JP6578236B2 - Connecting mechanism for sorting conveyor and sorting conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coupling mechanism for a sorting conveyor and a sorting conveyor which are configured by a plurality of transport units that move along a loop-formed transport route.

  A number of transport carts having conveyors for placing the transported articles (conveyed items) and transporting the articles placed at predetermined positions in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the transport cart are connected, and the transport carts are appropriately driven. 2. Description of the Related Art A sorting conveyor that moves along a looped conveyance route using an apparatus is generally known.

  In such a sorting conveyor, as a method of connecting two adjacent transport carts, for example, a connection receiving portion provided on a beam-like link extending in the moving direction, which is a part forming the chassis of one transport cart, and the other A method of using a connection unit comprising a connection projection provided on a beam-like link extending in the moving direction, which is a part forming the chassis of the transport carriage, and a connection pin for connecting the connection receiving portion and the connection projection (see FIG. Patent Document 1). In addition to this, a pair of link plates disposed in the center on the lower surface of the carriage frame of one of the two conveyance carriages, the horizontal pin provided on the connecting member formed in a cross shape, A vertical pin perpendicular to the horizontal pin is pivotally supported on one end of a connecting bracket having a bifurcated fork shape fixed to the link plate of the other transport carriage, and a bifurcated fork fixed to the link plate of the other transport carriage. A method has also been devised in which the other end of the connecting bracket is shaped to be supported by a support shaft that is supported by a link plate in parallel with the horizontal pin (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 4355513 Japanese Patent No. 36552412

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for increasing the conveyance speed along the conveyance route of articles by a sorting conveyor and conveying the articles stably at high speed. Here, it is common that the transport route for transporting articles includes not only a straight line portion but also a curved portion. When the transport cart moving along the transport route reaches the curved portion from the straight portion of the transport route, centrifugal force is applied to the transport cart. It is well known that this centrifugal force increases in proportion to the square of the moving speed of the transport carriage. When the conveying cart reaches the curved portion from the straight portion of the conveying route and moves along the curved portion, centrifugal force is applied not only to the conveying cart but also to the article placed on the conveying cart. Note that a frictional force is generated between the article and the conveyor on which the article is placed. As described above, when the conveying speed of the article by the sorting conveyor is high, if the centrifugal force applied to the article becomes larger than the frictional force, the article moves to the outside of the conveying route and falls off the conveying cart. There is a risk of doing.

  By the way, in the train etc. which connected the vehicle, in order to prevent derailment by the vehicle moving from the track curve to the outside by the centrifugal force applied when the vehicle approaches the curve portion from the straight line portion, By raising the outer track at a horizontal level to the track, that is, the inner track, and tilting the line connecting the inner track and the outer track in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, the centrifugal force is brought toward the center of gravity of the vehicle, In addition, a part of gravity exerted on the wheels from the vehicle and a part of the centrifugal force are combined to be applied between the tracks.

  In this way, when the bank is provided in the curve portion to prevent the drop off due to centrifugal force, when the transport cart moves from the straight portion of the transport route to the curve portion, the higher the traveling speed of the transport cart, the more the bank If it is not tight, it will be difficult for the static friction force on the transport carriage to exceed the centrifugal force applied to the transported object, so the effect of “twisting” around the transport direction between the adjacent transport carts is the bank. It becomes larger depending on the angle. Patent Document 1 is a structure of a connecting unit based on the premise that a plurality of transport carts to be coupled are displaced with respect to adjacent transport carts with the vertical direction as an axis, and Patent Document 2 is a plurality of coupled carts. It is the structure of the connection unit on the premise that it is displaced with the up-down direction and the width direction of the transfer carriage as axes with respect to adjacent transfer carriages. Therefore, in the connecting units disclosed in these patent documents, when moving from the straight part of the transport route to the curved part, a twist is generated between adjacent transport carts by setting a bank in the curved part. There is no moving part that catches, the way of applying force for each of the left and right traveling wheels that are pivotally supported by the chassis of the transport carriage is uneven, and the corners that do not face the traveling wheels and the rails that constitute the transport route This may lead to the occurrence of abnormal noise due to contact with the device, or the occurrence of a failure due to excessive twisting of the connecting portion between adjacent transport carts.

  The present invention prevents the occurrence of a failure of the apparatus itself and stabilizes the transported object while preventing the jumping out due to the centrifugal force by attaching a bank to the curved portion when the transported object is transported along the transport route at a high speed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connecting mechanism for a sorting conveyor and a sorting conveyor that can be conveyed in a moving manner.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a connecting mechanism for a sorting conveyor according to the present invention is a connecting mechanism for a sorting conveyor that connects two adjacent transport carts, and is an arrangement of the two adjacent transport carts. A shaft member having two rotation shafts extending in two directions orthogonal to each other and orthogonal to each other, two sets of shaft support members for individually supporting the two rotation shafts, and the two sets of shafts A first connecting member that holds one set of support members of the support members and has a fixed base that is fixed to one of the adjacent two transport carts; and the two sets A second connecting member that holds the other set of supporting members of the other supporting members, and one of the second transporting cart or the second connecting member of the two adjacent transporting carts. A holding member having an insertion hole whose axial direction is the arrangement direction; A plate member having an internal thread portion, a bearing member press-fitted into the insertion hole of the holding member, and a shaft member rotatably supported by the bearing member. A cylindrical member that is screwed into the female screw portion of the plate member in a state of being inserted into the cylindrical member that is pivotally supported by the bearing member, and between the plate member when fastened to the plate member And a fastening member that sandwiches the member.

  Further, the bearing member has a flange that protrudes from an outer peripheral surface at one end portion in the axial direction and comes into contact with a peripheral edge portion of the insertion hole of the plate member when the plate member is press-fitted into the insertion hole. It is characterized by that.

  The length of the cylindrical member in the axial direction is set to be longer than the total thickness of the thickness of the holding member and the thickness of the flange portion of the bearing member press-fitted into the holding member.

  Further, the transport carriage has a link member whose longitudinal direction is the transport direction of the transported object in the sorting conveyor, and when the plate member is provided on the other transport carriage, in the longitudinal direction of the link member, It is provided in the one end part by the side of said one conveyance trolley of the said link member, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In this case, it is preferable that the link member has an opening that accommodates the fastening member when the fastening member is inserted through the cylindrical member that is pivotally supported by the bearing member.

  Further, the first connecting member is fixed to the one transport carriage in a state where a thickness adjusting member is sandwiched between the one transport carriage and the fixed base.

  The sorting conveyor according to the present invention includes a plurality of transport carts, and the connection mechanism for the sort conveyor described above, which connects two adjacent transport carts among the plurality of transport carts. To do.

  In addition, the transport cart generates power when the transport cart moves, and a conveyor unit that can travel in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the transport cart when the transport cart moves to a preset position. It has a generator and a drive device for running the conveyor unit in response to power supplied from the generator.

  In this case, the conveyance carriage has at least two conveyor units juxtaposed in the moving direction of the conveyance carriage, and the driving device is provided corresponding to each of the at least two conveyor units. Features.

  Moreover, it has a pair of guide mechanism which regulates the moving direction of the said conveyance trolley to the direction along a pair of guide rail arrange | positioned along the conveyance route of a conveyed product.

  In addition, each guide mechanism of the pair of guide mechanisms is slidably contacted with a traveling wheel that rotates while slidingly contacting the corresponding guide rail of the pair of guide rails at different positions on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding guide rail. A plurality of guide wheels, and the traveling wheel and the plurality of guide wheels are pivotally supported, and the traveling wheel and the plurality of guide wheels are matched to a curvature radius of the guide rail that is curved along the curved conveyance route. And a bracket to be rotated.

  Further, the generator is characterized in that the traveling wheel that constitutes one of the pair of guide mechanisms is pivotally supported on a rotating shaft, and power is generated by rotation of the traveling wheel that is pivotally supported. .

  Further, the pair of guide rails are characterized in that the guide rails on the inner side are disposed lower than the guide rails located on the outer side at the portion where the conveyance route is curved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, generation | occurrence | production of a failure of the apparatus itself when conveying a conveyed product at high speed can be suppressed, and a conveyed product can be conveyed stably.

It is a top view of the sorting conveyor of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of a conveyance trolley | bogie. It is a side view of a conveyance trolley. It is a front view of the conveyance trolley visually recognized from the head side. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a connection mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a coupling part. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a joint part. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the structure of the connection part of two adjacent conveyance trolleys. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which connected the beam-shaped link and connection pipe of the rear conveyance trolley | bogie. It is a top view of the conveyance trolley which moves the curve part of a conveyance route.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sorting conveyor 10 according to the present invention. The sorting conveyor 10 of the present invention moves along a loop-shaped transport route in a state where a large number of transport carts 15 are connected in the traveling direction. The sorting conveyor 10 is driven by a driving device (not shown) installed at a predetermined position on the transport route. An example of the drive device is a friction drive type drive device. The friction drive type driving device has a pair of friction belts pressed against both side surfaces of the beam-shaped link 21 of the transport carriage 15 and a direction in which the forward side of the pair of friction belts is pressed against the side surface of the beam-shaped link 21 of the transport carriage 15. It is a drive device having a plurality of friction rollers to be pressed and a pair of motors with reduction gears provided for each of the pair of friction belts.

  The sorting conveyor 10 moves each of the transport carriages 15 in the L direction in FIG. 1 when driven. In the process in which the transport cart 15 moves in the L direction in FIG. 1, the transported material transported by the transport conveyor 16 on the upstream side is delivered to the transport cart 15. Even after the transported object is placed, the transport carriage 15 moves in the L direction in FIG. 1, and when the transport carriage 15 moves to the position of the target transport conveyor 17, the transported object placed on the transport carriage 15 is removed from the transport carriage 15. It is delivered to the conveyor 17. In FIG. 1, the position of the transport conveyor 16 on the upstream side and the position of the transport conveyor 17 on the downstream side are merely disclosed as examples, and the positions of these conveyors are set as appropriate.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the transport carriage 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. In this embodiment, a case where two belt conveyor units 36 and 37 are juxtaposed in the moving direction of the transport carriage 15 as a cross sorter conveyor unit provided in the transport carriage 15 will be described. However, one belt conveyor unit as a cross sorter conveyor unit is described. It is also possible to use.

  The transport carriage 15 includes a beam-shaped link 21 whose longitudinal direction is the direction of movement of the transport carriage 15, and three support links 22 that are orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the beam-shaped link 21 and are juxtaposed at a predetermined interval. 23, 24 as chassis portions forming a skeleton.

  The beam-shaped link 21 is a member made of a hollow metal material having a substantially square cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The beam-shaped link 21 forms a skeleton in the direction of the transport route of the transport carriage 15 and is also positioned as a frame of a large transport loop, and is a friction drive type that drives the transport loop chain at appropriate intervals of the transport loop. A short endless friction belt positioned on both sides of the beam-shaped link 21 of the driving device, a number of friction rollers for pressing the friction belt in a direction in which it is pressed against the side surface of the beam-shaped link 21 from the inside of the ring, and a pulley for driving the friction belt It is also a member that receives the driving force of the driving motor on the side surface. As shown in FIG. 5, the beam-shaped link 21 has one end portion (hereinafter referred to as the front end portion) located on the leading side in the moving direction of the transport carriage 15 cut out from the upper surface of the beam-shaped link 21 to the upper edge of both side surfaces. It is. The beam-shaped link 21 fixes the holding plate 26 to the tip portion. Therefore, the top surface of the tip of the beam-shaped link 21 is opened. Hereinafter, a portion where the upper surface is opened at the tip of the beam-shaped link 21 is referred to as an opening 27. In FIG. 5, of the two adjacent transport carts 15, reference numeral 21 </ b> A is attached to the beam-shaped link of the leading transport cart 15, and reference sign 21 </ b> B is attached to the beam-shaped link of the rear transport cart 15. Yes.

  Further, the beam-shaped link 21 has a bracket 28 fixed to one end portion (hereinafter referred to as a rear end portion) located on the rear side in the moving direction of the transport carriage 15 among both end portions in the longitudinal direction. The bracket 28 is fixed to a bracket 104 provided on a connection pipe 91 of a joint portion 89 described later. The width of the bracket 28 is set to the same width as the width of the beam-shaped link 21.

  The three support links 22, 23, and 24 are members made of a hollow metal material whose cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction has a substantially rectangular shape with the vertical direction as the long side. Of the three support links 22, 23, 24, the support link 22 holds the side frame 30, the support link 23 holds the central frame 31, and the support link 24 holds the side frame 32 on the upper surface. Support members 34 and 35 are arranged between the side frame 30 and the center frame 31 with a predetermined interval. Although not shown, support members 34 and 35 are similarly arranged between the center frame 31 and the side frames 32 with a predetermined interval.

  The belt conveyor unit 36 is disposed in a gap formed between the side frame 30 and the center frame 31. The belt conveyor unit 37 is disposed in a gap formed between the central frame 31 and the side frame 32. Hereinafter, since the belt conveyor units 36 and 37 have the same configuration, only the belt conveyor unit 36 will be described, and the configuration of the belt conveyor unit 37 will be omitted. The respective components of the belt conveyor units 36 and 37 are arranged so that these belt conveyor units 36 and 37 are symmetrical with respect to a straight line passing through the center in the moving direction of the transport carriage 15 and orthogonal to the moving direction. The

  The belt conveyor unit 36 includes a drive roller 41, a driven roller 42, a plurality of rollers 43, an endless belt 44, a transmission mechanism 45, and a drive motor 46. Here, the driving roller 41, the driven roller 42, and the plurality of rollers 43 are each arranged such that the highest vertex of each roller portion is located on a horizontal plane. A plurality of rollers 43 are provided between the driving roller 41 and the driven roller 42 as members that support the upper part of the endless belt 44 (portion on which the conveyed product is placed) from below. Instead of providing, it is also possible to provide a support plate.

  The driving roller 41 is disposed at the right end in the y direction in FIG. 2 in the gap between the side frame 30 and the central frame 31. The rotation shaft 41 a of the drive roller 41 protrudes from the side frame 30. A pulley 48 constituting the transmission mechanism 45 is fixed to the protruding rotation shaft 41a. The drive roller 41 has V grooves 41b and 41c at both ends of a roller portion around which the endless belt 44 is wound.

  The driven roller 42 is disposed at the left end in the y direction in FIG. 2 in the gap between the side frame 30 and the center frame 31. Like the drive roller 41, the driven roller 42 has V grooves 42a and 42b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the roller portion around which the endless belt 44 is wound.

  The plurality of rollers 43 are disposed between the driving roller 41 and the driven roller 42. Further, the plurality of rollers 43 have V grooves 43a and 43b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the roller portion where the inner surface of the endless belt 44 is slidably contacted.

  The endless belt 44 is provided with protrusions (not shown) at both ends in the belt width direction and over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the belt. When the endless belt 44 is wound around the driving roller 41 and the driven roller 42, these protrusions enter V grooves provided in the respective rollers. Thereby, the meandering of the endless belt 44 when the endless belt 44 travels is prevented.

  The transmission mechanism 45 includes two pulleys 48 and 49 and a drive belt 50. Of the two pulleys 48 and 49, the pulley 48 is fixed to the rotation shaft 41 a of the drive roller 41 protruding from the side frame 30, and the pulley 49 is fixed to the rotation shaft 46 a of the drive motor 46. The drive belt 50 is wound around two pulleys 48 and 49. Therefore, the pulley 49 fixed to the rotating shaft 46 a of the drive motor 46 is a main driving pulley, and the pulley 48 fixed to the rotating shaft 41 a of the driving roller 41 protruding from the side frame 30 is a driven pulley.

  The drive motor 46 is fixed to the side frame 30 via the bracket 51. As the drive motor 46, for example, a servo motor is used. The drive motor 46 is electrically connected to the controller unit 52 held between the central frame 31 and the side frame 32 and on the upper surface of the beam-shaped link 21, for example.

  The transport carriage 15 described above has guide wheel units 55 and 56 at both ends of the side frame 32 in the width direction of the transport carriage 15.

  The guide wheel unit 55 includes a traveling wheel 61 that rotates while being in sliding contact with an upper surface 81a of a guide rail 81 provided on the conveyance route, a guide wheel 62 that is rotated while being in sliding contact with a lower surface 81b of the guide rail 81, and a side surface 81c of the guide rail 81. Guide wheels 63a and 63b that rotate while slidingly contacting with each other. Of the traveling wheel 61 and the guide wheels 62, 63 a, 63 b, the traveling wheel 61 is fixed to the rotating shaft 65 a of the generator 65 fixed to the bracket 64. The traveling wheel 61 supports the weight of the transport carriage 15 and transmits most of the carriage weight to the guide rail 81 while sliding on the guide rail 81. Further, the guide wheel 62 is spaced a little wider than the guide wheel 81 from the traveling wheel 61, and the rotating shaft is the rotating shaft of the traveling wheel 61 (specifically, the rotating shaft of the generator 65). 65a) is pivotally supported by the bracket 64 so as to be parallel to the bracket 65a). Further, the guide wheels 63 a and 63 b are pivotally supported by the bracket 64 so that each of the rotation axes is orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 61 and the guide wheel 62. The bracket 64 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 66 provided on the side frame 32. Reference numeral 67 in FIG. 2 is a rotation shaft of the guide wheel unit 55.

  The guide wheel unit 55 includes a generator 65. The generator 65 generates power in response to the traveling wheel 61 rotating while sliding on the upper surface 81 a of the guide rail 81. Electric power obtained by the power generation by the generator 65 is supplied to the drive motors 46 of the belt conveyor units 36 and 37 via the controller unit 52.

  The guide wheel unit 56 includes a traveling wheel 71 that rotates while being in sliding contact with an upper surface 82a of a guide rail 82 provided on the conveyance route, a guide wheel 72 that is rotated while being in sliding contact with a lower surface 82b of the guide rail 82, and a side surface 82c of the guide rail 82. Guide wheels 73a and 73b that rotate while sliding in contact with each other. Of these traveling wheel 71 and guide wheels 72, 73 a, 73 b, traveling wheel 71 is pivotally supported by bracket 74. The traveling wheel 71 supports the weight of the transport carriage 15 and transmits most of the carriage weight to the guide rail 82 while sliding on the guide rail 82. Further, the guide wheel 72 is spaced from the traveling wheel 71 by a distance slightly larger than the height of the guide rail 82, and the rotation axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the traveling wheel 71. It is pivotally supported. Further, the guide wheels 73 a and 73 b are pivotally supported by the bracket 74 such that each of the rotation axes is orthogonal to the rotation axes of the traveling wheel 71 and the guide wheel 72. The bracket 74 described above is pivotally supported by a bracket 75 provided on the side frame 32. Reference numeral 76 in FIG. 2 is a rotation shaft of the guide wheel unit 56.

  The guide wheel unit 55 regulates the position of the transport carriage 15 with respect to the guide rail 81 in the vertical direction by the sliding wheel 61 and the guide wheel 62 being in sliding contact with the upper surface 81a and the lower surface 81b of the guide rail 81, respectively. Further, the guide wheels 63 a and 63 b are brought into sliding contact with the outer side surface 81 c of the guide rail 81, thereby restricting the transport carriage 15 from moving toward the guide rail 82.

  Similarly, the guide wheel unit 56 regulates the position of the transport carriage 15 in the vertical direction with respect to the guide rail 82 by the sliding wheel 71 and the guide wheel 72 being in sliding contact with the upper surface 82a and the lower surface 82b of the guide rail 82, respectively. . Further, the guide wheels 73 a and 73 b are brought into sliding contact with the outer side surface 82 c of the guide rail 82, thereby restricting the transport carriage 15 from moving toward the guide rail 81.

  Therefore, in the process in which the transport carriage 15 moves, the transport carriage 15 is regulated by the guide wheel units 55 and 56 in the direction in which the guide carriage extends along the transport route by the guide wheel units 55 and 56. When the transport carriage 15 moves, the transport carriage 15 is prevented from falling off the guide rails 81 and 82. The guide rails 81 and 82 are fixed to an installation base 83 provided on the transport route via brackets 84 and 85, respectively.

  Here, in the guide wheel unit 55, the two guide wheels 63a and 63b are provided as the guide wheel slidably contacted with the side surface 81c of the guide rail 81. However, one guide wheel may be used. The same applies to the guide wheel unit 56.

  Two adjacent transport carts 15 among a number of transport carts 15 constituting the sorting conveyor 10 are connected via a connecting mechanism 88. The connecting mechanism 88 includes a holding plate 26 fixed to the joint portion 89 and the beam-like link 21 on the transport carriage main body side, a bolt 132 serving as a fastening member, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the joint portion 89 includes connecting pipes 91 and 92, an upper yoke 93, a lower yoke 94, side yokes 95 and 96, slide bearings 97, 98, 99 and 100, and a cross shaft 101. Have. A connecting pipe 91 and a bracket 104 described later are a first connecting member, a connecting pipe 92 is a second connecting member, a set of an upper yoke 93 and a lower yoke 94, and a set of a side yoke 95 and a side yoke 96. The cross shaft 101 corresponds to a shaft member having two rotation shafts, respectively, corresponding to two sets of shaft support members.

  The connection pipe 91 is a member made of a hollow metal material having a substantially square shape in a cross section orthogonal to the x direction in FIG. On both side surfaces of the connecting pipe 91, insertion holes 102 are provided at four locations. The countersunk screws 103 used when fixing the side yokes 95 and 96 are inserted into the insertion holes 102 provided on both side surfaces of the connection pipe 91. Therefore, the insertion hole 102 is a tapered insertion hole that is reduced in diameter toward the inside of the connection pipe 91.

  The connecting pipe 91 fixes the bracket 104 to one end on the back side in the x direction in FIG. Accordingly, the connecting pipe 91 is in an open state at one end on the near side in the x direction in FIG. The width of the connecting pipe 91 and the width of the bracket 104 are the same as the width of the beam-shaped link 21. The bracket 104 has insertion holes 104a at a total of four locations including an upper end portion and a lower end portion.

  Similarly to the connection pipe 91, the connection pipe 92 is a member made of a hollow metal material having a substantially square shape in a cross section perpendicular to the x direction in FIG. The connecting pipe 92 has the same width as the beam-shaped link 21. Insertion holes 105 are provided in the upper surface of the connection pipe 92, and insertion holes 106 are provided in four places on the lower surface of the connection pipe. The insertion hole 105 provided on the upper surface of the connection pipe 92 is inserted through the hexagon bolt 107 when the upper yoke 93 is fixed, and the insertion hole 106 provided on the lower surface of the connection pipe 92 is provided when the lower yoke 94 is fixed. Insert the bolt 107. Reference numeral 108 denotes a washer, and reference numeral 109 denotes a spring washer.

  As for the connection pipe 92, the shielding board 110 is fixed to the one end part by this side in the x direction in FIG. Accordingly, the connecting pipe 92 is in an open state at one end on the far side in the x direction in FIG. The shielding plate 110 has a screw hole 111 at the center. The shielding plate 110 corresponds to a plate member when the screw hole 111 is provided, but corresponds to a holding member when a screw hole is formed in the holding plate 26 described later.

  The upper yoke 93 includes a receiving portion 93 a that is stored in an upper portion of a space provided inside the connection pipe 92 and a holding portion 93 b that supports the vertical shaft 101 b of the cross shaft 101. The accommodated portion 93a has a screw hole 93c extending from the upper surface to the lower surface. The holding portion 93b has an insertion hole 93d into which the slide bearing 97 is press-fitted from the lower surface side.

  The lower yoke 94 includes a receiving portion 94 a that is stored in a lower portion of a space provided inside the connection pipe 92 and a holding portion 94 b that supports the vertical shaft 101 c of the cross shaft 101. The accommodated portion 94a has a screw hole 94c extending from the upper surface to the lower surface. The holding portion 94b has an insertion hole 94d into which the slide bearing 98 is press-fitted from the upper surface side.

  The side yoke 95 includes a storage portion 95a that is stored in the left side of the space provided in the connection pipe 91 in the drawing, and a holding portion 95b that supports the horizontal shaft 101d of the cross shaft 101. The accommodated portion 95a has a screw hole 95c. The holding portion 95b has an insertion hole 95d into which the slide bearing 99 is press-fitted from the front side in FIG.

  The side yoke 96 has a receiving portion 96a that is stored in the right side of the space provided in the connecting pipe 91 in FIG. 7 and a holding portion 96b that supports the horizontal shaft 101e of the cross shaft 101. The accommodated portion 96a has a screw hole 96c. The holding part 96b has an insertion hole 96d into which the slide bearing 100 is press-fitted from the back side in FIG.

  The upper yoke 93, the lower yoke 94, and the side yokes 95 and 96 are members formed from metal materials.

  As the sliding bearings 97, 98, 99, and 100, for example, sliding bearings that are self-lubricating without lubrication are used. These sliding bearings 97, 98, 99, 100 have a resin layer containing a filler on the surface of a metal layer, for example. As a specific example of the sliding bearing, for example, Oiles Bearing (registered trademark) manufactured by Oiles Industries Co., Ltd. may be mentioned. The slide bearing 97 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 93 d provided in the holding portion 93 b of the upper yoke 93, and the slide bearing 98 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 94 d provided in the holding portion 94 b of the lower yoke 94. The slide bearing 99 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 95 d provided in the holding portion 95 b of the side yoke 95, and the slide bearing 100 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 96 d provided in the holding portion 96 b of the side yoke 96. By using such a sliding bearing, the joint portion 89 can be made compact.

  The cross shaft 101 has vertical shafts 101b and 101c protruding from the upper and lower surfaces of the octagonal columnar main body 101a and horizontal shafts 101d and 101e protruding from the side surfaces of the main body 101a. The vertical shaft 101 b is inserted into a slide bearing 97 that is press-fitted into the insertion hole 93 d of the upper yoke 93. The vertical shaft 101 c is inserted into a sliding bearing 98 that is press-fitted into the insertion hole 94 d of the lower yoke 94. The horizontal shaft 101 d is inserted into a slide bearing 99 that is press-fitted into the insertion hole 95 d of the side yoke 95. The horizontal shaft 101e is inserted into the sliding bearing 100 press-fitted into the insertion hole 96d of the side yoke 96. Here, the vertical axis 101b and the vertical axis 101c are coaxial, and the horizontal axis 101d and the horizontal axis 101e are coaxial.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 8, and 9, the coupling mechanism 88 is assembled by fixing the joint portion 89 and the holding plate 26 to the beam-like links 21 </ b> A and 21 </ b> B of the two adjacent carriages 15. The connecting mechanism 88 other than the joint portion 89 is press-fitted into the holding plate 26 provided at the tip of the beam-shaped link 21B of the rear transfer carriage 15 and the opening 26a of the holding plate 26 among the two adjacent transfer carriages 15. The sliding bearing 126, the collar 127, and a bolt 132 that is screwed into the screw hole 111 provided in the shielding plate 110 that is a part of the joint portion 89 are configured. As the slide bearing 126, one having the same performance as the slide bearings 97, 98, 99, 100 is used.

  The joint part 89 mentioned above is assembled in the following procedures. First, the horizontal shaft 101 d of the cross shaft 101 is inserted into the slide bearing 99 press-fitted into the insertion hole 95 d of the side yoke 95, and the horizontal shaft 101 e of the cross shaft 101 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 96 d of the side yoke 96. The slide bearing 100 is inserted. The accommodated portion 95 a of the side yoke 95 and the accommodated portion 96 a of the side yoke 96 are accommodated inside from the opening portion of the connecting pipe 91. In this state, the side yoke 95 and the side yoke 96 are screwed together by a countersunk screw 103 inserted from an insertion hole 102 provided on the side surface of the connecting pipe 91. When the side yoke 95 and the side yoke 96 are screwed to the connecting pipe 91, the horizontal shaft 101 d and the horizontal shaft 101 e of the cross shaft 101 are supported by the side yoke 95 and the side yoke 96.

  Next, the vertical shaft 101 b of the cross shaft 101 is inserted into the slide bearing 97 press-fitted into the insertion hole 93 d of the upper yoke 93, and the vertical shaft 101 c of the cross shaft 101 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 94 d of the lower yoke 94. The slide bearing 98 is inserted. The accommodated portion 93 a of the upper yoke 93 and the accommodated portion 94 a of the lower yoke 94 are accommodated inside from the opening portion of the connection pipe 92. In this state, the upper yoke 93 is screwed by the hexagon bolt 107 inserted from the insertion hole 105 provided on the upper surface of the connection pipe 92. At the same time, the lower yoke 94 is screwed by the hexagon bolt 107 inserted from the insertion hole 106 provided in the lower surface of the connecting pipe 92. When the upper yoke 93 and the lower yoke 94 are screwed to the connecting pipe 92, the vertical shaft 101 b and the vertical shaft 101 c of the cross shaft 101 are supported by the upper yoke 93 and the lower yoke 94. The hexagon bolt 107 is screwed to the upper yoke 93 and the lower yoke 94 in a state where the spring washer 109 and the washer 108 are assembled.

  Here, the procedure for assembling the joint portion 89 is not limited to the above. The upper yoke 93 in which the vertical shaft 101b of the cross shaft 101 is inserted into the slide bearing 97, and the vertical shaft 101c of the cross shaft 101 is the slide bearing. After the lower yoke 94 inserted into 98 is screwed into the connecting pipe 92, the side yoke 95 in which the horizontal shaft 101d of the cross shaft 101 is inserted into the slide bearing 99 and the horizontal shaft 101e of the cross shaft 101 slide. It is also possible to screw the side yoke 96 inserted into the bearing 100 to the connecting pipe 91.

  As described above, the vertical shafts 101b and 101c of the cross shaft 101 are respectively supported by the upper yoke 93 and the lower yoke 94, and the horizontal shafts 101d and 101e of the cross shaft 101 are respectively supported by the side yokes 95 and 96. . Therefore, in the joint portion 89, the connecting pipe 92 can be rotated with respect to the connecting pipe 91 around the vertical axes 101 b and 101 c and the horizontal axes 101 d and 101 e of the cross shaft 101, in other words, about the two axes. . That is, when considering that the connecting pipe 91 is fixed, the connecting pipe 92 rotates in the M direction and the N direction around the Y axis in FIG. 6, and in the O direction around the Z axis in FIG. 6. It is possible to rotate in the P direction. The same applies to the reverse case.

  Next, a procedure for fixing the two transport carriages 15 adjacent to the joint portion 89 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the connecting pipe 91 is fixed to the beam-shaped link 21 </ b> A of the leading transport cart 15 among the two adjacent transport carts 15. As described above, the beam-shaped link 21 of the transport carriage 15 has the bracket 28 at the rear end. The spacer 120 is sandwiched between the bracket 104 and the bracket 28. The hexagonal bolt 121 inserted through the spring washer 123 and the washer 124 is inserted through the insertion hole 104 a of the bracket 104, the insertion hole 120 a of the spacer 120, and the insertion hole 28 a of the bracket 28 in this order, and is screwed into the nut 125. As a result, the beam-shaped link 21A of the leading transport carriage 15 and the joint portion 89 are connected.

  The joint portion 89 and the beam-like link 21B of the rear carriage 15 are connected by a holding plate 26 fixed to the beam-like link 21B, a bolt 132 as a fastening member, and the like. The opening 26 a of the holding plate 26 fixed to the distal end portion of the beam-shaped link 21 B of the rear transport carriage 15 press-fits the slide bearing 126 from the surface facing the joint portion 89. The collar 127 is inserted into a slide bearing 126 that is press-fitted into the opening 26 a of the holding plate 26.

  In the yz plane, the position of the hollow portion of the collar 127 and the position of the screw hole 111 of the shielding plate 110 of the connecting pipe 92 are adjusted. The bolt 132 through which the spring washer 130 and the washer 131 are inserted is inserted into the beam-shaped link 21 from the opening 26 a provided at the tip of the beam-shaped link 21. The bolt 132 inserted into the beam-shaped link 21 is inserted into the collar 127. The front end portion of the bolt 132 protruding from the collar 127 is screwed into the screw hole 111 provided in the shielding plate 110 of the connection pipe 92. When the bolt 132 is tightened, the joint portion 89 is assembled to the beam-shaped link 21 </ b> B of the succeeding transport carriage 15.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in a state in which the joint portion 89 is assembled to the beam-shaped link 21 </ b> B of the rear transport carriage 15, the collar 127 includes the holding plate 26 fixed to the distal end portion of the beam-shaped link 21, and the connecting pipe. It is in a state of being sandwiched between 92 shielding plates 110. Here, the length L1 in the axial direction of the collar 127 is set to be longer (L1> L2 + L3) than the thickness obtained by adding the thickness L2 of the holding plate 26 and the thickness L3 of the flange 126a of the sliding bearing 126. Therefore, the beam-like link 21B of the subsequent transport carriage 15 can be rotated by the holding plate 26 and the shielding plate 110, for example, around the axial direction of the bolt 132 (about the x direction in FIG. 5). . In other words, when the beam-like link 21 of the leading carriage 15 is used as a reference among the two carriages to be connected, the beam-like link 21 of the rear carriage is centered on the X axis in FIG. And it becomes possible to rotate in the R direction.

  Thus, when two adjacent carriages are connected, rotation about the Y-axis and Z-axis directions by the joint portion 89 and rotation about the X-axis by the holding plate 26 and the shielding plate 110 are performed. Is possible. In other words, it is possible to relatively rotate the two devices (two transport carriages in the present embodiment) that are connected around the three axes in the x, y, and z directions in the figure. .

As shown in FIG. 10, for example, a centrifugal force F generated in the transport carriage 15 to move the curved section of the conveying route is arranged in the weight m _2, curved section of the conveying route of the weight m _1, the transport of the transport carriage 15 Assuming that the radius r of the circle (arc) passing through the center between the guide rails 81 and 82 and the moving speed v are given by F = mv ² / r (m = m ₁ + m ₂ ). Therefore, when the conveyance speed of the conveyed product by the sorting conveyor 10 is increased, the centrifugal force F applied to the conveyance carriage 15 increases in proportion to the square of the movement speed v. As a result, when the transport cart 15 moves along the curved portion of the transport route, the transported object placed on the transport cart 15 may move toward the outside of the curved portion and drop off from the transport cart 15. FIG. 10 shows a case where the conveyed product is not placed on the conveyance carriage 15. Symbol C indicates the center of the curve portion of the transport route.

  Therefore, the upper surfaces of the guide rails 81 and 82 disposed on the curved portion of the transport route are inclined downward toward the center side of the curved portion of the transport route, and the horizontal level of the guide rail 82 on the inner track is set on the outer track. Taking into account that the bank is positioned lower than the horizontal level of a certain guide rail 81, it is considered to reduce the influence of the centrifugal force F generated in the transport carriage 15 when the transport carriage 15 moves along the curved portion of the transport route. The In this case, the angle (bank angle) at which the upper surface of the guide rails 81 and 82 disposed on the curved portion of the transport route is inclined downward toward the center of the curved portion of the transport route (in other words, the guide rails 81 and 82). The angle formed between the plane including the upper surfaces 81a and 82a and the horizontal plane (xy plane) depends on the stress based on the weight of each transport carriage 15 and the centrifugal force F acting when the transport carriage 15 moves along the curved portion of the transport route. Is preferably set so as to act in a direction orthogonal to the plane including 81a and 82a of the guide rails 81 and 82. The bank angle may be set so that the static frictional force on the transport carriage exceeds the centrifugal force applied to the transported object without setting the bank angle so much.

  For example, when it is considered that two connected transport carts move along the transport route, when the leading transport cart 15 enters the curved portion from the straight portion of the transport route, the leading transport cart 15 and the trailing transport cart 15 Twist occurs between the two. Accordingly, by connecting the two adjacent transport carts 15 using the above-described connection mechanism 88, the leading transport cart 15 or the rear transport cart 15 is centered on the three axes of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. Either one of the transport carts 15 can be rotated by the connecting mechanism 88. Therefore, the twist which generate | occur | produces between the two adjacent conveyance trolleys 15 is suppressed. Further, the occurrence of twisting between the transport carriages 15 is prevented, so that the generation of abnormal noise when the guide carriages 81 and 82 and the guide wheel units 55 and 56 provided on the transport route are brought into sliding contact with each other is suppressed. It becomes possible.

  Further, when an assembly error occurs when two adjacent transport carts 15 are connected, the guide wheels of the guide wheel units 55 and 56 are moved to the guide rails 81 and 82 when the transport cart 15 moves along the transport route. It may cause sliding and abnormal noise. However, one of the two adjacent transport carts 15 is twisted with respect to the other transport cart 15 by the connecting mechanism that connects the adjacent transport carts, so that the two adjacent transport carts. Even when the assembly error is low when the 15 is connected, the sliding contact angle of the traveling wheels 61 and 71 to the guide rails 81 and 82 is corrected by gravity by each of the transport carriages, and the transport route is moved. It is possible to reduce the noise generated between the guide roller units of the two adjacent carriages 15 and the guide rail.

  In the present embodiment, in the configuration of the joint portion 89, the side yokes 95 and 96 that support the horizontal shafts 101 d and 101 e of the cross shaft 101 are supported by the connecting pipe 91, and the vertical shafts 101 b and 101 c of the cross shaft 101 are supported. The upper yoke 93 and the lower yoke 94 are respectively fixed to the connecting pipe 92. However, the upper yoke 93 and the lower yoke 94 that support the vertical shafts 101b and 101c of the cross shaft 101 are connected to the connecting pipe 91, and the cross shaft 101 of the cross shaft 101 is supported. The side yokes 95 and 96 that support the horizontal shafts 101d and 101e may be fixed to the connecting pipe 92, respectively.

  In this embodiment, the holding plate 26 fixed to the tip of the beam-shaped link 21B has an opening 26a for press-fitting the sliding bearing 126, and the screw hole 111 is formed in the shielding plate 110 fixed to the connecting pipe 92 of the joint portion 89. Although the structure is provided, an insertion hole for press-fitting a slide bearing into the shielding plate 110 fixed to the connection pipe 92 of the joint portion 89 is provided, and a screw hole is provided in the holding plate 26 fixed to the tip of the beam-shaped link 21B. Is also possible. In this case, an opening may be provided in the connection pipe 92 of the joint portion 89, and the bolt may be screwed into a screw hole provided in the holding plate 26 in a state where the bolt is housed inside the connection pipe from the opening.

  In the present embodiment, of two adjacent transport carts 15, the joint portion 89 is provided at the rear end portion of the beam-shaped link 21 </ b> A of the leading transport cart 15, and the front end portion of the beam-shaped link 21 </ b> B of the rear transport cart 15. The joint portion 89 is attached via the holding plate 26. Of the two adjacent transport carts 15, the joint portion 89 is provided at the tip of the beam-shaped link 21B of the rear transport cart 15, and the leading transport cart. It is good also as a structure which attaches the joint part 89 via the holding plate 26 to the rear-end part of 15 beam-like links 21B. In this case, the bracket 28 may be fixed to the front end side of the beam-shaped link 21 provided on the transport carriage 15, and the holding plate 26 may be fixed to the rear end side of the beam-shaped link 21.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Sorting conveyor, 15 ... Conveying cart, 26 ... Holding plate, 36, 37 ... Belt conveyor unit, 55, 56 ... Guide wheel unit, 81, 82 ... Guide rail, 88 ... Connection mechanism, 89 ... Joint part, 91, 92 ... Connecting pipe, 93 ... Upper yoke, 94 ... Lower yoke, 95, 96 ... Side yoke, 97, 98, 99, 100, 126 ... Slide bearing, 101 ... Cross shaft, 110 ... Shield plate, 127 ... Color, 132 ... Bolt

Claims (13)

It is a connection mechanism for a sorting conveyor that connects two adjacent carriages,
A shaft member having two rotating shafts extending in two directions perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the two adjacent carriages and perpendicular to each other;
Two sets of shaft support members for individually supporting the two rotation shafts;
A first connecting member that holds one set of the supporting members of the two sets of supporting members and has a fixed base that is fixed to one of the adjacent two transporting carts. When,
A second connecting member for holding the other set of support members of the two sets of support members;
A holding member having an insertion hole provided in one of the other transport carts or the second connecting member of the two transport carts adjacent to each other and having the arrangement direction as an axial direction;
A plate member provided on the other of the other transport carriage or the second connecting member and having a female screw portion;
A bearing member press-fitted into the insertion hole of the holding member;
A cylindrical member rotatably supported by the bearing member;
Fastening that is screwed into the female screw portion of the plate member while being inserted into the cylindrical member that is pivotally supported by the bearing member, and clamps the cylindrical member between the plate member and the plate member when fastened to the plate member Members,
A connecting mechanism for a sorting conveyor. In the connection mechanism for the sorting conveyor according to claim 1,
The bearing member has a flange that protrudes from an outer peripheral surface at one end in the axial direction and comes into contact with a peripheral edge of the insertion hole of the plate member when the plate member is press-fitted into the insertion hole. Features a connecting mechanism for sorting conveyors. In the connection mechanism for the sorting conveyor according to claim 2,
The length of the cylindrical member in the axial direction is set to be longer than the total thickness of the thickness of the holding member and the thickness of the flange portion of the bearing member press-fitted into the holding member. Linkage mechanism. In the connection mechanism for the sorting conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The transport carriage has a link member whose longitudinal direction is the transport direction of the transport object in the sorting conveyor,
When the said plate member is provided in said other conveyance trolley, it is provided in the one end part by the side of the said one conveyance trolley of the said link member in the longitudinal direction of the said link member, The connection mechanism for sorting conveyors characterized by the above-mentioned . In the connection mechanism for the sorting conveyor according to claim 4,
The link member has an opening for accommodating the fastening member therein when the fastening member is inserted through the cylindrical member pivotally supported by the bearing member. In the connection mechanism for the sorting conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The first connecting member is fixed to the one transport carriage in a state where a thickness adjusting member is sandwiched between the one transport carriage and the fixed base. . A plurality of transport carts;
The connecting mechanism for a sorting conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein two adjacent transport carts among the plurality of transport carts are coupled.
A sorting conveyor characterized by comprising: The sorting conveyor according to claim 7,
The transport carriage is
A conveyor unit capable of traveling in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the transfer carriage when the transfer carriage moves to a preset position;
A generator for generating electricity during movement of the transport carriage;
In response to power being supplied from the generator, a driving device for running the conveyor unit;
A sorting conveyor characterized by comprising: The sorting conveyor according to claim 8,
The transport carriage has at least two conveyor units juxtaposed in the moving direction of the transport carriage,
The sorting conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the driving device is provided corresponding to each of the at least two conveyor units. The sorting conveyor according to claim 9,
A sorting conveyor having a pair of guide mechanisms for restricting a moving direction of the transport carriage to a direction along a pair of guide rails arranged along a transport route of a transported article. The sorting conveyor according to claim 10,
Each guide mechanism of the pair of guide mechanisms is
Of the pair of guide rails, a traveling wheel that rotates while sliding on the corresponding guide rail; and
A plurality of guide wheels slidably contacted at different positions on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding guide rail;
A bracket that pivotally supports the traveling wheel and the plurality of guide wheels, and rotates the traveling wheel and the plurality of guide wheels according to a radius of curvature of the guide rail that is curved along the curved conveyance route. A sorting conveyor characterized by having. The sorting conveyor according to claim 11,
The said generator supports the said running wheel which comprises any one guide mechanism of said pair of guide mechanisms on a rotating shaft, and generates electric power by rotation of the said running wheel to support, The sorting conveyor characterized by the above-mentioned. . In the sorting conveyor as described in any one of Claims 10-12,
The pair of guide rails are arranged at a location where the conveyance route is curved, and the guide rails which are inside are arranged lower than the guide rails which are located outside.

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