Lifting device and transport system

Abstract

To provide a lifting device and a transport system that can minimize as much as possible installation space required for a mechanism that horizontally moves an article from the lifting device to the transport path.SOLUTION: A lifting device is arranged adjacent to a start portion of a transport path for transporting an article on a belt conveyor. The lifting device includes: a lifting mechanism capable of lowering an article from a position higher than the transport path to a height of the transport path; a transport mechanism that is disposed at a lower part of the lifting device and can horizontally transport the article lowered to the height of the transport path toward the transport path from the lifting device; and a slider that is disposed midway along the descent route where the article is lowered by the lifting mechanism, and is equipped with an inclined surface against which the article placed on the lifting mechanism slides in contact, thereby progressively pushing the article toward the transport path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lifting device and a transport system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, it has become socially difficult to secure workers, and for example, even in restaurants, automated machines such as conveying devices that transport used tableware from customer seats to the kitchen are becoming common (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-006042 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When forming a conveying path for an article, there are cases where the conveying path must be provided at a relatively low position due to the installation status of peripheral devices, etc. When the conveying path is at a relatively low position, an operator needs to lift and lower the article in order to place and unload the article on the conveying path. In this case, it is possible to arrange a lifting device adjacent to the start point or end point of the conveying path, but in order to automatically move the article laterally between the conveying path and the lifting device, a mechanism is required to push the article by moving it laterally to the part of the lifting device where the article is placed. For this reason, the lifting device requires a certain amount of installation space to ensure the installation space for such a push-out mechanism.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its problem is to provide a lifting device and a conveying system that can minimize the installation space required for the mechanism that moves articles laterally from the lifting device to the conveying path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a slider that is provided midway along the descent path along which an article is lowered by the lifting mechanism, and that gradually pushes the article toward the conveying path by means of an inclined surface against which the article placed on the lifting mechanism slides in contact.

[0007] In detail, the present invention comprises a lifting device arranged adjacent to the start of a conveying path along which articles are transported by a belt conveyor, the lifting mechanism being capable of lowering articles from a position higher than the conveying path to the height of the conveying path, a transport mechanism being provided at the bottom of the lifting device and being capable of transporting articles lowered to the height of the conveying path laterally from the lifting device toward the conveying path, and a slider being provided midway along the descent path along which the articles are lowered by the lifting mechanism, the slider gradually pushing the articles toward the conveying path by means of an inclined surface against which the articles placed on the lifting mechanism slide while coming into contact.

[0008] In the above-mentioned lifting device, the article comes into contact with the inclined surface of the slider while being lowered by the lifting mechanism. Therefore, as the lifting device continues to lower, the article is gradually pushed toward the conveying path by the inclined surface of the slider. Therefore, in the above-mentioned lifting device, it is possible to bring the article placed on the lifting mechanism closer to the conveying path while being lowered by the lifting mechanism. Therefore, compared to a device without a slider, it is possible to reduce the installation space required for a mechanism that laterally moves the article from the lifting device to the conveying path after the lifting mechanism has completed its descent.

[0009] In addition, at the portion of the lifting mechanism where the article is placed, a support bar for supporting the article is provided. A plurality of support rods may be arranged in parallel so as to extend in a direction from the support rod toward the conveying path, and the slider may push the article in the longitudinal direction of the support rod. If the part on which the article is placed is formed of such a support rod, the article pushed by the slider can move smoothly on the support rod.

[0010] In addition, the slider may be configured to push the article to a position where at least a portion of the article is placed on the transport path when the article is lowered by the lifting mechanism, thereby enabling the article to be transferred more smoothly from the lifting device to the transport path.

[0011] The present invention may also be understood as a conveying system A. For example, the present invention may be a conveying system including a conveying path along which an article is conveyed by a belt conveyor, a start-side lifting device that is the above-mentioned lifting device and is disposed adjacent to a start point of the conveying path and capable of lowering an article from a position higher than the conveying path to the height of the conveying path, and an end-side lifting device that is disposed adjacent to the end point of the conveying path so as to extend from the conveying path and is capable of lifting an article from the height of the conveying path to a predetermined position higher than the conveying path. Effect of the Invention

[0012] With the above-described lifting device and conveying system, it is possible to minimize the installation space required for the mechanism that laterally moves an article from the lifting device to the conveying path. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view of an example of a transport system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram of the transport system according to the embodiment as viewed obliquely from above. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of an example of the transport system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a lifting device that controls the lowering of articles. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a main part of the internal structure of a lifting device that controls the lowering of articles. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a first diagram showing the lowering operation of the lifting device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a second diagram showing the lowering operation of the lifting device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a third diagram showing the lowering operation of the lifting device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a lifting device that controls the lifting of articles. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a main part of the internal structure of a lifting device that controls the lifting of articles. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a first diagram showing the lifting operation of the lifting device. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a second view showing the lifting operation of the lifting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Each of the embodiments and modified examples described below is suitable for transporting items in restaurants that serve various foods and drinks, such as sushi, beverages, soba and udon rice bowls, fried chicken, tempura, pasta, and pizza, but is also suitable for transporting various items in facilities other than restaurants. In the embodiment described below, a case where it is applied to a restaurant will be described.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a transport system 1 according to an embodiment as viewed from above. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the transport system 1 according to an embodiment as viewed obliquely from above. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the example of the transport system 1 according to an embodiment as viewed from the side.

[0016] The conveying system 1 is a system for conveying tableware in a restaurant, and is arranged, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, across a work area A1, a service area A2, and a work area A3 set in the restaurant. The work area A1 (which is an example of the "second area" in the present application) ) and work area A3 (an example of the "first area" in this application) are areas where staff S working at the restaurant work. Service area A2 is an area where customers C who visit the restaurant eat and drink. In FIG. 1, a round table T is set up in service area A2, and customers C are shown standing around table T, but seatable chairs, rectangular tables, etc. may also be placed in service area A2.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the work area A1 and the service area A2 are separated by a wall W1. The service area A2 and the work area A3 are separated by a wall W2. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, the work areas A1 and A3 where the staff S works are separated by the service area A2. For this reason, the conveyance system 1 is used for the purpose of transferring items in a conveyance box B between the work areas A1 and A3, which are separated by the service area A2. Examples of items that the conveyance system 1 conveys in the conveyance box B include tableware, food ingredients, and various other items.

[0018] In this embodiment, an example is described in which an item is transported in a box-shaped transport box B, but the transport system 1 may also be configured to transport items using a thin tray or other container of various other shapes instead of the transport box B.

[0019] The transport system 1 includes transport paths 2, 3, 5, and 7, a lifting device 4, and a lifting device 6. The transport paths 2 and 3 are devices for transporting a transport box B from the work area A1 to the work area A3. The lifting device 4, the transport path 5, the lifting device 6, and the transport path 7 are devices for transporting a transport box B from the work area A3 to the work area A1.

[0020] The conveying path 2 is formed by a conveyor installed in the working area A1. The conveying path 3 (an example of the "upper conveying path" in the present application) is formed by a conveyor installed so as to extend from the working area A1 through the service area A2 to the working area A3. The conveying path 2 carries the box B to be conveyed from the working area A1 to the working area A3. The box B to be conveyed from the working area A1 to the working area A3, which is the end point of the conveying path 3, is transferred from the conveying path 2 to the conveying path 3. The conveying paths 2 and 3 are formed by a free-rotating roller conveyor with an inclination angle so that the box B to be conveyed moves by its own weight, but may be formed by a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor having a power source such as a motor. As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the conveying paths 2 and 3 are arranged at a relatively high position, and the staff S places and removes the box B to be conveyed with their hands slightly upward.

[0021] The lifting device 4, the conveying path 5, the lifting device 6, and the conveying path 7 are configured as follows to convey the conveying box B from the working area A3 to the working area A1. That is, the conveying path 5 is formed by a conveyor installed so as to pass from the working area A3 through the service area A2 to the working area A1. Therefore, the conveying path 5 is mainly responsible for conveying the conveying box B from the working area A3 to the working area A1 (therefore, the conveying path 5 is an example of the "lower conveying path" as referred to in the present application). The conveying path 5 is disposed directly below the conveying path 3 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Therefore, the conveying path 5 is disposed near the floor surface of the restaurant to avoid interference with the conveyor forming the conveying path 3. And, in order to eliminate the need for the staff S to load and unload the conveying box B at such a low position, the lifting device 4 is disposed at the starting point of the conveying path 5, and the lifting device 6 is disposed at the end point of the conveying path 5. Further, a transport path 7 for transferring the transport box B lifted from near the floor surface is extended adjacent to the lifting device 6.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting device 4 is arranged in such a manner that the lifting device 4 is arranged in a direction parallel to the conveying path 5 in the advancing direction of the conveying path 5. Therefore, the conveyor forming the conveyor path 3 does not interfere with the conveyor box B on the lifting device 4 at the end of the conveyor path 3, which is lower than the start point side from the floor surface, by inclining the conveyor path 3 so that the conveyor B moves from the work area A1 to the work area A3 under its own weight. Then, the conveyor B placed on the lifting device 4 is lowered to the vicinity of the floor surface by the lifting device 4, and then moved laterally with respect to the traveling direction of the conveyor path 5, so that the conveyor B is transferred from the lifting device 4 to the conveyor path 5.

[0023] On the other hand, the lifting device 6 is disposed adjacent to the end of the conveying path 5 on an extension line of the conveying path 5 in the direction of travel. However, the start of the conveying path 3 is higher from the floor than the end. For this reason, even if the lifting device 6 located below the start of the conveying path 3 raises the box B for transport transferred from the conveying path 5 to the lifting device 6 to a height where the staff S can pick it up and lift it up while standing, the box B for transport on the lifting device 6 does not interfere with the conveyor that forms the conveying path 3. The box B for transport raised by the lifting device 6 is transferred from the lifting device 6 to the conveying path 7 without interfering with the conveying path 2.

[0024] Next, the lifting device 4 will be described in detail. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the lifting device 4 which controls the lowering of the article. Fig. 5 is a view showing the main parts of the internal structure of the lifting device 4 which controls the lowering of the article. The lifting device 4 is a device which incorporates various mechanisms for raising and lowering a support rod 42 on which a transport box B is placed inside a rectangular housing 41 formed of a bar stock, sheet metal, or the like.

[0025] A plurality of support rods 42 are arranged in parallel to each other to form a virtual support surface that supports the transportation box B. The support rods 42 are fixed to a support member 43. The support member 43 is also fixed to a slide block 44 that is slidably engaged with a slide rail 45 that extends vertically. Therefore, the support rods 42 fixed to the support member 43 can slide up and down along the track formed by the slide rail 45.

[0026] The support members 43 to which the support rods 42 are fixed are arranged so as to correspond to two opposing inner wall surfaces in the hollow housing 41 so that the support rods 42 can support the bottom surface of the transport box B from both the left and right sides. The pair of support members 43 arranged so as to correspond to the two opposing inner wall surfaces are each fixed to a belt 48 by a belt locking portion 46. The belt 48 is stretched between a pulley 47 arranged at the top of the housing 41 and a pulley 49 arranged at the bottom of the housing 41.

[0027] The pulley 49 is connected to the motor 4B via the drive shaft 4A. Therefore, when the motor 4B is operated, the pulley 49 rotates by the power transmitted via the drive shaft 4A. Then, the belt 48 stretched around the pulley 49 rotates, and the support member 43 rises or falls. By raising or lowering the pair of support members 43 by the operation of the motor 4B, the transport box B supported on the virtual support surface formed by the support rod 42 can be lowered.

[0028] A slider 4H is provided on the inner wall surface of the lifting device 4. The slider 4H has an inclined surface for gradually pushing the transport box B toward the transport path 5 when the transport box B, which is supported by the support rod 42 and descends inside the lifting device 4, comes into contact with the slider 4H. Therefore, the slider 4H is shaped so as to gradually protrude from the inner wall surface of the lifting device 4 as it moves from the top to the bottom of the lifting device 4.

[0029] The lower part of the lifting device 4 is provided with a pusher 4C for pushing the transport box B out of the lifting device 4 when the support member 43 is placed on the lower part. The pusher 4C is fixed to a belt 4D that is stretched around pulleys 4F and 4E. The pulley 4E is connected to a motor 4G. The motor 4G is driven by the pulley 4E. When the motor 4G is operated, the belt 4D rotates by the power transmitted through the pulley 4E, and the pusher 4C moves forward or backward. When the support members 43 are placed on the lower part of the lifting device 4, a gap is formed between the pair of support members 43 so that the pusher 4C can move forward or backward. When the motor 4G is operated with the support members 43 supporting the transport box B placed on the lower part of the lifting device 4, the transport box B supported by the support members 43 is pushed out of the lifting device 4 by the pusher 4C.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a first diagram showing the lowering operation of the lifting device 4. FIG. 7 is a second diagram showing the lowering operation of the lifting device 4. FIG. 8 is a third diagram showing the lowering operation of the lifting device 4. As shown in FIG. 6(A), when a transport box B is placed on the support rod 42 of the lifting device 4 with the support member 43 on the upper side, the lifting device 4 lowers the transport box B. That is, when the transport box B is placed on the support rod 42, the lifting device 4 operates the motor 4B. When the motor 4B operates, the support rod 42 supporting the transport box B lowers. Since a slider 4H is provided on the inner wall surface of the lifting device 4, the transport box B placed on the support rod 42 comes into contact with the slider 4H during the descent, as shown in FIG. 6(B).

[0031] As the lifting device 4 continues to move downward, the transport box B that has come into contact with the slider 4H is pushed by the inclined surface of the slider 4H and gradually moves toward the transport path 5, as shown in FIG. 7(A). The support rod 42 is a rod extending in the direction in which the transport box B is pushed by the slider 4H, and therefore the transport box B pushed by the slider 4H can slide relatively smoothly. Therefore, during the downward movement in the lifting device 4, the transport box B is closer to the transport path 5 than before the start of the downward movement, as shown in FIG. 7(B). Then, when the support rod 42 hits the bottom, the lifting device 4 stops the motor 4B.

[0032] After the support rod 42 lands on the bottom, the lifting device 4 activates the motor 4G. When the support rod 42 lands on the bottom, the pusher 4C is located higher than the support rod 42, as shown in Fig. 8(A). Therefore, when the pusher 4C moves forward by the operation of the motor 4G, the transport box B supported by the support rod 42 is pushed by the pusher 4C, as shown in Fig. 8(B). Then, the transport box B is pushed out of the lifting device 4 by the pusher 4C.

[0033] After pushing out the transport box B from the lifting device 4, the lifting device 4 reverses the operation of the motor 4B and the motor 4G. This allows the lifting device 4 to receive a new transport box B at the top and lower it. The lifting device 4 can move the transport box B toward the transport path 5 by the slider 4H during the descent, so that the installation space of the lifting device 4 can be minimized. In addition, the lifting device 4 can move the transport box B toward the transport path 5 by the slider 4H during the descent, so it is also suitable for cases where an obstacle is located near the lifting device 4. That is, since the lifting device 4 can move the transport box B toward the transport path 5 by the slider 4H during the descent, for example, even if an obstacle G as shown in FIG. 5 is located near the lifting device 4, it is possible to place the transport box B on the support rod 42 at an offset position at the top of the lifting device 4 as shown in FIG. 6(A).

[0034] In addition, in FIG. 8, the transportation box B is shown to be completely contained within the lifting device 4 immediately after the completion of descent, but the lifting device 4 is not limited to this form. For example, the dimensions of each part of the lifting device 4 may be smaller than those shown in FIG. 8, so that a part of the transportation box B that has completed descent protrudes from the lifting device 4. According to the method, for example, it is possible to have a state in which a part of the transport box B immediately after the completion of descent is placed on the transport path 5. If a part of the transport box B immediately after the completion of descent is placed on the transport path 5, it becomes easier to transfer the box B from the lifting device 4 to the transport path 5.

[0035] Next, the lifting device 6 will be described in detail. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the lifting device 6 which controls the lifting of the article. Fig. 10 is a view showing the main parts of the internal structure of the lifting device 6 which controls the lifting of the article. The lifting device 6 is a device that incorporates various mechanisms for raising and lowering the support rollers 62 on which the transport box B is placed inside a rectangular housing 61 formed from a bar stock, sheet metal, or the like.

[0036] The support rollers 62 are free-rotating rollers, and a plurality of them are arranged in parallel to form a roller conveyor-like support surface on which the transport box B is placed. Each support roller 62 is attached to a support member 63. The support member 63 is fixed to a slide block 64 slidably engaged with a slide rail 65 extending vertically. Therefore, the support rollers 62 attached to the support member 63 can slide up and down along the track formed by the slide rail 65.

[0037] The support members 63 to which the support rollers 62 are attached are arranged so as to correspond to two opposing inner wall surfaces in the hollow housing 61 so that the support rollers 62 can support the lower surface of the transport box B in a well-balanced manner. The pair of support members 63 arranged so as to correspond to the two opposing inner wall surfaces are fixed to a belt 67 by a belt locking portion 66. The belt 67 is stretched between a pulley 68 arranged at the upper part of the housing 61 and a pulley 69 arranged at the lower part of the housing 61.

[0038] The pulley 69 is connected to the motor 6B via the drive shaft 6A. Therefore, when the motor 6B is operated, the pulley 69 rotates by the power transmitted via the drive shaft 6A. Then, the belt 67 stretched around the pulley 69 rotates, and the support member 63 rises or falls. By raising or lowering the pair of support members 63 by the operation of the motor 6B, the transport box B supported on the roller conveyor-like virtual support surface formed by the support rollers 62 can be raised.

[0039] The upper part of the lifting device 6 is provided with a push rod 6C for pushing out the transport box B from the lifting device 6 when the support member 63 is placed on the floor at the upper part. One end of the push rod 6C is fixed to a belt 6E hung on a pulley 6D arranged at the upper part of the lifting device 6 and a pulley 6F arranged at the lower part of the lifting device 6. The other end of the push rod 6C is fixed to a belt 6J hung on a pulley 6I arranged at the upper part of the lifting device 6. The pair of support members 63 to which the support rollers 62 are attached are arranged so as to correspond to each inner wall surface located on both the left and right sides of the lifting device 6 in the lifting device 6, while the belts 6E and 6J are arranged so as to correspond to each inner wall surface located on both the front and rear sides of the lifting device 6 in the lifting device 6. The belt 6E is routed between the upper and lower parts of the lifting device 6, while the belt 6J is only routed at the upper part of the lifting device 6. The belt 6J is rotated by a pulley 6I to which rotational power is transmitted from the pulley 6D via a drive shaft. Therefore, when the motor 6B is operated to rotate the belts 6E and 6J, the push rod 6C fixed to the belts 6E and 6J moves in the left-right direction of the lifting device 6 on the support roller 62. Therefore, the lifting device 6 can push the transport box B received in the lifting device 6 from the front side of the lifting device 6 when the support member 63 is on the bottom, to the side of the front direction of the lifting device 6 when the support member 63 is on the top.

[0040] FIG. 11 is a first diagram showing the lifting operation of the lifting device 6. FIG. 11(A) is a second diagram showing the lifting operation of lifting device 6. As shown in Fig. 11(A), when a transport box B is placed on the support rollers 62 of lifting device 6 with support member 63 landed at the bottom, lifting device 6 lifts box B. That is, when box B is placed on support rollers 62, lifting device 6 operates motor 6B. When motor 6B operates, support member 63 supporting box B rises as shown in Fig. 11(B). Then, when support member 63 landed at the top, lifting device 6 stops motor 6B.

[0041] After the support member 63 lands on the bottom, the lifting device 6 activates the motor 6G. When the support member 63 lands on the top, the push rod 6C is positioned slightly higher than the support rollers 62, as shown in Fig. 12(A). Therefore, when the push rod 6C moves laterally due to the operation of the motor 6G, the transport box B supported by the support rollers 62 is pushed by the push rod 6C, as shown in Fig. 12(B). Then, the transport box B is pushed out of the lifting device 6 by the push rod 6C.

[0042] After the lifting device 6 pushes out the transport box B from the lifting device 6, the motors 6B and 6G are operated in reverse. This makes the lifting device 6 ready to receive a new transport box B below and lift it up.

[0043] Since the conveying system 1 is configured as described above, it can perform the following operations. That is, the conveying system 1 can transfer the box B for conveying placed on the conveying path 2 from the working area A1 to the working area A3 on the conveying path 3 as shown by the arrow in Fig. 2. In addition, the conveying system 1 can transfer the box B for conveying placed on the lifting device 4 from the working area A3 to the working area A1 on the conveying path 5 as shown by the arrow in Fig. 2 by appropriately operating the lifting device 4, the motor of the conveyor constituting the conveying path 5, the lifting device 6, and the like.

[0044] More specifically, when the staff member S places the transport box B on the transport path 2, the transport box B moves from the transport path 2 to the transport path 3 under its own weight due to the inclination angle of the transport path 2. Then, the transport box B that has been transferred from the transport path 2 to the transport path 3 moves under its own weight from the start point to the end point of the transport path 3 due to the inclination angle of the transport path 3. This completes the transfer of the transport box B from the work area A1 to the work area A3.

[0045] In addition, when the staff S places the transport box B on the support rod 42 of the lifting device 4, the lifting device 4 operates the motor 4B to lower the transport box B. After lowering the transport box B, the lifting device 4 operates the motor 4G to push the transport box B out of the lifting device 4. The transport box B pushed out of the lifting device 4 is transferred from the lifting device 4 to the transport path 5. The conveyor constituting the transport path 5 transfers the transport box B transferred from the lifting device 4 to the lifting device 6. When the transport box B transferred by the transport path 5 is transferred onto the support roller 62 of the lifting device 6, the lifting device 6 operates the motor 6B to lift the transport box B. After lifting the transport box B, the lifting device 6 operates the motor 6G to push the transport box B out of the lifting device 6. The transport box B pushed out from the lifting device 6 is transferred from the lifting device 6 to the transport path 7. This completes the transfer of the transport box B from the work area A3 to the work area A1.

[0046] As described above, the conveying system 1 has separate outbound and inbound routes between the work areas A1 and A3. Therefore, the conveying system 1 can efficiently transport items between the work areas A1 and A3. In addition, the conveying system 1 has outbound and inbound routes in a two-tiered structure, so it can be used in facilities with limited space with minimal occupied space. In addition, since the conveying system 1 is equipped with the lifting device 4 and the lifting device 6, the amount of work required for the staff S to lift and lower the items is minimized, even though the conveying system 1 has outward and return routes in a hierarchical structure. Therefore, with the conveying system 1, the handling of items is easy while minimizing the occupied space.

[0047] In addition, in the conveying system 1, the lifting device 4 arranged adjacent to the start of the conveying path 5 is provided with a pusher 4C for pushing the conveying box B out of the lifting device 4, but the mechanism for operating this pusher 4C is not provided on the support member 43 or the support rod 42 that lifts and lowers while supporting the conveying box B. Therefore, the lifting device 4 is mechanically simpler than when the mechanism for operating the pusher 4C is provided on the support member 43 or the support rod 42. Therefore, it can be said that the conveying system 1 can relatively easily realize a mechanism for moving an article laterally from the lifting device 4 to the conveying path 5.

[0048] In addition, in the conveying system 1, the lifting device 6 arranged adjacent to the end portion of the conveying path 5 is provided with a push rod 6C for pushing the conveying box B out of the lifting device 6, but the mechanism for operating this push rod 6C is not provided in the support member 63 or the support roller 62 that lifts and lowers while supporting the conveying box B. Therefore, the lifting device 6 is mechanically simpler than when the mechanism for operating the push rod 6C is provided in the support member 63 or the support roller 62. Therefore, it can be said that the conveying system 1 can relatively easily realize a mechanism for moving an article laterally from the lifting device 6 to the conveying path 7.

[0049] The transport system 1 is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.

[0050] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the conveying path 3 and the conveying path 5 form a straight conveying path, but the conveying system 1 may be in a form in which the conveying path 3 or the conveying path 5 has a corner midway by combining multiple conveyors, or in which the conveying path 3 or the conveying path 5 has a curve midway.

[0051] Furthermore, the lifting device 4 may be located on an extension of the longitudinal direction of the conveying path 5, or may be located on the left side instead of the right side with respect to the traveling direction of the conveying path 5.

[0052] In addition, the lifting device 6 may be configured to transfer the transport box B to a transport path 7 extending to the right side of the traveling direction of the transport path 5, or may be configured to transfer the transport box B to a transport path 7 extending to the left side of the traveling direction of the transport path 5.

[0053] Further modifications may be made to the conveying system 1. For example, the conveying system 1 may be configured such that the lifting mechanism and the push-out mechanism of the lifting device 4 and the lifting device 6 are realized by a ball screw or the like instead of a belt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] S. Staff C··Customer T·Table B Transport box G··Obstacle 1. Transport system 2. Transport path 3. Transport path 4. Lifting device 5. Transport path 6. Lifting device 7. Transport path A1 Working area A2··Service Area A3 Work area 4H··Slider

Claims

1. A lifting device disposed adjacent to a starting point of a conveying path along which an article is transported by a belt conveyor, a lifting mechanism capable of lowering an article from a position higher than the conveying path to the height of the conveying path; a transfer mechanism provided under the lifting device and capable of transferring an article lowered to the height of the conveying path laterally from the lifting device toward the conveying path; a slider that is provided in the middle of a descending path along which the article is descended by the lifting mechanism, and that gradually pushes the article toward the conveying path by an inclined surface along which the article placed on the lifting mechanism slides while contacting the inclined surface. Lifting device.

2. a plurality of support rods for supporting the articles are arranged in parallel at a portion of the lifting mechanism on which the articles are placed so as to extend in a direction from the lifting device toward the transport path; The slider pushes the article toward the longitudinal direction of the support rod. The lifting device according to claim 1 .

3. the slider pushes the article to a position where at least a portion of the article is placed on the transport path when the article is lowered by the lifting mechanism; The lifting device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A conveying path along which an article is transported by a belt conveyor; a start-point side lifting device according to claim 1 or 2, which is disposed adjacent to a start point of the conveying path and is capable of lowering an article from a position higher than the conveying path to the height of the conveying path; and an end-side lifting device that is disposed adjacent to the end portion of the conveying path so as to extend from the conveying path and is capable of lifting an article from the height of the conveying path to a predetermined position higher than the height of the conveying path. Conveying system.

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