JP2002283996A - Conveying facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily change the direction of a conveying carrier running on a conveying route comprising a linear part and a bending part to the quadratic direction in a conveying facility having the conveying carrier. SOLUTION: The conveying carrier 6 has a running part 12 and a support part 11 that are relatively turnable about a turning axis 15, and the running part 12 is provided with a drive wheel 19 driven by a driving device 20, a driven wheel 21, and a guided body 22 guided to a guiding rail 18 disposed along the conveying route 4. The driving wheel 19 and a driven wheel 21 are disposed oppositely about the turning axis 15, the guided body 22 is disposed on the same side as the driving wheel 19 with respect to the turning axis 15, and a blocking plate 29 for blocking the support part 11 when the conveying carrier 6 changes the direction at the bending part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport facility provided with a transport truck for transporting a load.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a transport facility for transporting a load,
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, after receiving a load 72 conveyed by one conveyor 71 and traveling on a transfer path 73, the transfer cart 7 transfers the load 72 to the other conveyor 74.
Some have five. The straight path 73
a and the curved portion 73b are formed, the conveyors 71 and 74 respectively apply a load 7
In order to carry out the transfer of No. 2, it is installed along the straight traveling portion 73a. In addition, the transport carriage 75 has a plurality of traveling wheels (not shown), and travels while being guided by a guide rail (not shown) provided along the transport path 73.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional type, when the transport carriage 75 makes a U-turn, it cannot be bent (turned) in a right angle direction from the rectilinear portion 73a of the transport path 73. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the arcuate curved portion 73b as described above, and the arcuate area including the curved portion 73b becomes a useless space S (dead space), and the floor cannot be effectively utilized.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport facility capable of easily changing the direction of a transport cart in a right angle direction.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport facility having a transport vehicle traveling on a transport path including a straight portion and a bent portion. Has a traveling portion, a support portion that supports the load and is provided on the traveling portion, and the support portion and the traveling portion are configured to be relatively rotatable around a vertical axis, Fixing means for fixing and releasing the turning of the supporting portion with respect to the traveling portion is provided, and the traveling portion has a first wheel and a second wheel.
And a driving device for rotating at least one of the first and second wheels is provided, and the first and second wheels are aligned with the longitudinal axis. The first wheels are located on opposite sides of each other as a center, and the first wheels are guided by guide members provided along the transport path, and prevent the support portion from turning when the transport vehicle turns at the bent portion. A blocking means is provided.

According to this, at least one of the first and second wheels is rotationally driven by the driving device, and the first wheel is guided by the guide member, so that the transport vehicle travels on a straight portion of the transport path. Then, when the transport vehicle changes direction from the straight traveling portion through the bent portion while the first wheel is guided by the guide member, at the bent portion, the blocking means turns the support portion about the turning axis at the bent portion. To block. Accordingly, the traveling unit relatively pivots about the pivot axis along the guide member with respect to the support unit. Therefore, in the bent portion, the transporting vehicle can be easily turned in the right angle direction from the straight traveling portion by the traveling portion turning, for example, 90 ° with respect to the supporting portion.

When the carrier is traveling on the straight section of the transport route, the support section is inadvertently rotated with respect to the traveling section by fixing the pivoting of the supporting section with respect to the traveling section by the fixing means. Can be prevented. Also,
At the bent portion of the transport path, by releasing the fixing of the turning of the support portion to the traveling portion by the fixing means,
The traveling section turns with respect to the support section.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an auxiliary wheel is provided on the traveling portion, and the auxiliary wheel is configured to be freely rotatable and changeable in direction according to the turning of the traveling portion.

[0009] According to this, the traveling section is composed of the first wheel and the second wheel.
Since the vehicle travels and turns while being supported by the wheels and the auxiliary wheels, the stability of the traveling section is improved. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the first wheel and the second wheel are disposed on a first straight line in a radial direction passing through a vertical axis, and the auxiliary wheel passes through the vertical axis and the first wheel. It is arranged on a second straight line orthogonal to the straight line.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the guide member has a straight guide portion along the straight portion of the transport path and a bent guide portion along the bent portion. A guide body is provided, and the guided body is located on the same side as the first wheel with respect to the longitudinal axis, and when the turning of the support portion is prevented by the blocking means, the guided body is It is located at the boundary where the straight guide portion transitions to the bent guide portion or at the end of the straight guide portion.

According to this, the guided vehicle is guided by the straight guide portion of the guide member, so that the transport vehicle travels on the straight portion of the transport path. Further, in the bent portion of the transport path, the blocking means prevents the support portion from turning around the turning axis, and the guided body is guided from the straight guide portion of the guide member to the bent guide portion, thereby traveling. The portion relatively turns around the turning axis along the bending guide portion.

In the fifth aspect of the present invention, each time the vehicle travels through the bent portion of the transport path, the traveling section turns around the longitudinal axis and changes direction, and the support section travels in a fixed direction on the entire transport path. Is to be maintained.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG.
1 transports the load 3 along a closed loop transport path 4,
Load 3 on one conveyor 2 and the other conveyor 5
It is a transfer facility for delivering. The transport facility 1 has a plurality of transport vehicles 6 traveling on the transport path 4.

The transport path 4 includes a pair of one and the other rectilinear portions 4a and 4b parallel to each other, a transverse rectilinear portion 4c perpendicular to the ends of the rectilinear portions 4a and 4b, and the one rectilinear portion. One bent portion 4d where the portion 4a intersects the traverse straight portion 4c, the other straight portion 4b and the traverse straight portion 4c
And the other bent portion 4e that intersects.
A plurality of the one conveyors 2 are installed along one of the straight sections 4a, and the other conveyor 5 is provided with the other straight section 4b.
Are installed along.

As shown in FIG. 5, a guide rail 18 (an example of a guide member) is provided on the floor 17 along the transport path 4. The guide rail 18 includes one straight guide portion 18a along the one straight portion 4a, the other straight guide portion 18b along the other straight portion 4b, and a transverse straight guide portion along the transverse straight portion 4c. 18c, one arcuate bending guide portion 18d provided between the one straight guiding portion 18a and the traversing straight guiding portion 18c at the one bending portion 4d, and the other at the other bending portion 4e. And the other arcuate bent guide portion 18e provided between the rectilinear guide portion 18b and the traverse rectilinear guide portion 18c.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the transport vehicles 6 has a support portion 11 for supporting the load 3 and a disk-shaped traveling portion 12 provided below the support portion 11. are doing. The support unit 11 is provided with a transfer device 13 that supports the load 3 and transfers the load 3 in a direction that is orthogonal to the rectilinear portions 4a and 4b. The transfer device 13 includes a pair of chain conveyors 13a and 13b.

A vertical axis 33 erected at the center of the main body frame 12a of the traveling portion 12 is inserted from below into the center of the main body frame 11a of the support portion 11, and
And the traveling portion 12 are connected via the bearing device 14 to the vertical axis 3
It is configured to be relatively independently rotatable around a turning axis 15 (corresponding to a vertical axis) passing through the center 3. Drive wheels 19 are provided on the main body frame 12a of the traveling section 12.
(An example of a first wheel), a driving device 20 including a motor or the like for driving the driving wheel 19 to rotate, an idler driven wheel 21 (an example of a second wheel), and the guide rail 1
8 and auxiliary wheels 23a, 23
b.

The driving wheel 19 and the driven wheel 21 are arranged on a first radial line X passing through the turning axis 15 and are 180 ° from each other about the turning axis 15.
It is located on the opposite side and is further located at the outer edge of the lower end of the traveling section 12. The rotation axis of the driving wheel 19 and the driven wheel 21 coincides with the first straight line X.

The two auxiliary wheels 23a and 23b are disposed on a second straight line Y passing through the turning axis 15 and orthogonal to the first straight line X. And is located at the lower edge outer edge of the traveling portion 12. Each of the auxiliary wheels 23a and 23b is a freely rotatable caster provided with a cushioning member, and is configured to be able to change its direction by horizontally rotating around a longitudinal axis 24.

The guided body 22 comprises a pair of guide rollers 25a, 25b located on both sides of the guide rail 18 in the front and rear direction in the direction of the transport path 4.
Each of these guide rollers 25a and 25b is attached to the attachment member 26 so as to be freely rotatable about a vertical axis. The mounting member 26 is mounted on the traveling section 12 via a mounting arm 27. The guided member 22 is
It is located on the same side as the drive wheel 19 with respect to the turning axis 15,
In addition, they are arranged on the first straight line X.

The carriage 6 is provided with fixing means 34 for fixing and releasing the turning of the support 11 with respect to the traveling section 12. The fixing means 34 includes
Fixing holes 35a-35 formed in the main body frame 11a.
Fixing pin 36 that can be inserted and removed in the vertical direction with respect to 35d
And a cylinder device 37 that moves the fixing pin 36 up and down. The fixing holes 35a to 35d
Are formed at the lower part of the main body frame 11a at four locations distributed by 90 ° around the pivot axis 15. The cylinder device 37 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the main body frame 12a of the traveling section 12.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, on the outer wall 28 of the traversing straight portion 4c, when the carrier 6 changes direction at each of the bent portions 4d and 4e, the center of the turning axis 15 is centered. A blocking plate 29 (an example of a blocking unit) for blocking the turning of the supporting unit 11 is provided. Further, the support portion 11
At the edge of the stopper plate 29 can freely contact and separate from the blocking plate 29,
Further, a plurality of rollers 30 that are freely rotatable about the vertical axis are provided.

Further, an encoder 38 (see FIG. 3) for counting the number of rotations of the motor of the drive unit 20 is provided in the traveling section 12 of the transport carriage 6. The position along the transport path 4 is configured to be detected.

A power supply rail (not shown) is laid along the guide rail 18, and a current collector (see FIG. 4) slidingly contacting the power supply rail is attached to the mounting member 26 of the guided body 22 of the transport vehicle 6. (Not shown).

The operation of the above configuration will be described below.
When the load 3 conveyed by one conveyor 2 is received, conveyed along the conveyance path 4 and passed to the other conveyor 5,
By rotating the driving wheel 19 with the driving device 20,
The carriage 6 is one of the straight guide portions 18a of the guide rail 18.
Travels on one of the straight sections 4a of the transport path 4 while being guided. At this time, as shown in FIG.
Since the fixing pin 36 is inserted into the fixing hole 35a, the support portion 11 and the traveling portion 12 are fixed to each other in the turning direction, and the support portion 11 may be inadvertently turned with respect to the traveling portion 12. Absent.

The driving wheels 19 are stopped in front of the predetermined one of the conveyors 2 so that the carriage 6
Stops before the predetermined one conveyor 2. And
By operating the transfer device 13, the load 3 conveyed by the predetermined one conveyor 2 is transferred by the transfer device 13 and supported on the support portion 11 of the transfer vehicle 6.

Thereafter, the carriage 6 is moved to one of the straight guide portions 1.
When the vehicle travels on one straight portion 4a while being guided by 8a and reaches one bent portion 4d as shown in FIG. 5, the support portion 11 of the carriage 6 faces the blocking plate 29 and the roller 30 Since the support portion 11 is in contact with the rotation shaft 29, the rotation of the support portion 11 about the rotation axis 15 is prevented (fixed).

At this time, by detecting the position of the drive wheel 19 using the encoder 38, it is detected that the drive wheel 19 has reached one bent portion 4d of the transport path 4, and based on this detection, the cylinder device 37 Fixing pin 3
6 is pulled out downward from the fixing hole 35a, and the fixing of the traveling portion 12 in the turning direction with respect to the support portion 11 is released.

In this state, since the drive wheels 19 are continuously driven to rotate, the guided body 22 is guided from one straight guide portion 18a of the guide rail 18 to one bent guide portion 18d as shown in FIG. Then, the traveling portion 12 relatively turns around the turning axis 15 with respect to the support portion 11 along the one bending guide portion 18d. Therefore,
As shown in FIG. 7, at the one bent portion 4d, the traveling part 12 is turned by 90 ° with respect to the support part 11, thereby easily changing the direction of the carrier 6 from the one straight part 4a to the right angle direction. Can be done.

Thereafter, by detecting the position of the drive wheel 19 using the encoder 38, it is detected that the drive wheel 19 has reached the position A where the drive wheel 19 has made a 90 ° turn at one bending portion 4d of the transport path 4, and this detection is performed. Based on this, the fixing pin 36 is inserted into the fixing hole 35b by the cylinder device 37, so that the support portion 11 and the traveling portion 12 are fixed to each other in the turning direction, and the support portion 11 is inadvertent with respect to the traveling portion 12. No turning.

In this state, since the drive wheels 19 are continuously driven to rotate, the carriage 6 is moved by the traversing straight guide portion 18.
While being guided by c, the vehicle travels transversely from the one bent portion 4d on the transversely straight traveling portion 4c. At this time, since the roller 30 rotates while being in contact with the blocking plate 29, the support portion 11 is guided along the blocking plate 29.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, when the carriage 6 reaches the other bent portion 4e, the drive wheel 19 is moved to the other bent portion of the transport path 4 by detecting the position of the drive wheel 19 using the encoder 38. 4e is detected, and based on this detection, the fixing pin 36 is pulled out of the fixing hole 35b downward by the cylinder device 37, and the fixing of the traveling portion 12 to the support portion 11 in the turning direction is released. You.

In this state, since the drive wheel 19 is continuously driven to rotate, the guided body 22 is guided from the traversing straight guide portion 18c of the guide rail 18 to the other bent guide portion 18e, and the guide member 18 moves relative to the support portion 11. The traveling portion 12 relatively turns around the turning axis 15 along the other bending guide portion 18e. Therefore, at the other bent portion 4e, as shown in FIG.
, The carrier 6 can be easily turned in the right angle direction from the traversing straight portion 4c.

Thereafter, by detecting the position of the drive wheel 19 using the encoder 38, it is detected that the drive wheel 19 has reached the position B where the drive wheel 19 has turned 90 ° at the other bent portion 4e of the transport path 4, and this detection is performed. Based on this, the fixing pin 36 is inserted into the fixing hole 35c by the cylinder device 37, so that the support portion 11 and the traveling portion 12 are fixed to each other in the turning direction, and the support portion 11 is inadvertent with respect to the traveling portion 12. No turning.

In this state, since the drive wheels 19 continue to be driven to rotate, the carriage 6 moves to the other straight guide section 1.
While being guided by 8b, it travels on the other straight portion 4b from the other bent portion 4e.

As described above, since the direction of the carriage 6 can be easily changed in the right-angle direction, the useless space S (dead space: FIG.
) Can be almost eliminated, and the floor 17 can be used effectively.

The traveling section 12 travels and turns while being supported by the driving wheel 19, the driven wheel 21, and the auxiliary wheels 23a and 23b, so that the stability of the traveling section 12 is improved.

The traveling section 12 of the transport carriage 6 is connected to the transport path 4
The support unit 11 is maintained in a fixed direction on the entire transport path 4 while the support unit 11 is turned at 90 ° every time it passes through the bent portions 4d and 4e of the. It will be constant.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG.
When the roller 30 comes into contact with the blocking plate 29 and the rotation of the support portion 11 is blocked by the blocking plate 29, the guided body 22 is located at the boundary where the guide rail 18 shifts from the straight guide portion 18 a to the bent guide portion 18 d. However, it may be set so as to be located at the end of the straight guide portion 18a slightly before the boundary.

In the above embodiment, the first wheel is the drive wheel 19 and the second wheel is the driven wheel 21.
The first wheel may be a driven wheel, the second wheel may be a drive wheel, and furthermore, both the first wheel and the second wheel may be drive wheels.

In the above embodiment, two auxiliary wheels 23a and 23b are provided in the traveling section 12, but one or three or more auxiliary wheels may be provided. Alternatively, it may not be necessary. In the above-described embodiment, the guided member 22 guided by the guide rail 18 is provided in the traveling portion 12. However, the guided member 22 may be eliminated, and the drive wheel 19 may be directly guided by the guide rail 18.

In the above-described embodiment, the transport path 4 is formed in a closed loop, but is not limited to the closed loop, and may be a transport path having an open end.

[0043]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the transport cart can be easily turned in the right-angle direction at the bent portion of the transport path, so that the waste generated in the conventional transport equipment is eliminated. Space (dead space) can be almost eliminated, and the floor can be used effectively.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the traveling section travels and turns while being supported by the first wheel, the second wheel, and the auxiliary wheel, so that the stability of the traveling section is improved. According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the guided vehicle is guided by the linear guide portion of the guide member, so that the transport vehicle travels along the linear portion of the transport path. Further, in the bent portion of the transport path, the guided portion is guided from the straight guide portion of the guide member to the bent guide portion, so that the traveling portion turns around the turning axis along the bent guide portion. I do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transport cart of a transport facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the transport trolley of the transport equipment as viewed from a first straight line X direction.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the transfer cart of the transfer facility as viewed from a second straight line Y direction.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same transport equipment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining an operation of the transfer facility when the transfer carriage changes direction, showing a state where the transfer carriage has reached one bent portion from one straight traveling portion.

FIG. 6 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the transport equipment when the transport vehicle changes direction, showing a state in which the traveling portion of the transport vehicle is turning at one bending portion.

FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the transport equipment when the transport vehicle changes direction, and shows a state in which turning of the traveling portion of the transport vehicle has been completed at one bending portion.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the transport equipment in the transport equipment when the transport vehicle changes direction, and shows a state in which the transport vehicle travels along the traversing straight traveling portion and reaches the other bending portion.

FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the transport facility when the transport vehicle changes direction, and shows a state in which the turning of the traveling portion of the transport vehicle has been completed at the other bending portion.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conventional transport facility.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveying equipment 3 Load 4 Conveying route 4a-4c Straight part 4d, 4e Bending part 6 Carriage 11 Support part 12 Running part 15 Rotation axis (vertical axis) 18 Guide rail (guide member) 18a-18c Straight guide Part 18d, 18e Bending guide part 19 Drive wheel (first wheel) 20 Drive device 21 Follower wheel (second wheel) 22 Guided body 23a, 23b Auxiliary wheel 29 Blocking plate (blocking unit) 34 Fixing unit X First Straight line Y 2nd straight line

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A transport facility having a transport vehicle traveling on a transport path including a straight traveling portion and a bent portion, wherein the transport vehicle supports a traveling portion, a load, and a support provided on the traveling portion. And the supporting portion and the traveling portion are configured to be relatively rotatable around a vertical axis, and fixing means for fixing and releasing the rotation of the supporting portion with respect to the traveling portion is provided. A first wheel and a second wheel, and a driving device for rotating at least one of the first and second wheels is provided on the traveling unit; And the second wheel are located on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis, and the first wheel is guided by a guide member provided along the transport path,
A transport facility, characterized in that the transport unit is provided with a blocking means for preventing the support unit from turning when the transport vehicle changes direction at the bent portion. 2. The transport according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary wheel is provided on the traveling section, and the auxiliary wheel is configured to be freely rotatable and changeable in direction according to the turning of the traveling section. Facility. 3. The first wheel and the second wheel are arranged on a first radial straight line passing through a longitudinal axis, and the auxiliary wheel is
3. The transfer equipment according to claim 2, wherein the transfer equipment is disposed on a second straight line passing through the vertical axis and orthogonal to the first straight line. 4. The guide member has a straight guide portion along a straight portion of the transport path and a bent guide portion along a bent portion, and a guided member guided by the guide member is provided in the traveling portion. The guided body is located on the same side as the first wheel with respect to the longitudinal axis, and when the turning of the supporting portion is prevented by the blocking means, the guided body is moved to the straight guiding portion. The transport equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transport equipment is located at a boundary which transitions to a bending guide portion from an edge of the vehicle or at an end of the straight guide portion. 5. Each time the vehicle travels through a bent portion of the transport path, the traveling section turns around the longitudinal axis and changes direction, and the support section is maintained in a fixed direction on the entire transport path. The transport equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: