer of any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is constituted by a traveling member that travels in a direction to move the conveyed object It is a device.

In the invention according to claim 6 , since the moving force applying member is composed of a traveling member that travels in the direction in which the transported object is moved, the transported object and the traveling member do not move relative to each other. Therefore, no frictional force acts on the transported object and the traveling member, and both do not wear. Therefore, there is little possibility of damaging the transported object, and the durability of the traveling member is high.

In the invention according to claim 6 , the linear transport unit includes at least two or more annular cords, a mounting member connecting the cords, and a driving mechanism for running the cords and the mounting members. The previously described placing member forms a conveying surface on which the conveyed object is placed and constitutes the moving force applying member, and has a supporting member that supports the previously described placing member from below. , It is preferable that the rotating body rotates around a horizontal axis that intersects the moving direction of the mounting member.
When configured in this way, since the linear transport unit has at least two or more annular cords and a mounting member that connects the cords to each other, the transported object is mounted on the mounting member. Further, since the mounting member travels, the transported object and the mounting member move integrally. Therefore, the transported object and the mounting member do not move relative to each other. As a result, friction does not occur between the transported object and the mounting member, and the transported object and the mounting member are less likely to wear.
Further, since it has a support member that supports the mounting member forming the transport surface from below, the transported object is satisfactorily supported at the height position of the transport surface. By making this support member a rotating body that rotates around a horizontal axis that intersects the moving direction of the mounting member, friction between the mounting member and the supporting member is reduced, and the durability of the linear transport unit is improved. ..
Specifically, a chain, a wire, a belt, or the like can be adopted as the cord body.

The transport device preferably includes the transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 (claim 7 ).
The invention according to claim 8 has two or more linear transport units and an elevating unit in a transfer device installed in a transport path to change the carry-in direction and / or carry-out direction of the transported object, and the linear transport The unit has a moving force applying member that contacts the bottom of the transported object and applies a force for moving the article in one direction, and the length in the direction in which the force is applied is long with respect to the width. It has two or more elevating members that alternately elevate and lower, and is arranged in the direction in which the two linear transport units intersect, and the elevating unit is arranged at the intersection of the two linear transport units to elevate and lower the elevating unit. The member engages with the two linear transport units, the two linear transport units move up and down according to the elevating and lowering of the elevating member, and each linear transport unit is arranged at the position of each side of the square. Has a swivel portion, the swivel portion has a roller in contact with the bottom of the transported object, the roller does not move up and down, and the direction of the roller changes with the movement of the transported object. It is a transfer device.

The transfer device of the present invention can be configured to accommodate transport paths of various lengths and widths, and is highly versatile. That is, linear transport units of various lengths can be combined with the common elevating unit, and transfer devices of various sizes and forms can be easily configured. Further, the transfer device of the present invention can be disassembled into a linear transfer unit and an elevating unit, and each unit can be transported to an arbitrary place. Further, the transfer device can be configured by assembling the linear transfer unit and the elevating unit at any place.
Further, the transfer device of the present invention is provided with such a transfer device, and has a high degree of freedom in layout.

It is a perspective view of the transport device including the transfer device which concerns on this embodiment, and shows the state in the case of transporting an article along a main transport path. It is a perspective view of the transport device including the transfer device which concerns on this embodiment, and shows the state in the case of transporting an article along a secondary transport path. It is a perspective view of the transport device including the transfer device which concerns on this embodiment, and shows the state which can support the article by all the conveyor devices of the transfer device. It is a top view of the transport device of FIG. It is a perspective view of the transfer apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the conveyor device which constitutes the transfer device of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the conveyor device of FIG. It is a perspective view of the elevating device which constitutes the transfer device of FIG. It is a front view which shows by breaking a part of the lifting device of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the main part of the elevating device of FIG. It is an exploded perspective view of the swing part of the elevating device of FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cam portion of the elevating device of FIG. 8, where FIG. 8A shows a state in which one conveyor device is lowered and the other conveyor device is raised, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the other conveyor device is raised. Indicates a state in which the conveyor device is lowered and one of the conveyor devices is raised. It is a perspective view of the auxiliary roller device. It is a front view which shows a part of the auxiliary roller device of FIG. 13 longitudinally. It is a side view of the main transport path and the vicinity of the upper part of the transfer device, and (a) shows a state in which the height of the transport surface of the main transport path and the height of the conveyor device of the transfer device match. b) shows a state in which the height of the conveyor device of the transfer device is lower than the height of the transport surface of the main transport path. It is a side view of the sub-transport path and the vicinity of the upper part of the transfer device, and (a) shows a state in which the height of the transfer surface of the sub-transport path and the height of the conveyor device of the transfer device match. b) shows a state in which the height of the conveyor device of the transfer device is lower than the height of the transfer surface of the sub-transport path. It is a side view of the transport device which shows the state which the article is transported, (a) shows the state which the article is on the upstream side main transport path, (b) is the transfer device from the upstream side main transport path. The state in which the article has moved upward is shown, (c) shows the state in which the article has moved from the top of the transfer device to the main transport path on the downstream side, and (d) shows the state of moving to the main transport path of the transfer device in (b). A state in which the conveyor device extending in the same direction is retracted downward from the height of the transport surface is shown. In (e), the swivel portion of the lifting device of the transfer device swivels from the state of (d), and the roller swivels 90 degrees. Indicates the state of It is a side view of the transport device seen from a direction different from FIG. 17 showing the state in which the article is transported, (a) shows the state in which the article is on the transfer device, and (b) is the state in which the article is transported. A state of moving from the transfer device onto the sub-transport path is shown, and FIG. 17 (a) shows a state of looking at the upstream side from the downstream side main transport path side in FIG. 17 (a). (A) is a perspective view showing a modified example of a cam provided in the elevating device, (b) is a view taken along the line CC of (a), and a locking member is placed at one end of an engaging groove. (C) shows a state in which the locking member is relatively moving from the state of (b) toward the other end of the engaging groove, and (d) shows a state of being in contact with each other. Indicates a state in which the locking member is in contact with the other end of the engaging groove. It is a top view of the transport device, and shows the state in which the auxiliary roller device is arranged in the area inside the transfer device. It is a top view of the transport device, and shows the state which the auxiliary roller device is arranged outside the transfer device. FIGS. 9A and 9B are explanatory views showing a modified example of the connection portion between the elevating device and the linear transfer unit shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the conveyor device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the conveyor device of FIG. It is explanatory drawing in the plan view of the support member which connects a lifting device and a linear transport unit.

Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to the drawings.
In the following, first, the outline of the transfer device 1 will be described, then the transfer device 4 having the characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described, and then the operation of the transfer device 1 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the transport device 1 has a main transport path 2 (upstream side main transport path 2a, downstream side main transport path 2b), a sub transport path 3, and a transfer device 4. There is. The main transport path 2, the sub transport path 3, and the transfer device 4 constitute a main transport path A and a sub transport path B.

The main transport path A is composed of an upstream main transport path 2a, a transfer device 4, and a downstream main transport path 2b. The upstream main transport path 2a, the transfer device 4, and the downstream main transport path 2b are arranged side by side on a straight line. The sub-transport path B is composed of a transfer device 4 and a sub-transport path 3. The main transport path A and the sub transport path B intersect (orthogonally). In other words, the transfer device 4 is arranged at a position where the main transport path A and the sub transport path B intersect.

The upstream main transport path 2a, the downstream main transport path 2b, and the sub transport path 3 are each composed of a pair of roller conveyor devices 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b, 15a, 15b.
The roller conveyor devices 13a and 13b of the upstream main transport path 2a include a plurality of rollers 57. The roller conveyor devices 14a and 14b of the downstream main transport path 2b include a plurality of rollers 58. The roller conveyor devices 15a and 15b of the auxiliary transport path 3 include a plurality of rollers 59.
The structure of these roller conveyor devices is the same as that of the roller conveyor device of the transfer device 4 described later.

The distance between the roller conveyor devices 13a and 13b of the upstream main transport path 2a is arbitrarily set according to the width dimension of the article W (FIG. 17) to be transported or the width dimension of the pallet P (FIG. 20) on which the article W is mounted. It is configurable. The upper ends of the rollers 57 of the roller conveyor devices 13a and 13b form the transport surface L1 (FIG. 15) of the article W.

Similarly, the spacing between the roller conveyor devices 14a and 14b on the downstream main transport path 2b and the roller conveyor devices 15a and 15b on the sub-transport path 3 is the same as the spacing between the roller conveyor devices 13a and 13b on the upstream main transport path 2a. It can be arbitrarily set according to the width dimension of the article W. That is, the upstream main transport path 2a, the downstream main transport path 2b, and the sub transport path 3 have the same width.
Further, the upper ends of the rollers 58 and 59 form the transport surface L1 (FIGS. 16 and 17) of the article W.
That is, the upstream main transport path 2a, the downstream main transport path 2b, and the sub transport path 3 form a transport surface L1 having the same height, and the article W is the upstream main transport path 2a and the downstream main transport. It is supported and transported at the height position of the transport surface L1 by the path 2b and the sub-transport path 3.

Further, the main transport path 2 (upstream side main transport path 2a, downstream side main transport path 2b) and the sub transport path 3 may be composed of a roller conveyor device or a belt conveyor device.

The article W is transported from the upstream main transport path 2a to the transfer device 4, and the transfer device 4 sets the transport direction of the article to either the downstream main transport path 2b side or the sub transport path 3 side. Can be done. That is, depending on the transport destination of the article W, the transfer device 4 can transport the article W to the downstream main transport path 2b side or transfer to the sub transport path 3 side. At that time, the height of the article W does not change and is maintained at the height position of the transport surface. That is, as will be described in detail later, the article W is supported on the transfer device 4 at the same height as the transport surfaces of the main transport path 2 and the sub transport path 3.

Next, the transfer device 4 having the characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer device 4 has four linear transport units 5 to 8 and four lifting devices 9 to 12 (lifting units).

The linear transport units 5 and 6 are longer than the linear transport units 7 and 8, but each of the linear transport units 5 to 8 has basically the same structure and is arranged at the positions of four sides of a rectangle in a plan view. ing. That is, the linear transfer units 5 and 6 are arranged in parallel, the linear transfer units 7 and 8 are arranged in parallel, and the linear transfer units 5 and 6 and the linear transfer units 7 and 8 intersect (orthogonally). ing. In other words, the linear transfer units 5 and 6 form a set (pair) of conveyor groups, and the linear transfer units 7 and 8 form another set (pair) of conveyor groups.

The linear transport units 7 and 8 have a length equivalent to the distance between the pair of roller conveyor devices constituting the upstream main transport path 2a and the downstream main transport path 2b. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the linear transport units 7 and 8 are exactly arranged between the pair of roller conveyor devices 13a and 13b constituting the upstream main transport path 2a (or the downstream main transport path 2b). It has a possible length.
Further, the straight line transport unit 7 is arranged on the same straight line as the roller conveyor device 15a of the sub transport path 3, and the straight line transfer unit 8 is arranged on the same straight line as the roller conveyor device 15b of the sub transport path 3.

Further, the linear transport units 5 and 6 of the transfer device 4 extend in the same direction as the upstream main transport path 2a and the downstream main transport path 2b, respectively, and each roller conveyor device 13a constituting the upstream main transport path 2a, It is arranged on the extension of each of the roller conveyor devices 14a and 14b constituting the 13b or the downstream main transport path 2b. That is, the linear transport unit 5 is arranged on the same straight line as the roller conveyor device 13a of the upstream main transport path 2a and the roller conveyor device 14a of the downstream main transport path 2b, and the linear transport unit 6 is arranged on the same straight line as the upstream main transport. It is arranged on the same straight line as the roller conveyor device 13b on the road 2a and the roller conveyor device 14b on the downstream main transport path 2b.

Next, the structures of the linear transport units 5 to 8 will be described.
Since the linear transfer units 5 to 8 have the same structure, only the linear transfer unit 5 will be described below, and the description of the linear transfer units 6 to 8 will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the linear transfer unit 5 is a conveyor device having a moving force applying member connected in an annular shape, and is a roller conveyor device in the present embodiment. The linear transfer unit 5 has a housing 16 and a power unit 17.

The housing 16 is a rigid member having an elongated substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and can accommodate a power unit 17 described later inside.
The central lower surface 20 is located in the central portion of the housing 16 in the longitudinal direction, and the lower end surfaces 19a and 19b are located on both sides of the central lower surface 20 at positions higher than the central lower surface 20. That is, stepped portions 18a and 18b are provided at the lower ends of both ends of the housing 16 in the longitudinal direction. The stepped portions 18a and 18b provide end lower surfaces 19a and 19b at positions higher than the central lower surface 20 at both ends of the housing 16.
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of openings 21 are provided on the upper surface of the housing 16. The openings 21 are provided on the upper surface of the housing 16 in a staggered manner along the longitudinal direction. Each opening 21 can project the upper portion of the roller of the power unit 17, which will be described later.
Further, a support portion (not shown) composed of bearings is provided on the inner surface of the housing 16. The support portion (not shown) rotatably supports both ends of the roller shaft of the power unit 17 described later.

Next, the power unit 17 of the linear transfer unit 5 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7, the power unit 17 includes a transfer motor 22, a transfer side power transmission unit 23, and roller members 35 (35a, 35b), which are power sources.

The transport motor 22 is fixed below the internal space of the housing 16 via a fixing member (not shown). The transport motor 22 is arranged so that the output shaft (not shown) is along the longitudinal direction of the housing 16. A bevel gear 26 is mounted on the output shaft of the transport motor 22.

The transport side power transmission unit 23 includes a bevel gear 27, a power transmission shaft 28, a drive sprocket 29, tension gears 30, 31 and a chain 32. The power transmission shaft 28 is fixed in the housing 16 via a bearing (not shown).

A bevel gear 27 is fixed to one end side of the power transmission shaft 28, and a drive sprocket 29 is fixed to the other end side. That is, the bevel gear 27, the power transmission shaft 28, and the drive sprocket 29 are integrated and rotate integrally.

The bevel gear 27 is engaged with the bevel gear 26 fixed to the output shaft of the transport motor 22.
Tension gears 30 and 31 are arranged on both sides and above the drive sprocket 29 in the same plane as the drive sprocket 29.
The chains 32 are connected in an annular shape and pass through the upper side of the tension gears 30 and 31 and the lower side of the drive sprocket 29 as shown in FIG.
Further, the chain 32 is engaged with each sprocket 33 described later.

That is, the power transmission shaft 28 has a function of transmitting the power of the transport motor 22 to the chain 32.

The roller member 35 has a roller shaft 24, a roller 25 (moving force imparting member), and a sprocket 33.
Both ends of the roller shaft 24 are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the housing 16. A roller 25 and a sprocket 33 are mounted on the roller shaft 24. The roller 25 and the sprocket 33 are integrated with the roller shaft 24. That is, the roller 25 and the sprocket 33 rotate integrally with the roller shaft 24.
The chain 32 of the transport side power transmission unit 23 is engaged with the sprocket 33. The length of the roller 25 in the axial direction is slightly shorter than the width dimension of the opening 21 provided in the housing 16 (the length in the lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the housing 16). Further, the roller 25 is fixed at a position protruding from the opening 21 with respect to the roller shaft 24.
Since the openings 21 provided in the housing 16 are arranged in a staggered manner in the longitudinal direction of the housing 16, the mounting positions of the rollers 25 are different between the adjacent roller members 35. That is, there are two types of roller members 35, and they are referred to as roller members 35a and 35b to distinguish them. The roller member 35a is at a position where the roller 25 is away from the sprocket 33, and the roller member 35b is at a position where the roller 25 is close to the sprocket 33. The roller members 35a and 35b are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 16. As shown in FIG. 6, the rollers 25 of the roller members 35a and 35b project from the openings 21 at the corresponding positions.

Since the rollers 25 are arranged in a staggered pattern along the longitudinal direction of the linear transport units 5 to 8, the distance between the rollers 25 in the longitudinal direction of the linear transport units 5 to 8 can be reduced (narrowed). .. Therefore, the article W or the pallet P described later is supported by any of the rollers 25 at extremely short intervals in the longitudinal direction of the linear transport units 5 to 8.

Further, when the transport motor 22 is driven, each roller 25 causes the bevel gear 26, the transport side power transmission unit 23 (bevel gear 27, power transmission shaft 28, drive sprocket 29, chain 32), sprocket 33, and roller shaft 24. Power is transmitted through and rotates. The roller 25 comes into contact with the bottom of the article W to apply a force, and functions as a moving force applying member that moves the article W in one direction.

The linear transport unit 5 can reciprocate only up and down.
That is, the support members 61 and 65 of the elevating devices 9 and 11 described later are fixed to both ends of the linear transport unit 5 by fixing means such as screwing, and the support members 61 and 65 are inside the elevating devices 9 and 11. It is guided so that it can move back and forth only up and down.
Specifically, the elevating devices 9 and 11 described later (the same applies to the elevating devices 10 and 12) are provided with a guide mechanism for guiding the support members 61 and 65 so as to be reciprocally movable up and down. Therefore, the linear transport unit 5 to which the support members 61 and 65 are fixed cannot move horizontally and rotationally, but can only move up and down.

The linear transfer units 6 to 8 also have the same structure as the linear transfer unit 5, and redundant description will be omitted.

Next, the lifting devices 9 to 12 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the elevating devices 9 to 12 are arranged at the corners of the transfer device 4. That is, the elevating device 9 is arranged at the corner where the linear conveying units 5 and 7 intersect, the elevating device 10 is arranged at the corner where the linear conveying units 6 and 7 intersect, and the elevating device 11 is arranged. , The linear transport units 5 and 8 are arranged at the intersecting corners, and the elevating device 12 is arranged at the corner where the linear transport units 6 and 8 intersect.
Since the elevating devices 9 to 12 have the same structure, only the elevating device 9 will be described below, and the description of the elevating devices 10 to 12 will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the elevating device 9 includes an elevating motor 39, an elevating power transmission unit 40, a cam unit 41, a swivel unit 42, and a housing 43.

The elevating motor 39 is a servomotor (other geared motors or the like can be used) that can rotate by a predetermined angle, and a pulley 45 is attached to an output shaft (not shown). The elevating motor 39 is fixed to a fixing member 44 integrated adjacent to the housing 43 of the elevating device 9.

As shown in FIG. 10, the elevating power transmission unit 40 includes a belt 46, a pulley 47, a power transmission shaft 48 having a worm unit 48a, a cam unit 41, and the like.

One end of the power transmission shaft 48 is supported by a fixing member 44 (FIG. 8) via a bearing (not shown), the power transmission shaft 48 penetrates the inside of the housing 43, and the other end of the power transmission shaft 48. Is supported in a horizontal posture via a bearing (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the housing 43. That is, both ends of the power transmission shaft 48 are supported by bearings, and the power transmission shaft 48 is rotatable. A pulley 47 is attached to a portion of the power transmission shaft 48 in the fixing member 44. The pulley 47 is integrated with the power transmission shaft 48 and can rotate integrally with the power transmission shaft 48.
A belt 46 is suspended on the pulley 47 and the pulley 45 fixed to the output shaft of the elevating motor 39. That is, the power of the elevating motor 39 is transmitted to the pulley 47 via the belt 46.
Further, a worm portion 48a is provided at a portion in the middle of the power transmission shaft 48.

The cam portion 41 has a worm wheel 49, a vertical shaft 50, and a cam 51.
The vertical shaft 50 is in a vertical posture and both ends are supported by the housing 43. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper end and the lower end of the vertical shaft 50 are rotatably supported via bearings 55 and 56 provided in the housing 43.

A worm wheel 49 and a cam 51 are fixed to the vertical shaft 50. That is, the worm wheel 49 and the cam 51 are penetrated through the vertical shaft 50 and integrated, and can rotate integrally. The centers of rotation of the worm wheel 49 and the cam 51 are concentric. Further, the cam 51 is provided above the worm wheel 49.

The worm wheel 49 is engaged with the worm portion 48a of the power transmission shaft 48.

The cam 51 is a thick disk-shaped member, and a concave-convex surface 52 smoothly continuous in the circumferential direction is formed on the upper surface thereof. That is, the uneven surface 52 has a structure in which the convex portion 53 and the concave portion 54 are smoothly continuous. The concave-convex surface 52 is provided with convex portions 53 and concave portions 54 alternately. The angle range of the convex portion 53 is larger than 90 degrees, for example, 100 degrees to 120 degrees. In other words, the angular range of the recess 54 is less than 90 degrees, for example 80 to 60 degrees.
When the elevating motor 39 is driven, power is transmitted from the power transmission shaft 48 side having the worm portion 48a to the worm wheel 49 side, and the cam 51 rotates.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the support members 61 and 65 are engaged with the uneven surface 52 of the cam 51. The support members 61 and 65 have main body portions 62 and 66, mounting portions 63 and 67, and cam followers 64 and 68 (elevating members).

The support members 61 and 65 are attached to the elevating device 9 (10 to 12), for example, as shown in FIG. 25 when the elevating device 9 is viewed in a plan view. That is, engagement grooves 61a, which are vertical grooves, are provided on both side surfaces of the main body 62 of the support member 61. Further, the elevating device 9 is provided with a support column 60 integrated with the housing 43. The support column 60 is provided with an engaging portion 77. Each engaging groove 61a of the support member 61 is engaged with the engaging portions 77 of the columns 60 on both sides of the support member 61. As a result, the support member 61 can only move up and down along the support column 60.
Like the support member 61, the support member 65 also engages with the support column 60 of the elevating device 9 and can only move up and down.

The main bodies 62 and 66 are portions arranged at both ends of the assembled linear transport units 5 to 8 in the longitudinal direction, and are provided with screw holes 62a and 66a (FIG. 8). The screw holes 62a and 66a are screw holes for engaging screws (not shown) for fixing the linear transport units 5 to 8 to the support members 61 and 65. The mounting portions 63 and 67 are portions on which the lower surfaces 19a and 19b (step portions 18a and 18b) of the end portions of the linear transport units 5 to 8 are mounted. Further, the cam followers 64 and 68 are fixed to the main bodies 62 and 66 via bearings and are placed on the uneven surface 52 of the cam 51.
The main bodies 62 and 66 are arranged at right angles to each other, and have a positional relationship of 90 degrees at the central angle of the cam 51.

As shown in FIG. 12A, if the cam follower 64 of the support member 61 is on the convex portion 53 of the concave-convex surface 52 and the cam follower 68 of the support member 65 is on the concave portion 54 of the concave-convex surface 52, The support member 61 is in a high place and the support member 65 is in a low place. Here, when the cam 51 is rotated by 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 12B, the cam follower 64 of the support member 61 moves on the concave portion 54, and the cam follower 68 of the support member 65 moves on the convex portion 53. As a result, the support member 61 moves to a low place, and the support member 65 moves to a high place. That is, the support members 61 and 65 move to a high place or a low place at the same time, and the relationship between the heights is switched.

Here, since the angle range occupied by one convex portion 53 around the rotation axis of the cam 51 is larger than 90 degrees, when the cam 51 rotates and the cam followers 64 and 68 move relative to each other along the uneven surface 52, The height of both cam followers 64 and 68 temporarily becomes the height of the convex portion 53. That is, both the cam followers 64 and 68 are within the angle range of the convex portion 53. At this time, the height of the linear transport unit 5 engaged with the support member 61 is the height position of the transport surface L1, and the height of the linear transport unit 7 engaged with the support member 65 is also the height position of the transport surface L1. It becomes.

When the cam 51 further rotates, one cam follower 64 enters the angular range of the recess 54, and the other cam follower 68 remains within the angular range of the convex portion 53. At this time (when the cam follower 64 is on the recess 54), the height of the linear transport unit 5 engaged with the support member 61 is higher than the height position of the transport surface L1 of the upstream main transport path 2a and the sub transport path 3. The height position L2 is also low, and the height of the linear transport unit 7 engaged with the support member 65 is the height position of the transport surface L1 of the upstream main transport path 2a and the sub transport path 3.
Further, when the cam 51 rotates 90 degrees from this state, the relationship between the heights of the cam followers 64 and 68 is reversed.

Next, the swivel portion 42 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the swivel portion 42 has a shaft portion 69, a top plate 70, a roller 71, a receiving plate portion 72, a fixed ring 73, and the like.

The receiving plate portion 72 is a plate member having a square shape in a plan view, and a circular recess portion 72a is provided in the center thereof. A bearing 74 is provided in the center of the recessed portion 72a.

As shown in FIG. 11, the top plate 70 is a disk-shaped member, and two holes 70a are provided at positions slightly eccentric from the center. A shaft portion 69 is fixed to the lower surface side of the central portion of the top plate 70.

As shown in FIG. 9, the shaft portion 69 is in a vertical posture, and the lower end of the shaft portion 69 is rotatably fixed to the receiving plate portion 72 via the bearing 74. Further, a pair of rollers 71 are attached to a portion in the middle of the shaft portion 69. That is, the center of each roller 71 is connected by the central shaft portion 75, and the central shaft portion 75 penetrates the shaft portion 69.

The lower portion of each roller 71 is in contact with the recessed portion 72a of the receiving plate portion 72, and the upper portion of each roller 71 penetrates the hole 70a of the top plate 70 and projects upward as shown in FIG. .. The upper end of each roller 71 coincides with the height of the above-mentioned transport surface. Each roller 71 can rotate around the shaft 69 in the recess 72a to change its orientation.

The fixed wheels 73 are arranged at the four corners of the receiving plate portion 72. The axis of rotation of each fixed wheel 73 is a horizontal axis, and their axes are oriented in the direction of the shaft portion 69. Each fixing ring 73 is fixed to the receiving plate portion 72 via the fixing member 76. Further, the upper end of the fixed ring 73 is in contact with the lower surface of the top plate 70. That is, when the top plate 70 rotates together with the shaft portion 69, the fixed wheel 73 rotates with the rotational movement of the top plate 70.

The transfer device 4 is assembled as shown in FIG.
That is, the linear transfer units 5 and 6 form a set of conveyor groups and are arranged in parallel, and the linear transfer units 7 and 8 form another set of conveyor groups and are arranged in parallel. The linear transfer units 5 and 6 and the linear transfer units 7 and 8 intersect (orthogonally). An elevating device 9 is arranged at the intersection of the linear conveying units 5 and 7, and an elevating device 11 is arranged at the intersection of the linear conveying units 5 and 8, and the intersecting of the linear conveying units 6 and 7. An elevating device 10 is arranged in the portion, and an elevating device 12 is arranged at an intersection of the linear transport units 6 and 8.

As shown in FIG. 4, the support members 61 and 65 provided in the elevating device 9 are arranged at positions adjacent to the linear transfer unit 5 and the linear transfer unit 7.
The support members 61 and 65 provided on the elevating device 10 are arranged at positions adjacent to the linear transfer unit 7 and the linear transfer unit 6.
The support members 61 and 65 provided on the elevating device 11 are arranged at positions adjacent to the linear transfer unit 8 and the linear transfer unit 5.
The support members 61 and 65 provided on the elevating device 12 are arranged at positions adjacent to the linear transfer unit 6 and the linear transfer unit 8.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, one end of the linear transport unit 5 is placed on the mounting portion 63 of the support member 61 of the lifting device 9 arranged on both sides in the longitudinal direction and screwed to the main body portion 62. The other end of the linear transport unit 5 is mounted on the mounting portion 67 of the support member 65 of the elevating device 11 and screwed to the main body portion 66.
In the elevating device 9, the cam follower 64 of the support member 61 is placed on the uneven surface 52 of the cam 51. Similarly, in the elevating device 11, the cam follower 68 of the support member 65 is placed on the uneven surface 52 of the cam 51. It is placed in.
Therefore, both ends of the linear transport unit 5 are supported by separate cams 51 via the cam followers 64 in the elevating device 9 and the cam followers 68 in the elevating device 11. Therefore, the linear transport unit 5 moves up and down integrally with the cam followers 64 and 68 arranged at both ends.

Similarly, both ends of the linear transfer unit 6 are supported by the cams 51 of the elevating devices 10 and 12, and both ends of the linear transfer unit 7 are supported by the cams 51 of the elevating devices 9 and 10. Both ends of 8 are supported by cams 51 of the elevating devices 11 and 12.
Therefore, when the cams 51 in the elevating devices 9 to 11 rotate in synchronization, the cam followers 64 and 68 roll on the uneven surface 52, and the linear transport units 5 to 8 move up and down.

That is, the support members 61 and 65 of the elevating devices 9 and 11 are fixed to both ends of the linear transport unit 5 by fixing means such as screwing, and the support members 61 and 65 move up and down in the elevating devices 9 and 11. Only movement is guided so that it can be moved back and forth.
Specifically, the elevating devices 9 and 11 (same for the elevating devices 10 and 12) are provided with a guide mechanism that guides the support members 61 and 65 so as to be reciprocally movable up and down. Therefore, the linear transport unit 5 to which the support members 61 and 65 are fixed cannot move horizontally and rotationally, but can only move up and down.

As shown in FIG. 5, a part of the fixing member 44 for fixing the elevating motor 39 of the elevating device 9 is housed in the lower step portion 18a of the linear transfer unit 5.
Similarly, a part of the fixing member 44 for fixing the elevating motor 39 of the elevating devices 12, 10 and 11, respectively, is housed in the lower step portion 18a of the linear transport units 6, 7 and 8. Further, the elevating motors 39 of the elevating devices 9 to 12 are arranged in a region surrounded by a quadrangle by the linear conveying units 5 to 8, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the linear conveying units 5, 7, 8 and 6, respectively. It is arranged along the side of. Therefore, the transfer device 4 is laid out very compactly.

That is, the linear transfer unit 5 is located between the elevating devices 9 and 11, and both ends of the linear transfer unit 5 are supported by cams 51 provided on the elevating devices 9 and 11. The cams 51 of the elevating devices 9 and 11 rotate in the same direction at the same rotation speed, and the phases of the uneven surfaces 52 of the cams 51 are the same. Therefore, the linear transport unit 5 is guided by the uneven surface 52 of each cam 51 and moves up and down while maintaining the horizontal posture. The linear transfer unit 6 arranged in parallel with the linear transfer unit 5 also moves up and down in synchronization with the linear transfer unit 5.

Further, the linear transfer units 7 and 8 intersecting the linear transfer unit 5 are guided to the uneven surface 52 so as to decrease in synchronization with the linear transfer unit 5 as it rises. That is, the cam followers 68 and 64 provided at both ends of the linear transfer unit 7 are guided to the uneven surfaces 52 of the cams 51 provided in the elevating devices 9 and 10, and the linear transfer unit 7 moves up and down while maintaining the horizontal posture. To do.

Focusing on the elevating device 9, cam followers 64 and 68 are engaged with the uneven surface 52 of the cam 51 of the elevating device 9, the cam follower 64 is connected to one end of the linear transport unit 5, and the cam follower 68 is It is connected to one end of the linear transport unit 7.

The uneven surface 52 has convex portions 53 and concave portions 54 alternately, and the linear transport units 5 and 7 are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, when the cam follower 64 integrated with the linear transport unit 5 is on the convex portion 53, it is straight. The cam follower 68 integrated with the transport unit 7 is located on the recess 54. Therefore, when the linear transport unit 5 is raised and is at the height position of the transport surface L1, the linear transport unit 7 is lowered and is at the height position L2 lower than the transport surface L1.

On the contrary, when the cam follower 64 that moves up and down integrally with the linear transport unit 5 is on the concave portion 54, the cam follower 68 that moves up and down integrally with the linear transport unit 7 is on the convex portion 53. Therefore, when the linear transport unit 5 is lowered and is at a height position L2 lower than the transport surface L1, the linear transport unit 7 is raised and is at a height position of the transport surface L1.

The linear transport units 5 and 6 form a pair and move up and down in the same manner. Further, the linear transfer units 7 and 8 form another pair, and perform operations opposite to those of the linear transfer units 5 and 6. That is, when the linear transport units 5 and 6 are raised, the linear transport units 7 and 8 are lowered.

The linear transport units 5 and 6 are arranged between the roller conveyor devices 13a and 13b of the upstream main transport path 2a and the roller conveyor devices 14a and 14b of the downstream main transport path 2b, respectively. That is, the roller conveyor device 13a, the linear transfer unit 5, and the roller conveyor device 14a are arranged on the same straight line, and the roller conveyor device 13b, the linear transfer unit 6, and the roller conveyor device 14b are arranged on another same straight line.
Further, the linear transfer units 7 and 8 of the transfer device 4 are arranged on the same straight line as the roller conveyor devices 15a and 15b of the auxiliary transfer path 3, respectively.
There is an elevating device 9 between the roller conveyor device 13a and the linear transfer unit 5, an elevating device 10 between the roller conveyor device 13b and the linear transfer unit 6, and an elevating device 10 between the roller conveyor device 15a and the linear transfer unit 7. , There is an elevating device 12 between the roller conveyor device 15b and the linear transfer unit 5.

The transfer device 4 has the structure as described above.
That is, the transfer device 4 can be easily assembled by simply arranging the conveyor device (5 etc.) and the elevating device (9 etc.) in sequence.
Therefore, the transfer device 4 can be easily disassembled, and the transfer device 4 can be quickly constructed in an empty place, or the transfer device 4 can be quickly disassembled and removed as soon as the transfer work is completed. It is possible.
Further, the main transport path 2 (upstream side main transport path 2a, downstream side main transport path 2b) and the sub transport path 3 are also installed by simply arranging the roller conveyor devices 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b, 15a, 15b as appropriate. Easy to remove.
In other words, the transport device 1 according to the present embodiment has a very high degree of freedom in layout, can easily and arbitrarily construct various transport paths, and is highly versatile.

Next, the operation of the transfer device 4 will be described.

Rollers 57 (FIG. 15 (a)) of the roller conveyor devices 13a and 13b of the upstream main transport path 2a, rollers 58 (FIG. 15 (a)) of the downstream main transport path 2b, and each of the auxiliary transport paths 3. The height positions of the rollers 59 (FIG. 16A) and the upper ends of the rollers 25 provided on the lifting devices 9 to 12 of the transfer device 4 are set on the transport surface L1.
Further, as shown in FIG. 15 (b), the linear transport units 5 and 6 are at the height position of the transport surface L1, and as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the linear transport units 7 and 8 are from the transport surface L1. Is also at a low height position L2.

Then, the elevating motors 39 of the elevating devices 9 to 12 are driven synchronously, and each time the cam portion 41 rotates 90 degrees, the linear transport units 5 and 6 and the linear transport units 7 and 8 move up and down, and the transport surface L1 The height position is switched between the height position of the above and the retracted height position L2. That is, when one pair of linear transport units 5 and 6 rises to the transport surface L1, the other pair of linear transport units 7 and 8 descends to the height position L2 and retracts from the transport surface L1.
On the contrary, when the other pair of linear transport units 7 and 8 rises to the transport surface L1, the other pair of linear transport units 5 and 6 descends to the height position L2 and retracts from the transport surface L1.
That is, the elevating motors 39 of the elevating devices 9 to 12 operate in synchronization with each other to rotate each cam portion 41 by the same angle (90 degrees). In other words, the transfer device 4 is provided with a control device (not shown) for synchronously operating each elevating motor 39.

In the concave-convex surface 52 of the cam 51 of the elevating devices 9 to 12, the angle range (90 degrees or more) of the convex portion 53 is larger than the angle range (less than 90 degrees) of the concave portion 54, and the cam followers 64 and 68 are both convex portions. It may be located on 53. Therefore, all the linear transport units 5 to 8 of the transfer device 4 may be temporarily aligned with the height position of the transport surface L1.

When the article W is transported along the main transport path A of the transport device 1, the lifting motor 39 of the lifting devices 9 to 12 is driven, and as shown in FIG. 1, the linear transport unit 5 of the transfer device 4 is driven. , 6 are raised to the height position of the transport surface L1, and the linear transport units 7 and 8 are retracted to the height position L2 lower than the transport surface L1.

In this case, the rollers 25 of the linear transport units 5 and 6 of the transfer device 4 are arranged at the height position of the transport surface L1. That is, each roller 57 of the upstream main transport path 2a, each roller 25 and roller 71 of the transfer device 4, and each roller 58 of the downstream main transport path 2b are aligned at the height position of the transport surface L1. At this time, when the transport device 1 is viewed from the downstream side of the main transport path A, it is as shown in FIG. 16 (b). That is, the linear transfer units 7 and 8 of the transfer device 4 are retracted to the height position L2.

Then, the transport motor 22 of the upstream main transport path 2a, the transfer device 4, and the downstream main transport path 2b is driven, and the article W is mainly transported as shown in FIGS. 17 (a) to 17 (c). It is transported along the route A. At that time, the article W is always supported at the height position of the transport surface L1. That is, even when the article W moves onto the transfer device 4, the height of the article W is maintained at the height of the transport surface L1. Even when the article W is further transferred from the transfer device 4 to the downstream main transport path 2b, the height of the article W does not change and is maintained at the height position of the transport surface L1.

Therefore, when the article W moves from the transfer device 4 to the downstream main transport path 2b, the height of the article W does not change, and the article W maintains a horizontal posture and does not tilt. Therefore, the article W is smoothly transferred from the transfer device 4 side to the downstream main transport path 2b side and is not impacted.
As a result, the article W is unlikely to collapse or be damaged.

Focusing on the article W, the article W is supported by the linear transfer units 5 and 6 of the transfer device 4 at the height position of the transfer surface L1 from the time when the article W is moved onto the transfer device 4, and the linear transfer unit 5 is supported as it is. , 6 will be transferred to the downstream main transport path 2b.

Next, a case where the article W is transported along the sub-transport path B will be described.
When the article W is transported along the sub-transport path B, when the article W is placed on the transfer device 4, the evacuation motors 39 of the evacuation devices 9 to 12 are driven, and FIG. As shown in d), the linear transport units 5 and 6 are lowered from the transport surface L1 to the height position L2 and retracted, and as shown in FIG. 16A, the linear transport units 7 and 8 are moved to the transport surface L1. Raise it to the height position.

At that time, as shown in FIG. 3, the article W is temporarily supported by the rollers 25 of all the linear transport units 5 to 8 at the height position of the transport surface L1. That is, the article W is guided and supported on the transfer device 4 by the linear transport units 5 and 6, and is temporarily supported by the linear transport units 7 and 8. After that, as shown in FIG. 2, the linear transport units 5 and 6 retract to the height position L2 below the transport surface L1, and the article W is supported only by the linear transport units 7 and 8. That is, the article W is transferred from the linear transport units 5 and 6 to the linear transport units 7 and 8 while maintaining the height position of the transport surface L1.

Further, at this time, it is also possible to temporarily support only the rollers 71 of the elevating devices 9 to 12. That is, since the roller 71 is always at the height position of the transport surface L1, the height position of the article W does not change.

Then, the linear transport units 7 and 8 rise to the transport surface L1, and the rollers 25 support the article W together with the rollers 71. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 17D, the rollers 71 are oriented in a direction orthogonal to the rollers 25 of the linear transport units 7 and 8. Here, when the transport motors 22 of the linear transport units 7 and 8 are driven, the rollers 25 rotate and the article W starts moving along the secondary transport path B. As the article W moves, the direction of the roller 71, which is a free roller, rotates 90 degrees, and as shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and 17 (e), the roller 71 is a roller of the linear transport units 7 and 8. Face in the same direction as 25. That is, when the article W moves in the sub-transport path B direction, the roller 71 rotates, and the article W smoothly moves in the sub-transport path B direction and moves onto the sub-transport path 3 as shown in FIG. 18B. Will be posted.

At this time, since the height of each roller 25 of the linear transport units 7 and 8 of the transfer device 4 is set on the transport surface L1, the height position of the article W does not change. That is, when the article W moves from the transfer device 4 side to the sub-transport path 3 side, the article W maintains a horizontal posture and does not tilt. Therefore, the article W does not collapse or is not impacted.

The roller 25 (moving force applying member) can come into contact with the bottom of the article W to move the article W in the transport direction, but instead, the power unit 17 (FIG. 7) is used as a cord driving mechanism to form an annular shape. The power of the transport motor 22 may be transmitted using the cord body of the above as a moving force imparting member, and the article W may be placed and transported on the cord body. As the cord body, a belt, a chain, a wire or the like can be adopted.

When the article W is transported along the sub-transport path B and then the subsequent article is guided onto the transfer device 4, the linear transfer units 5 and 6 of the transfer device 4 are moved regardless of the transfer direction of the article. The linear transport units 7 and 8 are moved to the height of the transport surface L1 and retracted below the transport surface L1. As a result, the subsequent articles are smoothly placed on the transfer device 4 by the linear transport units 5 and 6.

Then, when the subsequent article is transported along the main transport path A, the transfer device 4 maintains the height position at the height of the transport surface L1 and transfers the article directly to the downstream main transport path 2b. To do. On the contrary, when the subsequent article is transported along the sub-transport path B, the transfer device 4 raises and lowers each of the linear transport units 5 to 8 as described above.

The article W is preferably placed on a pallet having a predetermined size that matches the width dimension of the main transport path 2, the sub transport path 3, and the transfer device 4. As a result, as long as the article is smaller than the pallet, any article can be conveyed by the transfer device 1 and the sorting work can be performed by the transfer device 4.

Further, in FIGS. 1 to 3, only the upstream main transport path 2a is connected to the upstream side of the transfer device 4, but the vacant side surface of the transfer device 4 (straight line transfer unit 5). Another upstream transport path can be connected to the side surface). That is, the two upstream transport paths may be connected to the transfer device 4. In this case, which of the linear transport units 5 and 6 or the linear transport units 7 and 8 is transferred to the transport surface L1 depending on which upstream transport path the article W is transported to the transfer device 4. Whether to arrange in advance changes. That is, the conveyor device on the side extending in the transport direction of the article W is arranged in advance on the transport surface L1 to guide the article onto the transfer device 4. After that, the linear transport units 5 and 6 or the linear transport units 7 and 8 are moved up and down according to the transport direction of the article.

In the above-described embodiment, the elevating motor 39 shown in FIG. 10 may be used as a geared motor, and the cam 51 may be engaged with the stopper. That is, as shown in FIGS. 19A to 19D, arc-shaped engaging grooves 37, 38 (rotation stopper mechanism) are provided on the lower surface of the cam 51, and the locking is fixed to the housing 43 side. The members 36a and 36b (rotation stopper mechanism) are engaged with the engaging grooves 37 and 38. As shown in FIGS. 19 (b) to 19 (d), when the locking members 36a and 36b rotate relative to each other from one end of the engaging grooves 37 and 38 to the other end, the cam 51 is 90. The engaging grooves 37 and 38 and the locking members 36a and 36b are configured so as to rotate by a right angle. The elevating motor 39 is forcibly stopped by the rotation stopper mechanism. That is, when the cam 51 rotates and the locking members 36a and 36b come into contact with one end or the other end of the arcuate engaging grooves 37 and 38, the rotation of the cam 51 stops.
After that, the overcurrent of the elevating motor 39 is detected by a sensor (not shown) to stop the elevating motor 39. Therefore, the cam 51 can rotate every 90 degrees.

In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the linear transport unit 5 is mounted on the mounting portions 63 and 67 of the main body portions 62 and 66 on the elevating device 9 side, but the mounting portion is shown. Instead of 63, a hook portion 88a as shown in FIG. 22A may be provided, and a hook receiving portion 88b that engages with the hook portion 88a may be provided on the linear transport unit 5 side. That is, the linear transport unit 5 may be supported by the lifting device 9 by engaging the hook portion 88a of the support member 61 on the lifting device 9 side with the hook receiving portion 88b of the linear transport unit 5. A plurality of hook portions 88a and hook receiving portions 88b may be provided in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 22 (a), or a set of hook portions 88a and hook receiving portions 88b may extend in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface. ..

Further, instead of the hook portion 88a, a pin 89a as shown in FIG. 22B is provided on the main body portion 62 of the support member 61, and the linear transport unit 5 is provided with a pin engaging portion 89b instead of the hook receiving portion 88b. It may be provided. That is, the linear transfer unit 5 may be supported by the elevating device 9 by fitting the pin 89a into the pin engaging portion 89b.

That is, the mounting portion 63 and the step portions 18a and 18b shown in FIG. 9, the hook portion 88a and the hook receiving portion 88b shown in FIG. 22 (a), the pin 89a and the pin engaging portion 89b shown in FIG. 22 (b), and the like. The linear transfer unit 5 can be connected to the support member 61 on the elevating device 9 side by the engaging means.

Next, the auxiliary roller device 78 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an auxiliary roller device 78 is provided in the downstream main transport path 2b.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the auxiliary roller device 78 has a structure similar to that of the elevating devices 9 to 12. That is, the auxiliary roller device 78 does not have a configuration related to the elevating mechanism in the elevating devices 9 to 12, and has a structure in which only the swivel portion 87 having the same configuration as the swivel portion 42 is provided.

That is, the swivel portion 87 has a shaft portion 79, a top plate 80, a roller 81, a receiving plate portion 82, a fixed ring 83, and the like.
The receiving plate portion 82 is a plate member having a square shape in a plan view, and a circular recessed portion 82a is provided in the center thereof. A bearing 84 is provided in the center of the recessed portion 82a.
The top plate 80 is a disk-shaped member, and two holes 80a are provided at positions slightly eccentric from the center. A shaft portion 79 is fixed to the lower surface side of the central portion of the top plate 80.

As shown in FIG. 14, the shaft portion 79 is in a vertical posture, and the lower end of the shaft portion 79 is rotatably fixed to the receiving plate portion 82 via the bearing 84. Further, a pair of rollers 81 are attached to a portion in the middle of the shaft portion 79. That is, the center of each roller 81 is connected by the central shaft portion 85, and the central shaft portion 85 penetrates the shaft portion 79.

The lower portion of each roller 81 is in contact with the recessed portion 82a of the receiving plate portion 82, and the upper portion of each roller 81 penetrates the hole 80a of the top plate 80 and projects upward as shown in FIG. .. The upper end of each roller 81 coincides with the height of the above-mentioned transport surface. Each roller 81 can rotate around the shaft 79 in the recessed portion 82a to change its orientation.

The fixed rings 83 are arranged at the four corners of the receiving plate portion 82. The axis of rotation of each fixed ring 83 is a horizontal axis, and their axes are oriented in the direction of the shaft portion 79. Each fixing ring 83 is fixed to the receiving plate portion 82 via the fixing member 86. Further, the upper end of the fixed ring 83 is in contact with the lower surface of the top plate 80. That is, when the top plate 80 rotates together with the shaft portion 79, the fixed ring 83 rotates with the rotational movement of the top plate 80.

An auxiliary roller device 78 is provided in the downstream main transport path 2b, and the article W is also supported by the rollers 81 of the auxiliary roller device 78 when passing through the auxiliary roller device 78.

The auxiliary roller device 78 can also be provided in the transfer device 4. That is, the auxiliary roller device 78 is installed in the area surrounded by the linear transfer units 5 to 8 of the transfer device 4, and when the linear transfer units 5 to 8 move up and down, the auxiliary roller device 78 together with the elevating devices 9 to 12 It can also be configured to support the article W. Since the roller 81 of the auxiliary roller device 78 is a free roller and the orientation of the roller 81 can be freely changed with the movement of the article W, the article W is well supported.

The linear transport units 5 to 8 of the transfer device 4 may have the same length, and as shown in FIG. 20, the transfer device 4 may be configured to have a square shape in a plan view.

Further, the auxiliary roller device 78 can be arranged as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21.
In FIGS. 20 and 21, the pallet P on which the article W is mounted is conveyed. That is, each roller 25 of the linear transport units 5 to 8 comes into contact with the bottom of the pallet P to support the pallet P.

In FIG. 20, the lengths of the four linear transport units of the transfer device 4 are slightly shorter than the width of the pallet P on which the article W is mounted. That is, the size of the quadrangular frame of the transfer device 4 is relatively large with respect to the width of the pallet P. In this case, the auxiliary roller device 78 is arranged inside the rectangular area of the transfer device 4. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pallet P on which the article W is mounted from bending. In FIG. 20, the auxiliary roller device 78 is also arranged between the conveyor devices of the upstream main transport path 2a, the downstream main transport path 2b, and the sub transport path 3.

In FIG. 21, the lengths of the four linear transport units of the transfer device 4 are considerably shorter than the width of the pallet P on which the article W is mounted. That is, the size of the quadrangular frame of the transfer device 4 is relatively small with respect to the width of the pallet P. In this case, the auxiliary roller device 78 is arranged outside the square frame of the transfer device 4. That is, the auxiliary roller device 78 is arranged adjacent to the central portion in the longitudinal direction of each linear transport unit and outside the quadrangular region of the transfer device 4. As a result, the support of the pallet P is stabilized. In FIG. 20, the auxiliary roller device 78 is also arranged between the conveyor devices of the upstream main transport path 2a, the downstream main transport path 2b, and the sub transport path 3.

Instead of the linear transfer units 5 to 8 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a linear transfer unit 101 having a configuration as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 can also be adopted.
That is, the linear transfer unit may be a chain conveyor device (belt conveyor device), and the linear transfer unit 101 shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 is a conveyor device having an endless track of one aspect of the belt conveyor device. That is, the linear transfer unit may be a chain conveyor device (belt conveyor device) in addition to the roller conveyor device or the roller conveyor device.

The linear transfer unit 101 has a housing 102 and a power unit 103.

As shown in FIG. 24, the power unit 103 includes a transfer motor 111, a transfer side power transmission unit 112, a mounting member 108, and the like, which are power sources.

The transport motor 111 is a geared motor, which is arranged in the internal space of the housing 102, which will be described later, and is fixed to the fixing member 113 integrated with the housing 102. The transport motor 111 is arranged so that the output shaft (not shown) is along the longitudinal direction of the housing 102. A bevel gear 114 is mounted on the output shaft of the transport motor 111.

The transfer side power transmission unit 112 has a function of transmitting the power of the transfer motor 111 to the mounting member 108, and includes a bevel gear 115, a drive shaft 109, drive sprockets 116a and 116b, a driven shaft 110, and a driven sprocket 117a. It has 117b, tension rollers 118, and chains 119a and 119b. The drive shaft 109 and the driven shaft 110 are fixed in the housing 102 via bearings (not shown).

Bevel gears 115 are fixed at a portion in the middle of the drive shaft 109, and drive sprockets 116a and 116b are fixed near both ends. That is, the bevel gear 115, the drive shaft 109, and the drive sprockets 116a and 116b are integrated and rotate integrally.
The bevel gear 115 is engaged with the bevel gear 114 fixed to the output shaft of the transport motor 111.

Driven sprockets 117a and 117b are fixed near both ends of the driven shaft 110.

The drive sprockets 116a and 116b are arranged near one end of the housing 102, and the driven sprockets 117a and 117b are arranged near the other end of the housing 102.

The drive sprocket 116a and the driven sprocket 117a are arranged in the same plane, and the tension roller 118 is arranged in this plane. Similarly, the drive sprocket 116b and the driven sprocket 117b are arranged in the same plane, and the tension roller 118b is arranged in this plane.

The chains 119a are connected in an annular shape, and as shown in FIG. 24, the chains 119a are suspended around the driving sprocket 116a and the driven sprocket 117a, and pass above the tension roller 118.
Similarly, the chains 119b are connected in an annular shape, and as shown in FIG. 24, the chains 119b are suspended around the driving sprocket 116b and the driven sprocket 117b, and pass above the tension roller 118.

A plurality of elongated thin plate-shaped mounting members 108 are fixed to the chains 119a and 119b. The mounting members 108 are arranged with almost no gap, and are fixed to the annularly formed chains 119a and 119b from the outside. That is, the vicinity of both ends of each mounting member 108 is fixed to the chains 119a and 119b.
The mounting member 108 passes through an upper traveling region and a lower returning region. In the traveling region, a part of the mounting member 108 protrudes from the opening 107 of the housing 102 described later to form a transport surface.

The mounting member 108 in the lower return region is pressed by the tension roller 118 as it passes through the tension roller 118. That is, the tension roller 118 presses the chains 119a and 119b via the mounting member 108 to apply tension to the chains 119a and 119b.

Further, the mounting member 108 in the traveling region is supported by the support member 120.
The support member 120 is a rotating body (roller, roller) rotatably supported by the fixing member 113 via a bearing. The support member 120 prevents the mounting member 108 from sinking downward. The rotation axis 120a of the support member 120 is a horizontal axis in the horizontal plane, and intersects (orthogonally) the direction in which the mounting member 108 moves.
Since the mounting member 108 is supported by the supporting member 120 which is a rotating body, the frictional force between the mounting member 108 and the supporting member 120 is small. Therefore, the mounting member 108 and the supporting member 120 are not easily worn, and the mounting member 108 and the supporting member 120 have high durability.

The mounting member 108 is a member on which the article W or the pallet P is placed and constitutes a transport surface. The transport surface formed by the mounting member 108 is the same surface as the transport surface L1 formed by the main transport path 2 and the sub transport path 3 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 and the like.

The housing 102 is a rigid member having an elongated substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and can accommodate the power unit 103 inside.
The lower central portion of the housing 102 in the longitudinal direction has a central lower surface 104, and both side surfaces of the central lower surface 104 have end lower surfaces 105a and 105b at positions higher than the central lower surface 104. That is, step portions 106a and 106b are provided at the lower ends of both ends of the housing 102 in the longitudinal direction. By the step portions 106a and 106b, end lower surface portions 105a and 105b are provided at both ends of the housing 102 at positions higher than the central lower surface surface 104.
Further, as shown in FIG. 23, an opening 107 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 102. The opening 107 can project the upper portion of the mounting member 108 of the power unit 103. That is, the height of the housing 102 (opening 107) is slightly lower than the height position of the transport surface.
Further, a support portion (not shown) composed of bearings is provided on the inner surface of the housing 102. The support portion (not shown) rotatably supports both ends of the drive shaft 109 and the driven shaft 110 of the power unit 103.

When the transport motor 111 is driven, power is transmitted to each mounting member 108 via the bevel gear 114, the bevel gear 115, the drive shaft 109, the drive sprocket 117, the driven sprocket 117b, the chains 119a, 119b, etc. The member 108 runs. The mounting member 108 functions as a moving force applying member that contacts the bottom of the article W or the pallet P to apply a force and moves the article W or the pallet P in one direction.

That is, the mounting member 108 moves in order along the transport surface in the traveling region, enters the housing 102 through the opening 107 on one side of the housing 102, is inverted by the drive sprockets 116a and 116b, and forms a lower return region. After passing through, it is further inverted by the driven sprockets 117a and 117b and exposed from the opening 107 on the other side of the housing 102.

The mounting member 108 in the traveling region is supported by the support member 120, and the height position of the transport surface is maintained. Therefore, the mounting member 108 in the traveling region does not bend due to its own weight, or sinks below the transport surface due to the article W or the pallet P being mounted.

Further, in the linear transport unit 101, the lower end surfaces 105a and 105b are supported by the uneven surface 52 of the cam 51 via the support members 61 and 65 shown in FIG. 12, and the linear transport unit 101 moves up and down when the cam 51 rotates. That is, the mounting member 108 is arranged on the transport surface or retracted to a height position below the transport surface.

In the example described above, the transport motor is provided for each linear transport unit, but the transport motor may be shared to drive each linear transport unit to transport the transported object. Further, the lifting motor provided for each lifting device may be shared, and the operation of the lifting device may be synchronized.

1 Conveying device 4 Transfer device 5 to 8 Linear transport unit 9 to 12 Elevating device (elevating unit)
25 rollers (movement force imparting member)
36a, 36b Locking member (rotation stopper mechanism)
37,38 Engagement groove (rotation stopper mechanism)
50 Vertical shaft 51 Cam 52 Concavo-convex surface of cam 53 Convex 54 Concave 64,68 Cam follower (elevating member)
A Main transport path B Sub transport path L1 Transport surface L2 Height position lower than the transport surface

Claims (8)

In a transfer device installed in a transport path that changes the carry-in direction and / or carry-out direction of the transported object.
It has two or more linear transport units and an elevating unit.
The linear transport unit has a moving force applying member that is in contact with the bottom of the transported object and applies a force for moving the article in one direction, and has a long length in the direction of applying the force with respect to the width.
The elevating unit has two or more elevating members that elevate alternately.
The two linear transport units are arranged in the intersecting direction, the elevating unit is arranged at the intersection of the two linear transport units, and the elevating member of the elevating unit engages with the two linear transport units.
Two linear transport units move up and down according to the raising and lowering of the lifting member .
The elevating unit has a cam
The elevating member is a cam follower and
The cam rotates around a vertical axis and has an uneven surface on the upper surface.
Has two said cam follower, the cam followers are mounted on the uneven surface of one of said cam, the transfer device each cam follower, characterized in that it is connected to the two linear transport unit which intersect each .. It is characterized in that it has four linear transport units and four elevating units, each linear transport unit is arranged at each side of a quadrangle, and the elevating unit is arranged at an intersection of each linear transport unit. The transfer device according to claim 1. The transfer device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the cam has a rotation stopper mechanism for stopping each cam follower at a concave portion or a convex portion on an uneven surface. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cam is temporarily holding both cam followers on a convex portion of an uneven surface at the same time. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the moving force applying member is composed of a plurality of rollers or rollers. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the moving force applying member is composed of a traveling member that travels in a direction for moving a transported object. A transport device including the transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . In a transfer device installed in a transport path that changes the carry-in direction and / or carry-out direction of the transported object.
It has two or more linear transport units and an elevating unit.
The linear transport unit has a moving force applying member that is in contact with the bottom of the transported object and applies a force for moving the article in one direction, and has a long length in the direction of applying the force with respect to the width.
The elevating unit has two or more elevating members that elevate alternately.
The two linear transport units are arranged in the intersecting direction, the elevating unit is arranged at the intersection of the two linear transport units, and the elevating member of the elevating unit engages with the two linear transport units.
Two linear transport units move up and down according to the raising and lowering of the lifting member.
Each linear transport unit is located at each side of the rectangle,
The elevating unit has a swivel portion and
The swivel portion has rollers in contact with the bottom of the transported object.
A transfer device characterized in that the roller does not move up and down, and the direction of the roller changes with the movement of the transported object.

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