JP6943009B2 - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveyor device that conveys a carrier supported by a conveyor rail along a transfer path including a path portion having a height difference.

As a conveyor device that transports a carrier supported by a conveyor rail along a transport path including a path portion having a height difference, there is a conveyor device that transports the carrier between upper and lower floors by a drop lifter (for example, Patent Document). 1).
Further, there is a conveyor device for transferring a conveyed object between a floor conveyor and an overhead conveyor by a drop lifter (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).
Further, as a configuration of a carrier that supports the transported object, the main body is formed elongated and compact by three frame bodies, and the frame bodies are oscillating left and right and up and down via a connecting device to be connected to the left and right and up and down. (For example, see Patent Document 4).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-178803 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-1419479 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-334627 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 07-033230

In a conventional conveyor device such as Patent Document 1, carriers are transported between upper and lower floors by a drop lifter. Therefore, for example, when transporting carriers from a lower floor to an upper floor is continuously performed. The next carrier cannot be raised unless the drop lifter is returned from the ascending position to the descending position. Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the transport cycle time becomes long, especially when the height difference between the upper and lower floors is large.

In conventional conveyor devices such as Patent Documents 2 and 3, the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor are different, and since the conveyor cross sections are different, mutual access is not possible. Therefore, as described above, the conveyed items are transferred between the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor by the drop lifter, and the conveyed items are conveyed by different carriers on each conveyor. Therefore, since the types of conveyors and the types of parts increase, the parts management cost and the manufacturing cost increase.
In addition, since the transported object is transferred by the drop lifter, the transport cycle time is long, especially when the height difference between the upper and lower path portions is large, similar to the inconvenience of the conventional conveyor device as in Patent Document 1. There is an inconvenience that it becomes long.

When transporting a carrier that supports a transported object along a transport path including a path portion having a large height difference, when the carrier is continuously transported between the path portions having a large height difference without using a lift, the height difference is large. It is necessary to provide a relay path portion including a path portion that rises or falls at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction between the large path portions.
When a carrier as in Patent Document 4 is traveled along such a transport path, the predetermined angle of the ascending or descending path portion in the relay path portion is set to less than 45 degrees, for example, 30 degrees or less. Since it is a common technical knowledge, the space efficiency of the production line is greatly reduced.
Moreover, in the configuration of the conventional conveyor device as in Patent Document 4, the guided device (30, 31, 32) is below the main body (11) formed by the three frame bodies (12, 13, 14). Is provided. A channel-shaped rail (3) that supports and guides the supported rollers (36) of the guided device (30, 31, 32) is arranged at the center of the transport path in the left-right direction. Therefore, the transported object supported above the main body tends to fall in the left-right direction and becomes unstable, so that the running stability cannot be improved.

Therefore, what the present invention attempts to solve in view of the above-mentioned situation is to eliminate the inconvenience that the transfer cycle time becomes long as in the configuration provided with the drop lifter without lowering the space efficiency of the production line. It is possible to provide a conveyor device which can suppress an increase in parts management cost and manufacturing cost, has high running stability, and transports a carrier supported by a conveyor rail along a transport path including a path portion having a height difference. It is in.

The conveyor device according to the present invention is a conveyor device that transports a carrier that supports a transported object along a predetermined transport path in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.
The transport route is
The first path part and the second path part with height difference,
A relay path section between the first path section and the second path section, which is an ascending or descending path section,
Including
Conveyor rails provided with rails on the left and right are laid in the first path section, the second path section, and the relay path section.
The carrier comprises a trolley having a pair of upper and lower wheels that sandwich the rail from above and below.
A first delivery rail device that rotates around an axis in the left-right direction, which supports and delivers the carrier with left and right rails between the first path section and the relay path section, and the second path section and the relay path. A second delivery rail device that rotates around an axis in the left-right direction is provided between the parts so that the carrier is supported and delivered by the left and right rails (claim 1).

According to such a configuration, the carrier is transferred between the first path section and the relay path section, and between the second path section and the relay path section by supporting the carrier with the left and right rails, around the axis in the left-right direction. Since the first delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device that rotate around the carrier are used, the carrier can be reliably delivered by the delivery rail device.
In addition, the carrier is delivered between the first path section and the relay path section by the first delivery rail device, and the carrier is delivered between the second path section and the relay path section by the second delivery rail device. , There is no inconvenience that the transport cycle time becomes long unlike the configuration provided with the drop lifter.
Furthermore, since it is not necessary to consider the interference between the carrier and the conveyor rail due to the configuration provided with the delivery rail device, the degree of freedom in route design is increased and the conveyor device is space-saving. Therefore, the space efficiency of the production line can be improved.

In addition, when the carrier is delivered from the relay path section to the higher position of the first path section and the second path section by the first delivery rail device or the second delivery rail device, around the axis in the left-right direction. By changing the rotation direction of the rotating delivery rail device, the form of the conveyor when delivering the carrier can be changed to a floor conveyor or an overhead conveyor, so that the degree of freedom in route design is further increased.
Furthermore, since a common carrier can be used for the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor, the types of conveyors and the types of parts can be reduced, so that the parts management cost can be reduced, and the common parts can be mass-produced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
Further, since the carrier has a structure in which the trolley sandwiches the left and right rails with a pair of upper and lower wheels, the carrier is a rail on the first path portion, the second path portion, the relay path portion, and the delivery rail device. In addition to not falling off from the rail, the transported object supported above the trolley does not easily fall in the left-right direction and is stable, so running stability is improved.

Here, it is a preferred embodiment that the direction of the relay path portion is substantially vertical (claim 2).

According to such a configuration, since the direction of the relay path portion between the first path portion and the second path portion, which is the ascending or descending path portion, is substantially vertical, space saving is excellent, and thus the production line. Space efficiency can be further improved.

Further, it is a more preferable embodiment that the first path portion and the second path portion include a horizontal curved path (claim 3).

According to such a configuration, since the path direction can be changed in the plane by the horizontally curved path, the degree of freedom in the path design of the first path portion and the second path portion is increased.

Further, it is a more preferable embodiment that the front trolley and the rear trolley separated from each other in the front-rear direction are connected so as to be independently rotatable around a rotation axis in the vertical direction (claim 4). ).

According to such a configuration, since the trolley can rotate according to the horizontally curved rail of the horizontally curved path, the carrier can smoothly run on the horizontally curved path portion and the radius of curvature of the horizontally curved path can be reduced. ..

Furthermore, around the anteroposterior axis, the carrier is supported and passed by the left and right rails from the upstream side route to the downstream side route to at least one of the intermediate routes of the first route portion and the second route portion. It is an even more preferable embodiment to include a rotating delivery rail device (claim 5).

According to such a configuration, the floor conveyor or overhead conveyor on the upstream side of the delivery rail device that rotates around the axis in the front-rear direction can be easily changed to the overhead conveyor or floor conveyor on the downstream side of the delivery rail device. The degree of freedom in route design is further increased.

Further, at least one of the first path portion and the second path portion includes a plane path that can move in a horizontal plane in a plane.
It is more preferable that the intermediate path in the plane path is provided with a delivery rail device that rotates around the vertical axis and transfers the carrier from the upstream path to the downstream path by supporting the carrier with left and right rails. This is an embodiment (claim 6).

According to such a configuration, the path direction on the upstream side of the delivery rail device that rotates around the vertical axis can be easily changed on the downstream side, and for example, a branch path or a merging path can be formed, so that the path design is free. The degree is even higher.

Further, it is a preferred embodiment to drive the carrier by pressing the friction roller of the friction roller type drive device against the drive surface provided on the carrier (claim 7).

According to such a configuration, since the carrier is driven by pressing the rotating friction roller against the drive surface of the carrier, the first delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device that rotate around the axis in the left-right direction, the front-rear direction. The configuration and drive control for driving the carrier in the delivery rail device that rotates around the axis or the delivery rail device that rotates around the vertical axis, and in other transfer paths are simplified.
In addition, since the carrier is driven by pressing the rotating friction roller against the drive surface of the carrier using the friction roller type drive device, a chain is not used unlike the chain type drive device. Noise can be suppressed.

Furthermore, a predetermined section when the carrier moves in the first path portion, a predetermined section when the carrier moves in the second path portion, and a predetermined section when the carrier descends in the relay path portion. In the friction roller type drive device arranged in at least any predetermined section of the section,
It is a more preferable embodiment that the distance between the friction rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction is made longer than the length of the drive surface in the transport direction (claim 8).

According to such a configuration, the number of drive devices can be reduced, so that energy saving is excellent and manufacturing cost and maintenance cost can be reduced.

Further, it is a more preferable embodiment that the left and right sides of a part of the first path portion and the second path portion of the transport path that are not operated are covered with protective members (claim 9).

According to such a configuration, the operator cannot enter the transport path at the portion covered with the protective member, so that the safety can be improved.

Further, it is an even more preferable embodiment that the conveyor units manufactured for each appropriate length in the transport direction are connected to form the transport path (claim 10).

According to such a configuration, the installation work of the conveyor device becomes easy, and in the event of a failure, it can be recovered by replacing the conveyor unit at the faulty part, so that the average recovery time can be shortened.

As described above, according to the conveyor device according to the present invention, in the conveyor device that transports the carrier supported by the conveyor rail along the transport path including the path portion having a height difference, the following effects are mainly obtained. Play.
(1) The carrier is transferred between the first path section and the relay path section, and between the second path section and the relay path section, and the carrier is supported by the left and right rails, and is rotated around the axis in the left-right direction. It can be reliably performed by the first delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device.
(2) Since the first delivery rail device and the second delivery rail device are used, there is no inconvenience that the transport cycle time becomes long as in the configuration provided with the drop lifter.
(3) Since it is not necessary to consider the interference between the carrier and the conveyor rail due to the configuration provided with the delivery rail device, the space efficiency of the production line can be improved.
(4) When the carrier is delivered from the relay path section to the higher position of the first path section and the second path section, the rotation direction of the delivery rail device that rotates around the left-right axis is changed. As a result, the form of the conveyor when delivering the carrier can be changed to a floor conveyor or an overhead conveyor, so that the degree of freedom in route design is increased.
(5) Since a common carrier can be used for the floor conveyor and the overhead conveyor, the types of conveyors and the types of parts are reduced, so that the parts management cost can be reduced, and the common parts can be mass-produced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
(6) Since the carrier has a structure in which the left and right rails are sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower wheels, the carrier does not fall off from the rails and the conveyed object supported above the trolley does not easily fall in the left-right direction. Since it is stable, running stability is improved.

It is a schematic front view of the conveyor device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is also a schematic plan view. It is the figure which looked at an example of a conveyor unit from the rear. It is a perspective view of the carrier and the conveyor rail which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial vertical sectional front view of the conveyor unit including the 1st delivery rail device which rotates around the axis in the left-right direction, and shows the state which the carrier is delivered to the 1st delivery rail device. It is also a view seen from the rear. It is a partial vertical sectional front view which shows the state in which the left and right rails which supported the carrier by driving the first delivery rail device are vertical. It is a partial vertical sectional front view of the conveyor unit including the 2nd delivery rail device which rotates around the axis in the left-right direction, and shows the state which the carrier was delivered to the 2nd delivery rail device. It is a partial vertical cross-sectional front view which shows the state in which the left and right rails which supported the carrier by driving the 2nd delivery rail device were made horizontal, and it was made into an overhead conveyor. It is also a view seen from the rear. It is a partial vertical sectional front view which shows the state which driven the 2nd delivery rail device, and made the left and right rails which supported a carrier horizontal, and made it into a floor conveyor. It is an enlarged plan view of a main part around a pusher installed in a horizontally curved path portion, (a) is a state immediately before pushing and driving the front trolley of a carrier with a pressing piece of a rocking body, and (b) is a state immediately before driving the front trolley of a carrier with the pressing piece. The state after the front trolley is boosted and driven is shown. Similarly, it is an enlarged plan view of the main part, (a) is a state in which the rear trolley of the carrier is boosted and driven by the pressing piece of the rocking body, and (b) is a state after the rear trolley is boosted and driven by the pressing piece. Is shown. It is the figure which looked at the state which pushed the rear trolley of a carrier by the pressing piece of the rocking body of a pusher from the rear. FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of a partial vertical cross section around a conveyor unit including a delivery rail device that rotates around an axis in the front-rear direction. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of a conveyor unit including a delivery rail device that rotates around an axis in the front-rear direction. It is a partial vertical sectional view of the conveyor unit including the delivery rail device seen from the rear. It is a partial vertical cross-sectional view which shows the state which carried out the overhead conveyor from the floor conveyor by rotating the left and right rails which supported the carrier by driving the delivery rail device by 180 ° around the axis in the front-rear direction. It is a schematic plan view around a conveyor unit including a delivery rail device which rotates around a vertical axis. It is a schematic plan view of the conveyor unit. It is also a front view. It is a schematic front view which shows the structural example of the conveyor device which provided three steps of the horizontal plane path in the vertical direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the present specification, the front, rear, left and right are defined in the transport direction (see the arrow F in the figure) with reference to the state in which the carrier 2 is traveling on the horizontal plane paths P1 and P2.
As for the vertical direction, if the condition indicating the vertical direction is not specified, the vertical direction is defined in the above-mentioned reference.

<Conveyor device>
As shown in the schematic front view of FIG. 1 and the schematic plan view of FIG. 2, the conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a carrier 2 that supports a transported object (not shown) along a predetermined transport path 10. The carrier 2 is conveyed by pressing the friction roller FR of the friction roller type drive device D against the drive surface provided on the carrier 2 (see the drive surface E in FIGS. 3 and 4) to drive the carrier 2.
By connecting the conveyor units U, U, ... Manufactured for each appropriate length in the transport direction F to form the transport path 10, the installation work of the conveyor device 1 becomes easy, and in the event of a failure, the failure location Since it can be restored by replacing the conveyor unit U of the above, the mean time to recovery (MTTR) can be shortened.

Since the transport path 10 includes the first path portion 11 at the low position and the second path portion 12 at the high position, there is a height difference.
Between the first path portion 11 and the second path portion 12, a relay path portion 13 which is a path portion that rises or falls substantially vertically is provided.
The first path portion 11 which is a plane path P1 which can move in a horizontal plane and the second path portion 12 which is a plane path P2 which can move in a horizontal plane are horizontally curved path portions 14, 14 , ... have.

Conveyor rails CR having rails R and R on the left and right are laid in the first route portion 11, the second route portion 12, and the relay route portion 13.
As shown in the rear view of FIG. 3 and the perspective view of FIG. 4, the conveyor rail CR is provided with rails R having a circular cross section supported by the yoke 9 on the left and right, and is separated in the left-right direction. The distance between the rails R and R is preferably about 50 cm to 1 m, for example.

A first delivery rail device A1 that rotates around the left-right direction axis H1 is provided between the first path section 11 and the relay path section 13, and a left-right direction axis H2 is provided between the second path section 12 and the relay path section 13. A second delivery rail device A2 that rotates around is provided.
The intermediate path of the second path portion 12 includes a delivery rail device B that rotates around a front-rear direction axis (see the front-rear direction axis H3 in FIGS. 17 and 18).
The conveyor device 1 changes the rotation direction of the second delivery rail device A2 when the carrier 2 is delivered from the relay path section 13 to the second path section 12, so that the form of the conveyor when the carrier 2 is delivered is changed to the floor. It can be changed to a conveyor FC (FIG. 11) or an overhead conveyor OC (FIG. 9).
Further, the conveyor device 1 can change the floor conveyor FC (FIG. 17) or overhead conveyor OC on the upstream side to the overhead conveyor OC (FIG. 18) or floor conveyor FC on the downstream side of the delivery rail device B by the delivery rail device B. ..

<Career>
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 4, the carrier 2 includes a trolley 3 having a pair of upper and lower wheels 5 and 5 that sandwich the rail R from above and below, and a cover 8.
The trolley 3 is formed by connecting the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B separated in the front-rear direction by a connecting bar 4, and the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B rotate independently around the rotation axes 6A and 6B in the vertical direction. ..

In the case of the floor conveyor FC, the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B are inverted U-shaped when viewed from the front or the rear, and consist of a horizontal portion extending in the left-right direction and a hanging portion hanging from the left and right of the horizontal portion. It is arranged so as to straddle the left and right rails R and R.
Wheels 5 and 5 that rotate around the rotation shafts 7A and 7A in the left-right direction are provided above and below the left and right hanging portions of the front trolley 3A, and left and right directions above and below the left and right hanging portions of the rear trolley 3B. Wheels 5 and 5 that rotate around the rotating shafts 7B and 7B of the above are provided.
The wheel 5 is a drum-shaped wheel in which an arc groove 5A that engages with a rail R having a circular cross section is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the upper and lower wheels 5 and 5 sandwich the rail R from above and below.
The wheel 5 may be a so-called angle wheel having a V-groove formed on the outer peripheral surface instead of a drum-shaped wheel.

<First delivery rail device that rotates around the axis in the left-right direction>
As shown in the schematic front view of FIG. 1, the partial vertical cross-sectional front view of FIG. 5, the rear view of FIG. 6, and the partial vertical cross-sectional front view of FIG. 7, the vehicle rotates about the left-right axis H1. The first delivery rail device A1 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the first path section 11 and the relay path section 13 with the left and right rails RA1 and RA1.
The first delivery rail device A1 rotates the frame body 17 around the left-right axis H1 by the drive device MA1 (FIG. 6) to provide the rails RA1 and RA1 supported by the frame body 17 via the support member 19. It rotates around the left-right axis H1 and includes a balance weight 15.

The carrier 2 is moved from the first path portion 11 onto the first delivery rail device A1 and stopped. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rail RA1 is sandwiched between the wheels 5 and 5 of the carrier 2, and the carrier 2 is supported by the left and right rails RA1 and RA1.
The drive device MA1 is driven to rotate the left and right rails RA1 and RA1 by 90 ° around the left-right axis H1 as shown by the arrow in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the left and right rails RA1 and RA1 become vertical and are connected to the left and right rails R and R of the conveyor rail CR of the relay path portion 13.
In this state, the friction roller FR of the friction roller type drive device D of FIG. 7 is held in a stopped state by the braking device, so that the carrier 2 in which the friction roller FR is in pressure contact with the drive surface E does not fall.
By driving the friction roller type drive device D in this state to rotate the friction roller FR, the carrier 2 can be raised and delivered to the relay path unit 13 (FIG. 1).
In the above operation, the left and right friction rollers FR and FR installed in the first delivery rail device A1 function as substitutes for stoppers when the left and right rails RA1 and RA1 supporting the carrier 2 rotate. Therefore, when the carrier is delivered by using a stopper with a drop lifter or the like, the friction rollers FR and FR also function as the stopper, which simplifies the configuration and control of the device.

<Second delivery rail device that rotates around the axis in the left-right direction>
As shown in the schematic front view of FIG. 1, the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. 8, the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. 9, the rear view of FIG. 10, and the partial vertical sectional front view of FIG. The second delivery rail device A2 that rotates around the left-right axis H2 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the second path portion 12 and the relay path portion 13 with the left and right rails RA2 and RA2.
The second delivery rail device A2 rotates the frame body 18 around the left-right axis H2 by the drive device MA2 (FIG. 10) to provide the rails RA2 and RA2 supported by the frame body 18 via the support member 20. It rotates around the left-right axis H2 and includes balance weights 16 and 16.

By driving the second delivery rail device A2 to make the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 vertical, they are connected to the left and right rails R and R of the conveyor rail CR of the relay path portion 13.
Next, the carrier 2 is moved from the relay path portion 13 onto the second delivery rail device A2 and stopped as shown in FIG. In this state, the friction roller FR of the friction roller type drive device D of FIG. 8 is held in a stopped state by the braking device, so that the carrier 2 in which the friction roller FR is in pressure contact with the drive surface E does not fall.
In this state, if the drive device MA2 (FIG. 10) is driven and the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 are rotated by 90 ° around the left-right direction axis H2 as shown by the arrow I in FIG. It becomes the carrier 2 for the overhead conveyor OC.
Further, if the drive device MA2 (FIG. 10) is driven and the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 are rotated by 90 ° around the left-right direction axis H2 as shown by the arrow J in FIG. 8, the floor conveyor FC is as shown in FIG. Become a carrier 2 for.
Then, by driving the friction roller type drive device D of the second delivery rail device A2 to rotate the friction roller FR, the carrier 2 can be delivered to the second path portion 12 (FIG. 1).

<Drive device in horizontal curved path>
Schematic plan view of FIG. 2, enlarged plan view of the main part of FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b), enlarged plan view of the main part of FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), and a rear view of FIG. As shown in the figure, in the horizontally curved path 14, the carrier 2 is moved by the boost drive by the pusher K.
The pusher K includes pressing pieces 22A and 22B at the tip of a fan-shaped rocking body 21 that is driven to swing around the vertical rocking shaft N.

A case where the carrier 2 is transported in the transport direction F shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b) and 13 (a) and 13 (b) will be described.
The carrier 2 is driven by the friction roller type drive device D as shown in FIG. 12A and enters the horizontal curved path 14.
As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12B, the carrier 2 is driven by the pressing piece 22A of the rocking body 21 of the pusher K to push and drive the hanging portion of the front trolley 3A of the carrier 2, so that the carrier 2 has a horizontally curved path 14 To move.
As shown in FIGS. 12 (b) to 13 (a) and 13 (b), the carrier is driven by the pressing piece 22B of the rocking body 21 of the pusher K to push the hanging portion of the rear trolley 3B of the carrier 2. 2 passes through the horizontal curved path 14.
With the pusher K having such a simple structure, the carrier 2 can be reliably conveyed along the horizontal curved path 14.

<Delivery rail device that rotates around the axis in the front-back direction>
As shown in the schematic plan view of FIG. 2, the schematic front view of the partial longitudinal section of FIG. 15, the partial cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 16, and the partial longitudinal sectional view of FIGS. (FIGS. 17 and 18) The transfer rail device B that rotates around supports and transfers the carrier 2 from the upstream path to the downstream path with the left and right rails RB and RB, and the front-rear axis H3. Is located at the midpoint of the line segment connecting the centers of the left and right rails RB and RB (FIGS. 17 and 18).
The delivery rail device B that rotates around the front-rear axis H3 can change the floor conveyor or overhead conveyor on the upstream side to an overhead conveyor or floor conveyor on the downstream side.

The delivery rail device B is a rail RB, RB supported by the rotating body 23 via the support member 25 by rotating the rotating body 23 around the front-rear direction axis H3 by the driving device MB (FIGS. 16 to 18). Is rotated around the anteroposterior axis H3.
The rotating body 23 is guided by guide rollers 24, 24, ... So that it can rotate around the longitudinal axis H3, and rotates by pressing the friction roller 26 of the drive device MB against the cylindrical surface 23A of the rotating body 23. The body 23 is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 15, on the left and right rails RB, RB of the delivery rail device B, which connects the carrier 2 for the floor conveyor FC on the upstream side of the delivery rail device B to the left and right rails R, R of the conveyor rail CR. And stop as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.
In this state, if the drive devices MB (FIGS. 16 and 17) are driven and the left and right rails RB and RB are rotated by 180 ° around the front-rear axis H3, the carrier for the overhead conveyor OC is as shown in FIG. It becomes 2.
In this state, the carrier 2 is driven by the friction roller type drive device D shown in FIG. 18 and delivered to the overhead conveyor OC on the downstream side shown in FIG.

<Delivery rail device that rotates around the vertical axis>
As shown in the schematic plan views of FIGS. 19 and 20, and the front view of FIG. 21, the delivery rail device C1 that rotates around the vertical axis V1 has left and right rails RC1 from the upstream side path to the downstream side path. The RC1 supports and delivers the carrier 2.
Further, the delivery rail device C2 that rotates around the vertical axis V2 shown in FIG. 19 supports and delivers the carrier 2 from the upstream side path to the downstream side path by the left and right rails RC2 and RC2.

The delivery rail device C1 rotates the disc 27 around the vertical axis V1 by the drive device MC1 (FIGS. 19 to 21) to rotate the rails RC1 and RC1 supported by the support member 28 connected to the disc 27. Rotate around the vertical axis V1.
The disk 27 is supported by a support member 28 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis V1, and the friction roller 29 of the drive device MC1 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface 27A of the disk 27 to rotate the disk 27.
The delivery rail device C2 has the same structure as the delivery rail device C1. By rotating the disk 27 around the vertical axis V2 by the drive device MC2 (FIG. 19), the support member 28 connected to the disk 27 The supported rails RC2 and RC2 are rotated around the vertical axis V2.

As shown in FIG. 19, the carrier 2 is moved onto the left and right rails RC1 and RC1 in a state where the left and right rails RC1 and RC1 of the delivery rail device C1 are connected to the left and right rails R and R of the upstream conveyor rail CR. Then stop as shown in FIG.
In this state, the drive device MC1 is driven to rotate the left and right rails RC1 and RC1 and the carrier 2 by 90 ° as shown by the arrows in FIG. Connect to R, R.
In this state, the carrier 2 is delivered to the branch side conveyor rail CRB by a friction roller type drive device (not shown), and the carrier 2 is moved in the lateral direction T by a friction roller type drive device (not shown).

The delivery rail device C2 is driven by the drive device MC2 shown in FIG. 19, the rails RC2 and RC2 are rotated by 90 ° around the vertical axis V2, and the left and right rails RC2 and RC2 are connected to the left and right rails R of the merging side conveyor rail CRJ. , Connect to R.
In this state, the carrier 2 (not shown) that has moved in the lateral direction T is driven by a friction roller type drive device (not shown), moved onto the left and right rails RC2 and RC2 of the delivery rail device C2, and stopped.
In this state, the delivery rail device C2 is driven by the drive device MC2 to rotate the rails RC2, RC2 and the carrier 2 by 90 ° around the vertical axis V2, and the left and right rails RC2 and RC2 are left and right rails of the conveyor rail CR. Connect to R, R.
In this state, the carrier 2 is delivered to the conveyor rail CR on the downstream side by a friction roller type drive device (not shown).

<Arrangement example of Fricryon roller type drive device>
In the example of the transport route 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, a predetermined section when the carrier 2 moves in the first route portion 11, a predetermined section when the carrier 2 moves in the second route portion 12, and a relay route portion. In the friction roller type drive devices D, D, ... , The length of the drive surface E shown in FIG. 4 is longer than the length of the transport direction F.
As a result, the number of drive devices can be reduced, so that energy saving is excellent and manufacturing costs and maintenance costs can be reduced.

<Protective member>
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 11, a portion covered by the protective members G, G, for example, by covering the left and right sides of the non-working path in the transport path 10 with the protective members G, G, which are transparent acrylic plates. Since the worker cannot enter the transport path, the safety can be improved.

<Operational effect of the conveyor device according to the embodiment of the present invention>
According to the conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, the carrier 2 is transferred between the first path portion 11 and the relay path portion 13, and the carrier 2 is supported by the left and right rails RA1 and RA1. The first delivery rail device A1 that rotates around the left-right axis H1 is used for delivery, and the carrier 2 is delivered between the second path portion 12 and the relay path portion 13 by the left and right rails RA2 and RA2. Since the second delivery rail device A2 that supports and delivers and rotates around the left-right axis H2 is used, the carrier 2 can be reliably delivered by the delivery rail devices A1 and A2.
Further, the carrier 2 is delivered between the first path section 11 and the relay path section 13 by the first delivery rail device A1, and the carrier 2 is delivered between the second path section 12 and the relay path section 13 as the second delivery. Since it is performed by the rail device A2, there is no inconvenience that the transfer cycle time becomes long as in the configuration provided with the drop lifter.
Furthermore, since it is not necessary to consider the interference between the carrier 2 and the conveyor rail CR due to the configuration provided with the delivery rail devices A1 and A2, the degree of freedom in route design is increased and the conveyor device 1 saves space. Become. Therefore, the space efficiency of the production line can be improved.

Further, when the carrier 2 is delivered from the relay path portion 13 by the second delivery rail device A2 that rotates around the left-right axis H2 to the second path portion 12 at a high position, the second delivery rail device A2 By changing the direction of rotation of the carrier 2, the form of the conveyor when delivering the carrier 2 can be changed to the floor conveyor FC or the overhead conveyor OC, so that the degree of freedom in route design is further increased.
Furthermore, since the common carrier 2 can be used for the floor conveyor FC and the overhead conveyor OC, the types of conveyors and the types of parts are reduced, so that the parts management cost can be reduced, and the common parts can be mass-produced, so that the manufacturing cost is reduced. can.
Further, since the carrier 2 has a structure in which the trolley 3 sandwiches the left and right rails between the pair of upper and lower wheels 5 and 5, the first path portion 11, the second path portion 12, the relay path portion 13, and the delivery rail On the devices A1 and A2, the carrier 2 does not fall off from the rail, and the conveyed object supported above the trolley 3 is less likely to fall in the left-right direction and is stable, so that running stability is improved.

Further, since the direction of the relay path portion 13 between the first path portion 11 and the second path portion 12, which is the ascending or descending path portion, is substantially vertical, it is excellent in space saving, so that the space efficiency of the production line is excellent. Can be further improved.
Further, since the first path portion 11 and the second path portion 12 include the horizontal curved paths 14, 14, ..., The path direction can be changed in the plane by the horizontal curved path 14, so that the first path portion 11 and the second path portion 12 and The degree of freedom in the route design of the second route portion 12 is increased.
Furthermore, since the trolley 3 of the carrier 2 connects the front trolley 3A and the rear trolley 3B separated in the front-rear direction so as to be independently rotatable around the vertical rotation shafts 6A and 6B. Since the trolley 3 can rotate in accordance with the horizontally curved rail of the horizontally curved path 14, the carrier 2 can smoothly run on the horizontally curved path portion 14, and the radius of curvature of the horizontally curved path 14 can be reduced.

Further, the second path portion 12 is provided with a delivery rail device B that rotates around the front-rear axis H3 to support and deliver the carrier 2 from the upstream path to the downstream path by the left and right rails RB and RB. Therefore, the floor conveyor FC or overhead conveyor OC on the upstream side of the delivery rail device B that rotates around the front-rear axis H3 can be easily changed to the overhead conveyor OC or floor conveyor FC on the downstream side of the delivery rail device B. Therefore, the degree of freedom in route design is further increased.
Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the carrier 2 is supported and passed by the left and right rails RC1 and RC1 from the upstream path to the downstream path in the middle path in the plane path, and rotates around the vertical axis V1. In the configuration provided with the delivery rail device C1 and the delivery rail device C2 rotating around the vertical axis V2, the carrier 2 is supported and delivered from the upstream path to the downstream path by the left and right rails RC2 and RC2. , The path direction on the upstream side of the delivery rail devices C1 and C2 that rotate around the vertical axes V1 and V2 can be easily changed on the downstream side, and for example, a branch path or a merging path can be formed. Will be even higher.

Furthermore, the main drive device drives the carrier 2 by pressing the friction roller FR of the friction roller type drive device D against the drive surface E provided on the carrier 2, and carries the rotating friction roller FR. Since the carrier 2 is driven by pressure contact with the drive surface E of 2, the carrier 2 rotates around the left-right direction axes H1 and H2, the first delivery rail device A1 and the second delivery rail device A2, and the front-rear direction axis H3. The configuration and drive control for driving the carrier 2 in the delivery rail device B or the delivery rail devices C1 and C2 rotating around the vertical axes V1 and V2, and in the other transfer paths, can be easily performed. Become.
Further, since the carrier 2 is driven by pressing the rotating friction roller FR against the drive surface E of the carrier 2 by using the friction roller type drive device D, a chain is not used unlike the chain type drive device. Therefore, noise can be suppressed.

In the above description, the configuration including the two plane paths P1 and P2 separated in the vertical direction is shown as shown in FIG. 1, but in the horizontal plane separated in the vertical direction as shown in the schematic front view of FIG. May be configured to include three plane paths P1, P2, P3 that can be moved in a plane, and such plane paths may be provided in four or more stages.

The conveyor device 1 of FIG. 22 includes one first delivery rail device A1 and two second delivery rail devices A2. That is, the lower plane path P1 has a first delivery rail device A1 that rotates around the left-right axis H1, and the middle plane path P2 has a second delivery rail device A2 that rotates around the left-right axis H2A. The upper plane path P3 is provided with a second delivery rail device A2 that rotates around the left-right direction axis H2B.
The first delivery rail device A1 of the lower plane path P1 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the plane path P1 and the relay path portion 13A by the left and right rails RA1 and RA1.
The second delivery rail device A2 of the upper plane path P3 supports and delivers the carrier 2 between the plane path P3 and the relay path portion 13B by the left and right rails RA2 and RA2.
The second transfer rail device A2 of the middle-stage plane path P2 supports and transfers the carrier 2 between the plane path P2 and the relay path portion 13A by the left and right rails RA2 and RA2, and also transfers the carrier 2 between the plane path P2 and the relay path portion 13A. Between 13B, the left and right rails RA2 and RA2 support and deliver the carrier 2.

1 Conveyor device 2 Carrier 3 Trolley 3A Front trolley 3B Rear trolley 4 Connecting bar 5 Wheels 5A Arc groove 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B Rotating shaft 8 Cover 9 York 10 Transport path 11 First path section 12 Second path section 13, 13A , 13B Relay path part 14 Horizontal curved path part 15, 16 Balance weight 17, 18 Frame body 19, 20 Support member 21 Swing body 22A, 22B Press piece 23 Rotating body 23A Cylindrical surface 24 Guide roller 25 Support member 26 Friction roller 27 Disk 27A Outer peripheral surface 28 Support member 29 Friction roller A1 First delivery rail device that rotates around the left-right axis A2 Second delivery rail device that rotates around the left-right axis B Delivery rail device that rotates around the front-back axis C1, C2 Delivery rail device that rotates around the vertical axis CR Conveyor rail CRB Branch side conveyor rail CRJ Confluence side conveyor rail D Friction roller type drive device E Drive surface F Transport direction FC Floor conveyor FR Friction roller G Protective member H1 , H2, H2A, H2B Left-right axis H3 Front-rear axis I, J Rotation direction K Pusher L Spacing of friction rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction MA1, MA2, MB, MC1, MC2 Drive device N Vertical swing axis OC Overhead conveyor P1, P2, P3 Plane path R, RA1, RA2, RB, RC1, RC2 Rail T Lateral direction U Conveyor unit V1, V2 Vertical axis

Claims (10)

A conveyor device that transports a carrier that supports a transported object along a predetermined transport path.
The transport route is
The first path part and the second path part with height difference,
A relay path section between the first path section and the second path section, which is an ascending or descending path section,
Including
Conveyor rails provided with rails on the left and right are laid in the first path section, the second path section, and the relay path section.
The carrier comprises a trolley having a pair of upper and lower wheels that sandwich the rail from above and below.
A first delivery rail device that rotates around an axis in the left-right direction, which supports and delivers the carrier with left and right rails between the first path section and the relay path section, and the second path section and the relay path. It is characterized by being provided with a second delivery rail device that rotates around an axis in the left-right direction, in which the carrier is supported and delivered between the parts by left and right rails.
Conveyor device. The direction of the relay path portion is substantially vertical.
The conveyor device according to claim 1. The first path portion and the second path portion include a horizontal curved path.
The conveyor device according to claim 1 or 2. The trolley is a combination of a front trolley and a rear trolley separated in the front-rear direction so as to be independently rotatable around a rotation axis in the vertical direction.
The conveyor device according to claim 3. Rotates around an axial axis in the front-rear direction, in which the carrier is supported and passed by left and right rails from the upstream path to the downstream path to at least one of the first path portion and the second path portion. Equipped with a delivery rail device,
The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. At least one of the first path portion and the second path portion includes a plane path that can move in a horizontal plane in a plane.
An intermediate path in the plane path is provided with a delivery rail device that rotates around an axial axis in the vertical direction, in which the carrier is supported and delivered by left and right rails from the upstream path to the downstream path.
The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The carrier is driven by pressing the friction roller of the friction roller type drive device against the drive surface provided on the carrier.
The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. At least a predetermined section when the carrier moves on the first route portion, a predetermined section when the carrier moves on the second route portion, and a predetermined section when the carrier descends on the relay route portion. In the friction roller type drive device arranged in any predetermined section,
The distance between the friction rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction is made longer than the length of the drive surface in the transport direction.
The conveyor device according to claim 7. Protective members cover the left and right sides of a part of the non-working path of the first path portion and the second path portion in the transport path.
The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
Conveyor units manufactured for each appropriate length in the transport direction are connected to form the transport path.
The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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