JP7797564B2 - Vacuum conveyor chains and vacuum conveyor devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum conveyor chain and a vacuum conveyor device.

In a conventional work sorting device, the downstream end of a first vacuum transport device, with its workpiece placement surface facing upward, and the upstream end of a second vacuum transport device, with its placement surface facing downward, are positioned so as to overlap in the workpiece transfer direction. The device then sucks up the workpieces transferred by the first vacuum transport device and transfers them to the second vacuum transport device while transferring them (see Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2022/254968

In this way, by transporting a workpiece while switching between the first and second vacuum transport devices, which have different orientations of their loading surfaces, it is possible to inspect the front side of the workpiece while it is being transported by the first vacuum transport device, and the back side of the workpiece while it is being transported by the second vacuum transport device.

However, to ensure smooth workpiece transfer between vacuum transport devices, the distance between the first and second vacuum transport devices must be maintained appropriately, making it important to adjust the distance between the devices. This adjustment of the distance between the devices is performed when no workpieces are being transported, but because suction by the suction chamber is released when no workpieces are being transported, the conveyor chain of the second vacuum transport device mentioned above sags downward due to its own weight.

As a result, the distance between the devices differed by the amount of chain sagging compared to when the material was being sucked into the suction chamber, making it difficult to adjust the distance between the devices.

The present invention aims to provide a vacuum conveyor chain and vacuum conveyor device that can reduce sagging due to its own weight when not in use.

One aspect of the present invention is a vacuum conveyor chain for transporting an object while suctioning it, comprising: a loading surface on which the object is placed; a back surface opposite the loading surface; a plurality of suction holes formed through the loading surface from the back surface to the loading surface; and a restricting portion that engages with a fixed member to restrict movement of the chain in the first direction, when the direction from the back surface toward the loading surface is defined as a first direction and the direction from the loading surface toward the back surface is defined as a second direction, and the restricting portion is located downstream of the loading surface in the second direction.

This invention reduces chain sagging due to its own weight when not in suction.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a workpiece sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; (a) is a perspective view of a vacuum conveyor chain viewed from the back side, (b) is a schematic diagram of a vacuum conveyor chain in a driven state viewed from the running direction, and (c) is a schematic diagram of a vacuum conveyor chain in a non-driven state viewed from the running direction. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a chain link when the attachment part is not attached, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a chain link when the attachment part is attached. 1A is a schematic diagram showing an attachment portion of a chain body, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the attachment portion. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing an attachment, in which (a) is a perspective view seen from diagonally above, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a perspective view seen from diagonally below, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a side view. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the attachment is attached. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing modified examples of the attachment, in which (a) a diagram showing an attachment in which a locking portion is directly fixed to an arm portion, (b) a diagram showing an attachment in which an arm portion is extended only to one side in the width direction, and (c) a diagram showing the attachment shown in FIG. 7B in use.

<Configuration of workpiece sorting device>
A work sorting device 1 equipped with a vacuum transport device 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the work sorting device (transported object sorting device) 1 is configured by a first inspection unit 2 that inspects the work (transported object) W from the front (top) side, a second inspection unit 3 that inspects the work W from the back (bottom) side, and a transport unit 4 that transports the sorted work W, all of which are arranged along the work transport direction.

The first inspection unit 2 includes a first vacuum transport device 10 as a vacuum conveyor device, and a first inspection device 20. The first vacuum transport device 10 has a vacuum conveyor chain 11, which has one or more suction holes formed on its surface (the surface on which the workpiece W is placed), wound around a sprocket 12, and a suction chamber 13 is provided on the back side of the vacuum conveyor chain 11, opposite the surface. The suction chamber 13 is open on its top surface, which faces the back side (inner surface) of the vacuum conveyor chain 11, and is connected to a blower 15 as a suction device that reduces the pressure inside the suction chamber 13.

The first inspection device 20 is an inspection camera installed opposite the first vacuum transport device 10, and captures images of the surfaces of the workpieces W that have been placed on the loading surface of the vacuum conveyor chain 11 and transported. The first inspection device 20 is also connected to the control device 30 of the workpiece sorting device 1 so that it can communicate with them, and the images captured by the first inspection device 20 are inspected for problems by the control device 30, which serves as an information processing device.

The second inspection unit 3 is located downstream of the first inspection unit 2 in the transport direction of the workpiece W, and is equipped with a second vacuum transport device 40 as a vacuum conveyor device, and a second inspection device 50. The second vacuum transport device 40 has a vacuum conveyor chain 41 with multiple suction holes formed on the surface that serves as the loading surface for the workpiece W, wound around sprockets 44, 48, and, unlike the first vacuum transport device 10, is configured so that the loading surface for the workpiece W faces downward in the direction of gravity.

A suction chamber 42 is provided on the back side of the vacuum conveyor chain 41, opposite the front side. The suction chamber 42 is open at the bottom, facing the back side (inner peripheral surface) of the vacuum conveyor chain 41. Unlike the first vacuum transport device 10, the suction chamber 42 is divided into multiple sections, and in this embodiment includes a first suction chamber 42a, a second suction chamber 42b, and a third suction chamber 42c. First to third air blowers 43a to 43c are connected to these first to third suction chambers 42a to 42c, respectively, allowing the pressure inside each suction chamber to be reduced independently. In the second suction chamber 42b, suction of the workpiece W can be switched on and off.

Furthermore, the second vacuum transport device 40 is equipped with a lifting device 500 as an inter-device distance adjustment device, which allows the entire device to be raised and lowered to adjust the inter-device distance between the second vacuum transport device 40 and the first vacuum transport device 10 or the transport unit 4.

The second inspection device 50 is an inspection camera located upstream of the second suction chamber 42b in the direction of workpiece W transport, facing the second vacuum transport device 40, and captures images of the backside of the workpiece W that has been placed on the loading surface of the vacuum conveyor chain 41 and transported. The second inspection device 50 is also connected to the control device 30 of the workpiece sorting device 1 so that it can communicate with it, and the images captured by the second inspection device 50 are inspected by the control device 30 to determine whether there are any problems.

The transport unit 4 is located downstream of the second inspection unit 3 in the work transport direction and is composed of a conveyor device that does not suction the workpiece W. This conveyor device transports the inspected workpiece W.

As the workpiece sorting device 1 is configured in this manner, workpieces W manufactured upstream of the workpiece sorting device 1 are transported by the first vacuum transport device 10 while being sucked onto the loading surface from below, and an image of the surface is captured by the first inspection device 20 during transport by the first vacuum transport device 10. The captured surface image is then used by the control device 30 to determine whether the workpiece is good or defective.

When the workpiece W is transported to the terminal end (downstream end in the workpiece transport direction) of the first vacuum transport device 10, which overlaps vertically with the starting end (upstream end in the workpiece transport direction) of the second vacuum transport device 40, the top surface (front surface) of the workpiece W is adsorbed by the second vacuum transport device 40 and the workpiece W is transferred from the first vacuum transport device 10 to the second vacuum transport device 40. Once the workpiece W is transferred to the second vacuum transport device 40, it is transported while its top surface is adsorbed, and an image of the back surface of the workpiece W is captured by the second inspection device 50. The captured image of the back surface is then used by the control device 30 to determine whether the workpiece is good or defective.

A workpiece W that is determined to be a non-defective product in both the front and back surface inspections is transported to the end while being sucked by the second vacuum transport device 40 and then handed over to the transport unit 4. On the other hand, a workpiece W' that is determined to be a defective product in either the front or back surface inspection is transported to a position corresponding to the second suction chamber 42b. Then, the control device 30 releases the suction hold of the workpiece W' by the second suction chamber 42b, and the workpiece W' on the second vacuum transport device 40 (on the moving body) falls downward due to gravity. In this way, the workpiece sorting device 1 separates non-defective workpieces W from defective workpieces W' by switching the suction of the workpieces by the second suction chamber 42b on and off.

<Vacuum conveyor chain configuration>
Next, the configuration of a vacuum conveyor chain (hereinafter simply referred to as a chain) that transports workpieces (transported objects) while suctioning them will be described. Since the above-mentioned vacuum conveyor chains 11 and 41 have the same configuration, the following description will only discuss the configuration of the vacuum conveyor chain 41, and will omit a description of the configuration of the vacuum conveyor chain 11. In the following description, the back side of the chain 41 will be referred to as the upper side, the front side as the lower side, the direction from the back side toward the front (placing surface) side as the first direction D1, and the direction from the front side toward the back side as the second direction D2. The first direction D1 and the second direction D2 will also be referred to collectively as the up-down direction, the width direction as the horizontal direction or the left-right direction, and the running direction as the vertical direction or the front-back direction.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the chain 41 comprises a chain main body 410 and an attachment portion 420. The chain main body 410 is an endless plastic chain, consisting of multiple links 411 made of injection-molded synthetic resin (e.g., POM) connected in the width direction (horizontal direction) and running direction (vertical direction) by pins (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3(a), the link 411 comprises a plate portion 412 having a flat surface F (see FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c)) that forms the workpiece placement surface, a first connecting portion 413 provided at the upstream end of the plate portion 412 in the running direction, a second connecting portion 414 provided at the downstream end of the plate portion 411a in the running direction, and an attachment portion 415.

The first and second connecting portions 413, 414 are provided in multiple locations at a predetermined interval in the width direction, and each has a pin hole 413a, 414a for inserting the pin. Furthermore, the first and second connecting portions 413, 414 are alternately arranged so that their widthwise positions are offset from each other when viewed from the running direction. The links 411 are connected by interlocking the comb-like first and second connecting portions 413, 414 (see also Figure 2(a)). More specifically, the links 411 are aligned in multiple locations in the width direction according to the chain width, and are aligned in the running direction such that the second connecting portion 414 of the adjacent link 411 on the upstream side of the running direction is fitted into the space ES1 between the first connecting portions 413, and the first connecting portion 413 of the adjacent link 411 on the downstream side of the running direction is fitted into the space ES2 between the second connecting portions 414. The links 411 are connected in the width direction and traveling direction by inserting pins into the pin holes 413a, 414a of the first and second connecting parts 413, 414, which are aligned in the width direction. Note that the width direction length of the links 411 connected by the pins may vary depending on the desired width of the vacuum conveyor chain 41. In other words, the chain main body 410 may be configured by combining multiple types of links 411 that differ only in width direction length.

Tapered suction holes H (see Figures 2(b) and 2(c)) are provided on the surface F of the plate portion 412, with the diameter increasing toward the surface. Hollow cylindrical portions 416 are provided on the back surface at positions corresponding to the suction holes H. The cylindrical portions 416 protrude a predetermined length from the back surface of the plate portion 412 in the second direction D2, and the openings on the back surface of the suction holes H, which have a small diameter, connect with hollow portions 416a of the cylindrical portions 416, which have the same diameter. This allows the suction holes H to have a large opening on the surface side where the workpiece is placed, enabling them to firmly suction the workpiece. Furthermore, because the openings on the back surface side facing the suction chamber 42 are through the small-diameter hollow portions 416a of the cylindrical portions 416, the pressure drop in the suction chamber 42 (difference from atmospheric pressure) can be reduced.

Furthermore, ribs 417 and 418 are provided on the back side of the plate portion 412, protruding in the second direction D2 to connect the widthwise ends of the first connecting portion 413 and the second connecting portion 414. As a result, recesses 419 are formed at each connecting portion on the back side of the plate portion 412. The recesses 419, which are partitioned in the widthwise direction of the back side of the link 411, have the above-mentioned cylindrical portions 416 positioned at predetermined intervals within them, with the remaining recesses being empty. The recesses 419a containing these cylindrical portions 416 and the empty recesses 419b are aligned in the running direction, and sprocket teeth engage with predetermined rows of the empty recesses 419b to drive the chain 41 (see also Figure 2(a)).

The mounting portion 415 is provided in the widthwise center on the back side of the link 411. More specifically, it is formed integrally with the ribs 430, 431 that form the central recess among the multiple recesses 419 aligned in the widthwise direction. As shown in Figure 4(a), these ribs 430, 431 are formed to protrude more than the ribs 417, 418 that form the other recesses, forming a pair of side walls (side surfaces) that face each other in the widthwise direction and are parallel to the running direction. Furthermore, a rib 432 stands upright on the upstream side of the ribs 430, 431 in the running direction. This rib 432 extends in the widthwise direction to connect the upstream ends of the ribs 430, 431 in the running direction, and forms the rear wall of the mounting portion 415.

Furthermore, a bottom surface 433 is formed between the ribs 430, 431, facing parallel to the plate portion 412 above the recess 419. In addition, the upper ends 430a, 431a of the ribs 430, 431 are bent in an L-shape in the width direction when viewed from the running direction, and the upper ends 430a, 431a of these ribs 430, 431 form an upper surface 434 facing parallel to the bottom surface 433. Note that, on the upper surface 434, a groove 434a of a predetermined width extending in the running direction is formed between the left and right upper ends 430a, 431a.

The mounting portion 415, together with the side walls 430, 431, rear wall 432, bottom surface 433, and top surface 434, defines a storage space 435 that opens downstream in the running direction. As shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), this storage space 435 is configured to accommodate the lower end 421b1 of the leg 421 of the attachment portion 420. The lower end 421b1 of the leg 440 is inserted into the storage space 435 from downstream to upstream in the running direction (the direction of the D3 arrow in the figure), thereby attaching the attachment portion 420 to the chain main body 410.

<Configuration of attachment part>
Next, the configuration of the attachment unit 420 will be described in detail. As described above, when the vacuum conveyor chain is driven to transport workpieces (during transport), the suction chamber on the back side is under negative pressure, so the chain is rotated while being sucked into the suction chamber. On the other hand, when the chain is not driven (not transporting) and no workpieces are being transported, the negative pressure state in the suction chamber is released, so the chain is not sucked by the suction chamber. If the chain is rotated while being too tensioned, friction between the sprockets and the like increases, reducing power transmission efficiency, so the chain has a moderate amount of slack. However, in the above-mentioned non-driven state, suction by the suction chamber is released, so the chain sags due to its own weight by the amount of the slack.

When workpieces are transferred between vacuum transport devices as in this embodiment, the distance between these two vacuum transport devices (for example, the distance G between the placement surface of the chain 11 of the first vacuum transport device 10 and the placement surface of the chain 41 of the second vacuum transport device 40 in Figure 1) must be adjusted to an appropriate distance. This adjustment of the distance between the vacuum transport devices is performed in a non-driven state, so if the chain sags as described above, the distance between the vacuum transport devices will differ from when they are driven. This makes it difficult to adjust the distance between the vacuum transport devices. In this embodiment, the attachment unit 420 is provided to reduce this sagging of the chain when the device is not driven.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the attachment portion 420 of the chain 41 is made of a synthetic resin such as POM and is configured to engage with a rail 450, which serves as a fixed member provided on the device body 40a (see FIG. 1) of the vacuum conveying device 40. The rail 450 is disposed on the back side of the chain 41 and extends along the running line of the chain 41 around the entire circumference of the chain 41 in the running direction. The rail 450 also includes a pair of rail members 451, 452 that are spaced apart in the width direction and face each other at a predetermined distance. These rail members 451, 452 each have an L-shaped cross section when viewed from the running direction. That is, the rail members 451, 452 each include a support portion 451a, 452a having a predetermined width in the width direction of the chain 41 and a wall portion 451b, 452b extending in the second direction D2 from the outer widthwise ends of the support portions 451a, 452a.

The attachment part 420 has a T-shape when viewed from the direction of travel and includes a leg part 421 and an arm part 422. The leg part 421 is a mounting part for mounting the attachment part 420 to the chain main body part 410, with one end (lower end) attached to the chain main body part 410 and the other end (upper end) connected to the center of the arm part 422 in the width direction. The arm part 422 is an engaging part that engages with the rail 450, and the attachment part 420 is attached to the rail 450 with the arm part 422 positioned between the wall parts 451b and 452b of the rail 450 and the leg part 421 positioned in the groove between the support parts 451a and 452a.

With this configuration, when driven, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the chain 41 is sucked into the suction chamber 42 and moves in the second direction D2, causing the attachment portion 420 to rotate together with the chain main body 410 with the arm portion 422 separated from the support surfaces (rear sides) 451a2, 452a2 of the support portions 451a, 452a. At this time, the chain 41 is guided by its rear side B contacting the bottom surfaces (front sides) 451a1, 452a1 of the support portions 451a, 452a of the rail 450, and its widthwise position is guided (regulated) via the arm portion 422 by the left and right wall portions 451b, 452b of the rail 450, which function as regulating surfaces, as it rotates.

On the other hand, when the chain 41 is not driven, the suction by the suction chamber 42 is released and the chain 41 attempts to move downward under its own weight. However, as shown in Figure 2(c), the arm portion 422 of the attachment portion 420 is supported by the support surfaces 451a2, 452a2 of the support portions 451a, 452a. This restricts movement of the chain 41 in the first direction D1 (the direction from the back surface side toward the placement surface side), and keeps the amount of downward sagging of the chain 41 small.

Next, the detailed configuration of the attachment unit 420, which serves as a restricting unit that restricts movement of the chain 41 in the first direction D1, will be described. As shown in Figures 5(a) to 5(c), the arm unit 422 of the attachment unit 420 is a rectangular plate-shaped member that is longer in the width direction than in the running direction. The surface of this plate-shaped arm unit 422 is provided with a rib 422a extending in the width direction and a rib 422b extending in the running direction. In this embodiment, there is one rib 422a located in the center of the running direction, and multiple ribs 422b are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction. Furthermore, the upstream and downstream ends 422b1 and 422b2 of the rib 422b in the running direction are each chamfered (e.g., R-chamfered or C-chamfered), allowing the attachment unit 420 to pass smoothly over joints in the rail 450.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 5(c) to (e), the leg portion 421 includes a plate-shaped portion 421a that extends downward from the arm portion 422 and has a predetermined width in the running direction, and multiple ribs 421b1 to 421b3 that protrude widthwise from this plate-shaped portion 421a. These ribs 421b1 to 421b3 are aligned with a predetermined gap in the extension direction (vertical direction) of the leg portion 421, and rib 421b1, located at the lower end (the distal end) of the leg portion 421, serves as a locking portion that locks onto the attachment portion 415 of the chain main body 410. Furthermore, rib 421b2, adjacent to locking portion 421b1 in the extension direction, serves as a retaining portion, which will be described in detail below, and in this embodiment, two ribs 421b3 are provided between this retaining portion 421b2 and the arm portion 422.

The locking portion 421b1 protrudes more in the width direction than the rib 421b3, and as shown in Figure 6, is inserted into the storage space 435 of the attachment portion 415 of the chain body 410. Also, as shown in Figure 5(c), a groove 451 is provided on the underside of the locking portion 421b1, and a convex portion 452 is formed in the middle of this groove in the running direction. That is, the groove 451 is partitioned by the convex portion 452, and a concave portion 453 is formed by the part of the groove 451 partitioned by the convex portion.

As shown in Figure 4(a), a convex portion 454 protrudes in the second direction D2 (from the front surface side to the back surface side) from the bottom surface 433 of the mounting portion 415. The concave portion 453 of the locking portion 421b1 and the bottom surface 433 and convex portion 454 of the mounting portion 415 form a fixed fit or snap-fit structure, and as shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), when the locking portion 421b1 of the attachment part 420 is inserted into the storage space 435 from the downstream side in the travel direction, the bottom surface 433 elastically deforms, causing the convex portion 452 to climb over the convex portion 454 and engage with the concave portion 453 (convex portion 452). When the convex portion 452 and the concave portion 453 engage, even if the locking portion 421b1 of the attachment portion 420 attempts to move downstream in the travel direction, the convex portion 452 interferes with the convex portion 454, preventing it from moving. Also, even if the locking portion 421b1 attempts to move upstream in the travel direction, it interferes with the rear wall portion 432 of the mounting portion 415, preventing it from moving. In other words, the locking portion 421b1 of the attachment portion 420 is locked in the travel direction.

As shown in Figure 4(b), the snap-fit structure may be configured such that a notch is provided near the protrusion 454 on the bottom surface 433, making it easier for the bottom surface 433 to elastically deform when engaging with the locking portion 421b1 of the attachment part 420. Furthermore, if a notch is provided, the bottom surface 433, which has the protrusion 454 as a claw member as described above, is easier to elastically deform, making it easier to remove the attachment part 420 from the chain main body 410, for example.

Figure 6 also shows the state in which the locking portion 421b1 is attached to the mounting portion 415. In this attached state, the locking portion 421b1 is sandwiched between the bottom surface 433 and top surface 434 of the mounting portion 415 in the vertical direction. Therefore, even if the attachment portion 420 attempts to move in the vertical direction, the locking portion 421b1 interferes with the bottom surface 433 or top surface 434, and remains integrated with the mounting portion 415, thereby being locked in the vertical direction as well.

Furthermore, in the attached state, the retaining portion 421b2 of the attachment portion 420 is located downstream in the second direction D2 from the top surface 434 of the mounting portion 415, and is configured so that its widthwise length is longer than the locking portion 421b1 and is approximately the same as the top surface 434 of the mounting portion 415. Therefore, the retaining portion 421b2, together with the locking portion 421b1, sandwiches the top surface 434 from above and below. Here, when the chain 41 is not being driven, the chain main body 410 attempts to move downward due to its own weight, so the top surface 434 of the mounting portion 415 comes into contact with the locking portion 421b1 of the attachment portion 420 engaged with the rail 450 and is pressed upward. As a result, stress acts on the upper surface portion 434 from the locking portion 421b1, tending to deform it upward, but the retaining portion 421b2 restricts upward deformation of the upper surface portion 434 (in the second direction D2), preventing the upper surface portion 434 from deforming beyond the elastic deformation range. In particular, the upper surface portion 434 is provided with a groove 434a into which the constricted portion 421a1 between the locking portion 421b1 and the retaining portion 421b2 of the leg portion 421 is inserted, reducing its strength. However, even in this case, the retaining portion 421b2 prevents plastic deformation.

<Summary>
[Configuration 1]
A vacuum conveyor chain (41) for conveying an object (W) while suctioning it,
a loading surface (F) on which the transported object (W) is placed;
a back surface (B) opposite to the mounting surface (F);
a plurality of suction holes (H) formed penetrating from the mounting surface (F) to the back surface (B);
a regulating portion (420) that engages with a fixing member (450) to regulate movement of the chain (41) in the first direction (D1), when a direction from the back surface (B) side toward the placement surface (F) side is defined as a first direction (D1) and a direction from the placement surface (F) side toward the back surface (B) side is defined as a second direction (D2);
The restricting portion (420) is located downstream of the placement surface (F) in the second direction (D2).
A vacuum conveyor chain (41) characterized by:

[Configuration 2]
The restricting portion (420) is fixed to the back surface (B).
2. A vacuum conveyor chain (41) according to claim 1.

As described above, the vacuum conveyor chain 41 includes a restricting portion 420 that restricts movement of the chain 41 in the first direction D1. Even if the chain 41 attempts to sag downward due to its own weight when suction is stopped while the chain is not in operation, the restricting portion 420 engages with the fixed member 450 to support the chain 41, thereby reducing the sagging of the chain 41. This reduces the difference in the gap G between the vacuum transport devices when the chain is in operation and when it is not in operation, facilitating the adjustment of the gap G between the vacuum transport devices. Note that as the vacuum conveyor chain 41 becomes wider, the amount of downward sagging at the center of the width increases. Therefore, it is more preferable for the restricting portion 420 to support the weight of the chain at least at the center of the width of the chain 41. Of course, supporting the weight of the chain 41 at multiple locations in the width and travel directions is even more preferable, as it allows for distributed support of the weight of the chain 41.

Furthermore, because the regulating portion 420 is located downstream of the placement surface F in the second direction D2, it does not interfere with the conveying surface F of the chain 41. This allows the conveying surface of the chain 41 to be wide. Furthermore, the chain 41 can be configured without increasing its size in the width direction. While it is preferable to configure the regulating portion 420 to be fixed to the back surface as described above, the regulating portion may also be configured, for example, as a protrusion that protrudes from the side of the chain. In this case, this protrusion is configured to engage with a fixed member such as a rail provided on the outside of the chain in the width direction. In the above-described embodiment, the rail 450 was used as an example of a fixed member, but the fixed member may have any configuration as long as it is configured to engage with the regulating portion 420 and support the weight of the chain 41 when the chain 41 is not driven.

In the above-described embodiment, the restricting portion 420 is configured to have a generally T-shape when viewed from the travel direction. However, this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the restricting portion 420 may be configured so that the locking portion 421b1 is directly fixed to the arm portion 422 without providing the leg portion 421. In this case, since the support portion 451a' of the rail 450 is thin, the connecting portion connecting the arm portion 422 and the locking portion 421b1 can be omitted. Furthermore, since the arm portion 422 and the locking portion 421b1 sandwich the upper surface portion 434 when attached, the arm portion 422 functions as a restricting portion 421b2 that limits deformation of the upper surface portion 434. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 7(b) and (c), when the gap between the rail members 451 and 452 is wide, the arm portion 422A may be configured to extend from the leg portion 421 to only one side in the width direction.

[Configuration 3]
The restricting portion (420) includes an engaging portion (422) that engages with the fixing member (450) and an attached portion (421) that is attached to the back surface (B),
The back surface (B) includes an attachment portion (415) for attaching the attachment portion (421),
The attached portion (421) includes a locking portion (421b1) that is locked to the attachment portion (415) and a pressing portion (421b2),
the attachment portion (415) has an abutment portion (434) that is located downstream of the locking portion (421b1) in the second direction (D2) when the locking portion (421b1) is attached, and abuts against the locking portion (421b1) to restrict movement of the locking portion (421b1) in the second direction (D2);
The suppressing portion (421b2) is located downstream of the abutting portion (434) in the second direction (D2) when the locking portion (421b1) is attached to the attachment portion (415), and restricts the amount of deformation of the abutting portion (434) in the second direction (D2).
3. A vacuum conveyor chain (41) according to configuration 2.

In this way, by configuring the retaining portion 421b2 to restrict the amount of deformation of the abutment portion 434, which is subjected to a large load when supporting the weight of the chain 41 when not in drive, it is possible to prevent plastic deformation of the abutment portion 434. In other words, deformation of the abutment portion 434 can be limited to the range of elastic deformation. Furthermore, by configuring the restricting portion 420 separately from the chain main body 410, the restricting portion 420 can be easily manufactured by injection molding or the like.

[Configuration 4]
The restricting portion (420) is provided with a snap-fit structure (433, 453, 454) for fixing the restricting portion (420) to the back surface (B).
3. A vacuum conveyor chain (41) according to configuration 2.

In this way, the snap-fit structure allows the restricting part 420 to be easily attached to the chain 41.

[Configuration 5]
The restricting portion (420) includes an engaging portion (422) that engages with the fixing member (450) and an attached portion (421) that is attached to the back surface (B),
The back surface (B) includes an attachment portion (415) for attaching the attachment portion (421),
The snap-fit structure (433, 453, 454) comprises a recess (453) provided in the attached portion (421) and a protrusion (454) provided in the attachment portion (415) and engaging with the recess (453),
The mounting portion (415) has a notch (433a) provided in the vicinity of the protrusion (454).
A vacuum conveyor chain (41) according to configuration 4.

In this way, by forming the notch 433a near the protrusion 454, elastic deformation is facilitated during snap-fit engagement, making it easier to engage the protrusion 454 and recess 453.

[Configuration 6]
A vacuum conveyor chain (41) according to any one of configurations 1 to 5;
a suction chamber (42) provided on the back side of the vacuum conveyor chain (41);
and a rail (450) as the fixing member that engages with the regulating portion (420) of the vacuum conveyor chain (41).
A vacuum conveyor device (40) characterized by:

In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the first vacuum transport device 10 and the second vacuum transport device 40 are opposed to each other vertically. However, the vacuum transport devices may be arranged in any manner so long as the transport surfaces are opposed to each other (i.e., an arrangement in which the transported objects can be transferred). For example, the transport surfaces may be extended vertically and opposed to each other in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the above-described inventions may be combined in any manner.

41: Vacuum conveyor chain 420: Regulating part (attachment part)
450: Fixed member (rail)
B: Back surface F: Placement surface H: Suction holes W: Transported object

Claims (6)

A vacuum conveyor chain for transporting objects while suctioning them,
a placement surface on which the transported object is placed;
a back surface opposite to the mounting surface;
a plurality of suction holes formed penetrating from the mounting surface to the back surface;
a restricting portion that engages with a fixing member to restrict movement of the chain in a first direction, the first direction being a direction from the back surface side toward the placement surface side, and the second direction being a direction from the placement surface side toward the back surface side,
The restriction portion is located downstream of the placement surface in the second direction.
A vacuum conveyor chain characterized by the above. The restricting portion is fixed to the rear surface.
2. The vacuum conveyor chain according to claim 1, wherein the chain is a tubular member. the restricting portion includes an engaging portion that engages with the fixing member and an attached portion that is attached to the back surface,
the rear surface includes an attachment portion for attaching the attachment portion,
The attached portion includes a locking portion that is locked to the attaching portion and a pressing portion,
the attachment portion has an abutment portion that is located downstream of the locking portion in the second direction when the locking portion is attached,
the locking portion comes into contact with the abutting portion when the chain attempts to move in the first direction due to its own weight, thereby restricting the movement of the chain in the first direction;
the suppressing portion is located downstream of the abutting portion in the second direction when the locking portion is attached to the mounting portion, and when the locking portion and the abutting portion abut against each other and a stress acts on the abutting portion to deform the abutting portion in the second direction, the suppressing portion abuts against the abutting portion to restrict the amount of deformation of the abutting portion in the second direction.
3. The vacuum conveyor chain according to claim 2, wherein the chain is a tubular member. A snap-fit structure is provided to fix the restricting portion to the rear surface.
3. The vacuum conveyor chain according to claim 2, wherein the chain is a tubular member. the restricting portion includes an engaging portion that engages with the fixing member and an attached portion that is attached to the back surface,
the rear surface includes an attachment portion for attaching the attachment portion,
the snap-fit structure includes a recess provided in the mounted portion and a protrusion provided in the mounting portion that engages with the recess,
The mounting portion has a notch provided in the vicinity of the protrusion.
5. The vacuum conveyor chain according to claim 4, wherein the chain is a tubular member. A vacuum conveyor chain according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
a suction chamber provided on the back side of the vacuum conveyor chain;
a rail as the fixed member that engages with the regulating portion of the vacuum conveyor chain;
A vacuum conveyor device characterized by the above.