Carrier device

Abstract

To provide a carrier device capable of restricting a cover from being damaged due to vibration caused by carrying operations, etc.SOLUTION: A carrier device comprises a traveling portion, a body portion (100) suspended from the traveling portion, a rear cover (CR) that covers the body portion (100) and has a fixing hole (CRA2) to be fixed to the body portion (100), and a reinforcing member (H) provided with a connecting hole (HA2) that can communicate with the fixing hole (CRA2). The rear cover (CR) is fastened to the body portion (100) together with the reinforcing member (H) by using a screw (B2) that passes through the fixing hole (CRA2) and the connecting hole (HA2). An end (HT) of the reinforcing member (H) is spaced from the rear cover (CR).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transport device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, automatic transport of goods using unmanned transport devices (goods transport vehicles) has been put to practical use in factories, warehouses, etc. As such a transport device, for example, a ceiling transport vehicle that runs along a track laid on the ceiling is known. In addition, it has been disclosed that a cover is provided in the front-rear direction, which is the running direction, for such a ceiling transport vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-088394 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the transport device, there is room for improvement in terms of measures against damage to the cover caused by vibrations and the like accompanying the transport operation.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a conveying device that can prevent a cover from being damaged due to vibrations or the like that accompany a conveying operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the conveying device disclosed herein is a conveying device comprising a running section for running along a track, a main body section suspended from the running section, and a cover covering the main body section and having a fixing hole for fixing to the main body section, and further comprising a reinforcing member having a communication hole that can communicate with the fixing hole, and the cover is fastened to the main body section together with the reinforcing member by a fixing member inserted through the fixing hole and the communication hole, and an end of the reinforcing member is spaced apart from the cover. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a conveying device can be provided that can prevent damage to a cover due to vibrations or the like associated with a conveying operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a transport device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a configuration example of a transport system including the transport device. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view of the conveying device shown in FIG. 1 with the rear cover removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example of the configuration of the rear cover. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of fixing the front cover in the portion surrounded by a dashed line circle X in FIG. 3. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [One embodiment] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. First, a conveying device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a conveying system S including the conveying device 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. In the following description, the up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction of the conveying device 1 are defined as shown by the double-headed arrows in Fig. 1. Note that, as shown in Fig. 2, in the conveying system S, the conveying device 1 can travel in either the front-rear direction or the rear-rear direction.

[0010] <Configuration of the conveying device 1 and the conveying system S> Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conveying device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a configuration example of a conveying system S including the conveying device 1. In Fig. 1, a traveling rail 50 as a track is omitted for the sake of simplicity.

[0011] 1 and 2, the conveying device 1 is, for example, a ceiling conveying vehicle that conveys an article along a traveling rail 50 laid on or near the ceiling. Note that the conveying device 1 is not limited to a ceiling conveying vehicle, and may be, for example, a conveying vehicle that conveys an article along a rail laid on the floor. In other words, the conveying system S includes the conveying device 1 and a traveling rail 50 on which the conveying device 1 can run.

[0012] The conveying device 1 includes a running section 10 for running along a running rail 50. The conveying device 1 includes, for example, a cart section 20, a transfer machine section 30, and a fall prevention section 40 as a main body section 100 suspended from the running section 10. The fall prevention section 40 is provided at the front and rear of the conveying device 1. The conveying device 1 includes, at the front of the main body section 100, a front cover CF that covers the front fall prevention section 40 that constitutes a part of the main body section 100. The conveying device 1 also includes, at the rear of the main body section 100, a rear cover RF that covers the rear fall prevention section 40 that constitutes a part of the main body section 100. The running section 10 has a front bogie section on which a front running wheel is provided and a rear bogie section on which a rear running wheel is provided, and runs on the running rail 50 by a running motor mounted on both bogie sections.

[0013] The cart unit 20 includes a slide drive unit, a swivel drive unit, and a lift drive unit. Each unit of the cart unit 20 is controlled by a control unit (not shown). Specifically, the control unit controls the slide drive unit to slide the article held by the transfer machine unit 30 perpendicularly to the traveling direction of the conveying device 1. The control unit also controls the swivel drive unit to rotate the placed article about the central axis of rotation of the conveying device 1. The control unit also controls the lift drive unit to lift and lower the transfer machine unit 30 between the cart unit 20 and the transfer port.

[0014] <Configuration example of front cover CF and rear cover CR> Next, the front cover CF and the rear cover CR as covers of the conveying device 1 of this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the conveying device 1 with the rear cover CR shown in Fig. 1 removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a configuration example of the rear cover CR. Fig. 5 is a diagram explaining a fixing example of the front cover CF in the portion surrounded by the dashed circle X in Fig. 3.

[0015] Furthermore, in the transport device 1, vibrations may occur in the entire transport device 1, including the front cover CF and the rear cover CR provided on the front and rear drop prevention units 40, for example, as a result of the travelling operation of the travelling part 10. However, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, as described in detail later, even if vibrations occur, the influence of the vibrations is eliminated as much as possible, and the occurrence of damage to the transport device 1 and the transport system S is suppressed as much as possible.

[0016] The front cover CF is fixed to the fall prevention part 40 provided at the front of the cart part 20 so as to cover the surface of the fall prevention part 40. The rear cover CR is fixed to the fall prevention part 40 provided at the rear of the cart part 20 so as to cover the surface of the fall prevention part 40. The front cover CF and rear cover CR are made of a hard and lightweight synthetic resin material such as polyvinyl chloride resin, and are designed to protect the main body part 100 by covering the front and rear fall prevention parts 40 of the cart part 20, respectively.

[0017] In addition, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the rear cover CR is configured to have a curved shape that corresponds to the shape of the outer surface of the fall prevention part 40 that it is covering, and is fixed to the fall prevention part 40 by two reinforcing members H.

[0018] Specifically, the side portion of the rear cover CR has a shape that covers the outer shape of the fall prevention part 40 from the front to the left and right of the fall prevention part 40, and the rear end has a flat portion that is parallel to the front-to-back and up-down directions.

[0019] In addition, in the rear cover CR, for example, two fixing holes CRA1 and CRA2 for fixing to the front fall prevention part 40 are formed on the upper end side and the lower end side, respectively, of the flat part of each end as shown in Fig. 4. In the rear cover CR, two screws B1 and B2 are inserted into the fixing holes CRA1 and CRA2, respectively, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the rear cover CR is attached to the fall prevention part 40 via the reinforcing member H.

[0020] Further, the rear cover CR is provided with a curved portion provided continuously with the flat portion on the lower end side below the fixing hole CRA2, and a bottom surface portion which is continuous with the curved portion and covers the bottom of the rear fall prevention part 40. Further, the curved portion is formed so that the most distal portion on the lower end side in the vertical direction, i.e., the end opposite to the flat portion, is curved with a predetermined curvature toward the rear fall prevention part 40.

[0021] The mounting portions of the rear cover CR and the front cover CF have the same shape, and the front cover CF, like the rear cover CR, is fixed to the front fall prevention part 40 together with the reinforcing member H by two screws B1 and B2.

[0022] In this manner, the front cover CF and the rear cover CR are provided so as to cover the front and rear surfaces of the corresponding drop prevention parts 40. Therefore, combined with the fact that the weight is reduced by using the synthetic resin material as described above, the front cover CF and the rear cover CR can protect the drop prevention parts 40 and ultimately the main body part 100 while minimizing the obstruction of the traveling operation (transporting operation) of the transport device 1 by the traveling part 10.

[0023] <Example of the configuration of the reinforcing member H> The reinforcing member H is configured using a long and thin plate-like member as shown in Fig. 4. Specifically, for example, a metal plate such as stainless steel or a synthetic resin plate is used for the reinforcing member H. Also, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 4, the reinforcing member H is provided on the drop prevention part 40 side of the flat portion of each end of the front cover CF or rear cover CR to be reinforced. In this way, the reinforcing member H reinforces the corresponding front cover CF or rear cover CR.

[0024] In other words, the reinforcing member H improves the strength of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR by being attached to the front cover CF and the rear cover CR, respectively. Note that it is preferable for the reinforcing member H to have a strength greater than that of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR, since this makes it possible to easily improve the strength of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR. Note that when stainless steel is used, it is preferable for the thickness of the reinforcing member H to be within a range of, for example, about 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm, since this makes it possible to easily achieve both improved strength and reduced weight.

[0025] Further, the reinforcing member H is provided with communication holes HA1 and HA2 that can communicate with the fixing holes CRA1 and CRA2, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4. In the reinforcing member H, as shown in Fig. 3, two screws B1 and B2 are inserted through the fixing holes CRA1 and CRA2 and the communication holes HA1 and HA2, respectively, so that the reinforcing member H is fixed between the front cover CF or the rear cover CR and the fall prevention part 40.

[0026] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, the reinforcing member H includes a reinforcing body portion H1 and a bent portion HT provided at an end of the reinforcing body portion H1. As shown in Fig. 5, the reinforcing body portion H1 is a flat plate-like portion parallel to the flat portion CF1 of the front cover CF, and is fixed to the flat portion CF1 via a double-sided tape T serving as an adhesive layer.

[0027] Also, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the bent portion HT is configured to be separated from the curved portion CFT of the front cover CF in the up-down direction. Specifically, in the front cover CF, as in the rear cover CR, as illustrated in Fig. 5, a curved portion CFT is provided continuously with the flat portion CF1 at the lower end side below the fixing hole CFA2, and a bottom surface portion CF2 is provided continuously with the curved portion CFT and covers the bottom of the front fall prevention part 40. Also, in the curved portion CFT, the most distal end portion on the lower end side, i.e., the end opposite to the flat portion CF1, is formed to be curved with a predetermined curvature toward the front fall prevention part 40 in the up-down direction. On the other hand, in the reinforcing member H, the bent portion HT has a bent shape that is separated from the curved portion CFT of the front cover CF as it approaches the most distal end portion.

[0028] More specifically, in the reinforcement member H, as illustrated in Fig. 5, a curvature of the bent portion HT in the up-down direction is selected to be greater than the curvature of the curved portion CFT, so that the bent portion HT is spaced apart from the curved portion CFT and positioned closer to the fall prevention unit 40 than the curved portion CFT. However, as illustrated in Fig. 5, a recess is provided at the lower end of the fall prevention unit 40 to avoid contact with the reinforcement member H, and the reinforcement member H is configured not to abut against the lower end. Also, the front cover CF is provided with a bottom surface portion CF2 that is formed continuously with the curved portion CFT and covers the lower end of the fall prevention unit 40.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the upper end of the reinforcing member H is also bent in a manner such that it moves away from the rear cover CR as it approaches the extreme end, similar to the lower end.

[0030] As described above, the upper and lower end sides of the reinforcing member H have a bent shape that is spaced apart from the front cover CF and the rear cover CR, so that the upper and lower end parts of the reinforcing member H can be prevented from contacting the ends of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR. Therefore, in this embodiment, damage to the front cover CF and the rear cover CR caused by the reinforcing member H can be reliably prevented.

[0031] 5, the screw B2 is fixed to the fall prevention part 40 by sequentially passing through a washer W2, a fixing hole CFA2 in the front cover CF, a through hole TA2 in the double-sided tape T, a communicating hole HA2 in the reinforcing member H, and a female screw or a pop rivet W1. The screw B1 is also fixed to the fall prevention part 40 in the same manner as the screw B2. These screws B1 and B2 are fixing members that fasten the front cover CF to the main body part 100 together with the reinforcing member H, for example, by passing through the fixing holes CFA1 and CFA2 and the communicating holes HA1 and HA2, respectively.

[0032] In the above description, the screws B1 and B2 are used as the fixing members, but the fixing members of the present disclosure are not limited to these and may be any members that can be inserted into the fixing holes CFA1 and CFA2, etc. Specifically, the fixing members of the present disclosure may be, for example, pins or push rivets.

[0033] As described above, the transport device 1 of this embodiment includes the running part 10, the main body part 100 suspended from the running part 10, and the front cover CF and rear cover CR that cover the front and rear sides of the main body part 100, respectively, and have fixing holes CFA1 and the like for fixing to the main body part 100. The transport device 1 of this embodiment includes a reinforcing member H provided with communication holes HA1 and the like that can communicate with the fixing holes CFA1 and the like. The front cover CF and the rear cover CR are fastened to the main body part 100 together with the reinforcing member H by screws B1 or B2 that pass through the fixing holes CFA1 and the like and the communication holes HA1 and the like. The end HT of the reinforcing member H is spaced apart from the front cover CF and the rear cover CR.

[0034] With the above configuration, the transport device 1 of this embodiment can suppress damage to the front cover CF and the rear cover CR due to vibrations and the like accompanying the transport operation. Specifically, for example, if the fixing hole CFA1 of the front cover CF changes over time, repeated vibrations may occur in the screw B1 as the transport device 1 transports. When such repeated vibrations occur, in a comparative example in which the reinforcing member H is not provided, the screw intermittently contacts the edge of the fixing hole of the cover, and cracks may occur starting from the edge of the fixing hole, causing damage such as cracks in the cover. Furthermore, in the comparative example, there is a risk that the damaged parts such as the cracks in the cover described above may fall from the transport device during the transport operation and contaminate the transport object or the surrounding environment of the transport device.

[0035] In contrast, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, since the reinforcing member H is provided, even if repeated vibrations or the like occur in the front cover CF and the rear cover CR during the transport operation, the front cover CF and the rear cover CR can be prevented from coming into contact with the main body 100 and the reinforcing member H due to the vibrations or the like. As a result, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the front cover CF and the rear cover CR from being damaged due to the vibrations or the like accompanying the transport operation.

[0036] Furthermore, according to a verification test conducted by the inventors of the present disclosure, it was confirmed that the strength of each of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR was four or more times greater when the reinforcing member H was provided, compared to the above-mentioned comparative example. Furthermore, as a verification test, vibrations equivalent to vibrations caused by travel were repeatedly applied to the conveying device 1. As a result, it was confirmed that, even when vibrations were generated 900,000 times or more, in this embodiment, no damage such as cracks occurred in the front cover CF and the rear cover CR.

[0037] On the other hand, in a comparative example in which no reinforcing member was provided and the cover was directly attached to the main body with screws, it was confirmed that after approximately 200,000 repeated vibrations, cracks began to form at the edge of the fixing holes in the cover through which the screws were inserted.

[0038] In addition, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, reinforcing members H, which are elongated plate-like members, are provided between the front cover CF and the rear cover CR and between the main body 100. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the covers from being damaged due to vibrations or the like accompanying the transport operation in this embodiment.

[0039] Furthermore, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, double-sided tape T is provided between each of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR and the reinforcing member H. As a result, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, the double-sided tape T can cushion the impact generated between each of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR and the reinforcing member H. As a result, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, damage to the front cover CF and the rear cover CR due to vibrations and the like accompanying the transport operation can be more reliably prevented.

[0040] In the above description, the double-sided tape T is used as the adhesive layer, but the adhesive layer of the present disclosure is not limited in any way as long as it is provided between the front cover CF and the rear cover CR and the reinforcing member H. Specifically, for example, an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive applied to the surface of the reinforcing member H can be used as the adhesive layer.

[0041] Furthermore, in the transport device 1 of this embodiment, the reinforcing members H provided between the front cover CF and the rear cover CR and the main body 100 can be used to prevent the front cover CF and the rear cover CR from being damaged due to vibrations and the like that accompany the transport operation. Since damage to the front cover CF and the rear cover CR can be prevented using this simple configuration, measures against cover damage can be easily implemented even for ready-made products (the above comparative example) that do not have reinforcing members.

[0042] In the above description, the reinforcing members H are provided between the front cover CF and the rear cover CR and the main body 100. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the reinforcing members H may be provided on the side of the front cover CF or the rear cover CR opposite the main body 100, that is, on the outside of the front cover CF or the rear cover CR.

[0043] However, as in the above embodiment, providing the reinforcing members H on the inside of each of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR is preferable in that the appearance of the conveying device 1 is better than when the reinforcing members H are provided on the outside. Also, it is preferable in that the handleability of the conveying device 1 can be improved compared to when the reinforcing members H are provided on the outside.

[0044] Specifically, when the reinforcing member H is provided on the outside, in order to reliably prevent the end of the reinforcing member H from coming into contact with the corresponding front cover CF or rear cover CR, similarly to the above embodiment, it is preferable to bend the end outward so as to be away from the front cover CF or rear cover CR. Therefore, when the reinforcing member H is provided on the outside, unlike when the reinforcing member H is provided on the inside, an outward protrusion is formed on the conveying device, which may lead to a decrease in the handleability of the conveying device.

[0045] In contrast, when the reinforcing member H is provided on the inside, as shown in Fig. 5, the end HT of the reinforcing member H does not protrude to the outside of the conveying device 1. Therefore, when the reinforcing member H is provided on the inside, the handleability of the conveying device 1 can be improved.

[0046] In addition, in the above explanation, the upper and lower end sides of the reinforcing member H are fixed using two screws B1 and B2, but the number and locations of the screws are not limited to this, and for example, the reinforcing member H may also be fixed by a screw in the center between the upper and lower ends.

[0047] In the above description, the conveying device 1 is, for example, a ceiling conveying vehicle that conveys an article along a traveling rail 50 as a track laid on or near the ceiling, but the conveying device of the present disclosure is not limited to this. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a stacker crane having a mast, a lifting platform that is raised and lowered along the mast, and a cover that covers the lifting platform. In this case, it is possible to prevent the cover from being damaged due to vibrations or the like accompanying the lifting and lowering (conveying) operation of the lifting platform.

[0048] In addition, while the above description has been given of the case where a front cover CF and a rear cover CR are provided, the covers of the present disclosure are not limited to this, and for example, a configuration in which only one of the front cover CF and the rear cover CR is provided, or a side cover that covers the side of the main body is provided, may also be used.

[0049] 〔summary〕 A conveying device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a conveying device comprising a running section for running along a track, a main body section suspended from the running section, and a cover covering the main body section and having a fixing hole for fixing to the main body section, and further comprising a reinforcing member having a communication hole that can communicate with the fixing hole, and the cover is fastened to the main body section together with the reinforcing member by a fixing member inserted through the fixing hole and the communication hole, and an end of the reinforcing member is spaced apart from the cover.

[0050] According to the transport device of the first aspect, damage to the cover caused by vibrations or the like accompanying the transport operation can be suppressed.

[0051] A transport device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the transport device according to the first aspect, wherein the reinforcing member is an elongated plate-like member and is provided between the cover and the main body portion.

[0052] According to the transport device of the second aspect, damage to the cover caused by vibrations or the like accompanying the transport operation can be reliably prevented.

[0053] A conveying device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a conveying device according to the first or second aspect, wherein at least one end of the reinforcing member has a curved shape that moves away from the cover as it approaches the endmost end.

[0054] According to the conveyance device of the third aspect, it is possible to prevent the end of the reinforcing member from coming into contact with the end of the cover, and therefore it is possible to reliably suppress the occurrence of damage to the cover caused by the reinforcing member.

[0055] A conveying device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure may be a conveying device according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising an adhesive layer provided between the cover and the reinforcing member.

[0056] According to the transport device of the fourth aspect, since the adhesive layer is provided between the cover and the reinforcing member, the adhesive layer can absorb shocks that occur between the cover and the reinforcing member, and as a result, damage to the cover due to vibrations or the like accompanying the transport operation can be more reliably prevented.

[0057] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Configurations obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1. Conveyor device 10 Running part 100 Main body CF Front cover (cover) CFA1, CFA2 fixing hole CR Rear cover (cover) CRA2 fixing hole H Reinforcement member HA1, HA2 communication hole HT end B1, B2 screws (fixing parts) T Double-sided tape (adhesive layer)

Claims

1. A running unit for running along a track; A main body portion suspended from the running portion; A conveying device including: a cover that covers the main body and has a fixing hole for fixing to the main body, The reinforcing member further includes a communication hole that can communicate with the fixing hole, the cover is fastened to the main body together with the reinforcing member by a fixing member inserted through the fixing hole and the communication hole, The end of the reinforcing member is spaced from the cover.

2. The reinforcing member is an elongated plate-like member, The transport device according to claim 1 , which is provided between the cover and the main body.

3. The conveying device according to claim 2 , wherein at least one end of the reinforcing member is bent so as to move away from the cover toward the end portion.

4. The transport device of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive layer disposed between the cover and the stiffening member.

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