Material handling system

Abstract

This invention provides a transport system that enables the installation and adjustment of a device in a short time with a simple configuration, and can suppress shocks, vibrations, noise, etc., and achieve stable transport of a moving body. Specifically, in the transport system (100) that moves a moving body by means of a rack and pinion, the rack (110) is provided with fixed rack teeth (112) arranged in a predetermined pitch along the transport path. A portion of the fixed rack teeth (112) on the rack (110) is replaced with movable rack teeth (117). The movable rack teeth (117) are configured to move along the transport path so that the pinion teeth (122) on the pinion (121) can engage and disengage from the movable rack teeth (117) in the tooth width and tooth height directions relative to the movable rack teeth (117).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a transport system that moves a moving body such as a transport trolley by means of a rack and pinion. Background Technology

[0002] In a transport system for transporting moving objects such as transport trolleys, there is a known configuration that can perform vertical transport while maintaining the horizontal state of the transport trolley by means of racks and pinions, and can perform horizontal transport along a horizontally extending moving track at a specified horizontal position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The transport system described in Patent Document 1 is configured such that, while the rack is arranged to extend in the vertical direction, a pinion gear that engages with the rack is mounted on a transport trolley. By rotating the pinion gear, the transport trolley can be transported vertically along the rack. Furthermore, by releasing the pinion gear from the rack, the pinion gear is disengaged from the transport path, and the transport trolley can be transported horizontally along a moving track that extends in the horizontal direction.

[0004] In conveying systems employing rack and pinion mechanisms, a backlash (or clearance) needs to be intentionally created between the rack and pinion teeth to ensure smooth and unforced rotation of the pinion. This is because without backlash, interference between the rack and pinion teeth would prevent the pinion from rotating. The backlash is typically set within the range of 0.1–0.2 mm.

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6896034 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Furthermore, if there is a phase deviation between the rack teeth and the pinion teeth, the meshing between the rack teeth and the pinion teeth will be worse, which may cause noise and vibration, and may also shorten the life of the device, and have an adverse effect on the movement of the transport trolley.

[0008] In the handling system described in Patent Document 1, which enables vertical and horizontal handling of a transport trolley, the transport trolley is moved horizontally, and a pinion engages with a rack. At this point, if the phase of the pinion teeth is not within the gap range between the pinion and the rack teeth, the pinion cannot engage with the rack. Therefore, high-precision phase adjustment of the pinion relative to the rack is required, which complicates the structure in order to accurately determine the pinion's rotational direction.

[0009] The present invention is based on the above situation, and the technical problem to be solved is to provide a handling system that can be installed and adjusted in a short time with a simple structure, and can suppress shock, vibration, noise, etc., and realize the stable handling of moving objects.

[0010] This invention relates to a transport system in which a pinion gear is provided on a moving body and engages with a rack extending along a transport path. By rotating and driving the pinion gear, the moving body can be moved along the transport path. The system solves the aforementioned problem by comprising: a fixed portion having fixed rack teeth arranged at a predetermined pitch along the transport path; and a movable portion having movable rack teeth located on the transport path, replacing the fixed rack teeth in a portion of the transport path. The movable rack teeth are configured to move in the direction along the transport path, such that the pinion gear teeth on the pinion gear in a disengaged state from the transport path can engage with the movable rack teeth in the width or height direction of the movable rack teeth, and the pinion gear teeth on the pinion gear in an engaged state with the movable rack teeth on the transport path can disengage from the transport path in the width or height direction of the movable rack teeth.

[0011] According to the conveying system described in technical solution 1, the structure is simple because only a portion of the fixed rack teeth arranged on the conveying path needs to be replaced with movable rack teeth. By setting the movable rack teeth to be movable along the conveying path, the pinion can engage and disengage from the movable rack teeth in any direction in the tooth width and tooth height directions relative to the movable part on the rack, and a margin can be provided for the allowable value of the phase adjustment of the pinion teeth relative to the rack teeth. Because a margin can be provided for the allowable value of the phase adjustment of the pinion teeth relative to the rack teeth, the device can be installed and adjusted in a short time, and the pinion can engage with the rack without teaching.

[0012] According to the configuration described in this technical solution 2, since the movable part is pressed to the movement limit position when the pinion passes through the movable part, the phase of the movable rack teeth and the fixed rack teeth is kept in a consistent state. Therefore, even when the pinion passes through the movable part, it will not get stuck, thereby suppressing impact, vibration, noise, etc., and enabling smooth and stable transport of the moving body.

[0013] According to the configuration described in this technical solution 3, since the movable part does not interfere with the fixed part when it moves, the movement of the movable part is not hindered, and the engagement and disengagement of the pinion relative to the movable part can be reliably achieved.

[0014] According to the configuration described in this technical solution 4, interference with the fixed part can be effectively prevented when the movable part is in motion.

[0015] According to the configuration described in this technical solution 5, when the pinion and rack are engaged and located on the transport path, the pinion teeth on the pinion can be well inserted into the tooth grooves between the movable rack teeth on the movable part, and the pinion can be easily engaged with the movable part of the rack.

[0016] According to the configuration described in technical solution 6, it is convenient to adjust the phase of the movable rack teeth relative to the fixed rack teeth.

[0017] According to the configuration described in technical solution 7, gravity can be used to hold the movable part at its maximum position, thereby simplifying the device structure. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of an example of the handling system of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram that simultaneously shows a portion of the rack and pinion.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing a portion of the rack structure viewed from the tooth height direction.

[0021] Figure 4A It is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of the small gear passing through the movable part from below to above.

[0022] Figure 4B It is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of the small gear passing through the movable part from above to below.

[0023] Figure 5A It is a schematic diagram illustrating the disengagement of the pinion from the rack.

[0024] Figure 5B It is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of the movable part when the pinion disengages from the rack.

[0025] Figure 6A It is a schematic diagram illustrating the re-engagement action of the pinion relative to the rack.

[0026] Figure 6B It is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of the movable part when the pinion re-engages with the movable part.

[0027] Symbol Explanation

[0028] 100 - Transport system; 101 - Vertical transport section; 102 - Support rail; 105 - Horizontal transport section; 106 - Moving rail; 110 - Rack; 111 - Fixed section; 111a - Dividing fixed section; 111b - Dividing fixed section; 112 - Fixed rack teeth; 113 - Meshing guide section; 114 - Cutting section; 115 - Movable section; 116 - Rocking shaft section; 117 - Movable rack teeth; 118 - Chamfered section; 120 - Moving body (transport trolley); 121 - Pinion; 122 - Pinion teeth; 123 - Chamfered section; 125 - Guide roller; 126 - Wheel; Ra - Movable area. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The following description, based on the accompanying drawings, describes a conveying system according to one embodiment of the present invention. For ease of explanation, as follows... Figure 1 As shown, a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system of XYZ is defined to illustrate the structure of each part.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, a conveying system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a vertical conveying unit 101 for conveying a conveying trolley 120 as a moving body along a vertical conveying path extending in the Z direction; and a horizontal conveying unit 105 for conveying the conveying trolley along a horizontal conveying path extending in the Y direction at a predetermined horizontal position in the Z direction.

[0031] The vertical transport section 101 has a pair of support rails 102 at a position away in the X direction, which are arranged opposite each other in such a way that they extend along the vertical transport path. On each support rail 102, a rack 110 is fixed in such a way that it extends in the Z direction. The rack 110 is formed, for example, in a generally prism shape, and rack teeth are provided on one side along the XZ plane.

[0032] The horizontal transport unit 105 has a movable track 106 fixed at a predetermined horizontal position in the Z direction on each support track 102, which extends horizontally in the Y direction.

[0033] On both sides of the transport trolley, a pinion 121 is provided with its rotation axis extending in the X direction. The pinion 121 is driven by a suitable drive source to rotate in both directions and engages with the rack 110. Above the pinion 121, a guide roller 125 is provided that moves along the support track 102. Figure 1 126 in the figure is a wheel that is driven to rotate in both directions and is used to horizontally transport the transport trolley, and is configured to move forward and backward in the X direction.

[0034] The pinion 121 and guide roller 125 are configured to move forward and backward in the X direction. By moving the pinion 121 toward the direction of approaching the transport trolley, the engagement between the pinion 121 and the rack 110 is released, and the pinion 121 can be disengaged from the vertical transport path. At the same time, by moving the guide roller 125 toward the direction of approaching the transport trolley along the X direction, the guide roller 125 can be disengaged from the support rail 102, thereby realizing the horizontal transport of the transport trolley.

[0035] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the rack 110 includes: a fixed portion 111 having a plurality of fixed rack teeth 112 on the vertical transport path, the plurality of fixed rack teeth 112 being arranged in the Z direction with a predetermined tooth pitch p and extending in the X direction; and a movable portion 115 having movable rack teeth 117 located on the vertical transport path to replace the fixed rack teeth in a portion of the vertical transport path.

[0036] The fixing part 111 has a cutout 114 formed due to the absence of fixing rack teeth, and is composed of a plurality of segmented fixing parts divided in the Z direction. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the text, only two segmented fixing parts 111a and 111b are indicated. Alternatively, the cutout part 114 can be constructed by making the tooth width of the fixing rack teeth smaller than the tooth width of other areas.

[0037] On the movable part side end of the dividing fixed parts 111a and 111b, the tooth width of the fixed rack tooth 112 is formed to be smaller than the tooth width of other areas. A movable part arrangement space for arranging the movable part 115 is formed by the space part adjacent to the meshing guide part 113 in the X direction and the cut-out part 114.

[0038] The movable part 115 is configured such that the movable rack tooth 117 is located in the cutout portion 114 of the fixed part 111. Therefore, when the pinion tooth 122 on the pinion 121 meshes with the movable rack tooth 117, the pinion tooth 122 will not mesh with the fixed rack tooth 112, thereby avoiding interference between the movable part 115 and the fixed part 111 in the X direction (the tooth width direction of the movable rack tooth 117 and the fixed rack tooth 112).

[0039] Between the movable part 115 and the segmented fixed part 111a located above the movable part 115 in the Z direction, a space is formed that constitutes the movable region Ra of the movable part 115. The movable part 115 is configured such that the movable rack tooth 117 can move along the direction of the vertical transport path.

[0040] In this embodiment, the movable region Ra of the movable part 115 is configured, for example, to obtain an amount of movement of more than half a tooth pitch 1 / 2p of the movable rack tooth 117, thereby enabling reliable phase adjustment of the teeth of the movable rack tooth 117 and the fixed rack tooth 112.

[0041] When the pinion 121 is not engaged, the movable part 115 is held at the limit position by the stop member, and the movable rack tooth 117 is configured such that when the movable part 115 is held at the limit position, the phase of the tooth is consistent with that of the fixed rack tooth 112.

[0042] In this embodiment, the movable part 115 is configured to move downward in the Z-direction by its own weight and is held at its limit position by abutting against the segmented fixing part 111b, which is located downward in the Z-direction relative to the movable part 115. Therefore, the segmented fixing part 111b functions as a stop. Furthermore, movement upward in the Z-direction is restricted by the segmented fixing part 111a, which is located upward in the Z-direction relative to the movable part 115.

[0043] In this embodiment, the movable part 115 is configured to be able to rock about the rocking shaft 116, which is located outside the other side of the rack 110 and extends in the X direction. The pinion 121 can be engaged or disengaged relative to the movable part 115 from any direction of the tooth width direction (X direction) or tooth height direction (Y direction) of the movable rack tooth 117.

[0044] In the conveying system 100 of this embodiment, when the pinion gear 122 on the pinion gear 121 meshes with the movable rack tooth 117, the pinion gear 121 moves in the X direction toward the direction of approaching the conveying trolley, so the meshing between the pinion gear 122 and the movable rack tooth 117 is released, and the pinion gear 121 disengages from the vertical conveying path.

[0045] On the movable rack tooth 117, when the pinion 121 is positioned on the vertical transport path and the pinion 121 is re-engaged with the rack 110, a chamfered portion 118 is formed, for example, on the edge of the end face of the access side of the pinion 121.

[0046] Although in this embodiment, the chamfered portion 118 is configured as a top shape having two inclined surfaces that intersect each other on the central portion of the movable rack tooth 117 in the Z direction, it may also be configured as a single-slope top shape having the small gear 121 access side facing inward and inclined downward in the Z direction.

[0047] Furthermore, on the pinion teeth 122 of the pinion 121, a chamfered portion 123 is formed, for example, on the edge of the end face on the access side relative to the rack 110. Similarly, the chamfered portion 123 on the pinion 121 can also be configured to have a top shape with two inclined surfaces intersecting each other at the center of the pinion teeth 122 in the Z direction, and can also be configured to have a single-slope top shape that slopes inward from the access side relative to the rack 110 and upward in the Z direction, etc.

[0048] In this handling system 100, by rotating the pinion 121, the pinion teeth 122 on the pinion 121 mesh with the fixed rack teeth 112, which enables the vertical handling of the handling trolley.

[0049] When the pinion 121 moves from top to bottom relative to the movable part 115 on the upper side of the dividing fixed part 111a, or when the pinion 121 moves from bottom to top relative to the movable part 115 on the lower side of the dividing fixed part 111b, the movable part 115 is held at its movement limit position because its downward movement in the Z direction due to its own weight is restricted by the dividing fixed part 111b, and the movable part 115 is in a state where the phase of the movable rack tooth 117 and the fixed rack tooth 112 are aligned. Therefore, when transitioning from the dividing fixed part 111a or the dividing fixed part 111b to the movable part 115, after the engagement of the pinion tooth 122 with the fixed rack tooth 112 is disengaged, the pinion tooth 122 will not catch the movable rack tooth 117 and will engage smoothly.

[0050] When the pinion tooth 122 meshes with the movable rack tooth 117, as Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, due to the rotation of the pinion 121, a force is applied in the direction that presses the movable part 115 against the dividing fixed part 111b. Therefore, regardless of the rotation direction of the pinion 121, the movable part 115 will not move with the rotation of the pinion 121, and will remain in the position of being held at the limit of movement.

[0051] Since the engagement of the pinion 121 with the movable rack tooth 117 is disengaged, the phase of the movable rack tooth 117 and the fixed rack tooth 112 are aligned. Therefore, the pinion tooth 122 can smoothly engage with the movable part 115 without getting caught on the fixed rack tooth 112 of the segmented fixed part 111a or the fixed rack tooth 112 of the segmented fixed part 111b on the front side of the moving direction of the pinion 121.

[0052] As described above, when the transport trolley is vertically transported by means of the movable part 115, the movable part 115 will not move regardless of the direction of movement of the transport trolley, and the movable rack teeth 117 and the fixed rack teeth 112 are kept in phase, so the transport trolley can be transported stably.

[0053] When the transport trolley is moved horizontally, when the pinion 121 is disengaged from the vertical transport path, the pinion 121, which moves from top to bottom on the dividing fixed part 111a or from bottom to top on the dividing fixed part 111b, is temporarily stopped at a position where the pinion teeth 122 are engaged with the fixed rack teeth 112 in the end region of the upper-side dividing fixed part 111a relative to the movable part 115. At this point, the horizontal transport wheel 126 moves along the X direction in the direction away from the transport trolley and is positioned directly above the moving track 106. At this moment, the wheel 126 is in a state of disengagement from the moving track 106. By rotating the pinion 121 in the direction of the transport trolley's descent, the pinion 121 can be moved to a position where the pinion teeth 122 are engaged with the movable rack teeth 117, and the wheel 126 is grounded on the moving track 106. When wheel 126 is grounded on the moving track 106, the load on the transport trolley applied to pinion 121 is removed, and the load on the transport trolley is applied to wheel 126. With wheel 126 grounded on the moving track 106, pinion 121 rotates in the direction of descent of the transport trolley, as... Figure 5A As shown, the movable part 115 can be rocked, and the pinion 121 will not move downward due to the rotation of the pinion 121.

[0054] After the rotation of pinion 121 stops, by moving pinion 121 along the X direction towards the transport trolley, the meshing of pinion gear 122 with movable rack gear 117 can be disengaged, allowing pinion 121 to disengage from the vertical transport path. At this moment, since the load on pinion 121 from the transport trolley is removed, pinion 121 can be easily disengaged. When pinion 121 disengages, it is as follows: Figure 5B As shown, the movable part 115 swings downwards due to its own weight, and the movable part 115 is held at the limit position of movement by abutting against the dividing fixed part 111b.

[0055] Furthermore, by disengaging the pinion 121, moving the guide roller 125 in the X direction toward the direction of the transport trolley, and disengaging the guide roller 125 from the support rail 102, the transport trolley can be transported horizontally along the moving rail 106.

[0056] After the horizontal transport of the transport trolley, when it is vertically transported again, when the pinion 121 is positioned on the vertical transport path and engaged with the rack 110, this is done after the transport trolley has been horizontally transported and the pinion 121 has stopped the transport trolley in the Y direction at a position corresponding to the movable part 115. Then, the pinion 121 is moved in the X direction in the direction away from the transport trolley to engage with the movable part 115. At this time, even if there is a phase deviation between the pinion teeth 122 and the movable rack teeth 117, due to... Figure 6A As shown, chamfered portions 118 and 123 are formed on the end face of the pinion tooth 122 and the end face of the movable rack tooth 117, and the movable portion 115 can rock. Therefore, by moving the pinion 121 in the X direction, the phase of the pinion tooth 122 and the movable rack tooth 117 can be made to match, and the pinion tooth 122 can easily enter the tooth groove between the movable rack teeth 117.

[0057] Furthermore, when engaging the pinion 121 with the movable part 115, the pinion 121 can be rotated by half a tooth pitch of the pinion tooth 122, or it can be moved in the X direction while rotating the pinion 121. In this case, the pinion tooth 122 can be reliably engaged with the movable rack tooth 117. If the chamfered portion 118 on the movable rack tooth 117 and the chamfered portion 123 on the pinion 121 are configured, for example, to have a single-slope top shape, such an operation is unnecessary.

[0058] In addition, the position of the pinion teeth 122 can be detected by sensors to avoid the non-engaging area.

[0059] Next, as Figure 6B As shown, with the gear teeth 122 engaged with the movable rack teeth 117, rotating the pinion 121 in the direction of the rising transport trolley causes the movable part 115 to rock and reach its limit position, thus applying the load of the transport trolley to the pinion 121. Furthermore, while the pinion 121 is engaged with the movable part 115, the guide roller 125 can be moved along the X direction in the direction away from the transport trolley, and positioned on the support track 102.

[0060] As described above, since the movable rack teeth 117 and the fixed rack teeth 112 are in phase when the movable part 115 is held at the limit position, after the wheel 126 is moved in the X direction toward the transport trolley and the wheel 126 is stored, by rotating the pinion 121, the pinion teeth 122 can smoothly mesh with the movable part 115 without getting caught on the fixed rack teeth 112 of the dividing fixed part 111a or the dividing fixed part 111b on the front side of the moving direction of the pinion 121, thereby enabling stable vertical transport of the transport trolley.

[0061] While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as described in the technical solution.

[0062] For example, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which the pinion engages and disengages from the movable part in the tooth width direction of the movable rack teeth, it is also possible to configure the configuration so that the pinion engages and disengages from the movable part in the tooth height direction of the movable rack teeth. Furthermore, in the configuration where the pinion engages and disengages from the movable part in the tooth width direction of the movable rack teeth, it is not necessary to provide chamfering portions on both the pinion teeth and the movable rack teeth; it is sufficient to provide chamfering portions on either the pinion teeth or the movable rack teeth.

[0063] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which the movable part is moved by rocking, the movable part can be configured such that the movable rack teeth can move in the direction perpendicular to the transport path, and it can also be configured such that the movable part slides in the Z direction.

[0064] Furthermore, although in the above embodiment a notch is provided on the fixed part of the rack to avoid interference between the movable part and the fixed part when the movable part moves in the tooth width direction, if interference with the fixed part can be avoided in the tooth width direction, the fixed part may also be configured not to have a notch.

[0065] Furthermore, although in the above embodiment the segmented fixing part located on the side below the movable part in the Z direction also functions as a stop, as long as it is configured to prevent the movable part from moving beyond its movement limit position, an appropriate stop component may be provided separately.

[0066] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which racks are provided on each of a pair of support rails, and the pair of support rails are arranged opposite each other at a position away in the X direction in such a way that they extend along the vertical transport path, it is not necessary to arrange the racks on both sides of the transport trolley. They can also be configured to be arranged on one side of the transport trolley or on the center of the rear side of the transport trolley.

[0067] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration for vertically transporting the transport trolley using a rack and pinion mechanism, it is also possible to configure the trolley for horizontal transport using the same mechanism. In this case, it is sufficient to use a spring or similar device to press the movable part to its maximum movement limit position where the teeth of the movable rack and the fixed rack are in phase.

Claims

1. A conveying system comprising a pinion gear on a moving body that engages with a rack extending along a conveying path, wherein the moving body is moved along the conveying path by rotating the pinion gear, characterized in that, The rack is fixed to the transport path. The rack comprises: a fixed portion having fixed rack teeth arranged at a predetermined pitch along the transport path; and a movable portion having movable rack teeth located along the transport path, replacing the fixed rack teeth in a portion of the transport path. The movable rack tooth is configured to move along the direction of the transport path, such that the pinion tooth on the pinion in the disengaged state from the transport path can engage with the movable rack tooth in the tooth width or tooth height direction, and the pinion tooth on the pinion in the engaged state with the movable rack tooth on the transport path can disengage from the transport path in the tooth width or tooth height direction of the movable rack tooth.

2. The handling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The movable part is configured to be held at its maximum position when the pinion is not engaged. The movable rack teeth are configured such that, at the extreme position of movement, the phase of the teeth is consistent with the phase of the fixed rack teeth.

3. The handling system according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The fixed part is configured such that when the pinion engages with the movable part, the fixed rack teeth do not mesh with the pinion teeth.

4. The handling system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pinion is configured to engage and disengage from the tooth width direction of the movable rack relative to the movable part. The fixed part has a cutout where no fixed rack teeth are present at the position where the movable part and the movable rack teeth are arranged in the tooth width direction.

5. The handling system according to claim 4, characterized in that, A chamfer is formed on one or both of the edge portions on the end face of the pinion teeth and the edge portions on the end face of the movable rack teeth.

6. The handling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing part is configured to function as a stop that holds the movable part at its limit position when the pinion is not engaged.

7. The handling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transport path is configured to extend in the vertical direction.

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