JP7643941B2 - Support roller replacement mechanism - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a replacement mechanism for replacing support rollers that support workpieces in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace.

A catenary-type heat treatment furnace for heat treating workpieces such as metal strips is known, as described in Patent Document 1. The heat treatment furnace in Patent Document 1 has two support rollers at each point to support the workpiece, one of which is raised and used as a work roller, while the other roller waits at a lower position as a standby roller.

As the heat treatment furnace operates, scale builds up on the work rollers' surfaces and the surfaces wear down due to friction with the workpiece, so the standby rollers are raised and the rollers are switched over. Rollers with scale buildup are replaced with new rollers when the heat treatment furnace is shut down, etc.

Mechanisms for replacing support rollers are known, such as those described in Patent Documents 2 to 4.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 52-24109 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 51-52307 Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 51-59411 JP 2012-232332 A

The support rollers of a catenary-type heat treatment furnace are heavy (e.g., about 500 kg) and need to be transported by crane or the like when replacing them, so the replacement work takes time. There is a demand for a system that allows support rollers to be replaced in a shorter time, including the replacement mechanisms described in Patent Documents 2 to 4.

The present disclosure aims to solve the above problem and provide a support roller replacement mechanism that allows the support roller to be replaced in a shorter time.

The support roller replacement mechanism of one embodiment of the present disclosure is a replacement mechanism for replacing a support roller that supports a workpiece in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace through an opening in the side of the heat treatment furnace, and includes a first clamp carriage and a second clamp carriage that have a function of gripping the support roller and are arranged to be slidable in directions toward and away from the opening, respectively, a support that slidably supports the first clamp carriage and the second clamp carriage, respectively, a carriage on which the support is placed, a first drive unit that drives the first clamp carriage to slide, a second drive unit that drives the second clamp carriage to slide, and a third drive unit that drives the support so that the position of the first clamp carriage and the position of the second clamp carriage can be interchanged.

According to the above configuration, by having one of the clamp carriages hold a replacement support roller and keep it on standby, the support roller can be removed from the heat treatment furnace and held by one of the clamp carriages, and then the support body can be driven to instantly switch the positions of the first clamp carriage and the second clamp carriage, and the support roller held by the other clamp carriage can be attached to the heat treatment furnace. This allows the support roller to be replaced in a short time.

In the support roller replacement mechanism, the third drive unit may rotate the support. According to the above configuration, by using a so-called "revolver-type" roller replacement mechanism, it is possible to reduce the width of the support and the carriage, thereby making the device more compact, compared to when the support is driven linearly.

The support roller replacement mechanism may further include a fourth drive unit that drives the support to slide in a direction intersecting the sliding direction of the clamp carriage. With this configuration, the positions of the first clamp carriage and the second clamp carriage can be adjusted in the carriage width direction, and when a pair of support rollers are provided in a heat treatment furnace, it can accommodate either of the two support rollers.

The support roller replacement mechanism may further include rails that allow the carriage to slide along the width direction of the heat treatment furnace. With this configuration, the position of the carriage can be adjusted relative to the side of the heat treatment furnace, and by retracting the carriage when the roll is not being replaced, a working space can be secured along the side of the heat treatment furnace.

The support roller replacement mechanism may further include rails that allow the carriage to slide along the length of the heat treatment furnace. With this configuration, the carriage can be moved along the side of the heat treatment furnace, and when multiple support rollers are provided in the heat treatment furnace, one carriage can accommodate support rollers in multiple locations.

In the support roller replacement mechanism, two sets of the first clamp carriage, the second clamp carriage, and the support may be provided and fixed to the carriages. This configuration can accommodate a case where two openings are arranged side by side on the side of the heat treatment furnace, and the structure and drive unit for sliding the support can be omitted.

The support roller replacement mechanism further includes a control unit, which drives the support body by the third drive unit so that the second clamp carriage is at the replacement position, slides the second clamp carriage by the second drive unit so that it approaches the opening and grips the used support roller, slides the second clamp carriage holding the support roller away from the opening by the second drive unit, drives the support body by the third drive unit so that the first clamp carriage holding a support roller other than the support roller is at the replacement position, slides the first clamp carriage by the first drive unit so that it approaches the opening, and attaches the other support roller held by the first clamp carriage to the heat treatment furnace. According to the above configuration, the support roller can be automatically replaced in a short time.

According to this disclosure, the support roller can be replaced in a shorter time.

Schematic cross-sectional view of a heat treatment furnace according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a heat treatment furnace and a roller replacement mechanism according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system for a roller replacement mechanism including a plurality of drive units and a control unit according to an embodiment. 1 is a flowchart showing a replacement operation of a support roller by a roller replacement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. 1 is a flowchart showing a replacement operation of a support roller by a roller replacement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a case where replacement work is carried out according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of a heat treatment furnace and a roller replacement mechanism according to a modified example. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a roller replacement mechanism according to another modified example; FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a roller replacement mechanism according to still another modified example.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the support roll replacement mechanism for a catenary-type heat treatment furnace according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations of the following embodiments, and configurations based on similar technical ideas are included in the present disclosure.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment furnace 2 according to an embodiment.

The heat treatment furnace 2 is a catenary-type heat treatment furnace that heat-treats the workpiece 3 as the object to be heated. In the embodiment, the heat treatment furnace 2 is particularly an annealing furnace that heat-treats the strip-shaped workpiece 3 (e.g., SUS steel strip) while transporting it in the transport direction A and then cools it.

The heat treatment furnace 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a furnace body 4, a number of support rollers 6, and a control unit 8. In FIG. 1, the components of the heat treatment furnace 2 are illustrated in a simplified manner.

The furnace body 4 is a housing for heat-treating the workpiece 3. The strip-shaped workpiece 3 is loaded into the furnace body 4 and continuously transported in the transport direction A. The transport direction A is roughly parallel to the furnace length direction B of the furnace body 4. The inside of the furnace body 4 is sealed and is kept at a pressure slightly lower than atmospheric pressure.

The support rollers 6 are rollers that support the workpiece 3 from below inside the furnace body 4. Each support roller 6 is composed of a pair of support rollers 6A and 6B, one of which is a work roller and the other a standby roller. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the support roller 6A is the lower standby roller, and the other support roller 6B is the upper work roller. In the example shown in FIG. 1, three pairs of support rollers 6A and 6B are shown, but any number of pairs may be used.

Each of the support rollers 6A and 6B is supported at both ends by a hanging mechanism installed outside the furnace body 4 and is configured to be movable up and down.

The control unit 8 is a component for controlling each component of the heat treatment furnace 2. The control unit 8 has, for example, a microcomputer.

As the heat treatment furnace 2 operates, the surface of the support roller 6B, which is a work roller, becomes worn down as scale accumulates and the surface is scraped off due to friction with the workpiece 3. Before excessive scale accumulates on the support roller 6B or the surface becomes worn, the upper work roller and the lower standby roller are reversed in their up-down positions to switch the rollers. The used support roller 6 that has been retracted downward is replaced with a new support roller 6. The replacement mechanism for replacing the support roller 6 is provided outside the furnace body 4.

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the heat treatment furnace 2 and roller replacement mechanism 10 of the embodiment.

The roller replacement mechanism 10 shown in FIG. 2 is a mechanism for replacing the support rollers 6 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The roller replacement mechanism 10 is provided outside the furnace body 4 near the side surface 11 of the furnace body 4. The roller replacement mechanism 10 has a length direction D and a width direction E, with the length direction D being approximately parallel to the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2 and the width direction E being approximately parallel to the furnace length direction B.

The roller replacement mechanism 10 includes two clamp carriages 12 and 14, a support 16, a slider 18, and a carriage 20.

The first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 are each a member for gripping the support roller 6. The first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 each have a gripping portion for gripping the support roller 6, and the gripping portion is configured, for example, to manually fix an openable member with a bolt.

The first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 are each attached to the support 16 in a slidable state. The first clamp carriage 12 can slide in a sliding direction S1 along the rail 22 of the support 16, and the second clamp carriage 14 can slide in a sliding direction S2 along the rail 24 of the support 16. Both sliding directions S1 and S2 are directions toward/away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. Figure 2 illustrates a state in which the second clamp carriage 14 is gripping the support roller 6B and is about to remove it from the heat treatment furnace 2.

The support 16 is a member that supports the first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 so that they can slide. The support 16 has an elongated shape in the longitudinal direction D of the roller exchange mechanism 10, and the rails 22, 24 are formed by extending in the sliding directions S1, S2.

The support 16 is supported by the slider 18 in a state in which it can rotate in a rotation direction R around a rotation axis P. The rotation axis P coincides with the longitudinal direction D of the roller exchange mechanism 10. By rotating the support 16 in the rotation direction R, the positions of the clamp carts 12 and 14 can be swapped.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the first clamp carriage 12 is in a side standby position, and the second clamp carriage 14 is in an upper replacement position. The upper replacement position is a position for removing the used support roller 6 from the heat treatment furnace 2, and a position for mounting a new support roller 6 in the heat treatment furnace 2. The side standby position is a position for holding and waiting for a new replacement support roller 6.

The slider 18 is a member that allows the support 16 to slide in a sliding direction S3. The sliding direction S3 coincides with the width direction E of the roller replacement mechanism 10. The slider 18 rides on rails 28 on the upper surface of the carriage 20 and can slide in the sliding direction S3. By allowing the support 16 to slide using the slider 18, the positions of the clamp carriages 12 and 14 can be adjusted. This allows either of the clamp carriages 12 and 14 to access the support rollers 6A and 6B that are spaced apart in the furnace length direction B of the heat treatment furnace 2 without moving the carriage 20 in the width direction E.

The cart 20 is a member that supports the support body 16 and the clamp carts 12, 14. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the cart 20 has a box shape and has four wheels 30 on its underside. The four wheels 30 ride on two rails 32 and can move in the longitudinal direction D of the roller exchange mechanism 10. As the cart 20 moves along the rails 32, the roller exchange mechanism 10 including the cart 20 can move toward/away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2.

Openings 34A and 34B are formed on the side surface 11 of the furnace body 4 to expose the ends of the support rollers 6A and 6B. The end of the support roller 6A is inserted through opening 34A, and the end of the support roller 6B is inserted through opening 34B. Openings 34A and 34B are each sealed by a door (not shown) with both ends of the support rollers 6A and 6B exposed to the outside of the furnace, and the door is configured to open when the support roller 6 is replaced.

Hanging mechanisms 36A and 36B for suspending the support rollers 6A and 6B are provided on the outside of the furnace body 4. The hanging mechanisms 36A and 36B each have a clamp portion 38A or 38B at the tip, and can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction. The clamp portion 38A holds the end of the support roller 6A, and the clamp portion 38B holds the end of the support roller 6B. In FIG. 2, the clamp portion 38A holds the end of the support roller 6A, and the clamp portion 38B is separated into upper and lower portions.

The roller replacement mechanism 10 has multiple drive units (not shown) built in. The multiple drive units are electrically connected to the control unit 8 and are controlled by the control unit 8. Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the control system of the roller replacement mechanism 10, including the multiple drive units and the control unit 8. Note that the drive units can also be operated manually without using the control unit 8.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 8 is connected to a first drive unit 40, a second drive unit 42, a third drive unit 44, and a fourth drive unit 46.

The first drive unit 40 has a function of driving the first clamp carriage 12 to slide in the slide direction S1. The second drive unit 42 has a function of driving the second clamp carriage 14 to slide in the slide direction S2. The third drive unit 44 has a function of driving the support 16 to rotate in the rotation direction R. The fourth drive unit 46 has a function of driving the slider 18 to slide in the slide direction S3.

The control unit 8 controls each of the drive units 40, 42, 44, and 46 based on input instructions from the operator and pre-stored programs.

The driving units 40, 42, 44, 46 each include a motor (not shown) that is turned on/off by the control unit 8, and drive the target member by rotating the motor. The first driving unit 40, the second driving unit 42, and the fourth driving unit 46 each include, for example, a chain extending in the sliding directions S1, S2, S3, and a sprocket engaged with the chain, and drive the target member to slide by rotating the sprocket with the motor. The third driving unit 44, for example, drives the support 16 to rotate by rotating the rotating shaft connecting the support 16 to the slider 18 with the motor.

The replacement of the support roller 6 by the roller replacement mechanism 10 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5A to FIG. 5G. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the replacement of the support roller 6 by the roller replacement mechanism 10, and FIG. 5A to FIG. 5G are explanatory diagrams (cross-sectional views) of the roller replacement operation performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4.

In Figures 5A to 5G, (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the rotational positions of the clamping carriages 12 and 14, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the clamping carriages 12 and 14 and the support roller 6, and (c) is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the support roller 6 and the workpiece 3. Note that in Figures 5A to 5G, used (damaged or dirty) support rollers 6 are shown with diagonal lines, and new support rollers 6 are shown in white.

First, the control unit 8 puts the clamp carts 12 and 14 on standby (S1). Specifically, by controlling the third drive unit 44 to rotate the support 16, the first clamp cart 12 is placed in a side standby position, and the second clamp cart 14 is placed in an upper replacement position, as shown in FIG. 5A. As shown in (a), a new replacement support roller 6C is attached to the first clamp cart 12 in the standby position. The method of attaching the support roller 6C will be described later (FIGS. 7A to 7E).

As shown in (c), the heat treatment furnace 2 is operating with the support roller 6A of the two support rollers 6 as the lower standby roller and the support roller 6B as the upper work roller. As the heat treatment furnace 2 operates, scale adheres to the surface of the support roller 6B, which is the work roller, and the surface wears, so the work roller and standby roller are switched at the desired timing.

The control unit 8 advances the second clamp carriage 14 (S2). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second drive unit 42 is controlled to slide the second clamp carriage 14, thereby moving it in a direction approaching the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The second clamp carriage 14 advances to a position where it can receive the end of the support roller 6B near the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2.

The control unit 8 raises the standby roller (S3). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, the control unit 8 controls the hanging mechanism 36A (not shown) to raise the lower support roller 6A. As shown in (c), both support rollers 6A and 6B are now supporting the workpiece 3.

The control unit 8 lowers the used work roller (S4). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5C, the suspension mechanism 36B is controlled to lower the support roller 6B. As shown in (c), the support roller 6A is in a state of supporting the work 3. As shown in (b), the end of the lowered support roller 6B is received by the second clamp cart 14. In this state, the worker tightens the fixing bolt (not shown) of the second clamp cart 14, so that the second clamp cart 14 grips the support roller 6B at only one end (S5). After that, the clamp unit 38B of the suspension mechanism 36B releases the clamp of the support roller 6B. This allows the second clamp cart 14, which is gripping the support roller 6B, to retreat backwards.

The control unit 8 retracts the second clamp carriage 14 (S6). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5D, the second drive unit 42 is controlled to slide the second clamp carriage 14, thereby moving it in a direction away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. This causes the support roller 6B to be removed from the heat treatment furnace 2.

The control unit 8 rotates the support 16 (S7). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5E, the third drive unit 44 controls the support 16 to rotate 90 degrees so that the second clamp cart 14, which was in the upper exchange position, is placed in a side standby position, and the first clamp cart 12, which was in the side standby position, is placed in the upper exchange position. This switches the positions of the clamp carts 12 and 14. The first clamp cart 12, which is in the upper exchange position, can access the opening 34B (reference number omitted) in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 by sliding drive.

The control unit 8 advances the first clamp cart 12 (S8). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5F, the first drive unit 40 is controlled to slide the first clamp cart 12 gripping the new support roller 6C, thereby moving it closer to the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The support roller 6C gripped at only one end by the first clamp cart 12 is inserted into the heat treatment furnace 2 through the opening 34B in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. After that, both ends of the support roller 6C are gripped by the clamp unit 38B of the hanging mechanism 36B, and the grip of the support roller 6C by the first clamp cart 12 is released. The new support roller 6C is attached as a standby roller of the heat treatment furnace 2 (S9).

The control unit 8 retracts the first clamp cart 12 (S10). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5G, the control unit 8 controls the first drive unit 40 to slide the first clamp cart 12, thereby moving it in a direction away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2.

According to the operation described in Figures 5A to 5G, the support roller 6A that was waiting as a standby roller is switched to a work roller, the used support roller 6B is removed from the heat treatment furnace 2, and a new support roller 6C is installed as a standby roller. The heat treatment furnace 2 can then continue to perform heat treatment on the workpiece 3 with the support roller 6A as the work roller and the support roller 6C as the standby roller.

In the above operation, a new support roller 6C is held by the first clamp cart 12 and is waiting in advance, so that the support roller 6C can be quickly installed in the heat treatment furnace 2 after the used support roller 6A is removed. In addition, this replacement work can be performed while the heat treatment furnace 2 is in operation, so the productivity of the heat treatment furnace 2 can be maintained at a high level.

In this embodiment, in particular, a so-called "revolver-type" roller replacement mechanism 10 that rotates the support 16 is used as a mechanism for switching the positions of the clamp carts 12 and 14. This not only allows the support roller 6 to be replaced in a short time, but also shortens the dimension of the roller replacement mechanism 10 in the width direction E, making it possible to make it more compact.

When the above replacement work is completed, the cart 20 is withdrawn along the rail 32 shown in FIG. 2. This allows another work to be performed by the withdrawn roller replacement mechanism 10 while securing a working space along the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. One such work is replacing the used support roller 6B with a new support roller. The replacement work of the support roller 6B will be explained using FIG. 6 and FIG. 7A to FIG. 7E.

Figure 6 is a flowchart for the replacement work of the support roller 6B in the roller replacement mechanism 10, and Figures 7A to 7E are explanatory diagrams (cross-sectional views) for carrying out the replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 6. Figures 7A to 7E continue from the state shown in Figure 5G (a).

First, the control unit 8 rotates the support 16 (S11). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the third drive unit 44 is controlled to rotate the support 16 clockwise (see the arrow). The first clamp cart 12 that is not gripping a roller is placed in a standby position to the side, and the second clamp cart 14 that is gripping the support roller 6B is placed in an upper exchange position.

Then, the used support roller 6B is removed (S12). Specifically, after the clamping of the support roller 6B by the second clamp cart 14 is released, as shown in FIG. 7B, the worker operates the crane to lift the support roller 6B (see the arrow). When removing it later, by placing the second clamp cart 14 in the upper replacement position, even if the clamping of the support roller 6B by the second clamp cart 14 is released, the support roller 6B naturally remains on the second clamp cart 14, so there is no need to worry about the support roller 6B falling, and the support roller 6B can be safely removed at the appropriate time.

After that, a new support roller 6D is attached (S13). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7C, the worker operates the crane to lower the new support roller 6D toward the second clamp cart 14, which is in the upper replacement position (see arrow). The end of the support roller 6D is received by the second clamp cart 14, and the worker tightens the fixing bolts of the second clamp cart 14, causing the second clamp cart 14 to grip the support roller 6D.

The control unit 8 drives the support 16 to rotate (S14). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7D, the third drive unit 44 is controlled to drive the support 16 to rotate counterclockwise (see the arrow). The second clamp cart 14 gripping the support roller 6D is placed in a standby position to the side, and the first clamp cart 12 not gripping the support roller 6 is placed in an upper exchange position.

The control unit 8 drives the support 16 to slide (S15). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7E, the fourth drive unit 46 is controlled to drive the support 16 to slide along the width direction E of the carriage 20 (see the arrow). The first clamp carriage 12, which is in the upper replacement position, is moved to a position facing the opening 34A (FIG. 1) provided in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2, and the support roller 6A, which is the current work roller, can be accessed by the sliding drive.

According to the operations described in Figures 7A to 7E, the used support roller 6B can be removed from the roller replacement mechanism 10, and a new support roller 6D can be held by the second clamp cart 14 and kept waiting. Thereafter, when replacing the work roller, support roller 6A, with support roller 6D, the replacement work can be performed by carrying out the same operations as those shown in Figures 5A to 5G.

The operations described in Figures 7A to 7E can be performed in parallel while the heat treatment furnace 2 is in operation, similar to the replacement operations described in Figures 5A to 5G.

As described above, the roller replacement mechanism 10 of the embodiment is an replacement mechanism for replacing the support roller 6 that supports the workpiece 3 of the catenary-type heat treatment furnace 2 through the openings 34A and 34B in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The roller replacement mechanism 10 includes the clamp carriages 12 and 14, the support 16, the carriage 20 carrying the support 16, the first drive unit 40, the second drive unit 42, and the third drive unit 44. The clamp carriages 12 and 14 each have the function of gripping the support roller 6, and are provided so as to be slidable in the direction toward and away from the openings 34A and 34B. The support 16 supports the first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 so as to be slidable. The first drive unit 40 drives the first clamp carriage 12 to slide, and the second drive unit 42 drives the second clamp carriage 14 to slide. The third drive unit 44 drives the support 16 so that the positions of the first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 can be interchanged.

According to the above configuration, by holding the replacement support roller 6C on one of the clamp carts 12, 14 and keeping it on standby, the support roller 6B can be removed from the heat treatment furnace 2 and held by one of the clamp carts 12, and then the support body 16 can be driven to instantly switch the positions of the first clamp cart 12 and the second clamp cart 14, and the support roller 6C held by the other clamp cart 14 can be attached to the heat treatment furnace 2. This allows the support roller 6 to be replaced in a short time.

In addition, in the roller exchange mechanism 10 of the embodiment, the third drive unit 44 rotates and drives the support 16. With this configuration, by using a so-called "revolver-type" roller exchange mechanism 10, it is possible to reduce the width of the carriage 20 and to achieve a more compact design compared to when the support 16 is linearly driven.

The roller replacement mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a fourth drive unit 46 that drives the support 16 to slide in the width direction E, which is a direction intersecting the sliding directions S1 and S2 of the clamp carts 12 and 14. With this configuration, the positions of the first clamp cart 12 and the second clamp cart 14 can be adjusted in the width direction E of the cart 20, and when the support rollers 6 are provided in pairs, both support rollers 6 can be quickly accessed.

The roller replacement mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes rails 32 that allow the carriage 20 to slide along the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2. With this configuration, if the carriage 20 is retracted when the roller replacement work is not being performed, a working space can be secured along the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2.

The roller replacement mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a control unit 8, which drives the support 16 by the third drive unit 44 so that the second clamp cart 14 is in the replacement position (S1, FIG. 5A). The control unit 8 further drives the second clamp cart 14 by the second drive unit 42 to slide closer to the opening 34B (S2, FIG. 5B) and grips the used support roller 6B (S5, FIG. 5C). The control unit 8 further drives the second clamp cart 14 holding the support roller 6B by the second drive unit 42 to slide away from the opening 34B (S6, FIG. 5D). The control unit 8 further drives the support 16 by the third drive unit 44 so that the first clamp cart 12 holding the support roller 6C other than the support roller 6B is in the replacement position (S7, FIG. 5E). The control unit 8 further causes the first drive unit 40 to slide the first clamp cart 12 so that it approaches the opening 34B (S8, FIG. 5F), and attaches another support roller 6C held by the first clamp cart 12 to the heat treatment furnace 2 (S9, FIG. 5F). With this configuration, the support roller 6 can be replaced automatically in a short time.

(Modification)
Although the invention of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the invention of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the rails 32 are provided to enable the carriage 20 to slide in the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2, but the invention is not limited to such a case. For example, instead of the rails 32 extending in the furnace width direction C, rails extending in the furnace length direction B may be provided.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a greatly simplified configuration of a roller replacement mechanism 100 and a heat treatment furnace 2 according to a modified example. The carriage 102 of the roller replacement mechanism 100 shown in Figure 8 is placed on a rail 104 extending in the furnace length direction B of the heat treatment furnace 2. The carriage 102 slides along the rail 104, so that the position of the roller replacement mechanism 100 can be adjusted depending on which of the support rollers 6A and 6B is to be replaced. In the case of the configuration shown in Figure 8, the slider 18 and the fourth drive unit 46 for sliding the support 16 as shown in Figure 2 can be omitted. In addition, since the carriage 102 can move in the furnace length direction B, the multiple sets of support rollers 6A and 6B present in the furnace length direction B can be replaced in order using a single carriage 102.

In the above embodiment, one set of clamp carriages 12, 14 and support 16 is described, but this is not limiting, and two or more sets may be provided. In the modified roller exchange mechanism 200 shown in FIG. 9, a set of clamp carriages 212A, 214A and support 216A, and a set of clamp carriages 212B, 214B and support 216B are provided. Each of the supports 216A and 216B is fixed to the carriage 202.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the support roller 6A can be replaced using a set of clamp carriages 212A, 214A and support 216A, and the support roller 6B can be replaced using a set of clamp carriages 212B, 214B and support 216B. Since there is no need to slide the supports 216A and 216B laterally, the mechanism and drive unit for sliding can be omitted. In addition, by providing a shared space H between the two sets, the dimension of the carriage 202 in the width direction E can be shortened, and the roller replacement mechanism 200 can be made more compact.

In the above embodiment, the support 16 is rotated to switch the positions of the clamp carts 12 and 14, but this is not the only possible case. For example, in the roller exchange mechanism 300 shown in FIG. 10, the support 306 supporting the clamp carts 302 and 304 is configured to be slidable in the width direction E of the cart 308. By sliding the support 306 in the width direction E, the positions of the clamp carts 302 and 304 can be switched without using a complex rotation mechanism.

Any combination of the above embodiments and variations can be used to achieve the effects of each.

Although the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims, unless they deviate therefrom. In addition, changes in the combination and order of elements in each embodiment may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

This disclosure is applicable to any replacement mechanism for replacing support rollers that support workpieces in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace.

2 Heat treatment furnace 3 Workpiece 4 Furnace body 6, 6A, 6B Support roller 6C, 6D Support roller (for replacement)
8 Control unit 10 Roller exchange mechanism 11 Side surface 12 First clamp carriage 14 Second clamp carriage 16 Support 18 Slider 20 Carriage 22, 24 Rail 28 Rail 30 Wheel 32 Rail 34A, 34B Opening 36A, 36B Suspension mechanism 38A, 38B Clamp unit 40 First drive unit 42 Second drive unit 44 Third drive unit 46 Fourth drive unit 100 Roller exchange mechanism 102 Carriage 104 Rail 200 Roller exchange mechanism 202 Carriage 212A, 214A, 212B, 214B Clamp carriage 216A, 216B Support 300 Roller exchange mechanism 302, 304 Clamp carriage 306 Support 308 Carriage A Conveying direction B Furnace length direction C Furnace width direction D Length direction E Width direction P Rotation axis R Rotation direction S1, S2, S3 Slide direction H Shared space

Claims (7)

A replacement mechanism for replacing a support roller supporting a workpiece in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace through an opening in a side surface of the heat treatment furnace,
a first clamp carriage and a second clamp carriage that have a function of gripping the support roller and are provided so as to be slidable in a direction toward and away from the opening, respectively;
A support body that slidably supports the first clamp carriage and the second clamp carriage,
A cart carrying the support;
A first drive unit that slides and drives the first clamp cart;
A second drive unit that slides and drives the second clamp carriage;
and a third drive unit that drives the support body so that the position of the first clamp carriage and the position of the second clamp carriage can be interchanged.
Support roller replacement mechanism. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the third drive unit rotates the support. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising a fourth drive unit that drives the support to slide in a direction intersecting the sliding direction of the clamp carriage. The support roller replacement mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a rail that enables the carriage to slide along the width direction of the heat treatment furnace. The support roller replacement mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a rail that enables the carriage to slide along the furnace length direction of the heat treatment furnace. The support roller replacement mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which two sets of the first clamp carriage, the second clamp carriage, and the support are provided, each fixed to the carriage. A control unit is further provided.
The control unit is
The third drive unit drives the support body so that the second clamp carriage is at an exchange position;
The second drive unit slides and drives the second clamp carriage so as to approach the opening, and grips the used support roller;
The second drive unit slides the second clamp carriage gripping the support roller so as to move away from the opening;
The third drive unit drives the support so that the first clamp carriage gripping a support roller other than the support roller comes to the replacement position;
The support roller replacement mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first drive unit slides the first clamp cart closer to the opening, and the other support roller gripped by the first clamp cart is attached to the heat treatment furnace.

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