JPS6244639B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a magnetic transport device suitable for transporting samples such as nuclear materials.

When handling nuclear materials, it is necessary to prevent workers from being exposed to radiation and being contaminated by nuclear materials. For this reason, automation and labor-saving efforts have been made in the handling of nuclear materials, and even in the analysis of nuclear materials, analytical instruments have been automated and remotely operated. However, in the analysis work mentioned above, the current situation is that workers are directly responsible for loading samples into analytical instruments, distributing samples to be loaded, and transporting samples to analytical instruments. Reduction of radiation exposure and avoidance of contamination have not yet been achieved sufficiently.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to transport nuclear material using conveyance devices such as belt conveyors, powered self-propelled carts, and rechargeable self-propelled carts, but the nuclear material must be isolated from the outside air to prevent it from dispersing into the atmosphere. It is necessary to travel within the conveyance path. Therefore, in the conventional conveyance device, the entire device including the driving section must be housed in a conveyance path isolated from the outside air. For this reason, in order to carry out repair or maintenance work in the event of belt breakage or malfunction of the self-propelled trolley, it is necessary to break the bulkheads that form the transport path, and there is a risk that the nuclear material may be scattered into the atmosphere. It was hot. Furthermore, in order to prevent this scattering, it is very troublesome and difficult to carry out the above-mentioned repairs, maintenance, etc. in a state isolated from the outside air.

Therefore, in recent years, a conveyance vehicle equipped with a permanent magnet is housed in a conveyance path separated from the outside air, and a drive unit is provided outside the conveyance path to cause the permanent magnet to travel in the conveyance direction of the conveyance path. A magnetic conveyance device has been developed in which the conveyance vehicle is caused to travel within a conveyance path using the suction force. However, with this type of conveyance device, it is very difficult to increase the conveyance distance or to arbitrarily set the conveyance distance. Furthermore, there are other problems such as the need for a large torque in the drive unit to increase the conveyance distance, making it unsuitable for practical use.

In addition, when changing the conveyance direction with conventional conveyance devices, a gentle arc-shaped conveyance path is generally required, and because of this arc-shaped direction change section, there are restrictions on where equipment can be installed along the conveyance path. There were other problems. For this reason, facilities that handle nuclear materials have the disadvantage that the limited area known as the nuclear material management area cannot be used effectively, leading to an increase in wasteful management areas.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and
The purpose of this is not only to reduce the radiation exposure of workers and avoid contamination when transporting nuclear materials, but also to enable the transport distance to be set arbitrarily, even long-distance transport, and to automate transport. It is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic conveyance device that can easily perform the above operations, reduce the installation area of a direction changing section of a conveyance path, and make effective use of the floor surface of a facility.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the main parts of the embodiment, such as a transport truck, a drive truck, and a drive mechanism, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyance path in which a partition wall 2 and a non-magnetic bottom plate 3 are connected in an airtight manner, and the inside thereof is isolated from the surroundings (outside air). An L-shaped guide plate 4 is provided on the bottom plate 3 in the conveyance path 1 along the conveyance direction of the conveyance path 1 . Furthermore, a transport vehicle 5 is movably placed on the bottom plate 3. This conveyance cart 5 is, for example, a square plate body with running balls 6 attached to the lower surfaces of the four corners and guide rollers 7 attached to the upper surfaces of the four corners, and one side wall of the conveyance path 1 and the guide plate 4 The running direction is restricted to the transport direction. Furthermore, permanent magnets 8, 9, 10, and 11 are fixed to the center portions of each side of the plate of the transport vehicle 5, that is, to the lower surfaces of the front, rear, left, and right sides, respectively. Further, a tray 12 having a recessed portion in the center is fixed to the upper surface of the transport vehicle 5. A container 13 containing a sample to be transported, such as an analysis sample, is placed in the recessed portion of the tray 12.

On the other hand, a drive mechanism 20 is provided at the lower part of the conveyance path 1.
Two support plates 21 supporting the transport path 1 are arranged parallel to each other along the transport path 1 and perpendicular to the bottom plate 3 of the transport path 1. Sprockets 24 and 25 supported by shaft bodies 22 and 23 are respectively disposed near both ends of the support plate 21, and an endless chain 26 is attached to these sprockets 24 and 25.
is being bridged. The shaft body 22 rotates together with the sprocket 24, and one end of the shaft body 22 projects from the support plate 21, and a pulley 27 is fixed to this projecting portion. Furthermore, this pulley 2
A belt 29 that transmits the rotation of the motor 28 is stretched across the belt 7 . And the above sprocket 2
4, 25, a chain 26, a motor 28, etc., a sprocket 24 rotated by the motor 28 causes the chain 26 to travel in the transport direction of the transport path 1.

At a predetermined portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the chain 26,
First and second drive carts 31 and 32 are attached at a distance slightly longer than the distance between the permanent magnets 8 and 9. These driving carts 31 and 32 include
Permanent magnets 33 and 34 are respectively fixed to the upper part, and guide rollers 35 and 36 are respectively attached to the left and right sides. In addition, the permanent magnets 33, 3
4 is disposed so as to face the permanent magnets 8, 9, 10, 11 with opposite polarity surfaces. The driving carts 31 and 32 are configured to move along with the running of the chain 26. In addition, the support plate 2
1, the guide rollers 35, 3
Guide plates 37 and 38 are provided which come into contact with the drive carriages 6, and these guide plates 37 and 38 restrict the movement direction of the driving carts 31 and 32 to the transport direction.

FIG. 3 shows the above-mentioned transport vehicle 5 and drive vehicle 3.
1, 32, a drive mechanism 30, etc., showing a schematic configuration of the entire device. FIG. Note that the same parts as in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. first to third conveyance paths 1a,
1b, 1c are connected to each other, and each conveyance path 1a, 1
The interiors of b and 1c are isolated from the outside air. The first and third conveyance paths 1a, 1c are formed in a straight line like the conveyance path 1, and the lower part of each conveyance path 1a, 1c is provided with the drive carriage 3.
1 and 32 and a drive mechanism 20 are provided, respectively. Further, the second conveyance path 1b has a direction changing portion 40 bent at right angles in the center thereof, and the drive carriage 3 is located at the lower part of this conveyance path 1b.
A pair of drive mechanisms 1 and 32 and a drive mechanism 20 are provided. That is, from the connecting part 41 of the first and second transport paths 1a, 1b to the direction changing part 40, and from this direction changing part 40 to the second and third transport paths 1b, 1.
The driving cart 3 is connected to the connecting portion 42 of
1 and 32 and a drive mechanism 20 are provided.

The operation of this device configured in this way will be explained. First, it is assumed that the transport vehicle 5 is located in the first transport path 1a, and the permanent magnet 8 of the transport vehicle 5 is located above the drive vehicle 31 as shown in FIG. At this time, the permanent magnet 8 is attracted by the permanent magnet 33 of the drive truck 31. Now, when the motor 28 is driven to rotate the sprocket 24 in the direction of arrow B, the chain 26 and drive carts 31 and 32 run in the direction of arrow C. As a result, the permanent magnet 8 of the transport vehicle 5 is moved by the arrow C at the permanent magnet 33 of the drive vehicle 31.
As a result, the carriage 5 moves in the direction of arrow C. When the drive carriage 31 is engaged with the sprocket 24, the drive carriage 3
1 separates from the permanent magnet 8, the carriage 5 stops moving. However, after this, the driving carriage 32 attracts the permanent magnet 9 of the carrier 5, and the carrier 5 moves in the direction of arrow C again. When the driving carriage 32 is engaged with the sprocket 24, the front portion of the conveying carriage 5 reaches into the second conveying path 1b, as shown in FIG. Therefore, by running the drive cart 31 of the drive mechanism 20 provided from the connecting portion 41 to the direction changing portion 40, the transport cart 5 moves into the second transport path 1b as well as into the first transport path 1a. Move in the direction of arrow C. Then, the carriage 5 in the second conveyance path 1b stops once the drive carriage 31 engages the sprocket 24 of the drive mechanism 20, and is further attracted by the drive carriage 32 and reaches the direction changing section 40.

Now, the driving cart 5 that has reached the direction changing section 40 is moved by the driving mechanism 20 provided from the direction changing section 40 to the connecting section 42. That is, the permanent magnet 11 on the right side of the carriage 5 is attracted in the direction of arrow D by the drive carriage 31 of the drive mechanism 20, and the carriage 5 moves in the direction of arrow D. In other words, the direction of movement of the carriage 5 is bent at a right angle by the direction changing unit 40. In this way, the conveyance cart 5 moves within the second conveyance path 1b, bends its moving direction at right angles, reaches the third conveyance path 1c, and further moves within this conveyance path 1c in the direction of arrow D. .

In addition, in order to stop the transport vehicle 5 at a target position, a stop plate or the like is provided at the target position, and this stop plate is brought down so as to block the transport paths 1a, 1b, and 1c, and the transport vehicle 5 is placed on the stop plate. When contact occurs, the drive of the motor 28 may be stopped. Further, when each of the motors 28 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction, the carrier 5 moves in the opposite direction. In this way, the carriage 5 can freely move along the first to third conveyance paths 1a, 1b, and 1c and be stopped at a desired position.

In this way, according to the present device, by causing the driving carts 31 and 32 to travel by the drive mechanism 20, the transporting cart 5 is moved along the transporting path 1a isolated from the outside air.
It can be moved within 1b and 1c. Furthermore, permanent magnets 8, 9, 1 are placed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the transport vehicle 5.
0 and 11, it is possible to reliably transfer the carriage 5 to each drive mechanism 20, and furthermore, it is possible to change the direction of movement of the carriage 5 at right angles. Furthermore, the carrier 5 can be automatically stopped at a desired position. Therefore, it is convenient for transporting samples such as nuclear materials. Furthermore, since the transport vehicle 5 is simple and durable, with only the movable parts 6 and guide rollers 7, there is little risk of failure. Furthermore, the drive mechanism 20 and the drive carts 31 and 32 are connected to the transport path 1.
Since it is provided outside of the transport paths 1a, 1b, 1c, even if the drive mechanism 20 and the drive carts 31, 32 break down, they can be easily repaired without damaging the walls of the transport paths 1a, 1b, 1c. It is also easy to maintain it. Moreover, since the conveyance truck 5 is sequentially driven by the respective drive mechanisms 20 and drive trucks 31 and 32, the conveyance path 1
By increasing the numbers of a, 1b, 1c, the drive mechanism 20, etc., the transport vehicle 5 can be easily transported over long distances. Therefore, it is possible to easily automate the transportation of analysis samples in analysis work of nuclear materials, etc., and it is possible to sufficiently reduce radiation exposure of workers and avoid contamination. Furthermore, since the moving direction of the conveyance cart 5 can be changed at right angles, there are advantages such as reducing the installation area of the direction changing section of the conveyance path and making effective use of the floor surface of the facility.

Note that this invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, any of the permanent magnets attached to the conveyance truck and the drive truck may be made of ferromagnetic material. Furthermore, the direction changing section is not limited to one that bends the conveyance path at a right angle, but may be one that bends the conveyance path at a predetermined angle, and a plurality of direction changing sections may be provided. In this case, a pair of permanent magnets or ferromagnetic materials attached to the transport vehicle may be arranged at a predetermined distance apart from each other along the transport direction of the transport path. Further, the number of the drive carts is not limited to two in one drive mechanism, and a large number may be provided. Furthermore, even one vehicle can perform the function, but in this case, it takes some time to transfer the carriers. Further, the drive mechanism may be any mechanism as long as it has a running section that runs endlessly and can cause the drive carriage to run endlessly along the transport direction of the transport path. moreover,
The running section is not limited to a chain, but may be a belt, a wire rope, or the like. Further, a plurality of the transport vehicles may be arranged and these transport vehicles may be moved at the same time. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the length of the conveyance path, the length of the traveling section of the drive mechanism, etc. may be determined as appropriate depending on the specifications. In short, this invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from its gist.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the main parts, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow A-A shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the entire device. FIG. 4, a schematic diagram showing the configuration, is a diagram for explaining the operation of the above embodiment. 1a, 1b, 1c... Conveyance path, 5... Conveyance truck, 8, 9, 10, 11, 33, 34... Permanent magnet, 20... Drive mechanism, 26... Chain, 3
1, 32... Drive truck, 40... Direction change unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A conveyance path in which a space provided for conveyance is isolated from the outside air and has a bent direction changing part in the middle, and a container housed within this conveyance path so as to be movable along the conveyance path. a permanent magnet or a ferromagnetic material mounted on the conveyor in pairs in the direction of movement of the conveyor; A plurality of drive mechanisms each having a running part that is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each of the divided sections and that runs endlessly along a running trajectory along each of the above-mentioned sections; A driving cart mounted with a permanent magnet or a ferromagnetic material that is fixed one by one and drives the transporting cart by a magnetic attraction force generated between the permanent magnet or the ferromagnetic material provided on the transporting cart. A magnetic conveyance device comprising: 2. The conveyance path has a direction changing section configured by combining straight paths, and the conveyance truck has a parallelogram-shaped truck body, and each side of the truck body has the 2. The magnetic transport device according to claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet or ferromagnetic material is mounted on the transport vehicle side. 3. The magnetic conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the traveling section of the drive mechanism is mainly composed of a chain, a belt, or a wire rope.