Transport device

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying device which uses a suction roller and can hold and convey a conveyed object without bending the conveyed object and under the condition that the conveyed object has enough suction force. The conveying device comprises a suction roller used for generating negative pressure to adsorb a conveyed object; the cover component is arranged between the suction roller and the conveyed object, the cover component is provided with a platform part, the platform part faces the conveyed object, the platform part comprises a first platform part and a second platform part, and the first platform part and the second platform part face the conveyed object. The first platform part and the second platform part are respectively arranged on the downstream side and the upstream side of the suction roller in the conveying direction, and the first platform part and the second platform part are separated from each other. And an opening part for exposing the suction roller is arranged in an area where the first platform part and the second platform part are separated in the conveying direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in order to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and advanced energy for more people, research and development have been carried out on energy efficiency improvement technologies that contribute to energy efficiency, and many production processes, manufacturing processes, and equipment devices that help save energy are also involved.

[0003] For example, Prior Art Document 1 discloses a suction roll that sucks an adsorbate through a roll member having many through holes and winds it around the surface of the roll member. It is well known that a suction roll having such a structure is used as a conveying device for transporting an adsorbate to the next process during the manufacturing process. However, in the case of Prior Art Document 1, the object to be conveyed is attracted by the adsorption force of the roll member and adheres tightly, and thus forms a shape along the curved surface of the roll member. Therefore, when it is desired that the object to be conveyed (for example, a steel plate used in an automobile) is adsorbed and held by negative pressure during the conveying process without causing the object to be conveyed to bend, the above-described conveying device cannot be applied. Also, when the object to be conveyed is adsorbed and held by negative pressure during the conveying process, if the object to be conveyed does not bend due to its own characteristics, the object to be conveyed and the roll member only have line contact, which may cause a reduction in the adsorption force and deviation during the conveying process. Therefore, there is room for improvement in how to properly convey the object to be conveyed during the manufacturing process.

[0004] The present case aims to achieve proper conveyance of the object to be conveyed in order to solve the above problems. Moreover, it further contributes to energy efficiency.

[0005] [Prior Art Documents]

[0006] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 02-061859 Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention provides a conveying device that uses a suction roll and can hold and convey an object to be conveyed without bending it and with sufficient adsorption force.

[0009] The present invention provides a conveying device. The conveying device includes: a suction roller for generating negative pressure to adsorb an object to be conveyed; and a cover member disposed between the suction roller and the object to be conveyed, wherein the cover member has a platform portion facing the object to be conveyed, the platform portion includes a first platform portion and a second platform portion, the first platform portion and the second platform portion are respectively disposed on the downstream side and the upstream side of the suction roller in the conveying direction and the first platform portion and the second platform portion are separated from each other, and an opening portion exposing the suction roller is provided in a region where the first platform portion and the second platform portion are separated in the conveying direction.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the conveying device further includes: a roller member for conveying the object to be conveyed in the conveying direction, the platform portion is disposed at a position lower than the upper end of the roller member, and a gap portion is provided between the object to be conveyed and the platform portion in the normal direction of the platform portion.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, when looking directly at the platform portion, the roller member is spaced apart from the platform portion in the axial direction of the suction roller and is disposed on both sides of the opening portion in the axial direction of the suction roller.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the width of the roller member in the conveying direction is greater than or equal to the width of the platform portion in the conveying direction.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the distance of the gap portion in the normal direction of the platform portion is less than the distance of the opening portion in the conveying direction.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the cover member has a front wall portion, a rear wall portion and a side wall portion extending from the platform portion to the suction roller, the front wall portion is disposed at a position on the downstream side of the suction roller in the conveying direction, the rear wall portion is disposed at a position on the upstream side of the suction roller in the conveying direction, and the side wall portion is disposed at a position covering both ends in the axial direction of the suction roller.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the cover member includes: an outer peripheral portion provided at the outer peripheral edge of the platform portion; and a concave portion extending from the outer peripheral portion toward the center of the cover member and recessed toward the opening portion.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the conveying device includes a plurality of conveying units, each of the conveying units includes the cover member, the suction roller and the roller member, and the plurality of conveying units are arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the suction roller.

[0017] Based on the above, the conveying device forms a negative pressure area by disposing a cover member having a platform portion between the suction roller and the object to be conveyed, and exposing the suction roller through an opening portion provided between the first platform portion and the second platform portion. Thus, even when using a suction roller, the conveying device can hold and convey the object to be conveyed without bending it and with sufficient adsorption force.

[0018] To make the above features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, specific embodiments are hereinafter given and described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. Description of the Drawings

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2A is Figure 1 a partially enlarged schematic view of a conveying unit as shown;

[0021] Figure 2B is Figure 1 a schematic view of the conveying unit as shown after removing the cover member;

[0022] Figure 3 is Figure 2A a schematic cross-sectional structure view of the conveying unit as shown along the section line A-A;

[0023] Figure 4 is Figure 2A a schematic cross-sectional structure view of the conveying unit as shown along the section line B-B;

[0024] Figure 5A is Figure 1 a partially enlarged schematic view of another conveying unit as shown;

[0025] Figure 5B is Figure 5A a schematic cross-sectional structure view of the conveying unit as shown along the section line C-C.

[0026] Description of the Reference Numerals:

[0027] 100: Conveying device;

[0028] 110, 510: Cover member;

[0029] 111, 511: Platform portion;

[0030] 120: Suction roller;

[0031] 130: Roller member;

[0032] 131: Rolling roller;

[0033] 511A: Outer peripheral portion;

[0034] 511B: Recessed portion;

[0035] 511B1: First recessed portion;

[0036] 511B2: Second recessed portion;

[0037] BW: Rear wall portion;

[0038] D1: Conveying direction;

[0039] D2: Axial direction; <�

[0040] DS: Drive shaft;

[0041] FW: Front wall portion;

[0042] GS: Gap portion;

[0043] L: Cantilever;

[0044] OS: Opening portion;

[0045] PO: Object to be conveyed;

[0046] PS1: First platform portion;

[0047] PS2: Second platform portion;

[0048] RS: Rotation shaft;

[0049] S1, S2: Distance;

[0050] SU: Conveying unit;

[0051] SW: Side wall portion;

[0052] W1, W2: Width. Detailed implementation manner

[0053] Figure 1 Figure 2A is a schematic structural diagram of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; is Figure 1 a partially enlarged schematic diagram of a conveying unit shown; Figure 2B is <� Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the conveying unit shown after removing the cover member; Figure 3 is Figure 2A a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the conveying unit along the section line A-A; t

[0054] Figure 4 is Figure 2A a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the conveying unit along the section line B-B. The following will use Figures 1 to 4 to illustrate the specific structure of the conveying device 100.

[0055] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4, in this embodiment, the conveying device 100 includes a plurality of conveying units SU, and each conveying unit SU includes a cover member 110, a suction roller 120, and a roller member 130. The suction roller 120 is used to generate negative pressure to adsorb the object to be conveyed PO. In this embodiment, the object to be conveyed PO is, for example, a flat plate-like sheet material, and more specifically, it can be a metal sheet material commonly used in the automotive manufacturing industry. Specifically, as Figure 1 and Figure 2B shown, in this embodiment, the suction rollers 120 of the respective conveying units SU are coaxial and share the same rotating shaft RS. And, in this embodiment, the suction roller 120 is cylindrical, and the plurality of conveying units SU are arranged side by side in the axial direction D2 of the rotating shaft RS of the suction roller 120 to form an elongated rod shape. In addition, as Figure 1 shown, in this embodiment, the axial direction D2 of the rotating shaft RS of the suction roller 120 is orthogonal to the conveying direction D1 in which the conveying device 100 conveys the object to be conveyed PO.

[0056] Specifically, as Figure 1 shown, in this embodiment, in order to simplify the structure, the conveying device 100 fixes only one end of the rotating shaft RS of the suction roller 120 to the drive shaft DS by a cantilever L, and a fixed negative pressure chamber is inserted into the interior of the suction roller 120 from the unsupported end of the rotating shaft RS of the suction roller 120. Thus, since the negative pressure chamber is not a structure floating inside the movable suction roller 120, the drive shaft DS of the conveying device 100 can be simply supported by a single-stage bearing.

[0057] On the other hand, as Figures 1 to 4 shown, in this embodiment, the cover member 110 is provided between the suction roller 120 and the object to be conveyed PO, and, as Figure 2A and Figure 4 shown, the cover member 110 includes a platform portion 111 and a front wall portion FW, a rear wall portion BW, and a side wall portion SW extending from the platform portion 111 toward the suction roller 120. As Figure 2A and Figure 4 shown, in this embodiment, the platform portion 111 faces the object to be conveyed PO and includes a first platform portion PS1 and a second platform portion PS2. The first platform portion PS1 and the second platform portion PS2 are respectively arranged on the downstream side and the upstream side of the suction roller 120 in the conveying direction D1, and the first platform portion PS1 and the second platform portion PS2 are separated from each other, and an opening portion OS exposing the suction roller 120 is provided in the region where the first platform portion PS1 and the second platform portion PS2 are separated in the conveying direction D1.

[0058] Thus, by setting up the negative pressure chamber, the conveying device 100 can cause the suction roller 120 to generate negative pressure, thereby enabling the suction roller 120 to adsorb the object to be conveyed PO. And the conveying device 100 forms a planarized negative pressure area by disposing the cover member 110 having the platform portion 111 between the suction roller 120 and the object to be conveyed PO and exposing the suction roller 120 through the opening OS provided between the first platform portion PS1 and the second platform portion PS2. Thereby, even when using the suction roller 120, the conveying device 100 can hold and convey the object to be conveyed PO without bending the object to be conveyed PO and with sufficient adsorption force.

[0059] More specifically, compared with the structure in the prior art that adsorbs the flat object to be conveyed PO on the curved surface of the suction roller 120, where only the flat object to be conveyed PO can linearly contact the area generating the negative pressure space, the conveying device 100 can separate the space between the curved surface of the suction roller 120 and the object to be conveyed PO by disposing the platform portion 111 of the cover member 110, and can further create a space with negative pressure in a large range, and form a planarized negative pressure area within the range where the cover member 110 faces the object to be conveyed PO. In addition, if the opening OS is widened as much as possible inside the cover member 110, in the case where the object to be conveyed PO is not provided, the effect of increasing the suction wind speed in the negative pressure area can be achieved, which further helps to generate sufficient negative pressure.

[0060] On the other hand, as Figure 2A As Figure 4 shown, in this embodiment, the front wall portion FW of the cover member 110 is disposed at a position on the downstream side of the suction roller 120 in the conveying direction D1, the rear wall portion BW is disposed at a position on the upstream side of the suction roller 120 in the conveying direction D1, and the side wall portions SW are disposed at positions covering both ends of the suction roller 120 in the axial direction D2. More specifically, the front wall portion FW of the cover member 110 extends from the most downstream side edge of the first platform portion PS1 in the conveying direction D1 towards the suction roller 120, the rear wall portion BW of the cover member 110 extends from the most upstream side edge of the second platform portion PS2 in the conveying direction D1 towards the suction roller 120, and the side wall portions SW of the cover member 110 respectively extend from the side edges of the first platform portion PS1 and the second platform portion PS2 parallel to the conveying direction D1 towards the suction roller 120 to form. Thus, through the configuration of the front wall portion FW, the rear wall portion BW, and the side wall portions SW of the cover member 110, the cover member 110 is formed into a structure with a wall shape on the side, and can cover the suction roller 120 on the side, and can thereby store the negative pressure generated by the suction roller 120 inside the cover member 110, and can stably supply negative pressure to the negative pressure area where the opening OS is located.

[0061] On the other hand, as Figures 1 to 4As shown, in this embodiment, the roller member 130 includes a plurality of rolling rollers 131, and holds and transports the object to be transported PO along the transport direction D1. And, as Figure 3 shown, the platform portion 111 is disposed at a position lower than the upper end of the roller member 130. Further, when looking directly at the platform portion 111, the roller member 130 is spaced apart from the platform portion 111 in the axial direction D2 of the suction roller 120, and is disposed on both sides of the open portion OS in the axial direction D2 of the suction roller 120, and as Figure 4 shown, by disposing the platform portion 111 at a position lower than the upper end of the roller member 130, a space that separates the object to be transported PO from the cover member 110 can be formed between the object to be transported PO and the platform portion 111, that is, a gap portion GS can be provided between the object to be transported PO and the platform portion 111 in the normal direction of the platform portion 111.

[0062] Thus, by providing the roller member 130 on both sides of the platform portion 111 and the open portion OS in the axial direction D2 of the suction roller 120, the range of the gap portion GS can be controlled between the platform portion 111 of the cover member 110 and the support height of the rolling roller 131, and the gap portion GS is set with a minimum gap in such a manner that the object to be transported PO to be transported does not contact the curved surface of the rotating suction roller 120 and the platform portion 111 of the cover member 110, and the negative pressure can be maintained, so that the height of the gap portion GS is controlled within the minimum height range. Thereby, the suction roller 120 can rotate smoothly while maintaining the minimum gap and keeping the object to be transported PO parallel, and it is possible to prevent the object to be transported PO from contacting the platform portion 111, and further prevent the object to be transported PO from being damaged due to contact with the cover member 110 or the suction roller 120 of the transport device 100. And, when the suction roller 120 generates a negative pressure, the air in the gap portion GS can also be sucked from the negative pressure area where the open portion OS is located, and thus a negative pressure can also be generated in the entire gap portion GS.

[0063] On the other hand, as Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the distance S1 of the gap portion GS in the normal direction of the platform portion 111 is less than the distance S2 of the open portion OS in the conveying direction D1. In this way, the cross-sectional area of the surge flow for the air flow in the gap portion GS will be significantly smaller than the cross-sectional area of the surge flow for the air flow in the negative pressure region where the open portion OS is located. The gas flow velocity in the gap portion GS increases due to the Venturi effect. Therefore, a negative pressure can also be generated in the gap portion GS. The so-called Venturi effect is specifically as follows: When gas or liquid flows in a Venturi tube, due to the continuity equation of the fluid, the velocity of the gas or liquid increases due to the change in the cross-sectional area of the surge flow. And, based on Bernoulli's theorem, the entire surge flow has to experience the process of pipe narrowing at the same time, so the pressure also decreases at the same time, and thus a pressure difference is generated at different cross-sectional areas. This pressure difference provides an external suction force to the fluid, thereby generating a negative pressure. In this embodiment, since the cross-sectional area of the surge flow for the air flow in the gap portion GS is significantly smaller than the cross-sectional area of the surge flow for the air flow in the negative pressure region where the open portion OS is located, the gas flow velocity in the gap portion GS is greater than the gas flow velocity in the negative pressure region where the open portion OS is located, and the gas pressure also decreases relatively, and a region with a greater negative pressure is generated in the gap portion GS, which can be used to more reliably adsorb the object to be conveyed PO.

[0064] In addition, as Figure 3 shown, in this embodiment, in the region where the conveying device 100 is provided with the platform portion 111 at least in the conveying direction D1, a corresponding region range of the roller member 130 is provided, that is, the width W1 of the roller member 130 in the conveying direction D1 is greater than or equal to the width W2 of the platform portion 111 in the conveying direction D1. In this way, in the conveying direction D1, by correspondingly providing the region range of the roller member 130 in the region where the platform portion 111 is provided, even when the object to be conveyed PO is deformed due to the negative pressure generated by the open portion OS, that is, when the object to be conveyed PO is attracted by the negative pressure and deformed downward into a concave shape, contact between the object to be conveyed PO and the platform portion 111 can be prevented. For example, as a comparative example, if the width W1 of the roller member 130 in the conveying direction D1 is less than the width W2 of the platform portion 111 in the conveying direction D1, when the object to be conveyed PO being conveyed is deformed downward into a concave shape, it may contact the edge of the platform portion 111 (that is, the corner portion of the platform portion 111) and have the possibility of deformation, and thus the object to be conveyed PO cannot be stably held and conveyed. In contrast, by setting the width W1 of the roller member 130 in the conveying direction D1 to be greater than or equal to the width W of the platform portion 111 in the conveying direction D1, the conveying device 100 can prevent contact between the object to be conveyed PO and the platform portion 111 even when the object to be conveyed PO is deformed due to the negative pressure generated by the open portion OS, that is, when the object to be conveyed PO is attracted by the negative pressure and deformed downward into a concave shape, and can stably hold and convey the object to be conveyed PO.

[0065] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the conveying device 100 includes a plurality of conveying units SU, and the number of the conveying units SU can be increased according to the width dimension of the object to be conveyed PO, it is easy to add more conveying units SU, thereby expanding the range in which the conveying device 100 holds and conveys the object to be conveyed PO, and thus eliminating the size limitation on the object to be conveyed PO. In addition, the conveying device 100 can also manage the negative pressure generating ability of each conveying unit SU, so that a stable negative pressure can be generated regardless of the size of the conveying device 100.

[0066] It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the platform portion 111 of the cover member 110 may have different structures as long as a planarized negative pressure area can be formed within the range where the cover member 110 faces the object to be conveyed PO. The following will be further explained in conjunction with Figure 5A and Figure 5B for further explanation.

[0067] Figure 5A is Figure 1 a partially enlarged schematic view of another conveying unit SU shown; Figure 5B is Figure 5A a schematic cross-sectional structure view of the conveying unit SU along the section line C-C. Please refer to Figure 5A and Figure 5B In the present embodiment, the platform portion 511 of the cover member 510 is similar to the platform portion 111 of the cover member 110 of Figure 2A and the differences between the two are described as follows. In the present embodiment, the platform portion 511 of the cover member 510 includes an outer peripheral portion 511A and a concave portion 511B, wherein the outer peripheral portion 511A is provided at the outer peripheral edge of the platform portion 511, and the concave portion 511B extends from the outer peripheral portion 511A toward the center of the cover member 510 and is recessed toward the opening OS.

[0068] More specifically, as shown in Figure 5AAs shown, the outer peripheral portion 511A of the lid member 510 is formed by the side edge of the first platform portion PS1 on the most downstream side in the conveying direction D1, the side edge of the first platform portion PS1 parallel to the conveying direction D1, the side edge of the second platform portion PS2 on the most upstream side in the conveying direction D1, and the side edge of the second platform portion PS2 parallel to the conveying direction D1. Further, the first platform portion PS1 includes a first recess 511B1 which extends from the side edge of the most downstream side in the conveying direction D1 and the side edge of the first platform portion PS1 parallel to the conveying direction D1 towards the open portion OS and is recessed towards the open portion OS, and the second platform portion PS2 includes a second recess 511B2 which extends from the side edge of the most upstream side in the conveying direction D1 and the side edge of the second platform portion PS2 parallel to the conveying direction D1 towards the open portion OS and is recessed towards the open portion OS. The range of the recess 511B of the lid member 510 refers to the range covered by the first recess 511B1 of the first platform portion PS1 and the second recess 511B2 of the second platform portion PS2.

[0069] In this way, the outer peripheral edge of the platform portion 511 provides a structure for preventing the leakage of negative pressure to the surroundings (i.e., a structure with good sealing performance) by maintaining a state where the distance between the outer peripheral portion 511A and the object to be conveyed PO is relatively close. And by forming the recess 511B which is recessed from the outer peripheral portion 511A of the platform portion 511 towards the center, the negative pressure can also be stored in the recess 511B other than the open portion OS. Therefore, the entire area of the recess 511B outside the outer peripheral portion 511A of the platform portion 511 can generate negative pressure, and the negative pressure region formed within the range where the lid member 510 faces the object to be conveyed PO can extend to the region outside the open portion OS, making the conveyance of the object to be conveyed PO more stable.

[0070] Moreover, since the structure of the platform portion 511 of the lid member 510 is similar to the structure of the platform portion 111 of the aforementioned lid member 110, the same effects and advantages as those of the platform portion 111 of the aforementioned lid member 110 can be achieved, and thus will not be elaborated here. And when the conveying device 100 adopts the structure of the platform portion 511 of the lid member 510, the aforementioned effects and advantages can also be achieved, and will not be elaborated here either.

[0071] In summary, in the embodiment of the present invention, the conveying device forms a negative pressure region by disposing a lid member having a platform portion between the suction roller and the object to be conveyed and exposing the suction roller through the open portion provided between the first platform portion and the second platform portion. Thereby, even when using a suction roller, the conveying device can hold and convey the object to be conveyed without bending the object to be conveyed and with sufficient adsorption force.

[0072] In addition, since the conveying device of the present invention uses suction to attract and hold the object to be conveyed, even if the object to be conveyed is a non-magnetic material (such as a resin material of aluminum or carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), etc.), it can still be conveyed. This can be applied to production processes, manufacturing techniques, and equipment that contribute to energy conservation.

[0073] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A conveying device, characterized in that, Comprising: A suction roller for generating negative pressure to adsorb the object to be transported; And A cover member disposed between the suction roller and the object to be transported, wherein the cover member has a platform portion facing the object to be transported, The platform portion includes a first platform portion and a second platform portion, the first platform portion and the second platform portion are respectively disposed on the downstream side and the upstream side of the suction roller in the transport direction and the first platform portion and the second platform portion are separated from each other, and An opening portion exposing the suction roller is provided in a region where the first platform portion and the second platform portion are separated in the transport direction.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein Further comprising: A roller member for transporting the object to be transported in the transport direction, The platform portion is disposed at a position lower than the upper end of the roller member, and a gap portion is provided between the object to be transported and the platform portion in the normal direction of the platform portion.

3. The transport device according to claim 2, wherein When looking directly at the platform portion, the roller member is spaced apart from the platform portion in the axial direction of the suction roller and is disposed on both sides of the opening portion in the axial direction of the suction roller.

4. The transport device according to claim 3, wherein The width of the roller member in the transport direction is greater than or equal to the width of the platform portion in the transport direction.

5. The conveying device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The distance of the gap portion in the normal direction of the platform portion is less than the distance of the opening portion in the transport direction.

6. The transport device according to claim 2, wherein The cover member has a front wall portion, a rear wall portion and a side wall portion extending from the platform portion toward the suction roller, The front wall portion is disposed at a position on the downstream side of the suction roller in the transport direction, The rear wall portion is disposed at a position on the upstream side of the suction roller in the transport direction, The side wall portion is disposed at a position covering both ends in the axial direction of the suction roller.

7. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein The cover member includes: An outer peripheral portion provided at the outer peripheral edge of the platform portion; and A concave portion extending from the outer peripheral portion toward the center of the cover member and recessed toward the opening portion.

8. The conveying device according to claim 2, wherein, The transport device includes a plurality of transport units, each transport unit includes the cover member, the suction roller and the roller member, and the plurality of transport units are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the suction roller.

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