Rack assembly and conveyor line assembly

Abstract

The present invention provides a rack assembly and a conveyor line assembly, wherein the conveyor line assembly includes a main rail and a conveying component; the rack assembly includes a flexible rack and a support boss; at the upper end of the rack, the support boss is arranged on both sides of the rack; or, at the upper and lower ends of the rack, the support boss is arranged on both sides of the rack; the lower end of the main rail includes a left chamber and a right chamber with opposite openings, and the support bosses at the upper end of the rack and on both sides of the separated rack are respectively installed in the left chamber and the right chamber. The present invention utilizes the elastic deformation of the flexible rack to eliminate the tensioning device of the chain transmission mechanism, thereby solving the problem that the traditional rigid rack cannot bend and change direction. The structure is simple and can achieve turning and changing direction in two directions at the same time.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number CN 201610462382.9 and titled "A Rack Assembly and Conveyor Line Assembly," filed on June 22, 2016. Technical Field

[0002] The invention relates to a conveyor line assembly and a rack assembly. Background Art

[0003] Conveyor lines are widely used to transport materials in production processes across various industries. Compared to manual material handling, they offer high efficiency and low labor intensity. While conveyor line structures vary widely, the drive mechanism generally utilizes a chain drive. While this offers the advantage of convenient long-distance transmission, its disadvantages include: a bulky structure requiring high structural strength, making installation and maintenance difficult; wear and tear on the chain, which causes it to stretch, necessitates a tensioning mechanism, resulting in a complex mechanism and a short chain lifespan. Furthermore, chain drives cannot simultaneously achieve turning and changing directions in two directions, failing to meet individual user needs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a rack assembly, which utilizes the elastic deformation of the flexible rack to eliminate the tensioning device of the chain transmission mechanism, has a simple structure, and can achieve turning and changing direction in two directions at the same time.

[0005] The rack assembly provided by the present invention includes a flexible rack and a support boss; the support boss is provided on both sides of the rack at the upper end of the rack; or, the support boss is provided on both sides of the rack at the upper and lower ends of the rack. The rack assembly is hung below the main rail of the conveyor line via the support boss at the upper end of the rack, and the rack is driven by a drive device. Due to the use of a flexible rack, it can be elastically deformed, making the conveyor line structure simple and easy to assemble, and achieving turning and changing direction in two directions at the same time; the support boss at the lower end of the rack is used to mount accessories such as a hanger hook mechanism. The rack and support boss are preferably made of highly wear-resistant, highly elastic plastic.

[0006] In order to achieve engagement with the gear, the cross-section of the rack is corrugated, and the supporting bosses on both sides of the rack can be respectively set at the crest and trough of the corrugation. As long as the strength of the corrugated rack is properly controlled, the weight of the rack can be greatly reduced while ensuring reliable quality.

[0007] To enhance the rack's strength, the rack features a corrugated cross-section, including parallel upper and lower corrugated racks. The crests of the upper and lower corrugated racks face outward and are offset by half a wavelength, allowing the gear to be driven from either side of the rack assembly. The upper and lower corrugated racks are connected, with support bosses on either side of the rack positioned at the crests of the upper and lower corrugated racks, respectively. The interconnected, parallel arrangement of the two corrugated racks increases the rack's overall strength while maintaining its flexibility. The upper and lower corrugated racks are preferably connected midway along the rack's height, with connections also made at the rack's ends. The tooth surface shape of the corrugated rack adopts an isosceles trapezoid with an included angle of 40 degrees. For the structure using an upper corrugated rack and a lower corrugated rack, the corrugated shape of the upper corrugated rack and the lower corrugated rack preferably adopts an isosceles trapezoid with an included angle of 40 degrees to facilitate engagement with the gear.

[0008] To facilitate transportation and installation, the length of a single rack is relatively short, and the racks are connected by a snap-fit ​​structure. The racks can also be connected end to end through a snap-fit ​​mechanism.

[0009] In order to achieve a stable connection of the rack and prevent it from falling off during operation, the buckling structure includes a plug-in part and a buckling part located at both ends of the rack; the plug-in part includes an L-shaped boss and shaped boss, L-shaped boss, The L-shaped boss forms a first slot and a second slot with the rack opening upward and downward, respectively. The L-shaped boss also forms a first socket opening to the right with the rack, wherein the first socket is located between the first and second slots; the buckling portion includes an L-shaped boss, shaped boss, L-shaped boss, The shaped boss and the rack form a second socket opening to the left, and the second socket and its opening are respectively The vertical side and horizontal side of the shaped boss are adapted; the rack is also provided with a boss adapted to the first slot; the first socket and the second slot are respectively The vertical side of the shaped boss and the vertical side of the L-shaped boss are adapted.

[0010] After the rack assembly is installed on the main rail, in order to facilitate the turning of the rack assembly, the outer edge of the supporting boss is arc-shaped.

[0011] The present invention also provides a conveyor line assembly, including a main rail and a conveying component, wherein the conveying component adopts the rack assembly provided by the present invention; the lower end of the main rail has a left chamber and a right chamber with opposite openings, and the support bosses on the upper end of the rack and on both sides of the rack are respectively installed in the left chamber and the right chamber. The rack assembly is mounted in the left and right chambers of the main rail through the support bosses, and the rack is driven to move on the main rail by a driving device. Since a flexible rack is used, it can be elastically deformed, making the conveyor line structure simple and easy to assemble, and realizing turning and changing tracks in two directions at the same time. The rack and the support bosses are preferably made of highly wear-resistant and highly elastic plastic. The left chamber and the right chamber are preferably U-shaped.

[0012] To prevent noise and rapid wear of the flexible rack due to direct contact between the rack and the main rail, a liner is used to isolate the flexible rack from the main rail. Specifically, the left and right chambers are filled with liners, and the support bosses are mounted in the chute of the liners. The liners are made of self-lubricating, highly wear-resistant plastic.

[0013] The lower end of the main rail is also provided with left and right anti-falling bosses to prevent the liner from falling off the main rail, so that once the liner is installed in the left and right cavities of the main rail, it can be reliably fixed and cannot be separated. The structure is simple and the connection is reliable.

[0014] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) Some parts of the conveyor line assembly are made of highly wear-resistant and highly elastic plastic, which solves the problems of the traditional chain transmission mechanism being bulky, difficult to install and having a short lifespan; (2) The structure is simple, the operation is smooth and the noise is low; (3) By utilizing the elastic deformation of the flexible rack, the tensioning device of the chain transmission mechanism is eliminated, which reduces the cost and facilitates the installation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the conveyor line assembly of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 A side view of the rack assembly of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a front view of the rack assembly of the present invention (the buckling structure is not shown);

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rack main rail of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the lining of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 6 A top view of the rack assembly of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the rack assembly of the present invention.

[0022] In the figure: 1. Rack main rail; 2. Lining; 3. Rack assembly; 1-1. Left chamber; 1-2. Left anti-slip boss; 1-3. Right anti-slip boss; 1-4. Right chamber; 2-1. Slide groove; 2-2. Groove; 3-1. Support boss; 3-2. Upper corrugated rack; 3-3. Outer edge of boss; 3-4. Socket one; 3-5. Boss one; 3-6. Slot one; 3-7. Boss two; 3-8. Socket two; 3-9. Boss three; 3-10. Slot two; 3-11. Boss four; 3-12. Lower corrugated rack; 3-13. Crest line of lower corrugated rack; 3-14. Valley line of lower corrugated rack; 3-15. Boss five. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] like Figure 2 、 3 As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the rack assembly 3 includes a flexible rack and a support boss 3-1. The support boss 3-1 is provided on both sides of the rack. The upper and lower ends of the rack are provided with support bosses, and the outer edges of the support bosses are provided in an arc shape. The cross section of the rack is corrugated, and the support bosses are provided at the crests and troughs of the corrugated rack. If a single rack structure is adopted, there is only one corrugated rack, and the support bosses are provided at the crests and troughs of the single corrugated rack. Figure 6 The rack includes an upper corrugated rack 3-2 and a lower corrugated rack 3-12. The upper corrugated rack 3-2 and the lower corrugated rack 3-12 are arranged in parallel and connected to each other. The crests of the upper corrugated rack 3-2 and the lower corrugated rack 3-12 are both facing outward and staggered by half a wavelength, that is, the distance between an adjacent crest and a trough. In this way, the gear can be driven from either side of the rack assembly 3. The connection point between the upper corrugated rack 3-2 and the lower corrugated rack 3-12 is located in the middle position in the thickness direction of the rack; the support bosses 3-3 on both sides of the rack are respectively arranged at the crest positions of the upper corrugated rack 3-2 and the lower corrugated rack 3-12. The corrugated shape of the upper corrugated rack and the lower corrugated rack adopts an isosceles trapezoid with an angle of 40 degrees, which is convenient for meshing with a standard gear with a pressure angle of 20 degrees.

[0024] In actual production, the length of a single rack is relatively short. In order to realize the connection of the racks and form a ring conveyor line, a snap-fit ​​structure is provided at both ends of the rack. The snap-fit ​​structure is used to connect the two rack components or to realize the end-to-end connection of the rack components to form a ring conveyor line. The snap-fit ​​component includes a plug-in part and a snap-fit ​​part located at both ends of the rack. The plug-in part can be made into a cylindrical shape, and the snap-fit ​​part can be made into a circular ring with an opening (the opening is used to accommodate the connection part between the cylindrical plug-in part and the rack). Inserting the cylindrical plug-in part into the circular snap-fit ​​part realizes the plug-in connection. The snap-fit ​​component can also be used as Figure 6 The structure shown in FIG. 1 includes an L-shaped boss 5 3-15, The boss 1 3-5, boss 5 3-15 and boss 1 3-5 respectively form a slot 2 3-10 with an upward opening and a slot 1 3-6 with an downward opening with the upper corrugated rack 3-2. The boss 5 3-15 and boss 1 3-5 also form a socket 1 3-4 with an opening to the right with the upper corrugated rack 3-2, wherein the socket 1 3-4 is located between the slot 1 3-6 and the slot 2 3-10; the buckling portion includes an L-shaped boss 2 3-7, The boss three 3-9, boss two 3-7, boss three 3-9 and the upper corrugated rack 3-2 form a socket two 3-8 with an opening facing left, and the socket two 3-8 and its opening are respectively adapted to the vertical and horizontal sides of the boss one 3-5; the inner side of the wave crest of the upper corrugated rack 3-2 is also provided with a boss four 3-11 adapted to the slot two 3-10; the socket one 3-4 and the slot one 3-6 are respectively adapted to the vertical sides of the boss three 3-9 and the vertical sides of the boss two 3-7. When plugging, align the vertical side of boss one 3-5 with socket two 3-8 and boss four 3-11 with slot two 3-10. After the plugging is completed, the vertical side of boss one 3-5 is inserted into socket two 3-8, boss four 3-11 is inserted into slot two 3-10, the vertical side of boss three 3-9 is inserted into socket one 3-4, and the vertical side of boss two 3-7 is inserted into slot one 3-6, ensuring the stable connection of the rack and preventing it from falling off.

[0025] like Figure 1 、 4 As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the rack assembly is installed below the main rail 1. Specifically, the lower end of the main rail is provided with a left chamber 1-1 and a right chamber 1-4, and the left chamber 1-1 and the right chamber 1-4 are U-shaped; the left end of the liner 2 has a slide groove 2-1 and the right end has a pit groove 2-2, and the liner 2 is approximately I-shaped; the liner 2 is installed in the left chamber 1-1 and the right chamber 1-4 respectively, and the main rail is also provided with a left anti-slip boss 1-2 and a right anti-slip boss 1-3. Due to the provision of the anti-slip bosses, once the liner 2 is installed in the U-shaped cavities at the left and right ends of the main rail, it is reliably fixed and cannot be separated. The structure is simple and the connection is reliable, which prevents the liner 2 from falling from the U-shaped cavities at the left and right ends. The support bosses 3-3 on the upper end and both sides of the rack are installed in the slide groove 2-1 of the liner 2, and the support bosses on the lower end and both sides of the rack are used to mount other components, such as the hanger hook mechanism provided by application number 2015210974128. Liner 2 and rack are made of self-lubricating, highly wear-resistant and highly elastic plastic.

[0026] In the specific implementation of the present invention, the gear drive is combined with Figure 3 、 7The gear is inserted roughly into the lower corrugated rack trough line 3-14 between the two lower corrugated rack crest lines 3-13 (the gear can also be set in the opposite position, correspondingly, the gear is inserted roughly into the upper corrugated rack trough line between the upper corrugated rack crest lines). The rotating gear drives the rack to move on the main track. If the track is a circular track, the elasticity of the flexible rack facilitates turning and changing direction on the circular track. Accessories such as hanger hook mechanisms and push rod mechanisms can be hung on the flexible rack as needed to meet the specific needs of users.

Claims

1. A rack assembly comprising a flexible rack and support bosses; the support bosses are disposed on both sides of the rack at the upper end of the rack; or the support bosses are disposed on both sides of the rack at the upper and lower ends of the rack; the rack has a corrugated cross-section; and is characterized in that: The rack includes an upper corrugated rack and a lower corrugated rack arranged in parallel, the crests of the upper corrugated rack and the lower corrugated rack are both facing outward and staggered by half a wavelength, the supporting bosses on both sides of the rack are respectively arranged at the crest positions of the upper corrugated rack and the lower corrugated rack, the upper corrugated rack and the lower corrugated rack are connected at the middle position in the height direction of the rack and at the end portion in the length direction of the rack, and there is a gap between the upper corrugated rack and the lower corrugated rack.

2. The rack assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Both ends of the rack are provided with a buckling structure, which is used to connect two adjacent rack assemblies.

3. The rack assembly according to claim 2, wherein: After the multiple rack assemblies are connected, the buckling structures of the rack assemblies at both ends are also used to connect the multiple rack assemblies end to end into a ring.

4. The rack assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The buckling structure includes a plug-in part and a buckling part located at both ends of the rack; the plug-in part includes an L-shaped boss and shaped boss, L-shaped boss, The L-shaped boss forms a first slot and a second slot with the rack opening upward and downward, respectively. The L-shaped boss also forms a first socket opening to the right with the rack, wherein the first socket is located between the first and second slots; the buckling portion includes an L-shaped boss, shaped boss, L-shaped boss, The shaped boss and the rack form a second socket opening to the left, and the second socket and its opening are respectively The vertical side and horizontal side of the shaped boss are adapted; the rack is also provided with a boss adapted to the first slot; the first socket and the second slot are respectively The vertical side of the shaped boss and the vertical side of the L-shaped boss are adapted.

5. The rack assembly according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: After two adjacent rack assemblies are connected, the corrugation continues at the connection, and the snap-fit ​​structure is located in the inner space formed by the crest of the upper corrugated rack formed at the connection.

6. The rack assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The plug-in portion and the buckle portion are arranged at the end connection of the upper corrugated rack and the lower corrugated rack, and the boss adapted to the first slot is located on the inner wall surface of the crest of the upper corrugated rack.

7. The rack assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The outer edge of the supporting boss is arc-shaped.

8. The rack assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The tooth surface shape of the corrugated rack adopts an isosceles trapezoid with an angle of 40 degrees.

9. The rack assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The gap is corrugated.

10. A conveyor line assembly comprising a main rail and a conveying component, wherein the lower end of the main rail has a chamber, characterized in that: The conveying component adopts the rack assembly described in any one of claims 1 to 9; the supporting bosses at the upper end of the rack and on both sides of the rack are installed in the chamber.

11. The conveyor line assembly according to claim 10, wherein: The chamber comprises a left chamber and a right chamber which are opened opposite to each other, and the supporting bosses on the upper end of the rack and on both sides of the rack are respectively installed in the left chamber and the right chamber.

12. The conveyor line assembly according to claim 11, wherein: The left chamber and the right chamber are filled with liners, and the supporting bosses are installed in the slide grooves of the liners.

13. The conveyor line assembly according to claim 12, wherein: The lower end of the main rail is also provided with an anti-falling boss to prevent the lining from falling off the main rail.

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