JP7555571B2 - Pouring line loading table feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a table feed device that transports a table on which a mold is placed in a pouring line where molten metal is poured into a mold.

Conventionally, in casting lines, multiple transport carts (mounting platforms) carrying molds (moles with flasks and flaskless molds) are lined up in a row on rails and transported. In particular, in pouring lines where molten metal is poured into molds, it is necessary to transport molds made from sand using multiple transport carts lined up in a row, pour molten metal into the molds on the transport carts, and transport molds with liquid molten metal poured into them using multiple transport carts lined up in a row.

When a transport cart carrying a new mold is brought into the upstream side of the pouring line, it needs to be brought in perpendicular to the line. During this transport cart-cart transfer operation, they are arranged with a gap between them to prevent contact between the transport cart at the upstream end (rearmost part) of the existing carts and the newly brought in transport cart. Also, taking into account the thermal expansion from the molten metal, the transport carts are made shorter in length in the transport direction, and as they cool down the gaps between the transport carts become larger.

However, these gaps can sometimes cause collisions between adjacent transport cars during transportation. Such collisions between transport cars can damage the contact surfaces of the transport cars, or the molten metal before solidification can be shaken inside the mold, deforming the inner walls of the mold and reducing product precision.

Therefore, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to reduce the impact, the material is transported at a low speed until the gap created when the material was stopped is filled, and then the material is transported at a high speed, and the rotation of the transport rollers is controlled so that the speed is further reduced before the material stops.
Patent Document 2 describes a method of transporting a plurality of flasks lined up along a transport path in the transport direction, and a method of holding the flasks in a predetermined positional relationship by engaging a corresponding engaged portion on the side of each flask with a plurality of engaging portions of a movable body provided in parallel on the side of the transport path, thereby preventing the flasks from colliding with each other during transport.

Utility Model Registration No. 2559334 JP 2020-69501 A

However, in the method of Patent Document 1, since it takes time to transport at a low speed, the transport efficiency is low and does not meet the requirements, especially in a high-speed casting line where a large production volume is required.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is excellent in that it can quickly transport a number of flasks arranged in a row without them colliding with each other, but further ingenuity is required to reliably transport a number of molds containing molten metal before solidification.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a platform feed device for a pouring line that can prevent collisions between multiple platforms carrying molds in the pouring line and quickly and reliably transport multiple molds to be poured.

The loading platform feeding device for a pouring line of the present invention comprises a conveying path along which a number of loading platforms, each carrying a mold, are lined up in a row along the conveying direction in the pouring line, and a movable body which is arranged alongside the conveying path below the conveying path and moves along the conveying path.
The apparatus also includes a movable body drive device that reciprocates the movable body along the transport path to move the placement table along the transport path by one pitch at a time, which is the length of the placement table in the transport direction.

It also includes an engaged portion provided on each of the mounting tables, and a plurality of engaging portions provided on the movable body and engaging with the engaged portions so that adjacent mounting tables are arranged on the transport path with a predetermined gap between them.
The movable body further includes an engaging/disengaging device that engages the plurality of engaging portions with the engaged portions on the outward path when the movable body reciprocates and disengages the engaging portions on the return path when the movable body reciprocates.

As a result, each platform can quickly and reliably pour molten metal and transport the poured molds without interfering with or colliding with adjacent platforms when stopped or transported, without the need to provide a low-speed transport area.

1 is a plan view showing an outline of a platform feeding device for a pouring line according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the conveying path of the placement table feeding device for the pouring line. 2 is a plan view showing, in partial cross section, the structure of a rotating shaft at part A in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of part A in FIG. 1 . 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an engaging portion and an engaged portion at an upstream end. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of part B in FIG. 1 . 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an engaging portion and an engaged portion at a downstream end. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view mainly showing a protruding portion of the mounting table. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the conveying path as viewed from the downstream side; FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the central portion of the conveying path as viewed from the downstream side; FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the connection device; 4 is a partially enlarged side view of the conveying path as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of a device for maintaining a stopped state of a conveying path as viewed from the downstream side. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a locking portion of the stop state maintaining device. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a locking structure between a locking portion and a locked portion. FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view showing the upstream end of the platform feeding device for the pouring line of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view showing an engagement portion of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view showing an engagement portion of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view showing an engagement portion used at the upstream end of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view showing an engagement portion used at the upstream end of the second embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which an engagement portion is raised by the advancing and retreating device in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which an engagement portion is lowered by the advancing and retreating device in the second embodiment. FIG.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the pouring line platform feed device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 17, which is applied mainly to a pouring line that pours molten metal into a mold. Figure 1 shows an outline of a part of a casting line CL that includes a pouring line platform feed device 1 according to the present invention. In this facility, a mold M that has been molded on a molding line ML and placed on a platform 6 is carried into the pouring line PL, where molten metal is poured into the mold M while it is placed on the platform 6 and transported along the pouring line PL. The poured mold M is then carried out to a cooling area CA, where it is cooled while being transported.

In this specification, the direction in which the mounting table 6 is transported along the transport path 2 of the pouring line PL is referred to as the "transport direction." The transport of the mounting table 6 is likened to a water flow, and the side on the pouring line PL that is the starting point of the transport is referred to as the "upstream side," and the side that is the end point of the transport is referred to as the "downstream side." In the transport direction, the upstream side is referred to as the "rear" and the downstream side is referred to as the "front." If we imagine a center line extending in the transport direction of the transport path 2, the side farther from that center line is referred to as the "outside" and the side closer to it is referred to as the "inside."

(Placement table feeder for pouring line)
1 and 2, the pouring line platform feed device 1 comprises a transport path 2, a moving body 3, a moving body drive device 4, and a stop state maintaining device 5, and a plurality of platform 6 (e.g., transport carts) are lined up along the transport path 2 in the transport direction. The platform 6 is provided with an engaged portion 61, and the moving body 3 is provided with an engaging portion 31 that engages with the engaged portion 61. Pouring equipment 7 is provided alongside the transport path 2 of the pouring line PL.

The pouring equipment 7, which is installed alongside the conveying path 2 of the pouring line PL, includes a melting furnace, a holding furnace, a ladle 71 (not shown), a movement mechanism 72 that moves the ladle 71 to a predetermined pouring position facing the conveying path 2, and a tilting mechanism 73 that tilts the ladle 71. The pouring equipment 7 is a known technology, so a detailed description will be omitted.

(Transport path)
The transport path 2 transports a plurality of mounting tables 6 lined up in the transport direction, and includes pillars 21, beam members 22, rail support members 23, and rails 24, as shown in FIG.
The rail 24 is installed elevated above the floor surface F by means of pillars 21, beam members 22, and rail support members 23 (see FIG. 10).

The support pillars 21 are formed of, for example, hollow iron members having a rectangular cross section, and are arranged in pairs along the conveying direction.
A beam member 22 is provided on the upper portion of each support pillar 21. The beam member 22 is formed, for example, of a hollow iron member having a rectangular cross section. The beam member 22 is horizontally supported between each pair of support pillars 21 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

The rail support members 23 are made of, for example, iron and have a rectangular cross section. The rail support members 23 are supported on the upper ends of the respective support columns 21 and extend in pairs along the conveying direction.
A rail 24 is laid on the upper end surface of the rail support member 23. The lower portion of the rail 24 is fixed to the rail support member 23 by a fixing metal fitting (not shown).

(Mobile)
4, the movable body 3 is provided below the rails 24 and extends along the conveying direction between the pair of posts 21. The movable body 3 serves as an intermediary means for conveying a plurality of mounting tables 6 collectively along the conveying path 2.

The moving body 3 moves on moving body rails 32. The moving body rails 32 are located below the rail support member 23 and extend in a pair along the conveying direction inside the support pillars 21. As shown in FIG. 15, the moving body rails 32 are made of, for example, iron and are formed of a U-shaped cross-section member with opposing inner sides that are open.

As shown in FIG. 2, the moving body 3 has multiple small moving bodies (three in this embodiment), namely, an upstream small moving body 3a, a central small moving body 3b, and a downstream small moving body 3c. The upstream small moving body 3a is formed to have a length of about two and a half of the length of the mounting table 6 in the conveying direction. The central small moving body 3b is formed to have a length of about three and a half of the length of the mounting table 6 in the conveying direction. The downstream small moving body 3c is formed to have a length of about four times the length of the mounting table 6 in the conveying direction. The entire length of the moving body 3 is formed to be one mounting table 6 shorter than the conveying path 2. A moving body drive device 4, which will be described later, is provided below the central small moving body 3b.

Each of the small movable bodies 3 a , 3 b , 3 c is formed from a solid square steel material having a rectangular cross section, and has three pairs of wheels 33 that run on the inner bottom surface of the movable body rail 32 .
At the end of each small moving body (3a and 3b, 3b and 3c) where there is an adjacent small moving body (3a and 3b, 3b and 3c), as shown in FIG. 4, a connection part 3d connected to a connection device 34 described later is provided so as to protrude toward the adjacent small moving body (3a and 3b, 3b and 3c). The connection part 3d extends along the conveying direction and is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape with the long side of the cross section disposed horizontally. The connection part 3d is provided with a connection hole (not shown) with a central axis extending vertically.

(Engagement portion)
Each of the small movers 3a, 3b, and 3c has a plurality of engaging portions 31. As shown in Fig. 4, the engaging portions 31 engage with engaged portions 61 provided on the mounting table 6 to move the mounting table 6 in the conveying direction in conjunction with the movement of the mover 3. The engaged portions 61 are formed of a flat plate-like member as described later (see Fig. 10).

The multiple engagement parts 31 are each integrally provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 35 extending in the transport direction, and the spacing between adjacent engagement parts 31 is set to correspond to the spacing at which the engaged parts 61 are arranged, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. In other words, the spacing between each engagement part is set to a spacing that is the length of the mounting table 6 along the transport direction (one pitch) plus a predetermined gap (the gap between adjacent mounting tables).

By setting each engaging portion 31 at such intervals, each engaging portion 31 engages with an engaged portion 61 provided at the rear end of the underside of each mounting table 6 lined up on the transport path 2. However, in order for the upstream small mover 3a to transport the mounting table 6 positioned at the loading position CIP to the upstream end of the transport path 2, an upstream engaging portion 31 is additionally provided at the upstream end of the engaging portion 31, which engages with the engaged portion 61 provided at the front end of the underside of the mounting table 6. Therefore, two engaging portions 31 are provided on either side of the upstream end bearing 36, sandwiching the bearing 36 (see FIG. 5).

These two engaging parts are set so that when they engage with the engaged part 61 at the front end of the loading table 6 at the loading position CIP and the engaged part 61 at the rear end of the loading table 6 positioned at the upstream end of the conveying path 2, a predetermined gap t is created between the loading tables 6.

This specified gap t is similar to the required gap between a loading platform 6 that is brought into the loading position CIP from a direction perpendicular to the transport path 2, and a loading platform 6 positioned at the upstream end of the transport path 2. Therefore, a loading platform 6 that is newly brought into the transport path 2 from the loading position CIP can be transported while maintaining the gap required for bringing in from a perpendicular direction. And, because the specified gap t is maintained between adjacent loading platforms 6, there is no need to perform special control to prevent collisions during transport and run at a low speed.

Each engaging portion 6 has an upstream support wall 31a and a downstream support wall 31b that protrude in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 35 (see Figs. 5 and 7). The upstream support wall 31a and the downstream support wall 31b are arranged side by side with a gap in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 35. The engaged portion 61 is sandwiched between the upstream support wall 31a and the downstream support wall 31b, and the upstream support wall 31a restricts the movement of the engaged portion 61 in the conveying direction from the upstream side of the conveying direction, while the downstream support wall 31b restricts the movement of the engaged portion 61 in the conveying direction from the downstream side of the conveying direction. The upstream support wall 31a and the downstream support wall 31b are formed in a U-shaped cross section when cut along a plane including the center of rotation of the rotating shaft 35.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating shaft 35 is supported by a number of bearings 36 attached to the upper surface of each of the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c. The length of the rotating shaft 35 is slightly longer than the length of two of the mounting tables 6 in the upstream small moving body 3a along the conveying direction. The length of the rotating shaft is slightly longer than the length of three of the mounting tables 6 in the central small moving body 3b. The length of the rotating shaft is slightly longer than the length of four of the mounting tables 6 in the downstream small moving body 3c.

The rotating shaft 35 is rotated by an electric motor 37 for driving the engagement part. For example, an electric motor with a reduction gear is used as the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement part. As shown in FIG. 4, the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement part is fastened to the middle part of the lower surface of each of the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, 3c by, for example, bolts and nuts (not shown), and a driving sprocket 37a is attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement part. A driven sprocket 37b is attached to the rotating shaft 35 at a position opposite the driving sprocket 37a of the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement part. An endless track roller chain 38 is hung between the driving sprocket 37a and the driven sprocket 37b.

The rotary shaft 35, the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement portion, the drive sprocket 37a, the driven sprocket 37b and the roller chain 38 constitute an engagement/disengagement device.
When the rotating shaft 35 is rotated by the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement portion, the engagement portion 31 rotates around the rotating shaft 35 together with the rotating shaft 35, and when the engagement portion 31 is positioned at the rotational phase where it is at the top, it becomes able to engage with the engaged portion 61, and when the engagement portion 31 moves out of the rotational phase where it is at the top, it disengages from the engaged portion 61.

A rotation angle sensor (e.g., a rotary encoder) (not shown) is provided on the rotating shaft 35 to detect the rotation phase of the rotating shaft 35. The direction and phase of rotation caused by the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement part are controlled by a control device (described later) based on the signal transmitted by the rotation angle sensor.

(Moving body drive device)
As shown in Figure 4, the moving body drive device 4 includes a rack 41 attached to the underside of the central small moving body 3b, an electric motor 42 for driving the moving body fixed to a support cross member 25 provided between the pillars 21 located below the central small moving body 3b, and a pinion 43 attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 42 for driving the moving body.

By rotating the pinion 43 linked to the electric motor 42 for driving the moving body in forward and reverse directions, a force in the conveying direction is transmitted to the rack 41 meshing with the pinion 43, causing the small central moving body 3b to reciprocate along the conveying direction. As the electric motor 42 for driving the moving body, for example, an electric motor with a reducer is used. The drive of the electric motor 42 for driving the moving body is controlled by a control device.

The rack 41 extends along the conveying direction for a length of approximately one pitch, which is the length of the mounting table 6 in the conveying direction, and a half of one pitch. By moving the rack 41 by one pitch (actually, the distance obtained by adding up the gap t between adjacent mounting tables 6 and one pitch), the multiple mounting tables 6 move intermittently by one pitch at a time.

(Placement table)
As shown in FIG. 8 , the mounting table 6 includes a mounting table main body 62 , rolling wheels 63 , an engaged portion 61 , a locked portion 64 , and a liner portion 65 .
The multiple mounting tables 6 each have a mold M mounted thereon and are arranged on the rails 24 of the transport path 2 and move.

The table body 62 is formed in a rectangular shape from, for example, an iron plate. As shown in FIG. 9, the four edges of the table body 62 are bent and protrude downward by a specified width. Axle support holes 63b for fixing non-rotating axles 63a are formed at the bottom of the long side edges. The axle support holes 63b are formed in pairs in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and a total of four are provided in a line in the front-rear direction of the table body 62. The axles 63a are fitted and fixed in the axle support holes 63b. A rolling wheel 63 is rotatably attached to the inside of each axle 63a via a bearing. A cylindrical cover body 63c with a diameter larger than that of the axle 63a is fastened to the outer end of each axle 63a by a plurality of bolts.

(Engaged portion)
One of the lids 63c (for example, a position at the front right side when viewed from the upstream side) is formed with a cylindrical height greater than the other three lids 63c, and forms a rod-shaped protruding portion 64a that protrudes outward. The protruding portion 64a corresponds to the interlocking portion 64. The interlocking portion 64 is releasably interlocked with an interlocking portion 51 of the stop state maintaining device 5, which is fixed to the conveying path and will be described later.

(Engaged portion)
The engaged parts 61 are provided at the lower part of the front and rear short side edges of the mounting table main body 62, protruding downward. The engaged parts 61 are formed of a rectangular flat plate-like member and extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The engaged parts 61 engage with the engaging parts 31 provided on the moving body 3, and transmit the force in the conveying direction applied by the moving body 3 to the mounting table 6. The center of the engaged parts 61 in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is a plane VP including the center of gravity G of the mounting table 6 and the mold M placed on the mounting table 6 (see FIG. 15), and is disposed on the plane VP extending in the conveying direction and the vertical direction. Even if an impact occurs to the engaged parts 61 for some reason, no rotational force is generated by the impact, so that damage to the mold M caused by the molten metal due to the rotational force can be prevented.

(liner part)
As shown in Fig. 8, liner portions 65 are provided on the front and rear surfaces of the short sides of the mounting table main body 62. The liner portions 65 are made of, for example, hardened iron and are formed into a cylindrical shape protruding in the conveying direction. For example, when multiple mounting tables 6 are lined up and clamped by a pusher device PD or a cushion device (not shown) in the conveying path of the cooling area CA in the next process, adjacent mounting tables 6 come into contact with each other at the liner portions 65. The liner portions 65 prevent damage to the mounting table main body 62 due to contact, and when the liner portions 65 are damaged, only the liner portions 65 can be replaced.

(Stop state maintenance device)
The stopped state maintaining device 5 maintains each mounting table 6 in a stopped state when the transportation by each mounting table 6 stops.
As shown in FIG. 14 , the stopped state maintaining device 5 includes a locked portion 64 provided on the mounting table 6 and a locking portion 51 provided on the transport path 2 .
As described above, the locked portion 64 is provided on the outer side surface of the axle 63a at a position on the right side as viewed from the upstream side (left side as viewed from the downstream side) and in front of the rolling wheel 63 of each mounting table 6. The locked portion 64 has a round rod-shaped protruding portion 64a that protrudes outward in a direction intersecting at a right angle to the conveying direction.

(Latching portion)
A plurality of locking portions 51 are disposed on the upper outer side of the transport path 2 so as to face the stopping positions of the mounting table 6 .
As shown in FIG. 14 , the engagement portion 51 includes a base plate 511 , a shaft support portion 512 , a rotating shaft 513 , an arm 514 , a wheel 515 , a stopper bolt 516 , and a coil spring 517 .

As shown in FIG. 15, the base plate 511 is formed, for example, from an iron plate material with an L-shaped cross section, and has an integrated vertical wall 511a and horizontal wall 511b. Both the vertical wall 511a and the horizontal wall 511b extend in the conveying direction. The vertical wall 511a extends vertically and is fastened to the side of the rail support member 23, for example, by bolts and nuts. The horizontal wall 511b protrudes horizontally toward the outside of the conveying path 2 when the vertical wall 511a is fastened to the side of the rail support member 23.

As shown in FIG. 14, the shaft support 512 includes a base 512a that is fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal wall 511b of the base plate 511, for example, with bolts and nuts, and a bearing 512b that is formed continuously with the upper center of the base 512a. The bearing 512b has a bearing center that extends in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

A rotating shaft 513 is inserted into bearing portion 512b so as to be freely rotatable. The middle portion of an arm 514 that swings in a seesaw manner is attached to the rotating shaft 513. The arm 514 is made of, for example, iron and formed into a roughly rectangular shape, extends in the conveying direction, and has a rectangular portion with a wide area arranged vertically and a rectangular portion with a narrow area arranged so as to overlap horizontally. "Overlapping horizontally" does not mean that it is always horizontal, but means that when the arm 514 swings, there are cases where they coincide horizontally.

The arm 514 has a long portion that protrudes long from the rotating shaft 513 along the conveying direction, and a short portion that protrudes short from the rotating shaft along the conveying direction. An arc-shaped recess is formed at the top of the tip of the long portion, and a pair of wheels 515 is attached to both ends of the recess. As shown in FIG. 16, the rotating shaft of the wheel 515 extends in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and protrudes from the long portion toward the inside of the conveying path 2. The pair of wheels 515 are arranged with a gap between their opposing outer peripheries. This gap is set to be narrower than the outer diameter of the protruding portion 64a of the engaged portion 64. The gap between the two wheels 515 is formed in a valley shape, and the inner upper part of the outer periphery of the two wheels 515 constitutes a holding portion 516 having a holding surface 515h that abuts against the lower surface of the engaged portion 64 (see FIG. 17).

The outer upper surface of the upstream wheel 515 forms an upward inclined surface portion 515u that causes the protrusion 64a to undergo a relative upward displacement from the base of the inclined surface to the top when the protrusion 64a moves in one of the conveying directions, as shown in FIG. 17. The outer upper surface of the downstream wheel 515 forms a downward inclined surface portion 515d that causes the protrusion 64a to undergo a relative downward displacement from the top to the base when the protrusion 64a moves in the one of the conveying directions. In the description of this locking portion 51, the side closer to the center of the valley between the two wheels 515 is expressed as the "inner side" and the side farther away is expressed as the "outer side". The upper end of the outer periphery of each wheel 515 is the apex, and the periphery of each wheel 515 has a apex that continues downward from the apex.

A horizontal plate piece 514a is provided at the middle of the long part of the arm 514, protruding outward in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. A compressed coil spring 517 is disposed between the lower surface of the plate piece 514a and the upper surface of the base plate 511, and the long part is biased upward by the coil spring 517.

The underside of the tip of the short portion of the arm 514 abuts against the tip of a stopper bolt 516 protruding from the base plate 511, restricting excessive tilting of the arm 514 caused by the coil spring 517.

In this embodiment, the upwardly inclined surface portion 515u, the downwardly inclined surface portion 515d, and the holding portion 516 of the engaging portion 51 are configured with two wheels 515, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the upwardly inclined surface portion and the downwardly inclined surface portion may be linear or curved inclined surfaces, and the holding portion may be configured with opposing valley-shaped inclined surfaces.

(Connection device)
The small movable bodies 3a, 2b, and 3c are connected to each other by a connecting device 34. As the connecting device 34, for example, a spherical bearing is used.
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the connection device 34 includes a connection device body 341 , two spherical bearings 342 , and two connection shafts 343 .

The connection device body 341 is formed, for example, from general structural rolled steel material in the shape of a thin flat plate extending in the conveying direction, and has insertion openings 341a at both ends in the conveying direction, each having a central axis perpendicular to the conveying direction.

The insertion opening 341a has a locking rib (not shown) formed on the inner periphery of the upper edge, which protrudes radially inward. The outer ring (not shown) of the spherical bearing 342 is pressed into the insertion opening 341a from below, and the axial width of the outer ring of the spherical bearing 342 is shorter than the width of the inner ring (not shown). The spherical bearing 342 is a known technology, so its description is omitted. In addition, JP 2020-69501 A can be cited as an example of using a spherical bearing in a connection device.
The connecting device 34 smoothly absorbs positional deviations in all directions occurring between adjacent small movable bodies (3a and 3b, 3b and 3c) by the relative sliding between the inner and outer rings of the spherical bearing 342 without rattling.

At the downstream end of the transport path 2, a traverser TV is provided which moves the mounting table 6 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, thereby moving the mounting table 6 to the transport path of the cooling area CA which is provided in parallel to the transport path 2. The traverser is a known technology, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.
The transport path in the cooling area CA sandwiches a plurality of arranged mounting tables 6 between a pusher device PD and a cushion device (not shown) and transports them one pitch at a time; this is a well-known technique and therefore will not be described here.

(Control device)
Although not shown, the control device controls the driving of the engagement portion driving electric motor 37 and the moving body driving electric motor 42. It also controls the operation of the traverser TV and the pusher device PD and cushion device (not shown) in the cooling area CA.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of the pouring line platform feeding device 1 configured as above will be described below.
1, a plurality of mounting tables 6 on which molds M are placed are arranged in a row on the transport path 2. Among the plurality of molds M arranged on the mounting tables 6, some of the molds M on the downstream side of the transport path 2 are lined up with molten metal poured therein by a ladle 71.

At the discharge position COP, which is adjacent to the downstream end of the conveying path 2, the downstream traverser TV discharges the loading platform 6 to the cooling area CA, leaving the space vacant. At the load position CIP, adjacent to the upstream end of the conveying path 2, the upstream traverser TV places and positions a new mold M, which has been molded on the molding line ML, on the loading platform 6.

The movable body 3 is moved to the upstream side and positioned therein. The engaging portions 31 of the movable body 3 are each kept in a disengaged state with the engaged portions 61 of the mounting table 6.
Each mounting table 6 is positioned at a predetermined position by the stop state maintaining device 5. The predetermined positions are determined by providing a predetermined gap t, for example, 10 mm, between adjacent mounting tables 6.
In the stopped state maintaining device 5, the protrusion 64a of the engaging portion 64 provided on the loading platform 6 presses the coil spring 517, passing through the apex of the wheel 515 located upstream and fitting between the two wheels 515 of the engaging portion 51 provided on the conveying path 2.

Since the structure uses the coil spring 517 to maintain the stopped state in this way, it can be implemented in an inexpensive and reliable manner without requiring any special power source.

The control device then drives the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement portion to rotate the rotary shaft 35 provided on each of the moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c along the conveying direction, and moves the upstream support wall 31a and downstream support wall 31b of the engagement portion 31 to a position where they are in the uppermost rotation phase. Each of the engagement portions 31 of the moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c engages with the engaged portion 61 of the mounting table 6. In principle, they engage with the engaged portion 61 on the upstream side (rear portion) of the mounting table 6 (see Figures 6 and 7).

However, when the mounting table 6 is positioned at the loading position CIP, the downstream (front) engaged portion 61 engages with the engaging portion 31 that is specially added to the upstream end of the rotation shaft 35 of the upstream small moving body 3a (see Figures 4 and 5). The mounting table 6 at the loading position CIP is positioned while maintaining the gap (predetermined gap t) required between the mounting table 6 at the upstream end when it is positioned at the loading position CIP.

The control device then drives the electric motor 42 for driving the moving body to rotate the pinion 43 connected to the output shaft of the electric motor 42 for driving the moving body. The rotation of the pinion 43 is converted into linear motion by a rack 41 provided on the underside of the central small moving body 3b extending in the conveying direction, moving the moving body 3 one pitch downstream. The moving body 3 simultaneously moves the multiple engaging platforms 6 one pitch downstream. The adjacent platforms 6 are moved while maintaining a predetermined gap between them by the engaging parts 31 of the moving body 3. However, one pitch in this embodiment refers to the length of the platform 6 along the conveying direction plus the predetermined gap of 10 mm.

When the platform 6 moves, the stop state maintaining device 5 causes the protruding portion 64a of the interlocking portion 64 on the platform 6 to press the coil spring 517 and pass through the apex of the car 515 located downstream. This causes the interlocking portion 64 of the platform 6 to disengage from the interlocking portion 51 on the transport path 2.

In this way, the molds M (especially molds in which molten metal has been poured but not yet solidified) can be transported safely and quickly without causing collisions between adjacent mounting tables 6.
The multiple mounting tables 6 that have moved one pitch downstream are each positioned at a predetermined position (the stopped state maintaining device 5 one pitch downstream) by the stopped state maintaining device 5.

Next, the control device drives the electric motor 37 for driving the engagement portion to rotate the rotation shaft 35 of each moving body 3a, 3b, 3c, and move the upstream support wall 31a and downstream support wall 31b of the engagement portion 31 to a position below the uppermost rotation phase (for example, a position where the rotation phase is at the bottom after rotating 180 degrees).

By moving the upstream support wall 31 a and the downstream support wall 31 b in this manner, the engaging portion 31 disengages from the engaged portion 61 .
The control device drives the electric motor 42 for driving the moving body to move the moving body 3 one pitch upstream, and prepares for the next transfer.

As is clear from the above description, the loading platform feeding device 1 for a pouring line in the first embodiment comprises a conveying path 2 that conveys a plurality of loading platforms 6, each carrying a mold M, in a line along the conveying direction in the pouring line PL, and a movable body 3 that is arranged alongside the conveying path 2 below the conveying path 2 and moves along the conveying path 2.
The moving body driving device 4 also moves the moving body 3 back and forth along the transport path 2, thereby moving the mounting table 6 along the transport path 2 by one pitch at a time, which is the length of the mounting table 6 in the transport direction.

It also has an engaged portion 61 provided on each mounting table 6, and a plurality of engaging portions 31 provided on the movable body 3 and engaging with the engaged portions 61 so that adjacent mounting tables 6 are arranged on the conveying path 2 with a predetermined gap between them.
Furthermore, the movable body 3 is provided with an engagement/disengagement device (35, 37, 37a, 37b, 38) that engages the multiple engagement portions 31 with the engaged portions 61 on the outward path when the movable body 3 reciprocates and disengages them on the return path when the movable body 3 reciprocates.

As a result, when each loading platform 6 is stopped or transported, there is no interference or collision between adjacent loading platforms 6, even without providing a low-speed transport area, and pouring work and transport of the poured mold M can be performed quickly and reliably.

The engaged portion 61 is provided at the front end portion of the lower surface of each platform 6 in the transport direction or at the rear end portion of the lower surface of each platform 6 .
According to this, by providing an engaging portion on the underside of each mounting stand, the molten metal droplets that fly off during the pouring operation can be received on the upper surface of the mounting stand, preventing them from affecting the engaging function of the engaging portion on the underside of each mounting stand.

In addition, the engaging portion 31 and the engaged portion 61 are arranged on a plane VP extending in the conveying direction and vertical direction including the combined center of gravity G of the mounting table 6 and the mold M placed on the mounting table 6 (see Figure 15).
According to this, the force generated from the engaging portion 31 to the engaged portion 61 does not apply acceleration in the rotational direction to the mounting table 6 and the mold M. The poured mold M before the molten metal has solidified can be transported in a more stable manner.

The moving body 3 is composed of a number of small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c interconnected along the conveying direction, and each of the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c has an engagement portion 31, and the multiple small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c are driven by a single moving body drive device 4.

In this system, the moving body extending in the transport direction is divided into multiple small moving bodies, which are connected to each other. In this way, for example, vibrations of the moving body that occur during transport can be contained within each small moving body without affecting the entire moving body, making it possible to carry out safer transport work. Large facilities are not required for the production of the moving bodies, and the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c can be produced with compact facilities.

The moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c can be easily transported using a compact transport device. The small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c can be combined according to the layout of the facility, allowing flexibility in facility design.
Furthermore, since the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c are driven by a single moving body drive device 4, the equipment costs can be significantly reduced.

Further, the plurality of small movers 3 a , 3 b , 3 c are connected to each other via spherical bearings 342 .
With this, the spherical bearings 342 can absorb the displacement occurring between the adjacent small movable bodies 3 a , 3 b , and 3 c , and each engaging portion 31 can be correctly opposed to each mounting table 6 .

The apparatus further includes a stop state maintaining device 5 that maintains the stop state of each mounting table 6 when the transportation by each mounting table 6 is stopped.
According to this, when the transportation of the mounting tables 6 on which the molds M are placed is stopped, the mounting tables 6 are maintained in a stopped state, so that even when the engaged parts 61 are disengaged from the engaging parts 31, the mounting tables 6 are held in a constant relative position to each other. Therefore, the engaging parts 31 of the movable body 3 moving on the return path can easily engage with the engaged parts 61 of the mounting tables 6.

The stopped state maintaining device 5 also includes an interlocking portion 64 provided on the side of the mounting table 6 and having a rod-shaped protrusion 64a protruding in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, and an interlocking portion 51 provided on the upper portion of the conveying path 2 and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the interlocking portion 64.

The engaging portion 51 also includes an upward inclined surface portion 515u (the outer peripheral surface on the upstream side of the upstream car 515) that generates a vertical relative displacement between the engaging portion 51 and the protruding portion 64a when the protruding portion 64a moves in one transport direction as the platform 6 is transported, from the base to the top of the inclined surface, and a downward inclined surface portion 515d (the outer peripheral surface on the downstream side of the downstream car 515) that generates a vertical relative displacement between the engaging portion 51 and the protruding portion 64a when the protruding portion 64a moves further in the one transport direction, from the top to the base of the inclined surface (see FIG. 17).

The retaining portion 518 is provided in a valley shape between the upward inclined surface portion 515u (the outer peripheral surface on the upstream side of the upstream car 515) and the downward inclined surface portion 515d (the outer peripheral surface on the downstream side of the downstream car 515), and has two opposing retaining surfaces 515h (the inner peripheral surface on the downstream side of the upstream car 515 and the inner peripheral surface on the upstream side of the downstream car) that abut against the lower surface of the protruding portion 64a from a direction inclined from the vertical, and a biasing portion (coil spring 514) that biases the upward inclined surface portion 515u, the downward inclined surface portion 515d and the retaining portion 518 upward toward the protruding portion 64a.

According to this, the protrusion 64a of the engaged portion 64 provided on the mounting base 6 first comes into contact with the upward inclined surface and moves to the top against the biasing force while pushing the long side of the arm 514 downward. Next, when the protrusion 64a gets over the top, the long side of the arm 514 is pushed up by the biasing force, and the protrusion 64a fits into the valley-shaped holding portion 518 between the two wheels 515 and is held in contact with the two holding surfaces 515h. In this state, the stopped state of the mounting base 6 is maintained. The stopped state is released when the protrusion 64a gets over the top of the downward inclined surface portion 515d from the holding portion 518 against the biasing force.
In this way, the stopped state is maintained by the biasing force of the coil spring 517 utilizing the two inclined surface portions 515u, 515d, and since no special power is used, equipment costs can be significantly reduced.

In addition, the engaged portion 61 is a flat plate-like member extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the engaging portion 31 is provided with an upstream support wall 31a that regulates the movement of the engaged portion 61 in the conveying direction from the upstream side of the conveying direction, and a downstream support wall 31b that regulates it from the downstream side of the conveying direction.
According to this, the engaged portion 61 is a flat plate-like member and has a simple shape, which allows it to easily engage with the upstream support wall 31a and the downstream support wall 31b of the engaging portion 31, and also allows it to easily disengage.

The engagement/disengagement device (rotary shaft 35, electric motor 37 for driving the engagement portion, drive sprocket 37a, driven sprocket 37b, and roller chain 38) includes a rotary shaft 35 that extends in the conveying direction and rotates the upstream support wall 31a and the downstream support wall 31b in conjunction with each other. By rotating the rotary shaft 35, the upstream support wall 31a and the downstream support wall 31b are advanced and retreated so as to engage with or disengage from the engaged portion 61.

As a result, the upstream support wall 31a and the downstream support wall 31b can be operated to engage or disengage using a rotating shaft 35 extending in the conveying direction, making it possible to realize an engagement/disengagement device with a compact mechanism.

Furthermore, the multiple engagement portions 31 of the movable body 3 are driven by a single rotation shaft 35 in the engagement/disengagement device.
This allows the engagement and disengagement of the multiple engaging portions 31 with the multiple engaged portions 61 to be easily and synchronously performed using a simple mechanism.

Second Embodiment
As shown in FIG. 18, the pouring line platform feeding device 101 of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the structure of the engagement portion provided on the moving body 3.
The rest of the configuration is similar, so the explanation will be omitted.

The following mainly describes the differences.
The engagement portion 131 in the second embodiment includes a cylindrical guide 131a extending vertically, two rollers 131b, 131c that clamp and support the engaged portion 61 from the upstream and downstream sides in the conveying direction, an engagement rod 132 having the two rollers 131b, 131c at its upper end, a rack member 133 (see Figure 23) that is arranged vertically along the engagement rod 132, a pinion member 134 that meshes with the rack member 133, a forward/backward rotating shaft 135 that rotates the pinion member 134, and a forward/backward electric motor 137.

The guides 131a are fixed to each of the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, and 3c in a state in which they penetrate vertically, and are provided in multiple locations. The interval between adjacent guides 131a is set to correspond to the interval at which the engaged parts 61 of the multiple mounting tables 6 are arranged, similar to the arrangement positions of the engaging parts 31 in the first embodiment. A cylindrical engaging rod 132 is slidably inserted into the guide 131a.

The two rollers 131b, 131c are each provided at the tip of a U-shaped bearing device 132a with an open top, which is provided at the upper end of the engagement rod 132. The two rollers 131b, 131c are provided with their rotational axes perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the outer peripheries of the two rollers 131b, 131c are provided with a gap between them. The gap between the outer peripheries of the two rollers 131b, 131c is set slightly wider than the thickness of the flat engaged portion 61, but to the extent that no significant rattle occurs.

As shown in FIG. 22, the upstream end engaging portion 138 has two sets of rollers 131b, 131c (four in total). As in the first embodiment, this is to simultaneously engage the front engaged portion 61 of the mounting table 6 brought into the loading position CIP and the rear engaged portion 61 of the mounting table 6 positioned at the upstream end of the conveying path 2. Of the combined rollers 131b, 131c, the overlapping rollers 131b, 131c are arranged diagonally offset as shown in FIG. 20 to ensure a predetermined gap t between adjacent mounting tables 6.

A rack member 133 extending in the vertical direction is attached to one side surface of the engagement rod 132. A pinion member 134, which will be described later, meshes with the rack member 133.
An electric motor 137 for advancement and retreat is attached to the underside of the center of each of the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, 3c. An output gear is fitted to the output shaft of the electric motor 137 for advancement and retreat, and the input gear of the rotary shaft 135 for advancement and retreat is meshed with the output gear. This allows the rotational torque of the electric motor 137 for advancement and retreat to be transmitted to the rotary shaft 135 for advancement and retreat. The rotary shaft 135 for advancement and retreat extends in the transport direction of each of the small moving bodies 3a, 3b, 3c, and drives the multiple engagement parts 131 by the rotational torque transmitted by one rotary shaft 135 for advancement and retreat.
The advancing and retracting device is mainly composed of a guide 131 a, an engaging rod 132, a rack member 133, and a pinion member 134.

As is clear from the above description, the pouring line platform feeding device 101 of the second embodiment has the following features.
The multiple engaged portions 61 are flat plate-like members extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the multiple engaging portions 131 are equipped with two rollers 131b, 131c that clamp and support the engaged portions 61 from the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction, and the engagement/disengagement device (the forward/backward rotating shaft 135, and the forward/backward electric motor 137) is equipped with an advance/retract device (guide 131a, engagement rod 132, rack member 133, pinion member 134) that advances and retreats the rollers 131b, 131c in a straight line toward the engaged portions 61.

As a result, the engaged portion 61 is clamped between the rotation shafts of the two rollers 131b and 131c, so that it can be easily engaged even if there is a slight misalignment in the position of the engaged portion 61 in the conveying direction.

Furthermore, the multiple advancing and retreating devices (guide 131a, engagement rod 132, rack member 133, pinion member 134) advance and retreat by a single advancing and retreating rotation shaft 135 extending in the conveying direction (see Figures 223 and 24).
This allows the engagement and disengagement of the multiple engaging portions 131 with the multiple engaged portions 61 to be easily performed in a synchronized manner.

In this embodiment, the loading platform 6 is a transport cart that runs on rails 24, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be a pallet that runs on a roller conveyor.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1,101: Placement table feeding device for pouring line, 2: Conveyance path, 3: Moving body, 3a: Upstream small moving body, 3b: Central small moving body, 3c: Downstream small moving body, 31: Related Joint part, 34: Connection device, 342: Spherical bearing, 35: Rotating shaft, 37: Electric motor for driving the engaging part (engagement and disengagement device), 37a: Drive sprocket (engagement and disengagement device), 37b: Driven sprocket (engagement and disengagement device) device), 38: Roller chain (engagement/disengagement device), 4: Moving body drive device, 5: Stop state maintenance device 51: Locking part, 515: Car, 515u: Up slope part, 515d: Down slope part, 515h: Holding surface, 517: Coil spring (biasing part), 518: Holding part, 6: Mounting table, 61 : engaged part, 64: locked part, 64a: protruding part, 131: engaging part, 131a: guide (advancing/retracting device), 132: engaging rod, 133: rack member, 134: pinion member, 135: Rotating shaft for advancing and retracting, 137: Electric motor for advancing and retracting, M: Mold, PL: Pouring line.

Claims (13)

a conveying path along which a plurality of tables on which molds are respectively placed are conveyed in a line along a conveying direction in the pouring line;
a moving body that is arranged below the transport path in parallel with the transport path and moves along the transport path;
a movable body driving device that moves the mounting table along the transport path by one pitch at a time, the pitch being the length of the mounting table in the transport direction;
an engaged portion provided on each of the mounting tables;
a plurality of engaging portions provided on the movable body, the engaging portions engaging with the engaged portions so that adjacent ones of the placement tables are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval during transport on the transport path;
an engaging/disengaging device that engages the plurality of engaging portions with the engaged portions on a forward path when the movable body reciprocates and disengages the plurality of engaging portions from the engaged portions on a return path when the movable body reciprocates;
A loading platform feed device for a pouring line. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interval between adjacent engaging portions is set to a length equal to a length of the stage in the transport direction plus the predetermined gap.
The pouring line loading table feed device according to claim 1, wherein the engaged portion is provided at the front end of the underside of each of the loading tables in the conveying direction or at the rear end of the underside of each of the loading tables. A platform feed device for a pouring line as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the engaging portion and the engaged portion are arranged on a plane extending in the conveying direction and vertical direction including the combined center of gravity of the platform and the mold placed on the platform. A loading platform feed device for a pouring line as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the movable body is composed of a plurality of small movable bodies interconnected along the conveying direction, each of the plurality of small movable bodies has the engagement portion , and the plurality of small movable bodies are driven by a single movable body drive device. 6. The pouring line platform feed device according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of small movers are connected to each other via spherical bearings. A platform feeding device for a pouring line as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising a stopped state maintaining device that maintains the stopped state of each of the platforms when transportation by each of the platforms stops. The stop state maintaining device is
a locking portion provided on a side surface of the mounting table and having a rod-shaped protruding portion protruding in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
a locking portion provided on an upper portion of the transport path and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the locked portion,
The locking portion is
an upward inclined surface portion that generates a relative displacement between the protrusion and the upward inclined surface portion from the base to the top of the inclined surface when the protrusion moves in one of the transport directions in accordance with the transport of the mounting table;
a downward inclined surface portion that generates a vertical relative displacement between the protrusion and the downward inclined surface portion from a top to a bottom of the inclined surface when the protrusion further moves in the one conveying direction;
a holding portion provided in a valley shape between the upward inclined surface and the downward inclined surface, the holding portion having two opposing holding surfaces that abut against an upper surface or a lower surface of the protruding portion from a direction inclined from the vertical;
a biasing portion that biases the upward inclined surface portion, the downward inclined surface portion, and the holding portion in an upward or downward direction toward the protruding portion;
The pouring line platform feeding device according to claim 7, further comprising: the engaged portion is a flat plate-like member extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction,
the engaging portion includes an upstream support wall portion that restricts movement of the engaged portion in the transport direction from an upstream side in the transport direction and a downstream support wall portion that restricts movement of the engaged portion in the transport direction from a downstream side in the transport direction,
The engaging and disengaging device is provided with a rotating shaft extending in the conveying direction and rotating the upstream support wall portion and the downstream support wall portion in conjunction with each other, and by rotating the rotating shaft, the upstream support wall portion and the downstream support wall portion are advanced and retreated so as to engage or disengage with the engaged portion . 10. The platform feeding device for a pouring line according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of engaging portions of the moving body are driven by one of the rotating shafts of the engaging and disengaging device. the plurality of engaged portions are flat plate-like members extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction,
The plurality of engaging portions each include two rollers that sandwich and support the engaged portion from the upstream side and downstream side in the conveying direction,
The platform feeding device for a pouring line according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the engaging and disengaging device includes an advancing and retracting device for moving the roller forward and backward in a straight line toward the engaged portion. 12. The platform feed device for a pouring line according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of advancing and retracting devices are moved forward and backward by a single advancing and retracting rotary shaft extending in the conveying direction. the engaging portion includes an engaging portion that engages with the engaged portion at the rear end of the lower surface of each of the plurality of mounting tables arranged on the transport path, and an engaging portion that engages with the engaged portion at the front end of the lower surface of each of the mounting tables positioned at an entrance position immediately before being carried into the transport path,
A loading platform feeding device for a pouring line as described in claim 3, wherein the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion at the front end of the underside of the loading platform brought into the loading position, engaging the loading platform brought into the loading position with respect to the loading platforms lined up at the upstream end of the conveying path with the predetermined gap.

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