JP5725768B2 - Transfer equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device that is arranged on a conveyor line and can set the conveyance direction of articles in both vertical and horizontal directions.

  In a product assembly line or a delivery place, a conveyor line is often used for conveying articles. For example, a large number of conveyor lines are installed vertically and horizontally in a delivery area, and a transfer device is disposed at a position where the conveyor lines intersect. Then, by operating the transfer device, the article is moved from the conveyor line to another conveyor line, and the article is conveyed to a desired place.

  Here, the transfer apparatus generally has an article conveying unit in the vertical direction, an article conveying unit in the horizontal direction, and an elevating unit. During normal times, the top surface of the article transport section that is not involved in the vertical or horizontal transport of the transfer device is set to be higher than the transport surface of the vertical transport conveyor line so as not to interfere with the transport of articles on the conveyor line. It is evacuated to the lower side. Then, the destination of the article moving on the conveyor line is determined by a sensor or the like, and if the article is a predetermined article, the article is stopped on the transfer device by the stopper, and the lifting / lowering unit is further operated to transfer the article. The article conveying section is raised above the conveying surface of the conveyor line to lift the article, and the article conveying section is operated to send the article to another conveyor. Such a transfer apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2005-280857 A

  By the way, in recent years, there is a desire to increase the conveyance speed of articles on a conveyor line from the viewpoint of efficiency in a conveyance site or the like. However, in the transfer apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the article is stopped on the transfer apparatus when changing the conveyance direction of the article, so that it takes time to convey the article.

As a method for changing the conveyance direction, there are known a method in which an article is pushed out by a pressing member such as a pusher and the conveyance direction is changed, and a method in which the conveyance direction of the article is changed by a guide such as a slide shoe.
However, this method requires time for the pressing member and the guide to reciprocate between the position where the pressing member and the guide are normally waiting and the position where the guide is brought into contact with the article, and it takes time to change the transport direction. It was. Further, in this method, when the conveyance direction of the article is changed, a new article cannot be carried onto the transfer device until the pressing member or the guide returns to the normal standby position. Therefore, there is a problem in that the interval between the articles on the conveyor line has to be increased, and many articles cannot be conveyed in a short time. Furthermore, when the side surface of the object to be conveyed is pressed with a pressing member or a guide, there is a problem that the posture of the pressed object to be conveyed is disturbed.

  In view of the above-described problems of the prior art, the present invention can change the transport direction without completely stopping the object to be transported on the transfer device, and can quickly change the transport direction. It is an issue to provide.

The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problem forms a part of the conveyor device, places the object to be conveyed on the conveying surface, and places the object to be conveyed along the main conveying path of the conveyor device. A main transport conveyor unit that can be transported in the same direction as the main transport conveyor unit, and placed in the same area as the main transport conveyor unit to be transported in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the main transport conveyor unit In a transfer apparatus having a sub-conveying conveyor unit that conveys an object, and an elevating unit that raises and lowers both the main conveying conveyor unit and the sub-conveying conveyor unit , an object to be conveyed is to be conveyed along the main conveying path of the conveyor device. When approaching the transfer device, the transfer surface of the main transfer conveyor unit is moved above the transfer surface of the sub transfer conveyor unit, and the object to be discharged from the main transfer path of the conveyor device is transferred. Proximity to the loading device or over the loading device The, the state of moving the conveying surface at a height above the height of the conveying surface of the main conveyor section of the sub-conveyor unit, a main object to be conveyed to be discharged from the main transport path to maintain the inertial forces while in the direction along the conveying path is moving on the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor unit, a sub-conveyor unit is transport operation, the direction of the force auxiliary conveyor section intersects the inertial force to the carried object The transfer apparatus is characterized in that the object to be conveyed is discharged from the main conveyance path.

The transfer device of the present invention operates the sub-conveying conveyor unit while the object to be conveyed is moving in the direction along the main conveying path while maintaining the inertial force, and the sub-conveying conveyor unit is moved to the object to be conveyed. The object to be conveyed can be discharged from the main conveyance path by applying a force in a direction crossing the inertial force.
In other words, when the object to be conveyed is traveling along the main conveyance path, the conveyance operation of the object to be conveyed is started at the sub-conveying conveyor unit, so that the object to be conveyed is not stopped on the transfer device. The conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object can be changed. Moreover, the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object can be changed into the direction which cross | intersects a main conveyance path only by carrying out conveyance operation of a sub conveyance conveyor part. Therefore, the transport direction of the transported object can be changed in a shorter time than when the transporting direction of the transported object is changed by operating a pressing member such as a pusher. Furthermore, unlike the case where the side surface of the object to be conveyed is pressed with the pressing member, the attitude of the object to be conveyed after the change of the conveying direction can be maintained. In addition, since the conveying direction can be changed by the force from the sub-conveying conveyor unit, it is not necessary to provide a pressing member, and the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case where the conveying direction is changed by the pressing member. .
In addition, a conveyance surface is a mounting part of the articles | goods of a main conveyance conveyor part or a sub conveyance conveyor part. Further, the object to be conveyed includes not only the object to be conveyed itself but also a member for conveyance such as a tray.

The invention according to claim 2 is a main transport conveyor that forms a part of the conveyor device, and can transport the transported object in a direction along the main transport path of the conveyor device by placing the transported object on the transport surface. And a sub-transport conveyor that is placed in the same area as the main transport conveyor section and places the transport object on a transport surface and transports the transport object in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the main transport conveyor section In the transfer device having a section and a lifting / lowering means for moving up or down either one or both of the main transfer conveyor unit and the sub transfer conveyor unit, the object to be discharged from the main transfer path of the conveyor device is close to the transfer device Alternatively, when the transfer device is reached, the transport surface of the sub-transport conveyor unit is moved to a height higher than the transport surface of the main transport conveyor unit, and the object to be transported maintains the inertial force. While moving in the direction along the main transport path, Bear unit operates the sub conveyor section giving the force in the direction intersecting the inertial force on the conveyed object to discharge the objects to be conveyed from the main conveyance path, one of the main conveyor section or sub conveyor section And a switching roller member including at least a motor and an output member rotated by the motor. The lifting unit operates by receiving power transmission from the output member of the switching roller member. A horizontal movement member that horizontally moves and conversion means that converts the horizontal movement into a vertical movement, wherein the vertical movement means is located outside the main conveyance conveyor section and the sub conveyance conveyor section. it is transfer apparatus you characterized.

In such a configuration, the elevating means has a horizontal moving member that horizontally moves and a converting means that converts the horizontal movement into the elevating movement. Therefore, by moving the horizontal moving member horizontally, either the main conveying conveyor unit or the sub conveying conveyor unit is provided. Either or both can be raised and lowered. That is, since the horizontal moving member does not move in the vertical direction, a large space in the height direction is not necessary in the arrangement of the lifting means. In addition, since the lifting means is disposed outside the main transport conveyor section and the sub transport conveyor section, the height of the transfer device can be lowered unlike the case of being disposed below the main transport conveyor section or the sub transport conveyor. it can.
In addition, the said conversion means can be comprised with a cam mechanism, a crank mechanism, various link mechanisms, etc.

The invention according to claim 3 forms a part of the conveyor device, the main transport conveyor capable of transporting the transported object in a direction along the main transport path of the conveyor device by placing the transported object on the transport surface. And a sub-transport conveyor that is placed in the same area as the main transport conveyor section and places the transport object on a transport surface and transports the transport object in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the main transport conveyor section In the transfer device having a section and a lifting / lowering means for moving up or down either one or both of the main transfer conveyor unit and the sub transfer conveyor unit, the object to be discharged from the main transfer path of the conveyor device is close to the transfer device Alternatively, when the transfer device is reached, the transport surface of the sub-transport conveyor unit is moved to a height higher than the transport surface of the main transport conveyor unit, and the object to be transported maintains the inertial force. While moving in the direction along the main transport path, Bear unit operates the sub conveyor section giving the force in the direction intersecting the inertial force on the conveyed object to discharge the objects to be conveyed from the main conveyance path, the sub-conveyor unit is a roller conveyor, the rollers At least one of the rollers belonging to the conveyor is a brake roller provided with a conveyed object braking means, and the conveyed object braking means is at least due to a frictional force acting between the conveyed object and the brake roller. a transfer apparatus you characterized in that to suppress the progress of the transported object in the direction crossing the conveying direction of the roller conveyor.

According to this configuration, the sub-conveying conveyor unit is a roller conveyor provided with a brake roller. The brake roller advances the conveyed object in a direction intersecting at least with the conveying direction of the roller conveyor (hereinafter referred to as the intersecting direction) by a frictional force acting between the conveyed object (article) and the brake roller. Conveyed object braking means for suppressing is provided.
Therefore, when the conveyed object enters the transfer device and tries to move in the crossing direction, a large frictional force acts between the conveyed object and the brake roller, and the conveyed object can be decelerated. That is, the brake roller provided in the transfer device of the present invention can decelerate the conveyed object simply by the conveyed object on the brake roller trying to advance in the crossing direction. Therefore, the transfer device of the present invention provided with the brake roller can decelerate the conveyed object that has entered the transfer device without requiring complicated control or the like. That is, the transported object is decelerated and the transport direction of the transported object can be easily changed.
In the transfer device of the present invention, the roller conveyor includes a brake roller, and the brake roller can apply a frictional force to the conveyed object moving on the roller. That is, the outer peripheral surface of the brake roller has a high coefficient of friction and does not move so that the object to be conveyed slides on the outer peripheral surface on the roller like a normal roller conveyor. Therefore, compared with the case where a normal conveyor roller is adopted, the conveyed object can be decelerated at a short distance. As a result, even if the transfer device is downsized, the object to be conveyed can be surely decelerated. And since a to-be-conveyed object is decelerated, the change of the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object becomes easy.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the main transport conveyor unit is a member in which a linear member is suspended on at least one rotating member and has a plate-like member on which the rotating member and the linear member are placed. The sub-transport conveyor unit is a roller conveyor including a plurality of rollers, a roller-side frame member, and at least one brake roller, and the transport prevention member is attached to be movable up and down. , When lowered, lower than the conveying surface of the main conveying conveyor unit or the sub conveying conveyor unit, and when rising, a part or all of it protrudes from the conveying surface, and a part of the linear member or All are arranged between rollers of a roller conveyor, the linear member side elevating means for converting the horizontal movement of the horizontal moving member into the elevating movement and elevating the plate member, and the horizontal moving portion Roller conveyor side lifting means for converting the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement into a lifting movement to raise and lower the roller side frame member, and a conveyance preventing member side lifting for converting the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement member into a lifting movement and raising and lowering the conveyance prevention member And the roller side frame member and the plate-like member are alternately raised and lowered according to the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement member, and when one of the roller-side frame member and the plate-like member rises, 4. The transfer apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the conveyance preventing member descends when the prevention member rises and the other rises.

According to this configuration, the main transport conveyor portion is a linear member, the sub-transport conveyor portion is a roller conveyor, and part or all of the linear member is disposed between the rollers of the roller conveyor. The conveyance preventing member is mounted so as to be able to move up and down, and is positioned lower than the conveyance surface of the main conveyance conveyor unit or the sub conveyance conveyor unit when lowered, and part or all of the conveyance prevention member protrudes from the conveyance surface when raised. . That is, the transfer device can be miniaturized because the main transport conveyor unit, the sub transport conveyor unit, and the transport prevention member can be arranged to overlap each other.
According to such a configuration, the roller side frame member and the plate-like member are alternately raised and lowered according to the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement member, and when either the roller-side frame member or the plate-like member rises, The conveyance preventing member rises. That is, since the main conveyance conveyor unit, the sub conveyance conveyor unit, and the conveyance preventing member can be moved up and down collectively by the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement member, unlike the case where each of these is provided with a lifting device, the lifting device can be downsized. It is possible and does not require a large space for installing the lifting device. Therefore, the transfer device can be downsized.

The invention according to claim 5, in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sub-conveyor unit with a portion of the object to be conveyed is placed to start conveying operation of the conveying object It is a transfer apparatus of description.

According to this structure, after a part of a to-be-conveyed object is mounted in a sub conveyance conveyor part, a sub conveyance conveyor part starts the conveyance operation of a to- be-conveyed object . Therefore, compared with the case where a to-be-conveyed object is made to approach into the sub-conveying conveyor part which is already conveying operation, a to-be-conveyed object can be conveyed in the conveyance direction of a sub-conveying conveyor part more reliably.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the transfer apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects , further comprising a conveyance preventing member that prevents the progress of the conveyed object.

  According to such a configuration, the traveling direction of the object to be conveyed can be limited by the conveyance preventing member, so that the object can be reliably prevented from traveling in a direction other than the specified direction.

  Since the transfer apparatus of the present invention can change the transfer direction of the transfer object without stopping the transfer object on the transfer apparatus, there is an effect that the transfer speed of the transfer apparatus can be increased. In addition, since the sub-conveyor unit is operated to change the conveyance direction of the object to be conveyed, the conveyance direction can be changed in a short time, and the posture of the object to be conveyed after the change of the conveyance direction can be maintained. There is an effect. And since the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object is changed with the force from a sub conveyance conveyor part, it is not necessary to provide the member for the change of a conveyed product, and there exists an effect that a number of parts can be reduced.

It is a fragmentary perspective view of the conveyor line provided with the transfer apparatus which implemented this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the main conveyance conveyor part of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the sub conveyance conveyor part of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the roller for brakes of FIG. 4, (a) is a partially broken perspective view of the roller for brakes, (b) is the top view which looked at (a) from the A direction. It is a perspective view which shows the stopper of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the raising / lowering mechanism of FIG. It is the top view which looked at the horizontal movement member of FIG. 7 from the A direction. It is a perspective view which shows the state which combined the main conveyance conveyor part and sub conveyance conveyor part of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which combined the stopper and raising / lowering mechanism of FIG. 2 with the main conveyance conveyor part and sub conveyance conveyor part of FIG. It is the top view which looked at the transfer apparatus of FIG. 10 from the A direction. It is BB sectional drawing of A part of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement at the time of switching the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object by the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1, (a) shows the state in which the main conveyance conveyor part is located above, (b) is sub conveyance. The state which the conveyor part is located in the upper side is shown. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a horizontal movement member and a roller at the time of switching the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object by the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1, (a) shows the state in which the main conveyance conveyor part is located above, (B) shows the state where the sub-conveying conveyor section is located on the upper side. It is explanatory drawing which shows the movement of a to-be-conveyed object at the time of switching the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object by the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1, and a conveyed product moves in order of (a)-(e). It is a perspective view which shows the roller for a brake employ | adopted as the transfer apparatus of the form different from FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the roller for a brake employ | adopted as the transfer apparatus of the form different from FIG. 1, FIG.

  Hereinafter, although embodiment of this invention is described in detail, this invention is not limited to these examples. In the following description, the vertical and horizontal positional relationship will be described based on the normal installation state unless otherwise specified.

  The transfer apparatus 1 of this embodiment is arrange | positioned in the site | part where the conveyance path | route in the conveyor line 21 crosses, as FIG. 1 shows. That is, the conveyor line 21 is formed by a linear main transfer line 90 (main transfer path) and two sub-transfer lines 91 and 92 bent at a right angle. Here, the main transport line 90 is a path formed by the upstream conveyor 22, the transfer device 1, and the main transport conveyor 23 arranged in a row. The two sub transport lines 91 and 92 are formed by a path formed by the upstream conveyor 22, the transfer device 1, and the sub transport conveyor 24, and the upstream conveyor 22, the transfer device 1, and the sub transport conveyor 25. It is a route. At this time, the two sub-transport conveyors 24 and 25 are connected to the transfer device 1 so as to be orthogonal to the main transport line 90.

  And in the conveyor line 21, the to-be-conveyed object 25 conveyed on the transfer apparatus 1 from the upstream conveyor 22 is conveyed to the main conveyance conveyor 23 as it is, or the direction is changed by the transfer apparatus 1, and the sub conveyance conveyor 24, To 25. That is, in the conveyor line 21, the transported object 26 is transported along the main transport line 90 or the sub transport lines 91 and 92.

  Here, the upstream conveyor 22, the main conveyor 23, and the auxiliary conveyors 24 and 25 are roller conveyors each including a plurality of rollers. These roller conveyors are configured such that a plurality of driven rollers are rotated by power transmitted from the drive rollers, and each of the loaded objects 26 can be conveyed in one direction. Further, the placement heights of the objects to be conveyed 26 of these roller conveyors coincide with each other, and the conveyance surface thereof substantially coincides with the conveyance surface of the transfer device 1.

Hereinafter, the transfer apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described in detail .
As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer device 1 is formed by placing a main transport conveyor unit 2, a sub-transport conveyor unit 3, a stopper 4 (a transport prevention member), and a lifting mechanism 5 on a lower plate 6. These are integrally formed in a frame, a box or the like (not shown). Note that this box (not shown) may have the bottom surface and the lower plate 6 made the same.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main conveyor unit 2 includes a belt driving roller 11 (rotating member), a belt 12 (linear member), a belt driven roller 13 (rotating member), a tension maintaining member 14, and two flat plate members. 15 (plate member), four roller mounting members 16 and a roller 17 are formed.

  The flat plate member 15 is a member having a substantially “convex” -shaped outer shape, and the roller mounting member 16 is a long member extending in a cross-sectional “L” shape. Has been. Then, four roller mounting members 16 are mounted in a row so as to connect the two flat plate members 15 arranged at separate positions. That is, both end portions of the four roller mounting members 16 in the longitudinal direction are located on the two flat plate members 15, and the central portion thereof is located in the space between the two flat plate members 15.

  In one of the two flat plate members 15, two vertical plate members 15 c are erected on the upper surface, and part of both ends in the longitudinal direction is bent upward to form a side plate portion 15 a. These two standing plate members 15c and the two side plate portions 15a are provided so as to face each other. Here, a belt driving roller 11 is disposed between the two standing plate members 15c, and both ends of the belt driving roller 11 are rotatably held by the standing plate member 15c. The belt driving roller is a roller with a built-in motor, and includes a motor having a speed reduction mechanism inside a rotatable outer cylinder. Further, the two side plate portions 15a are each provided with a roller 17 on a surface located outside thereof. That is, the two rollers 17 protrude outward from the two side plate portions 15a, respectively, and protrude in directions away from each other. The rollers 17 are located in the vicinity of the upper side of the side plate portion 15a.

On the other side of the flat plate member 15, a partition plate portion 15 b having four cutout grooves is provided upright at one end portion in the short direction. The partition plate portion 15b is positioned at an end portion in the short direction close to the flat plate member 15 on the other side, and four roller mounting members 16 are inserted into the notch grooves. And the side plate part 15a is formed in the both ends of the longitudinal direction also at the flat plate member 15 of the other side. The two side plate portions 15a are provided so as to face each other and are continuous with the front plate portion 15b. The two side plate portions 15a are each provided with a roller 17 on a surface located outside thereof. That is, the two rollers 17 protrude outward from the two side plate portions 15a, respectively, and protrude in directions away from each other. The rollers 17 are located in the vicinity of the upper side of the side plate portion 15a.
The two flat plate members 15 are formed with a total of four through holes (not shown) penetrating the flat plate member 15 in the vertical direction. These are through holes for forming a lifting guide, which will be described later, and penetrate the flat plate member 15 in the vertical direction.

  The four roller attachment members 16 have a plurality of belt driven rollers 13 and tension maintaining members 14 attached to their side wall portions. The belt driven roller 13 and the tension maintaining member 14 are rollers, and are rotatably attached to the roller attaching member 16. The belt driven roller 13 and the tension maintaining member 14 attached to one roller attaching member 16 are all projected in the same direction. At this time, the belt driven roller 13 is arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the roller mounting member 16.

  Here, the belt 12 is suspended from the belt driving roller 11 and the belt driven roller 13 arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the roller mounting member 16. Specifically, four belts 12 are suspended on the belt driving roller 11, and each belt 12 is suspended on the driving roller 11 and a plurality of belt driven rollers 13 so as to be integrally rotatable. At this time, each belt 12 is suspended by a belt driven roller 13 attached to a separate roller attachment member 16. Accordingly, each belt 12 is suspended so as to extend along a separate roller mounting member 16. At this time, each belt 12 is pressed from above and below by two tension maintaining members 14. That is, of the two tension maintaining members 14 attached to one roller mounting member 16, the tension maintaining member 14 located on the upper side presses the belt 12 from the upper side, and the tension maintaining member 14 located on the lower side serves as the belt 12. Is pressed from below.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 is a roller conveyor formed by attaching a plurality of brake rollers 28 (rollers) to a frame body 29 (roller side frame member). Each of the plurality of brake rollers 28 has a single brake roller 28a serving as a drive roller, and incorporates an appropriate member such as a motor (not shown). The operation can be controlled by an external signal. In addition, the other brake roller 28b is a driven roller, and power can be transmitted from the drive roller by a belt (not shown). Therefore, the brake roller 28b, which is a driven roller, is driven according to the operation of the brake roller 28a, which is a drive roller.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the brake roller 28 is formed by attaching a high friction material 32 (conveyed object braking means) to the outer peripheral surface of the roller body 31. The high friction material 32 is a member formed of a material having a high friction coefficient such as urethane resin or rubber, and covers the outer peripheral surface of the roller body 31.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the frame 29 is formed of four side wall portions 29b, 29c, 29d, and 29e.

Of these four side wall portions, the two side wall portions 29b and 29d positioned in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the frame body 29 are each formed with a plurality of notch grooves in a row and are comb-like. Yes. Specifically, of the two side wall portions 29b and 29d, one side wall portion 29b is arranged in a row so that the large cutout grooves 29f and the small cutout grooves 29g are alternately positioned. The large cutout groove 29f and the small cutout groove 29g are both substantially U-shaped in outer shape, and extend in a substantially vertical direction downward from the upper ends of the side wall portions 29b and 29d.
Further, in the other side wall portion 29d, cutout grooves 29g having a small U-shaped outer shape are arranged in a row.
Here, the number of the small notch grooves 29g formed in the two side wall portions 29b and 29d is the same. In addition, the rows of small cutout grooves 29g formed in the two side wall portions 29b and 29d are opposed to each other. That is, all the small cutout grooves 29g formed in the one side wall portion 29b are in positions facing the small cutout grooves 29g formed in the other side wall portion 29d, respectively.
In addition, a protruding plate portion 29a formed by bending the lower end portions of the two side wall portions 29b and 29d toward the outside at a substantially right angle is formed at the lower end portions of the two side wall portions 29b and 29d. .

Of the four side wall portions, the two side wall portions 29c and 29e respectively positioned in the vicinity of both end portions in the short direction of the frame body 29 are in directions in which their upper end portions are separated from each other toward the outside of the frame body 29. It is bent.
The two side walls 29c and 29e have two rollers 30 attached in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the surface located outside (the rollers 30 attached to the side walls 29c are not shown). The rollers 30 attached to the two side wall portions 29c and 29e are in opposing positions and project outward. That is, two sets of rollers 30 projecting away from each other are positioned on the frame body 29 in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction. Each of the two side wall portions 29c and 29e is provided with one through hole 29h continuous inside and outside the frame body 29 (the through hole 29h formed in the side wall portion 29c is not shown). These through-holes 29h are provided at positions close to one roller 30 located in the vicinity of one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the side wall portions 29c and 29e in the side wall portions 29c and 29e, respectively. In addition, the two through holes 29h provided in the two side wall portions 29c and 29e are opposed to each other.

  In addition, the projecting plate portion 29a of the frame 29 is formed with four through holes (not shown) penetrating the projecting plate portion 29a in the vertical direction. These are through holes for forming a lifting guide mechanism, which will be described later, and penetrate the overhanging plate portion 29a in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the stopper 4 is formed by rotatably supporting a stopper body 38 having a substantially “U” shape on two base portions 39. This stopper main body 38 is formed from two long plate members 37 for vertical movement that are paired with the protruding piece 36, and the protruding piece 36 is a rectangular parallelepiped long body. The vertical plate member 37 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and the two vertical plate members 37 are arranged facing each other. The upper and lower long plate members are bent at substantially right angles toward the outside. In addition, the two vertically moving long plate members 37 have different heights on both sides in the longitudinal direction. That is, the height decreases from the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction toward the end on the protruding piece 36 side, and the height from the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction to the end on the other side is constant. .

  Here, the protruding piece 36 and the two vertically moving long plate members 37 are integrally attached via two connecting fittings 41. The outer shape of the connecting bracket 41 is a substantially “L” -shaped bracket, and is positioned between the protruding piece 36 and each of the vertically moving long plate members 37. The connection fitting 41 is fixed to the outer side surface of the vertically moving long plate member 37 and the side surface on the longitudinal end portion side of the protruding piece 36 by appropriate fastening means such as screws.

  The base portion 39 is formed of an arch-shaped base portion main body 39a having a rectangular upper portion that is convex and rounded, and a columnar shaft member 39b. One end of the shaft member 39b in the longitudinal direction is rotatably attached to the base portion main body 39a, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is integrally attached to the vertically moving long plate member 37. Here, the two base portions 39 are also arranged to face each other, and the two shaft members 39b protrude in a direction approaching each other, and the central axes thereof are the same. These two shaft members 39b are attached in the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the outer side surface of the vertically moving long plate member 37, respectively.

  That is, the stopper main body 38 is rotatably attached to the two base portions 39 with the shaft member 39b of the base portion 39 as a rotation axis. At this time, when one side end in the longitudinal direction of the two vertically moving long plate members 37 is raised like a seesaw, the other end is lowered. That is, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the two long plate members 37 for vertical movement move up and down in the opposite direction.

By the way, a total of four rollers 40 are attached to each inner side surface of the two vertical plate members 37 (two rollers 40 attached to the vertical plate member 37 on one side are shown in the figure). Not shown). The two rollers 40 attached to one side of the up-and-down moving long plate member 37 are positioned to face the two rollers 40 attached to the other up-and-down moving long plate member 37, respectively. That is, two sets of combinations of the rollers 40 protruding in the directions approaching each other are formed on the inner side surfaces of the two long plate members 37 for vertical movement. At this time, the central axes of the rollers 40 facing each other are the same.
Here, paying attention to the two rollers 40 attached to one vertical movement long plate member 37, the two rollers 40 are portions where the vertical movement long plate member 37 and the base portion 39 are connected, that is, the base. The portion 39 is attached at a position away from the portion to which the shaft member 39b is attached by the same distance. At this time, the positions of the central axes of the rollers 40 in the height direction are the same.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the elevating mechanism 5 is formed by engaging a switching roller member 45 and two horizontal moving members 46. Then, the horizontal movement member 46 operates upon receiving power conduction from the output member 47 of the switching roller member 45.

  The switching roller 45 is formed by arranging a motor built-in roller 45a inside an outer cylinder forming an outer peripheral surface. At this time, the outer cylinder is attached so as to be rotatable relative to the motor built-in roller 45a. The switching roller 45 is supported by attaching the shaft of the motor built-in roller 45a to the fixing member. Further, gear-like output members 47 are attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the motor built-in roller 45a. The two output members 47 rotate as the motor built-in roller 45a rotates.

Here, the rotation amount of the motor built-in roller 45a can be appropriately controlled by an external control device, a limit switch, or the like (not shown). Therefore, the rotation amount of the output member 47 attached to the motor built-in roller 45a can also be appropriately controlled.
Incidentally, as described above, the outer cylinder forming the outer peripheral surface of the switching roller 45 is attached to be rotatable relative to the motor built-in roller 45a. Therefore, even if the motor built-in roller 45a rotates, the outer cylinder does not rotate. Further, even if the outer cylinder rotates, the rotation of the motor built-in roller 45a is not hindered. Therefore, even if the object to be conveyed is conveyed on the switching roller 45, the object to be conveyed only rotates the outer cylinder, and the motor built-in roller 45a is independent of the object to be conveyed. The rotation can be controlled.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the horizontal moving member 46 is a long and substantially rectangular parallelepiped member. Two rollers 48 are respectively attached to both side surfaces, and a total of four rollers 48 are attached to one horizontal moving member 46. Here, when attention is paid to the side surface on one side of the horizontal moving member 46, one roller 48 is located in the vicinity of one end portion in the longitudinal direction, and the other roller 48 is disposed from the other end portion side in the longitudinal direction. It is located a little closer to the center side. Here, the two rollers 48 attached to the one side surface have the same central axis as the two rollers 48 attached to the other side surface, and are separated from each side surface of the horizontal moving member 46, respectively. Protrudes in the direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the horizontal moving member 46 has a plurality of portions having different heights. That is, a bulge or a depression is formed on the flat surface portion 46 a on the upper surface of the horizontal moving member 46. Specifically, the first low position part 46b, the high position part 46c, the second low position part 46d, and the third low position part from the one side end part side in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal moving member 46 to the other end part side. 46e, the 4th low position part 46f, the 5th low position part 46g, and the 6th low position part 46h are formed. A rack portion 46i is formed in the vicinity of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal moving member 46 and in the vicinity of the sixth low position portion 46h.
Here, the high position part 46c is higher than the flat part 46a, and the six low position parts (first low position part 46b, second low position part 46d, third low position part 46e, and fourth low position part 46f). The fifth low position part 46g and the sixth low position part 46h) are lower than the flat part 46a. At this time, the four low position parts of the first low position part 46b, the second low position part 46d, the fifth low position part 46g, and the sixth low position part 46h have the same height, and the third low position part 46e. In addition, the two low position portions of the fourth low position portion 46f are further lower than the other four low position portions. The third low position part 46e and the fourth low position part 46f have the same height. Further, the first low position portion 46b, the high position portion 46c, the second low position portion 46d, and the third low position portion 46e are smoothly continuous, and one side end portion of the third low position portion 46e and the fourth low position portion 46e. The position portion 46f, the fifth low position portion 46g, and the sixth low position portion 46h are also smoothly continuous with the surrounding portions.
Rack teeth are formed on the rack portion 46i by appropriate means such as gear cutting. Further, the lower portion of the rack portion 46i is cut away, and the rack portion 46i has a flat plate shape.

  Next, the assembly structure of the transfer device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12.

As shown in FIG. 9, the main transport conveyor unit 2 is disposed at a position where it overlaps with the sub transport conveyor unit 3. At this time, the belt driving roller 11 is located outside the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 and in the vicinity of the end of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 in the longitudinal direction. The roller attachment member 16 of the main conveyor unit 2, the belt driven roller 13 attached to the roller attachment member 16, and the tension maintaining member 14 are located between the brake rollers 28 of the sub conveyor unit 3. ing. The belt 12 is suspended from a belt driving roller 11 positioned outside the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3 and a belt driven roller 13 positioned inside the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3. At this time, the belt 12 is suspended over the inside and outside of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 through a large notch groove 29f formed in the side wall 29b of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3.
Further, on the outer side of the frame body 29 of the sub-conveyor conveyor unit 3, the side plate portions of the main transport conveyor unit 2 are respectively adjacent to the longitudinal side ends of the two side wall parts 29 c and 29 e of the frame body 29. 15a is located. At this time, the rollers 17 protrude outward from the two side plate portions 15a.
Furthermore, the rollers 17 of the main transport conveyor unit 2 protrude outward from the through holes 29h formed in the two side wall portions 29c and 29e of the sub transport conveyor unit 3 (for the side wall unit 29c side). Not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 10, the main transport conveyor unit 2 and the sub transport conveyor unit 3 are placed on the lower plate 6. And the stopper 4 and the raising / lowering mechanism 5 are arrange | positioned so that the outer side of the main conveyance conveyor part 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 may be enclosed, and the stopper 4 and the raising / lowering mechanism 5 are mounted on the lower board 6. FIG. At this time, the switching roller member 45 of the elevating mechanism 5 is adjacent to the belt driving roller 11, and the axial direction (thrust direction) of the switching roller member 45 and the belt driving roller 11 is the same.

  Two horizontal moving members 46 are arranged outside the main transport conveyor unit 2 and the sub transport conveyor unit 3 and in the vicinity of both ends in the lateral direction. At this time, the two horizontally moving members 46 extend along the longitudinal direction of the main transport conveyor unit 2 and the sub transport conveyor unit 3, respectively, and the rollers 17 of the main transport conveyor unit 2 and the rollers 30 of the sub transport conveyor unit 3 Located on the lower side. In addition, the rollers 17 of the main transport conveyor unit 2, the rollers 30 of the sub transport conveyor unit 3, and the rollers 40 of the stopper 4 (see FIG. 6) are placed on the upper surfaces of the two horizontal moving members 46, respectively. It has become. At this time, the four rollers 48 attached to each horizontal moving member 46 are located on the lower plate 6, and each horizontal moving member 46 is on the lower plate 6 in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the horizontal moving member 46. It is possible to run.

  Further, two long plate members 37 for vertical movement of the stopper 4 are respectively positioned outside the two horizontal moving members 46. At this time, the protruding piece 36 of the stopper 4 and the switching roller 45 of the elevating mechanism 5 are in a position facing each other. The base portion 39 of the stopper 4 is positioned further outside the two vertical plate members 37 for the vertical movement of the stopper 4, and the base portion main body 39 a of the base portion 39 is attached to the lower plate 6.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of lifting guides 51 are formed between the main transport conveyor unit 2, the sub transport conveyor unit 3, and the lower plate 6. The raising / lowering guide 51 urges one or both of the flat plate member 15 in the main conveyance conveyor unit 2 and the overhanging plate portion 29a of the frame body 29 in the sub conveyance conveyor unit 3 downward. The transfer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a total of eight lifting guides 51, that is, four lifting guides 51 a on the main transport conveyor unit 3 side and four lifting guides 51 b on the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 side.

As shown in FIG. 12, the elevating guide 51 a on the side of the main conveyor unit 3 is formed of a hexagon socket head bolt 52, a flat washer 53, a helical spring 54, a cylindrical member 55, a bearing member 56, and a nut 57. Yes.
The shaft portion of the hexagon socket head cap bolt 52 is inserted through the tubular member 55. At this time, the shaft portion of the hexagon socket head bolt 52 is longer than the cylindrical member 55, and a part of the hexagon socket head bolt 52 protrudes from a part of the cylindrical member 55. The hexagon socket head cap bolt 52 is in a state of passing through the plain washer 53, the helical spring 54, the bearing member 56, and the through hole formed in the lower plate 6 in this order with the cylindrical member 55 attached. A nut 57 is attached to a portion located below the lower plate 6. The bearing member 56 is formed of a bearing that does not use a lubricant (dry bearing), and is attached integrally with the through hole of the flat plate member 15.
Here, the shaft portion of the hexagon socket head cap bolt 52 and the portion covered with the cylindrical member 55 is located above the lower plate 6. That is, only the shaft portion of the hexagon socket head bolt 52 passes through the lower plate 6, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 55 is positioned on the upper surface of the lower plate 6. And when the flat plate member 15 (main conveyance conveyor part 2) approaches or leaves | separates relatively with the lower plate 6, it moves so that the bearing member 56 may slide on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 55. FIG.

  The lifting / lowering guide 51b on the side of the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3 is also formed of a hexagon socket head cap bolt 52, a flat washer 53, a helical spring 54, a cylindrical member 55, a bearing member 56, and a nut 57 (not shown). In other words, the structure is substantially the same as that of the lifting guide 51a on the main transport conveyor unit 3 side, and the difference is that the bearing member 56 is attached to the through hole formed in the overhanging plate part 29a of the frame 29.

  Next, operation | movement of the transfer apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated. In the following description, the loading direction is a direction from the upstream conveyor 22 adjacent to the transfer device 1 toward the transfer device 1. Moreover, the conveyance direction of the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 is a direction which crosses the carrying-in direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment changes the traveling direction of the transported object 26 transported from the upstream side as necessary. Specifically, conveyance in the main conveyance line 90 that conveys the object to be conveyed 26 as it is along the direction of entry into the transfer apparatus 1 and a direction that intersects the direction of entry of the object to be conveyed 26 into the transfer apparatus 1. In this case, the sub-conveyance lines 91 and 92 that change the traveling direction to the sub-conveyance line are switched.

  In the conveyor line 21 in which the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment is adopted, information on the object to be transferred 26 is acquired by a stock sensor (not shown) or the like on the upstream side of the transfer device 1 in the transfer direction. Then, based on the information acquired by the control device (not shown), it is determined which of the main transport line 90 and the sub transport lines 91 and 92 is used for transport.

  At this time, if it is determined that the object to be transported 26 is transported to the sub transport lines 91 and 92, the control device (not shown) raises the sub transport conveyor unit 3 of the transfer device 1 and lowers the main transport conveyor unit 2. Let And before carrying in to the transfer apparatus 1 of the to-be-conveyed object 26, the raise of the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 is completed, and a conveyance surface is formed by the sub conveyance conveyor part 3. FIG.

  Specifically, in the state shown in FIGS. 13A and 14A, the control device (not shown) rotates the motor of the motor built-in roller 45a located inside the switching roller member 45 by a predetermined amount. . As a result, the switching roller member 45 rotates by a predetermined amount, and the two output members 47 rotate by a specified amount as the switching roller member 45 rotates. Then, the two horizontal moving members 46 engaged with the gear-like output member 47 at the rack portions 46i move in the horizontal direction, and the state shown in FIGS. 13B and 14B is obtained.

  That is, the two horizontal moving members 46 move simultaneously, and move by the same distance along the longitudinal direction of the transfer device 1. When the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3 is raised, the two horizontal moving members 46 move from the end side where the switching roller member 45 is located to the end side where the protruding piece 36 of the stopper 4 is located.

  At this time, the plurality of rollers placed on each horizontal movement member 46 move relative to the horizontal movement member 46 by the movement of each horizontal movement member 46. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the rollers 17 attached to the main transport conveyor unit 2 move to a lower position, and the rollers 30 attached to the sub transport conveyor unit 3 move to a higher position. Yes. That is, on one side of the two horizontal moving members 46, one of the rollers 17 attached to the main conveyor unit 2 moves from the second low position portion 46d to the third low position portion 46e, One roller 17 moves from the flat surface portion 46a to the sixth low position portion 46h. Then, one of the rollers 30 attached to the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3 moves from the first low position portion 46b to the high position portion 46c, and the other roller 30 moves from above the fifth low position portion 46g. It moves on the flat part 46a. At this time, the two rollers 17 and the two rollers 30 relatively move not only on the horizontal moving member 46 on one side but also on the other horizontal moving member 46.

In other words, the rollers 17 and 30 placed on the upper surface of the horizontal moving member 46 are dropped into a lower portion of the upper surface of the horizontal moving member 46 or run on a higher portion of the upper surface of the horizontal moving member 46. The main transport conveyor unit 2 and the sub transport conveyor unit 3 to which the units 17 and 30 are integrally attached are moved up and down (lifting means). That is, at this time, the movement including the horizontal component of the horizontal movement member 46 is converted into the up-and-down movement of the main conveyance conveyor 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor unit 3 (conversion means).
Moreover, when raising / lowering the main conveyance conveyor 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3, the movement to the direction outside a regulation is restrict | limited by the raising / lowering guide 51 (FIG. 11, 12). Therefore, the main transport conveyor 2 and the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 can move without blurring or rattling. Moreover, since the raising / lowering guide 51 always urges | biases the main conveyance conveyor 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 downward, the attitude | position of the main conveyance conveyor 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 after moving is stabilized.

  When the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3 is raised, the protruding piece 36 of the stopper 4 is also raised. At this time, at least a part of the protruding piece 36 is positioned above the topmost part of each roller forming the sub-transport conveyor unit 3.

  Specifically, when the horizontal movement member 46 moves as described above, the rollers 40 attached to the vertical movement long plate member 37 of the stopper 4 move the upper surface of the horizontal movement member 46 as shown in FIGS. Moving. At this time, paying attention to one of the two horizontal moving members 46, one roller 40 has moved from a low position to a high position, and the other roller 40 has moved from a high position to a low position. Specifically, one roller 40 moves from the third low position portion 46e to the flat surface portion 46a, and the other roller 40 moves from the flat surface portion 46a to the fourth low position portion 46f. Yes. At this time, the two rollers 40 have the same size, and the roller 40 positioned on the flat surface portion 46a is higher than the roller 40 positioned on the fourth low position portion 46f.

Here, the two rollers 40 are attached at the same height at positions separated in the longitudinal direction of the long plate member 37 for vertical movement. Therefore, when one roller 40 moves upward relative to the other roller 40, the longitudinal end of the vertically moving long plate member 37 located near the roller 40 moved upward moves upward. That is, the vertically moving long plate member 37 is inclined. At this time, not only one of the two horizontal moving members 46 but also the other horizontal moving member 46 similarly moves the two rollers 40 in the same manner, and the vertically moving long plate member 37 similarly. Tilt.
And when raising the sub conveyance conveyor part 3, the roller 40 of the position close | similar to the protrusion piece 36 among the two rollers 40 is a position higher than the other roller 40 in the upper surface of either side of the two horizontal moving members 46 It has become. Therefore, the two up-and-down moving long plate members 37 move upward in the longitudinal ends on the side where the protruding pieces 36 are attached.

  That is, the horizontal movement member 46 is moved back and forth in the horizontal direction, and the two rollers 40 are moved up and down relatively in different directions, whereby the longitudinal ends of the long plate member 37 are moved up and down in different directions. Let Thus, the protruding piece 36 attached to the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the vertically moving long plate member 37 can be moved up and down.

When the control device (not shown) determines that the object to be transported 26 is transported on the sub transport lines 91 and 92 and the protruding pieces 36 of the sub transport conveyor unit 3 and the stopper 4 are raised, as shown in FIG. Then, the transported object 26 is carried into the transfer device 1 in which the ascending operation of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 and the protruding piece 36 of the stopper 4 is completed. Here, the transfer device 1 is moved by a resident sensor (not shown) or the like from the start of the carrying of the object 26 to the transfer device 1 until it is completely placed on the transfer device 1. It is detected that the conveyed object 26 has entered. When the entry of the transported object 26 into the transfer device 1 is detected, the control device (not shown) drives the driving roller 28a of the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3, and each brake roller of the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3 28 is started.

  Here, the to-be-conveyed object 26 carried in to the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 advances in the carrying-in direction (direction shown by the arrow of FIG.15 (b)). However, due to the frictional force acting between the transported object 26 and the high friction material 32 (see FIG. 5) located on the outer peripheral surface of each brake roller 28, the transported object 26 enters the transporting direction as it proceeds in the transporting direction. The propulsive power of will decline. Therefore, the conveyed object 26 advances while decelerating in the loading direction side. At this time, the transported object 26 is placed on each brake roller 28 of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3, and the transported object 26 is moved in the transport direction of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 by driving these brake rollers 28. It will be accelerated. That is, the transported object 26 is decelerated in the carry-in direction and at the same time accelerated in the transport direction of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15C and FIG. 15D, the object to be conveyed 26 is inclined with respect to the loading direction (components in the conveyance direction of the main conveyance conveyor unit 2 and conveyance of the sub conveyance conveyor unit 3). The inclination angle of the traveling direction of the transported object 26 with respect to the carry-in direction increases as the travel proceeds.

If it demonstrates in detail, when the to-be-conveyed object 26 is carried in on the transfer apparatus 1, it will approach into the sub-conveying conveyor part 3 of the state which is not rotatingly driving each roller 28 for brakes. At this time, the traveling direction (carrying-in direction) of the conveyed object 26 and the thrust direction of each brake roller 28 of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 (the direction along the rotation axis and the longitudinal direction of the brake roller) are the same. ing. That is, a frictional force is generated between a part of the transported object 26 and each brake roller 28 that is stopped, and each brake roller 28 is applied with a force in the thrust direction from the transported object 26. Here, the brake roller 28 is not driven to rotate even when a force is applied in the thrust direction. In other words, even if the brake roller 28 is supported so as to be idled, it does not rotate unless a force is applied in the circumferential direction, and the brake roller 28 does not rotate with a force applied in the thrust direction. Accordingly, the conveyed object 26 travels on the brake roller 28 that does not rotate while being applied with a frictional force. Since the brake roller 28 does not rotate, the vertical load applied to the brake roller 28 from the conveyed object 26 is not dispersed, so that the frictional force applied to the conveyed object 26 can be increased. That is, the conveyed object 26 can be braked with a strong force.
In addition, since the traveling direction of the transported object 26 and the longitudinal direction of each brake roller 28 of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 are the same, the braking distance can be increased.
Further, since the brake roller 28 is driven in a state where a part of the transported object 26 is placed, the transported object 26 is moved to the transported object 26 as compared with the case where the transported object 26 is carried into the already driven brake roller 26. On the other hand, it is easy and reliable to apply a force in the transport direction of the sub-transport conveyor unit 3. Moreover, compared with the case where the to-be-conveyed object 26 is completely mounted in the transfer apparatus 1 and it conveys with the sub conveyance conveyor part 3, a conveyance speed can be raised.

  Furthermore, in the transfer device 1, the protruding piece 36 of the stopper 4 is raised, and is located at the end of the transfer device 1 in the longitudinal direction and in the vicinity of the main conveyor 23. That is, a part of the stopper 4 is disposed at the tip portion in the loading direction of the transfer device 1. As a result, even if the transported object 26 has greatly advanced in the carry-in direction, the transported object 26 can be reliably prevented from proceeding in the carry-in direction by contacting the stopper 4. .

  And after the to-be-conveyed object 26 is conveyed on the sub conveyance conveyor part 3, it is conveyed by the sub conveyance conveyor 24 of the conveyance direction downstream. And as shown in FIG.15 (e), the to-be-conveyed object 26 is conveyed by the sub conveying conveyor 24. FIG.

  By the way, although omitted for convenience of drawing in FIG. 15, the conveyor on the downstream side of the transfer device 1 is not only one sub-transport conveyor 24 but also two sub-transport conveyors 24 and 25 as shown in FIG. 1. There may be. That is, the transported object 26 may be branched and transported to the two sub-transport conveyors 24 and 25 by a control device (not shown). When transported to the second sub-transport conveyor 25, the brake roller 28 may be rotated in the direction opposite to that when transported to the first sub-transport conveyor 24.

Here, a case where a control device (not shown) determines that the transfer object 1 is transported on the main transport line 90 when the transported object 26 approaches the transfer device 1 will be considered. At this time, in the transfer apparatus 1, if the main transport unit 2 is in the raised state, it is transported as it is, and if the sub transport conveyor unit 3 is in the lifted state, the sub transport conveyor unit 3 of the transported object 26. Is lowered and the main conveyor unit 2 is raised. At that time, the motor of the motor built-in roller 45a inside the switching roller member 45 is rotated by the same amount in the opposite direction to the case where the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 is raised. As a result, the two horizontally moving members 46 move in the opposite direction along the longitudinal direction of the transfer device 1 by the same distance as when the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 is raised. Then, each roller relatively moves on the two horizontal moving members 46, the main transport conveyor unit 2 rises, and the sub transport conveyor unit 3 and the protruding piece 36 of the stopper 4 descend.
When the protruding piece 36 of the stopper 4 is lowered, the end of the vertically moving long plate member 37 on the side where the protruding piece 36 is not attached rises as described above. The raised end portion functions as a guide for restricting the transport direction of the transported object 26. That is, these end portions protrude from both ends of the transfer device 1 in the short direction, thereby inhibiting the object 26 from proceeding to the sub-transport conveyors 24 and 25. Note that the tips of the raised end portions are slightly bent in the direction away from each other toward the outside.

  By the way, in the transfer apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the switching roller member 45, the horizontal movement member 46, and the rollers attached to the main transfer conveyor unit 2 and the sub transfer conveyor unit 3 are all near the edge of the transfer apparatus 1. Is located. That is, the members related to the raising and lowering of the main transport conveyor unit 2 and the sub transport conveyor unit 3 are in the vicinity of the end of the transfer device 1. In addition, the main transport conveyor unit 2 and the sub transport conveyor unit 3 are arranged at overlapping positions. Thereby, the height of the transfer device 1 can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which the main transport conveyor, the sub-transport conveyor, and the conveyor lifting mechanism are arranged in an overlapping manner.

  And if the height of the transfer apparatus 1 is low, when raising / lowering the main conveyance conveyor part 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3, the movement distance of the main conveyance conveyor part 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 can be shortened. That is, since the transfer apparatus 1 of this embodiment has short movement distance at the time of raising / lowering of the main conveyance conveyor part 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3, the switching operation of the main conveyance conveyor part 2 and the sub conveyance conveyor part 3 can be made quick.

  In the above-described embodiment, a part of the object to be conveyed 26 is placed on the brake roller 28 in a state where each brake roller 28 of the sub-conveying conveyor unit 3 is stopped, and the object to be conveyed 26 is completely brake roller. The brake roller 28 was driven before being placed on the motor 28. However, the conveyance control of the object to be conveyed 26 to the sub-transport conveyors 24 and 25 by the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 is not limited to this. For example, the transported object 26 may be carried into the sub-transport conveyor unit 3 that is driven by each brake roller 28. These may be changed as appropriate.

  In the above-described embodiment, all the rollers forming the roller conveyor of the sub-conveyance conveyor unit 3 are the brake rollers 28, but all the rollers used in the sub-conveyance conveyor unit 3 may not be the brake rollers 28. A roller conveyor may be formed by combining the brake roller 28 and a conventionally known conveyor roller.

In the above-described embodiment, the high friction material 32 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the roller body 31 to form the brake roller 28. However, the brake roller provided in the transfer device of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, without using the high friction material 32, the outer peripheral surface of the roller body 31 may be appropriately processed to increase the frictional force and serve as a transported object braking means. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, a brake roller 131 in which a plurality of protrusions 130 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the high friction material 32 may be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, a brake roller 133 in which a torsion groove 132 extending in the longitudinal direction of the roller is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the high friction material 32 may be used. That is, when the object to be conveyed is placed on the outer peripheral surface of the brake roller, a strong frictional force may be applied to the object to be conveyed in a predetermined direction.
Moreover, in order to obtain the same effect in the above embodiment, the roller main body 31 may not be processed but may be processed to increase the frictional force on the bottom of the object to be conveyed and the tray on which the object to be conveyed is placed. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transfer apparatus 2 Main conveyance conveyor part 3 Sub conveyance conveyor part 4 Stopper (conveyance prevention member)
10 Conveying surface 11 Belt drive roller (rotating member)
12 Belt (Linear member)
13 Belt driven roller (rotating member)
15 Flat plate member (plate member)
26 Conveyed object 28 Brake roller (roller)
29 Frame (Roller side frame member)
31 Roller body 32 High friction material (conveyed object braking means)
45 Switching roller member 46 Horizontally moving member 47 Output member 90 Main transfer line (main transfer path)

Claims (6)

Forming a part of the conveyor device, placing the object to be conveyed on the conveying surface, and conveying the object to be conveyed in a direction along the main conveying path of the conveyor device; and the main conveying conveyor unit; A sub-conveying conveyor unit that is placed in the same area and places the object to be conveyed on a conveying surface and conveys the object to be conveyed in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the main conveying conveyor unit ; In the transfer device having lifting and lowering means for lifting and lowering both of the conveyor units,
When the object to be transported along the main transport path of the conveyor device approaches the transfer device, the transport surface of the main transport conveyor unit is moved above the transport surface of the sub transport conveyor unit. ,
When the conveyed object to be discharged from the main transport path of the conveyor device leading to the proximity or transfer device to transfer device, or the height of the conveying surface of the main conveyor section the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor unit Moved to the height of
While the object to be discharged from the main conveyance path maintains inertial force and moves on the conveyance surface of the sub conveyance conveyor unit in the direction along the main conveyance path , the sub conveyance conveyor unit is conveyed , A transfer apparatus, wherein the sub-transport conveyor unit applies a force in a direction crossing the inertial force to the transported object and discharges the transported object from the main transport path. Forming a part of the conveyor device, placing the object to be conveyed on the conveying surface, and conveying the object to be conveyed in a direction along the main conveying path of the conveyor device; and the main conveying conveyor unit; A sub-conveying conveyor unit that is placed in the same area and places the object to be conveyed on the conveying surface and conveys the object to be conveyed in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the main conveying conveyor unit; In a transfer apparatus having lifting means for moving up or down one or both of the conveyor sections, when the object to be discharged from the main transfer path of the conveyor apparatus reaches the transfer apparatus or reaches the transfer apparatus In this state, the transport surface of the sub-transport conveyor unit is moved to a height higher than the transport surface of the main transport conveyor unit, and the object to be transported moves in the direction along the main transport path while maintaining the inertial force. The sub-conveying conveyor unit is operated while Conveyor section giving the force in the direction intersecting the inertial force on the conveyed object to discharge the objects to be conveyed from the main transport path,
Elevating means for elevating or lowering either one or both of the main conveying conveyor unit and the sub conveying conveyor unit, and a switching roller member including at least a motor and an output member rotated by the motor,
The elevating means operates by receiving power transmission from the output member of the switching roller member, and includes a horizontal moving member that horizontally moves and a converting means that converts horizontal movement into elevating movement, A transfer apparatus characterized in that the elevating means is located outside the main transport conveyor section and the sub transport conveyor section. Forming a part of the conveyor device, placing the object to be conveyed on the conveying surface, and conveying the object to be conveyed in a direction along the main conveying path of the conveyor device; and the main conveying conveyor unit; A sub-conveying conveyor unit that is placed in the same area and places the object to be conveyed on the conveying surface and conveys the object to be conveyed in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the main conveying conveyor unit; In a transfer apparatus having lifting means for moving up or down one or both of the conveyor sections, when the object to be discharged from the main transfer path of the conveyor apparatus reaches the transfer apparatus or reaches the transfer apparatus In this state, the transport surface of the sub-transport conveyor unit is moved to a height higher than the transport surface of the main transport conveyor unit, and the object to be transported moves in the direction along the main transport path while maintaining the inertial force. The sub-conveying conveyor unit is operated while Conveyor section giving the force in the direction intersecting the inertial force on the conveyed object to discharge the objects to be conveyed from the main transport path,
The sub-transport conveyor unit is a roller conveyor, and at least one of the rollers belonging to the roller conveyor is a brake roller provided with a transported object braking unit, and the transported object braking unit includes a transported object and a brake. A transfer device that suppresses the progress of an object to be conveyed at least in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the roller conveyor by a frictional force acting between the rollers. The main transport conveyor unit is a member in which a linear member is suspended on at least one rotating member, and has a plate-like member on which the rotating member and the linear member are placed,
The sub-transport conveyor unit is a roller conveyor including a plurality of rollers, a roller-side frame member, and at least one brake roller.
The transport prevention member is mounted so as to be able to move up and down, and is located at a lower position than the transport surface of the main transport conveyor section or the sub transport conveyor section when lowered, and a part or all of it protrudes from the transport surface when lifted Because
A part or all of the linear member is disposed between the rollers of the roller conveyor,
A linear member side lifting means for converting the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement member into a lifting movement to raise and lower the plate member;
Roller conveyor side lifting means for converting the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement member into a lifting movement and moving the roller side frame member up and down;
A transport preventing member side lifting means for converting the horizontal movement of the horizontal moving member into a lifting movement and lifting the transport preventing member;
The roller-side frame member and the plate-like member are alternately raised and lowered according to the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement member, and when one of the roller-side frame member and the plate-like member rises, the conveyance preventing member rises. 4. The transfer apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the conveyance preventing member is lowered when the other is raised. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub-transport conveyor unit starts a transport operation of the transported object in a state where a part of the transported object is placed. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyance preventing member that prevents the conveyance of the object to be conveyed.

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