JPH0735203B2 - Conveyor using chain conveyor - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mechanism for transporting a flat plate in a chain, and more particularly to a transport device capable of freely withdrawing and returning the plate from the line even during transport.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Belt conveyors, roller conveyors and chain conveyors are generally used as equipment for transporting parts and products in factories and processing them in each line.
Among them, the belt conveyor and the roller conveyor utilize the upper surface of the belt and the arrayed roller rows as the transport surface, respectively.

On the other hand, in the chain conveyor, at least two chain loops are provided in the width direction of the carrying direction,
In many cases, a rod, a net, a plate, or the like is bridged over these chains and the upper surface thereof is used as a transport surface. For example, in equipment for producing a large amount of baked confectioneries such as octopus and okonomiyaki, a chain conveyor is used to carry and convey a baking mold.

This baking mold is provided with a large number of hemispherical dents, and after pouring a material such as a flour-based dough mixed with ingredients such as vegetables into the dents, the baking dies are made downstream of the line. Shed continuously. The line is provided with a heating zone for heating the baking mold, and the material is baked by appropriately adjusting the heating amount according to the traveling speed of the baking mold.

In such manufacturing process, in the case of octopus baking, it is possible to cover the material in the sphere forming space by covering it with a baking die paired with the conveyed baking dies and turning these dies upside down. Done. this is,
One purpose is to shape the octopus grill into a spherical product, and also to uniformly bake the entire surface.

[0006] It should be noted that such covering and reversing of the baking mold is similarly performed in the case of okonomiyaki.

[0007]

In order to cover another baking mold flowing on the line with another baking mold and invert them,
It is necessary to pull up the baking mold on the line once. This is because the operation is performed without stopping the line for the purpose of improving productivity, and the line is not stopped even at the time of reversing the mold, so that the process on the line cannot be performed. .

In this way, the baking mold is pulled up from the running chain conveyor, covered with another mold, inverted, and then returned to the line. Therefore, conventionally, the baking mold is simply placed on the chain conveyor and conveyed. Was adopted. That is, the baking procedure that has come to the reversing zone is held by a clamp device, pulled up, reversed according to the baking mold in the reversing device, and then returned to the top of the line.

However, since the baking mold on the line moves together with the traveling chain conveyor, it is quite difficult to take it out with high precision from the clamping device with respect to the baking mold of the reversing device. Reasons for this include misalignment of the clamp timing with respect to the moving baking dies, positional deviation of the baking dies themselves due to thermal expansion of the chains passing through the heating zone, and the like.

As described above, when the baking mold on the line is pulled up, the positional relationship with the reversing device may not match. As a result, the positioning between the raised baking mold and the other baking mold that forms a pair with it is deviated, resulting in the displacement of the hemispherical recess for enclosing the material. Therefore, after being flipped over and baked again on the line, a step is formed on the peripheral surface corresponding to the boundary portion of the mold, which impairs the appearance. Further, due to the shift between the baking molds, a material which is in a semi-solidified state and still has fluidity may leak from the boundary between the upper and lower baking molds.

[0011] Such a problem is not limited to the baked confectionery production line as illustrated, but is also required to take out the object being conveyed or the carrier itself from the line once, perform some processing or operation, and then carry the line again. The same is true of various manufacturing equipment that has a cycle of returning to.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a carrier device in a line using a chain as a carrier means, which can take out a carrier body connected to a chain from the line or return it with high position accuracy while the chain is running. Especially.

[0013]

The present invention SUMMARY OF] is a conveying apparatus the chain joined by pins travelable arranged in a loop, using a chain conveyor opened axially hole in the pin, said chain Transport along the traveling surface of
One side of the carrier body that is connected to the side facing the traveling surface.
A connecting hole is provided and a connecting hole is formed in the connecting seat,
Can move back and forth in the hole of the chain in the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the chain
Connectable connector, one end of the connector
It has a shape that can be inserted into and removed from the hole, and the other end has a shaft.
Equipped with a circular flange-shaped rolling element that is orthogonal to the wire,
The rolling element is attached to one surface of the carrier on the side where the connecting seat is provided.
Part of the peripheral surface is immersed and the connector is moved to the connecting hole.
Connector and always leave the connector in the pin hole.
There is a restraint groove that restricts the stroke range.
Can contact both sides of the connector rolling element in the axial direction.
Noble guides along the sides of the chain,
A connector connected to the running chain by a guide
It is characterized in that it can be shifted within the stroke range .

[0014]

[ Function ] The connector is formed by the rolling element and the restraint groove of the carrier.
It is a fixed distance to the chain due to the stroke regulation
The connector can be chased during this movement.
The pin always remains in the hole of the pin and its removal is regulated.
Guide the connector's rolling element as it travels.
By copying, pull out the connecting seat of the carrier from the connecting hole.
The insertion operation is performed at the same time as the chain runs. like this
Chain the carrier by connecting and disconnecting various connectors.
Can be connected or unrelated to
Whether the carrier is in line, even if the chain continues to run.
It is possible to remove it .

[0015]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a carrying device of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view thereof, and a production line for octopus grilling will be described as an example.

In the figure, a drive motor 2a is provided inside a frame 1 having a line extending in the longitudinal direction, and a drive sprocket 2b rotatably driven by the drive motor 2a is provided at the upper end of the frame 1 at both ends in the width direction of the frame 1. Set up. At the other end of the frame 1, these drive sprockets 2
Place the sprocket 2c to be paired with b.
A chain 3 that travels between the pair of sprockets 2b and 2c is provided.

The chain 3 is a standard one used in a general conveying apparatus, and as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of plates 3a and rotatable rollers 3b arranged at both ends thereof.
And the pin 3 inserted to support this roller 3b
It has a structure in which c is an element and is connected by a pin 3c.
The pin 3c is generally called a "hollow pin", and a pin having a hole 3d in its axial direction is used.

A large number of baking dies 4 are detachably attached to the two chains 3 arranged in the width direction of the frame 1. These baking dies 4 are flat plates having a length that straddles both chains 3, and a large number of hemispherical recesses 4a are formed on the upward facing surface to make them into material injection spaces. Further, on the lower surface of the baking mold 4, connecting seats 4b to the chain 3 are provided at two positions in the width direction.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway plan view of an essential part showing an end portion of one baking mold 4, and FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

The connecting seat 4b of the baking dies 4 has a plate-like shape which is elongated in the traveling direction, and has two connecting holes 4c and 4d formed at intervals in the traveling direction. On the other hand, on the upper surface of the frame 1, a rail 1a on which the rollers 3b of the chain 3 roll is provided. In this rail 1a, the rolling surface of the roller 3b is a flat surface of a certain level.

Both ends of the baking mold 4 are connected to the two chains 3 by two connectors 5, respectively. The connector 5 has a rolling element 5a at one end thereof, and a rod 5b is coaxially projected from the rolling element 5a. The rolling element 5a has a taper surface 5c whose cross section is an acute angle, and the outer diameter of the rod 5b is the pin 3 of the chain 3.
It can be freely inserted into and removed from the hole 3d of c.

On the lower surface of the baking mold 4, the restraining groove 4 of the rolling element 5a is located at a position aligned with the core of the connecting holes 4c and 4d of the connecting seat 4b.
e is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the restraint groove 4e has a depth such that a part of the upper end side of the rolling element 5a is inserted, so that the connector 5 can freely move by the length of the restraint groove 4e, and the connector 5 is moved outward. It has a function to prevent falling out. Then, as shown in the drawing, when the rolling element 5a is located on the outermost side, the tip of the rod 5b is connected to the connecting hole 4 of the connecting seat 4b.
The length of the rod 5b and the dimensional relationship of the restraining groove 4e are determined such that the rod 5b is located inside the connecting holes 4c and 4d when it is located inside the connecting holes 4c and 4d.

Further, a connector 5 is provided on the upper end of the frame 1.
A guide 6 is provided except for a part of the line so that the chain 3 can be simultaneously connected to the baking mold 4 when the chain 3 is running. The guide 6 is a strip-shaped member that is erected straight up from the frame 1, and the level of the upper end thereof is higher than the lower end of the rolling element 5a of the connector 5.

1 and 2, the connector 5 is provided in an area near the end of the line where the guide 6 is not installed.
Two separation guides 7 are provided for removing the sushi from the connecting seat 4b of the baking dies 4. These separation guides 7 have the same height and shape as the guides 6, but the spacing between the separation guides 7 is larger.

The guide 6 and the separation guide 7 are discontinuous, and as shown in FIG. 2, the separation guide 7 is provided at a portion where the guide 6 shifts to the separation guide 7 when viewed in the flow direction of the line.
Is provided inwardly and an entrance side point 7a is provided whose tip is directed toward the center of the line with respect to the guide 6. Similarly, when viewed in the flow direction of the line, the separation guide 7 to the guide 6
The guide 6 is bent to the outside at a portion where transition is made to a point 6a on the outgoing side where the tip of the guide 6 projects further than the separation guide 7.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway plan view showing the movement of the connector 5 from the guide 6 to the separation guide 7 by the entry side point 7a.

As shown in FIG. 4 (a), the rolling element 5a of the connector 5 is constrained inside the guide 6, and the rolling element 5a of FIG.
As described above, the tip of the rod 5b is inserted into the connecting holes 4c and 4d of the connecting seat 4b. Therefore, when the chain 3 travels, since the baking dies 4 are connected to the chain 3 by the connector 5, they are transferred to the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2.

When the baking mold 4 approaches the separation guide 7, the entry side point 7a thereof projects further inward than the guide 6, so that the rolling element 5a abuts the outer surface of the entry side point 7a. Since the entry side point 7a has a gentle inclination toward the outer side, the tapered surface 5c of the rolling element 5a moves to the outside as shown in (b) of the figure while following the outer wall of the entry side point 7a. To go. By such movement of the connector 5, the rod 5b of the connector 5 on the front side in the line direction comes out from the connecting hole 4c. Then, when the chain 3 further travels, the subsequent connector 5 also moves in the same manner, and the rod 5b of the connector 5 is connected to the connecting hole 4d.
Get out of.

After the two connectors 5 have moved outward along the entry side point 7a, the rolling elements 5a come into contact with the outer surface of the separation guide 7 as shown in FIG. Only the chain 3 continues to move without stopping without being connected to the seat 4b. Therefore, the baking mold 4 can be separated from the chain 3 while the chain 3 is running, and the baking mold 4 can be removed from the line.

FIG. 7 is a cutaway plan view showing a situation in which the connector 5 is returned from the separation guide 7 to the guide 6 side again by the exit side point 6a.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the connector 5 that has moved together with the chain 3 while applying the inner surface of the rolling element 5a to the outer surface of the separation guide 7 is projected to the outside of the separation guide 7. Hit point 6a. Then, guided by the inward inclination of the exit point 6a, the preceding connector 5 moves inward as shown in FIG. 7 (a). On the other hand, by synchronizing the traveling speed of the chain 3 and the setting of the position of the baking dies 4, for example, when the baking dies 4 are set so as to be covered from above the line, the position of the connecting hole 4c of the connecting seat 4b is set. It is possible to fit the connector 5. Therefore, the connector 5 moving inward gradually enters the connecting hole 4c, and the subsequent connector 5 also enters the other connecting hole 4d.

By such movement of the connector 5, the rolling element 5a is constrained to a position where it comes into contact with the inner surface of the guide 6 as shown in FIG. 7B, and the chain 3 and the baking dies 4 are connected by the connector 5. . Therefore, the baking mold 4 can be conveyed along with the traveling of the chain 3, and the cycle of moving around the drive sprocket 2b through the lower path in FIG. 1 is repeated.

Here, the material is injected into the recess 4a on the left end side in FIGS. 1 and 2 with respect to the baking mold 4 moving on the transport line. This material injection can be done manually or by using a dedicated automatic injection machine, and each baking mold 4 is supplied as a unit to supply the material. Further, a burner 20 for heating the injected material is provided above the midway portion of the transfer line. In the illustrated example, the burner 20 is installed only above the transfer line, or may be incorporated in the frame 1 to simultaneously heat the baking mold 4 from below.

Further, downstream of the burner 20 and above the separation guide 7, there is provided a processing station 21 for pulling up the baking mold 4 from the transfer line for secondary processing. Various functions can be considered as the function of the processing station 21, but in the case of a production line for octopus baking, a baking mold having the same shape as the baking mold 4 is covered and these integrated products are turned upside down. The processing station 21 is provided with a clamp mechanism or the like for pulling up the baking dies 4 with respect to the chain 3 that continues to run and returning the processed baking dies 4 to the line side again to connect them to the chains 3. 8 and 9 show detailed views thereof.

The processing station 21 is provided with a housing 22 provided with a wheel 22a that rolls on a support 21a fixed to the frame 1, and an elevating block 23 is provided inside the housing 22. A shift cylinder 22b for reversing in the line direction is connected to the housing 22, and thereby the entire processing station 21 is moved in synchronization with the traveling speed of the chain 3. The elevating block 23 can be moved up and down by abutting the guide rolls 23a provided at both ends in the width direction against the inner wall of the housing 22, and the elevating operation is performed by the elevating cylinder 22c provided at the upper end of the housing 22.
Done by.

In the example of the processing station 21 shown,
Although the lifting block 23 is shown as an open space inside, it is assumed that a device for secondary processing, an upper mold covering device and a reversing device are actually incorporated. Then, a pair of clamp devices 24 for pulling up or returning the baking dies 4 from the chains 3 are provided at positions sandwiching the width direction of the transport line.

The clamp device 24, as shown in FIG.
It is provided with a clamp cylinder 24a and two clampers 24b, 24c sandwiching the baking mold 4 from above and below. The clampers 24b and 24c have their respective rotation axes in a posture parallel to the transport line of the chain 3, and the pinions 24d and 24e are attached to these rotation axes. The upper clamper 24b is attached to the rod of the clamp cylinder 24a.
The rack 24f that meshes with the pinion 24d is formed.

By the clamp device 24 having such a mechanism, the operation of the clamp cylinder 24a causes
The upper and lower clampers 24b and 24c operate so as to close and open, and the clamping and restraint of the baking dies 4 can be released.

In the above construction, the material is injected into the recess 4a of the baking mold 4 by an automatic pouring machine or manual operation with respect to the baking mold 4 moving along the line. This injection work is performed at the left end portion of the line in FIGS. 1 and 2, as described above.

Until the chain 3 reaches the separation guide 7, the connector 5 passed through the hole 3d is inserted into the connecting holes 4c and 4d of the connecting seat 4b, so that the baking dies 4 run together with the chain 3. . Then, the material is heated as it passes through the burner 20, and then reaches the separation guide 7, and the connector 5 releases the restraint of the baking mold 4 as described in FIG. Therefore, the baking mold 4 has no relation to the traveling chain 3, and at this time, the processing station 21
Is activated to pull up the baking mold 4 from the line.

When the baking mold 4 is pulled up, the restraining groove 4e on the lower surface of the baking mold 4 separates from the rolling element 5a of the connector 5. Therefore, in order to prevent the connector 5 from falling off, an auxiliary guide 7b for preventing the rolling element 5a from coming off is provided outside the separation guide 7, as shown in FIGS. By doing so, the connector 5 can always maintain the state in which the rod 5b is inserted into the hole 3d of the mating chain 3, and the obstacles for continuous running of the chain 3 are eliminated.

Further, in order to raise the baking dies 4, the limit switch 25 is arranged near the line as shown in FIG. 8, and when the baking dies 4 hit the limit switch 25, the processing station 21 is activated. By controlling so that the chain 3 can be processed, the baking mold 4 can be processed while the chain 3 is running. That is, the position of the processing station 21 is set in advance as shown in FIG. 8, and when the baking mold 4 hits the limit switch 25, the clamp cylinder 24a is operated and the clampers 24b and 24c are moved to the baking mold 4.
Both ends are restrained, and then the lifting block 23 is lifted by the lifting cylinder 22c. As a result, the baking dies 4 on the line are collected on the processing station 21 side and the required processing is performed.

During processing at this processing station 21,
The chain 3 continues to run, and in order to connect the baking mold 4 to the original chain 3, the shift cylinder 22b simultaneously moves the processing station 21 in the transport direction.
After the processing is completed, the elevating cylinder 22c lowers the elevating block 23 to synchronize the baking mold 4 with the original chain 3 so that the baking mold 4 is placed at the same position.
Place it on top. Until this time, the chain 3 is in a state where the connector 5 is separated by the separation guide 7, and then the connector 5 is again connected to the connecting holes 4c, 4 as shown in FIG.
Entering into d, the baking mold 4 moves together with the chain 3.

In this way, the baking mold 4 can be transferred to the processing station 21 and recovered without stopping the chain 3. Then, since the baking die 4 is clamped when it does not move from the chain 3 without moving, the positional accuracy of the baking die 4 with respect to the processing station 21 can be maintained at a high level without displacement during the clamping operation.
Therefore, for example, even when the upper mold is placed on the baking mold 4 in the processing station 21, the positioning is accurately performed, and the leakage of material does not occur.

Further, since the connector 5 is simply inserted / removed into / from the connecting holes 4c, 4d when the baking dies 4 are running, the baking dies 4 are not vibrated during this operation. For this reason, the material in the semi-solidified state in the recess 4a is not shaken, the overflow of the material from the recess 4a is prevented, and the product without the shape collapse is obtained.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cutaway plan view of a main part showing another embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the main part as seen in the line direction.

Similar to the above-mentioned example, the guide 6 is fixed to the frame 1, and the separation guide 7 having a wider line spacing than the guide 6 is arranged below the processing station 21 shown in FIG. The movable guide 8 is provided at the connecting portion between the guide 6 and the separation guide 7 instead of the point of the above example.
To provide. The movable guide 8 is arranged at both the connecting portions of the two guides 6 and the separation guide 7.

The movable guide 8 is connected to the rod 9a of the shift cylinder 9 and is movable in the direction orthogonal to the line by the forward / backward movement of the rod 9a. The shift cylinder 9 is connected to the rod 10a of the elevating cylinder 10, and the elevating operation of the rod 10a also elevates the shift cylinder 9.

In the case where such a movable guide 8 is provided, when the chain 3 travels as in the above-mentioned example, the rolling of the connector 5 inserted into the connecting holes 4c and 4d of the connecting seat 4b of the baking mold 4 is performed. The child 5a is guided by the surface of the guide 6 facing the center of the line, and together with the chain 3 the baking mold 4
Are transferred. Then, when the baking dies 4 come to the movable guide 8 portion, they correspond to the outer surface of the movable guide 8 located inside the rolling elements 5a as shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 11 (a). Come to do.

Then, when both of the two guide rods 5 are in the positions included in the movable guide 8, the rod 9a of the shift cylinder 9 is retracted. Then, by the operation of the rod 9a, the movable guide 8 pulls the rolling element 5a to the outside as shown in FIG. 10B, and the connector 5 is pulled out from the connecting holes 4c and 4d. Therefore, the connector 5 on the side of the chain 3 and the baking dies 4 have no connection, and the chains 3 continue to run as they are, but the baking dies 4 stop at the positions shown in the figure.

When the movable guide 8 is pulled out, the outer surface of the movable guide 8 is moved so as to coincide with the outer surface of the separation guide 7. As a result, when the chain 3 travels, the rolling elements 5a move while being guided by the outer surface of the separation guide 7, and while the connector 5 travels along the separation guide 7, it is free from lines. The baking mold 4 is processed by the processing station 21.

The processed baking mold 4 is returned to the line at the time when the chain 3 travels and the connector 5 reaches between the connector 5 and the guide 6 via the terminal end of the separation guide 7. Then, the movable guide 8 is temporarily shifted to the outer surface side of the rolling element 5a in accordance with this timing, and then the rod 9a of the shift cylinder 9 is advanced as shown in FIG. 10 (c). As a result, the connector 5 advances toward the connecting seat 4b,
The rod 5b enters into the connecting holes 4c and 4d, and the baking die 4 is rejoined to the chain 3.

The position of the movable guide 8 at the time of this coupling is set to be the same as that of the downstream guide 6, as shown in FIG. As a result, the rolling element 5a is guided to the inner surface side of the guide 6 simultaneously with the traveling of the chain 3, the rod 5a of the connector 5 travels without coming out of the connecting holes 4c and 4d, and the baking dies 4 are conveyed again.

[0054]

In the present invention, it can be carried by concatenating carrier without stopping the chain or disconnect the concatenation of this chain as unrelated, and therefore chains to the connector returns from outside the line, various The handling of
It can be optimally used as a transfer facility on the line. Well
In addition, using the restraint groove provided on the carrier, the connector strobe
Since such a function is used for chain regulation,
It is not necessary to install it on the guide side, and the carrier itself can be connected.
By contributing to the movement operation of the
Simple simplification is possible and maintenance inspection is easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a carrying device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a transfer device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a chain with holes used in a carrying device.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an outline of a connecting operation between a chain side connector and a baking mold.

5 is a schematic vertical sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway plan view showing a process of extracting the connector from the baking die, wherein (a) of the drawing shows a state in which the chain and the baking die are connected by the connector, and (b) of the same figure. The process of removing the connector is shown in (c) of the same figure.
Indicates a state in which the baking mold and the chain are separated from each other.

FIG. 7 is a cutaway plan view showing the insertion of the connector into the connecting seat, wherein FIG. 7A shows the insertion process, and FIG. 7B shows the reconnection of the chain and the baking die.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the processing station as seen in a direction orthogonal to the line.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the processing station viewed in the line direction.

FIG. 10 is a cutaway plan view of an essential part showing another embodiment, in which (a) of the figure shows a state before the connector is removed, and (b) of the figure is the withdrawal from the connecting seat of the connector. The latter shows (c) of the figure, which shows the reconnection of the connector to the connecting seat.

11 is a schematic view showing a drive system of the movable guide of FIG. 10, wherein (a) of the same figure shows a state in which the movable guide can be engaged with a rolling element of a connector, and (b) of the same figure. The state where the level of the movable guide is lowered so that the lower part of the rolling element can be moved is shown.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 frame 2a drive motor 2b drive sprocket 2c sprocket 3 chain 3b roller 3d hole 4 baking die 4b connecting seat 4c, 4d connecting hole 5 connector 5a rolling element 5b rod 5c taper surface 6 guide 6a exit side point 7 separation guide 7a Point 8 Movable guide 9 Shift cylinder 10 Lifting cylinder 20 Burner 21 Processing station

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A chain joined by pins travelable arranged in a loop, a transport device using a chain conveyor drilled axially to said pin, said switch
One side of the carrier that carries along the traveling surface of the chain
A connecting seat is provided on the side facing the running surface and the connecting seat is connected.
A connecting hole is opened in the seat, and the chain runs in the hole of the pin.
Connect the connectors that can move back and forth in the direction orthogonal to the
One end of the connector can be inserted into and removed from the connecting hole.
A circular flange that has a shape and is orthogonal to the axis at the other end
-Like rolling element is integrally provided, and the side on which the connecting seat is provided is
Part of the peripheral surface of the rolling element is immersed in one surface of the carrier,
The movement of the connector is inserted into and removed from the connecting hole, and
Restricted to the stroke range where the connector is always left in the pin hole
To provide a restraining groove, and further, the axis line of the rolling element of the connector.
Guides that can contact the both sides of the chain
It is placed along the side of the
Connector connected to the chain
A transfer device that uses a chain conveyor that can be shifted by .