Transport device

Abstract

To ensure that all vertical rollers provided on a load trolley are in contact with rails, thereby suppressing premature wear of the rails and enabling the transport of loads with high weight.SOLUTION: One or both of a front trolley 1 and a rear trolley, which are a load trolley LT, have a trolley frame 3 and a front sub-trolley 4 and a rear sub-trolley 5 located at the front and rear of a lower portion of the trolley frame 3. The front sub-trolley 4 and the rear sub-trolley 5 have a sub-trolley body 6, a left bracket 7 and a right bracket, and a vertical roller 9. The sub-trolley body 6 is rotatably mounted about a first vertical axis V1 relative to the trolley frame 3. The left bracket 7 and the right bracket individually swing about a first lateral axis H1 relative to the sub-trolley body 6. The vertical roller 9 is supported by a second lateral axis H2 and a third lateral axis H3 of the left bracket 7 and the right bracket, respectively, and rolls on a rail R.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device including a rail laid on a predetermined conveying path and a carrier movable along the rail. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a conveying device that includes rails laid on a predetermined conveying route and a carrier that can move along the rails (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the carrier in Patent Document 1, a front trolley and a rear trolley, which are load trolleys that receive the load of the transported goods, etc., are each provided with four vertical rollers on the front, back, left and right, and the vertical rollers roll on the rails. The load of the transported goods, etc. is received by the rails via the vertical rollers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3502977 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The vertical rollers are attached to both ends of a front and rear left-right shaft that passes through the base of the load trolley. The left-right shaft that supports the vertical rollers cannot move up and down relative to the base, so the vertical rollers cannot move up and down relative to the base.

[0005] Therefore, when the four vertical rollers (front, rear, left, and right) roll on the rail, if the rail is curved up or down, or if the rail is installed horizontally but has minute undulations, some of the four wheels of the vertical rollers may not contact the rail. Even if all of the four wheels are in contact with the rail, the load may be unevenly distributed on a particular vertical roller.

[0006] Therefore, the loads borne by the vertical rollers of the four wheels are not uniform, and there is a large variation in the loads, resulting in some vertical rollers bearing heavy loads. This causes the surface pressure on the rail from the vertical rollers bearing heavy loads to increase, which accelerates wear of the rail and shortens the lifespan of the rail.

[0007] On the other hand, for example, in automobile manufacturing plants, the trend toward EVs has led to a demand for transporting heavy vehicles equipped with large batteries. Therefore, the demand for transporting heavy loads has been increasing in recent years, but the above-mentioned problems become more pronounced in the configuration of the conventional carrier, in which each load trolley has four vertical rollers on the front, rear, left and right sides, making it impossible to meet the demand.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a conveying device that includes a rail laid on a specified conveying path and a carrier that can move along the rail, by ensuring that all of the vertical rollers provided on a load trolley are in contact with the rail so that all of the vertical rollers can bear the load in a distributed manner, thereby suppressing premature wear of the rail and meeting the demands of transporting heavy objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A conveying device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a conveying device including a rail laid on a predetermined conveying path and a carrier movable along the rail. The carrier includes a conveyed object support part that supports a conveyed object, and a front trolley and a rear trolley that are load trolleys that support the conveyed object support part. One or both of the front trolley and the rear trolley are composed of a trolley frame and a front subtrolley and a rear subtrolley that are located in front of or behind the trolley frame below or above. The front subtrolley and the rear subtrolley have a subtrolley body, a left bracket, a right bracket, and a vertical roller. The subtrolley body is attached to the trolley frame so as to be rotatable around a first vertical axis. The left bracket and the right bracket are located on the left and right of the subtrolley body, extend in the front-rear direction, are supported at intermediate positions in the front-rear direction by a first left-right axis, and swing individually with respect to the subtrolley body. The vertical roller is supported by a second left-right shaft at the front end portion and a third left-right shaft at the rear end portion of each of the left bracket and the right bracket, and rolls on the rail.

[0010] According to the configuration of the conveying device according to the first aspect, the front sub-trolley and the rear sub-trolley provided on one or both of the front and rear trolleys which are load trolleys are attached such that their sub-trolley bodies can rotate about a first vertical axis relative to the trolley frame. Also, a left bracket and a right bracket are attached to the left and right of the sub-trolley body so as to be able to swing individually about a first left-right axis relative to the sub-trolley body. Then, vertical rollers provided at the front and rear ends of the left and right brackets roll on rails.

[0011] Therefore, the four vertical rollers on the front, rear, left and right of the front subtrolley and the four vertical rollers on the front, rear, left and right of the rear subtrolley can move up and down following the rail even if the rail on which they roll is curved up or down, or if the rail is installed horizontally but has small undulations. Therefore, it is expected that the surface pressure applied to the rail from each vertical roller will be approximately uniform, and since the load is borne by eight wheels, wear of the rail can be reduced even when heavy loads are transported. In other words, by ensuring that all eight vertical rollers are in contact with the rail and distributing the load across all vertical rollers, early wear of the rail can be suppressed and the demand for transporting heavy loads can be met.

[0012] A conveying device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the conveying device according to the first aspect, in which a frame material provided on the lower or upper part of the transported object support portion, a trolley frame of the front trolley, and a trolley frame of the rear trolley are connected by a fourth left-right axis so as to be swingable in the vertical direction.

[0013] According to the configuration of the conveying device relating to the second aspect, even when the rail on which the vertical rollers roll moves up and down, the vertical rollers can follow the undulations of the rail well, thereby achieving an effect of making the surface pressure applied from the vertical rollers to the rail approximately uniform.

[0014] A conveying device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a conveying device according to the first aspect, wherein the rails comprise channel-shaped left and right rails with openings facing each other at a distance from each other, and the opposing edges of the upper and lower flange portions of the left and right rails have upwardly folded edges or downwardly folded edges that receive horizontal rollers located at the front and rear of the sub-trolley body.

[0015] A conveying device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the conveying device according to the third aspect, wherein the sub-trolley body is located between the left rail and the right rail, the vertical rollers at the front and rear of the left bracket are arranged between the upper and lower flange portions of the left rail, the vertical rollers at the front and rear of the right bracket are arranged between the upper and lower flange portions of the right rail, and the horizontal rollers are located above or below the vertical rollers when viewed from the left-right direction.

[0016] According to the configurations of the conveying device according to the third and fourth aspects, compared to a conveying device using a rail with an I-shaped longitudinal section, for example, the main part of the load trolley can be accommodated between the left and right rails, so that the overall height of the conveying device can be reduced. Therefore, the shaking of the transported object during transport is reduced, and the stability of the transported object when it is transported by the conveying device can be improved.

[0017] According to the configuration of the conveying device according to the fourth aspect, the horizontal roller is located above or below the vertical roller when viewed from the left-right direction. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the horizontal roller is arranged in front of or behind the vertical roller, the distance between the first vertical axis of the trolley frame of the front sub-trolley and the first vertical axis of the trolley frame of the rear sub-trolley is shorter. Therefore, when the rail is curved up or down, the configuration of the conveying device according to the fourth aspect reduces the up and down movement of the conveyed object compared to a configuration in which the horizontal roller is arranged in front of or behind the vertical roller, improving the stability of the conveyed object and reducing the dimensional change relative to the trolley in a configuration in which the horizontal roller is arranged in front of or behind the vertical roller, improving operational feasibility.

[0018] A conveying device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a conveying device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the trolley frame has a side extending in the front-to-rear direction which is a drive surface against which a friction roller of a friction roller type drive device is pressed, and is arranged at approximately the same height as a connecting rod having a drive surface on its side against which the friction roller is pressed, and is connected to the connecting rod so as to be swingable in the up-down and left-right directions.

[0019] According to the configuration of the conveying device according to the fifth aspect, in the conveying of the carrier by the friction roller drive device, the trolley frame and the connecting rod are connected to be swingable in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the height of the drive surface of the trolley frame against which the friction roller presses and the drive surface of the connecting rod against which the friction roller presses are substantially the same with respect to the rail. Therefore, for example, in the case where an existing conveying device having a load trolley with four vertical rollers on the front, rear, left and right sides, such as that in Patent Document 1, is intended to increase the conveying weight, the existing conveying device can be replaced with the load trolley having eight vertical rollers of the present invention without changing the height of the friction roller drive device installed along the conveying route and without significantly modifying the existing conveying device.

[0020] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a conveying device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the connecting rod is extendable and contractible in its longitudinal direction, connecting the trolley frame of the front trolley and the trolley frame of the rear trolley, and each of the trolley frames of the front trolley and the rear trolley is rotatable around a second vertical axis at the middle of the trolley frame in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the transported object support portion.

[0021] According to the configuration of the conveying device relating to the sixth aspect, the connecting rod is extendable and retractable in its longitudinal direction, and the trolley frames at the front and rear of the connecting rod are rotatable around a second vertical axis at the front-to-rear middle part of the trolley frame relative to the transported object support part, thereby improving the carrier's ability to follow the rail when it moves along a horizontally curved rail.

[0022] According to the configuration of the conveying device relating to the fifth or sixth aspect, an eight-wheeled load trolley having a front sub-trolley and a rear sub-trolley is used, so that under the same storage pitch conditions, the angle formed by the load trolley and the connecting rod on the center of curvature of a horizontally curved conveying path becomes larger than when a trolley of a conventional structure having four vertical roller wheels on the front, rear, left and right sides is used.

[0023] Therefore, when the carrier is driven on a horizontally curved conveying path by the friction rollers of a friction roller type drive device, the conveying device according to the fifth or sixth aspect has a smaller angular deviation between the direction in which the friction rollers arranged at the bend of the horizontally curved conveying path push the connecting rod and the direction in which the load trolley advances than a conveying device using a trolley of a conventional structure having four vertical rollers on the front, rear, left and right. Therefore, since the load during conveying is reduced when the carrier is driven on a horizontally curved conveying path by the friction rollers of a friction roller type drive device, conveying defects are less likely to occur.

[0024] A conveying device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the conveying device according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the horizontal roller is attached to the sub-trolley body by a cantilever pin.

[0025] According to the configuration of the conveying device pertaining to the seventh aspect, the horizontal rollers are attached to the sub-trolley body by cantilever pins, so the height of the sub-trolley can be reduced. Alternatively, if the height of the sub-trolley is not reduced, there is no need to thin the front and rear parts of the sub-trolley body in the height direction, which is advantageous in terms of strength.

[0026] A conveying device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the conveying device according to the first aspect, wherein, when viewed from the left-right direction, the center of the first left-right axis is located at approximately the midpoint of a line segment connecting the center of the second left-right axis and the center of the third left-right axis.

[0027] According to the configuration of the conveying device according to the eighth aspect, the center of the first left-right axis that supports the left bracket and the right bracket to be able to swing with respect to the sub-trolley body is located at the approximate midpoint of the line segment that connects the center of the second left-right axis that supports the front and rear vertical rollers in the left bracket and the right bracket and the center of the third left-right axis. Therefore, the front and rear vertical rollers that roll on the rail can move in a seesaw-like manner in the up and down direction. Therefore, when the height of the front and rear vertical rollers 9 is no longer horizontal due to a gradient or the like, the horizontal distance between the center of the first left-right axis and the center of the second left-right axis and the center of the third left-right axis become approximately equal, so that the loads applied from the front and rear vertical rollers to the rail become approximately uniform. Effect of the Invention

[0028] As described above, according to the conveying device of the present invention, the four vertical rollers on the front, rear, left and right of the front subtroller and the four vertical rollers on the front, rear, left and right of the rear subtroller, which are provided in the load trolley, can move up and down following the rail even if the rail on which they roll is curved up or down, or if the rail is installed horizontally but has minute undulations. Therefore, it is expected that the surface pressure applied to the rail from each vertical roller will be approximately uniform, and since the load is borne by eight wheels, wear of the rail can be reduced even when heavy loads are transported. In other words, by ensuring that all eight vertical rollers are in contact with the rail and distributively bearing the load on all the vertical rollers, early wear of the rail can be suppressed and the demand for transporting heavy loads can be met. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the rear. [Diagram 3] 2 is an enlarged, partially sectional front view showing the area around the front and rear trolleys, which are load trolleys. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partially sectional front view showing the area around the front trolley. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing an example of a four-wheel load trolley used for one of the front and rear trolleys. [Figure 9] A partially sectional front view showing another example of a four-wheel load trolley used for one of the front and rear trolleys. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0031] The following description based on the drawings will be given of an example in which the conveying device of the present invention is used in a floor conveyor, but the conveying device of the present invention can also be used in an overhead conveyor.

[0032] In this specification, the state in which the rail extends straight and horizontally is taken as the basis, and the front side (downstream side) along the conveying direction (see, for example, arrow F in FIG. 1) is referred to as the front, the rear side (upstream side) is referred to as the rear, and left and right refer to the forward direction. A view from the left is referred to as a front view. The partial cross-sectional front views of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show the cross section taken along the arrow XX in FIG. 2.

[0033] [Transportation device] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rail R laid on a predetermined conveying path C, and a carrier A movable along the rail R.

[0034] [rail] The rail R is placed on the upper surface of the support member S and fixed to the support member S by welding or the like. The support member S is laid using support bolts T and anchor bolts U in a state spaced upward from the floor surface G.

[0035] The rail R is made up of a left rail 21 and a right rail 22 that are channel-shaped and have openings facing each other with a gap between them.

[0036] [Career] Carrier A is equipped with a transported object support part B, which supports a transported object W. Carrier A is equipped with a load trolley LT that supports the transported object support part B, and a free trolley FT that does not support the transported object support part B. The load trolley LT and the free trolley FT are supported and guided by rails R.

[0037] Carrier A, for example, has a front end trolley 11 which is a free trolley FT, a front trolley 1 and a rear trolley 2 which are load trolleys LT, and a rear end trolley 12 which is also a free trolley FT.

[0038] The front end trolley 11 and the front trolley 1 are connected via a first connecting rod 13. The front trolley 1 and the rear trolley 2 are connected via a second connecting rod 14. The rear trolley 2 and the rear end trolley 12 are connected via a third connecting rod 15.

[0039] The front end trolley 11 has an engagement dog K which engages with a traction dog of a power chain drive, so that the carrier A can be driven by the power chain drive.

[0040] The front end trolley 11, the front trolley 1, the rear trolley 2, and the rear end trolley 12 have sides that become the driving surfaces I with which the friction rollers of the friction roller drive device are pressed. Also, the first connecting rod 13, the second connecting rod 14, and the third connecting rod 15 have sides that become the driving surfaces J with which the friction rollers are pressed. This allows the carrier A to be driven by the friction roller drive device.

[0041] [Road Trolley] The front trolley 1 and rear trolley 2 of the load trolley LT shown in Figures 1 and 3 have the same structure, so the structure of the front trolley 1 will be described.

[0042] The front trolley 1 shown in Figures 4 to 6 is composed of a trolley frame 3, and a front subtrolley 4 and a rear subtrolley 5 located at the front and rear below the trolley frame 3. The front subtrolley 4 and the rear subtrolley 5 each have a subtrolley body 6, a left bracket 7, a right bracket 8, a vertical roller 9 and a horizontal roller 10.

[0043] [Sub-trolley] Since the front subtrolley 4 and the rear subtrolley 5 have the same structure, the structure of the front subtrolley 4 will be mainly described with reference to FIG.

[0044] (Vertical roller support structure) The first left-right shaft H1 is inserted through the through hole 6A of the subtrolley body 6 and attached in a state in which the first left-right shaft H1 is positioned in the left-right direction relative to the subtrolley body 6. As a result, the first left-right shaft H1 is fixed to the subtrolley body 6 with the left and right ends of the first left-right shaft H1 protruding from the left and right side surfaces of the subtrolley body 6.

[0045] The left bracket 7 and right bracket 8 have the same mounting structure to the subtrolley body 6. The right end of the first left-right shaft H1 protruding from the right side surface of the subtrolley body 6 is inserted into the through-hole 8A of the right bracket 8 via a bush 16. Similarly, the left end of the first left-right shaft H1 protruding from the left side surface of the subtrolley body 6 is inserted into a through-hole (not shown) of the left bracket 7 via a bush (not shown).

[0046] The left bracket 7 is attached to the left end of the first left-right shaft H1 by screwing the bolt 19A into the screw hole P at the left end of the first left-right shaft H1 via the mounting plate 17. In a similar manner, the right bracket 8 is attached to the right end of the first left-right shaft H1. As a result, the left bracket 7 is supported so as to be swingable about the first left-right shaft H1 with respect to the sub-trolley body 6, and the right bracket 8 is also supported so as to be swingable about the first left-right shaft H1 with respect to the sub-trolley body 6.

[0047] As described above, the left bracket 7 and the right bracket 8 are located on the left and right of the subtrolley body 6, extend in the front-to-rear direction, are supported at their intermediate positions in the front-to-rear direction by the first left-to-right shaft H1, and swing individually relative to the subtrolley body 6.

[0048] A front vertical roller 9 is attached to the front end E1 of the left bracket 7 and is supported rotatably about the second left-right axis H2. A rear vertical roller 9 is attached to the rear end E2 of the left bracket 7 and is supported rotatably about the third left-right axis H3.

[0049] A front vertical roller 9 is attached to the front end E1 of the right bracket 8 and is supported rotatably about the second left-right axis H2. A rear vertical roller 9 is attached to the rear end E2 of the right bracket 8 and is supported rotatably about the third left-right axis H3.

[0050] Please refer to Fig. 4. The vertical roller 9 is supported by a second left-right axis H2 at the front end E1 and a third left-right axis H3 at the rear end E2 of each of the left bracket 7 and the right bracket 8, and rolls on the rail R. When viewed from the left-right direction, the center O1 of the first left-right axis H1 is located at approximately the midpoint of a line segment L connecting the center O2 of the second left-right axis H2 and the center O3 of the third left-right axis H3.

[0051] Therefore, the front and rear vertical rollers 9 of each of the left bracket 7 and the right bracket 8 that roll on the rail R can move up and down in a seesaw manner. Therefore, when the height of the front and rear vertical rollers 9 is no longer horizontal due to a gradient or the like, the horizontal distance between the center O1 of the first left-right axis H1 and the center O2 of the second left-right axis H2 and the horizontal distance between the center O1 of the first left-right axis H1 and the center O3 of the third left-right axis H3 become approximately equal, so that the loads applied from the front and rear vertical rollers 9 to the rail R become approximately uniform.

[0052] (Horizontal roller support structure) The front and rear horizontal rollers 10 are attached to the subtrolley body 6 by cantilever pins 20. By attaching the horizontal rollers 10 to the subtrolley body 6 by cantilever pins 20, the height of the subtrolley 4 can be lowered. Alternatively, if the height of the subtrolley 4 is not lowered, there is no need to thin the front and rear parts of the subtrolley body 6 in the height direction, which is advantageous in terms of strength.

[0053] (1st vertical axis) A first vertical shaft V1 protrudes upward from the center in the front-rear direction of the sub-trolley body 6. A washer M is attached to the first vertical shaft V1.

[0054] [Installing the sub-trolley on the trolley frame] As shown in Figure 6, the first vertical shaft V1 of the front subtrolley 4 is inserted from below into the through hole 3A on the front side of the trolley frame 3, and a bolt 19B is inserted from above into the through hole 18A of the mounting plate 18 and screwed into the screw hole Q on the upper end surface of the first vertical shaft V1. As a result, the subtrolley body 6 of the front subtrolley 4 is attached to the trolley frame 3 as shown in Figure 5, and is supported rotatably around the first vertical axis V1 with respect to the trolley frame 3.

[0055] The first vertical shaft V1 of the rear subtrolley 5 is inserted from below into the through hole 3A on the rear side of the trolley frame 3, and a bolt 19B is inserted from above into the through hole 18A of the mounting plate 18 and screwed into the screw hole Q on the upper end surface of the first vertical shaft V1. As a result, the subtrolley body 6 of the rear subtrolley 5 is attached to the trolley frame 3 as shown in Figure 5, and is supported rotatably around the first vertical shaft V1 with respect to the trolley frame 3.

[0056] [Arrangement of vertical and horizontal rollers on the rail] 2, the front and rear vertical rollers 9 of the left bracket 7 are disposed between the upper flange portion 21A and the lower flange portion 21B of the left rail 21, and the front and rear vertical rollers 9 of the right bracket 8 are disposed between the upper flange portion 22A and the lower flange portion 22B of the right rail 22. In addition, the subtrolley body 6 is located between the left rail 21 and the right rail 22.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 4, the horizontal roller 10 is located above the vertical roller 9 when viewed from the left-right direction. As shown in Fig. 2, the horizontal roller 10 is located between an upward bent edge 21C extending upward from the inner left-right end of the upper flange portion 21A of the left rail 21 and an upward bent edge 22C extending upward from the inner left-right end of the upper flange portion 22A of the right rail 22, and the horizontal roller 10 is sandwiched between the bent edges 21C, 22C.

[0058] With such a configuration of the front trolley 1 and rear trolley 2 consisting of the trolley frame 3, front subtrolley 4 and rear subtrolley 5, and the configuration of the rail R consisting of the left rail 21 and right rail 22, the main part of the load trolley LT can be accommodated between the left rail 21 and the right rail 22, compared to a conveying device using a rail with an I-shaped vertical cross section, for example. Therefore, since the overall height of the conveying device can be lowered, the transported object W is less likely to tip over, reducing shaking of the transported object W during transport, thereby improving stability when the transported object W is transported by the conveying device.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal roller 10 is located above the vertical roller 9 when viewed from the left-right direction. Therefore, the distance between the first vertical axis V1 of the trolley frame 6 of the front sub-trolley 4 and the first vertical axis V1 of the trolley frame 6 of the rear sub-trolley 5 is shorter than in a configuration in which the horizontal roller 10 is arranged in front of or behind the vertical roller 9. Therefore, when the rail R is curved up or down, the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention reduces the vertical movement of the transported object W compared to a configuration in which the horizontal roller 10 is arranged in front of or behind the vertical roller 9, thereby improving the stability of the transported object W, and the dimensional change is smaller with respect to the trolley in the configuration in which the horizontal roller 10 is arranged in front of or behind the vertical roller 9, improving operational feasibility. Here, "improved operational feasibility" means that when a conveyor is installed, the transport device has certain limitations and conditions in the height direction, and particularly when an existing transport device is replaced with the configuration of the transport device of the present invention, the fluctuation in the vertical direction is reduced, making it easier to establish a configuration of the transport device that meets the limitations and conditions.

[0060] [Connection between the transported object support part and the load trolley] As shown in Fig. 3, the frame material D provided at the bottom of the transported object support part B, the trolley frame 3 of the front trolley 1 and the trolley frame 3 of the rear trolley 2 are connected by a fourth left-right axis H4 so as to be swingable up and down. Therefore, even when the rail R on which the vertical rollers 9 roll moves up and down, the vertical rollers 9 can closely follow the undulations of the rail R, which has the effect of making the surface pressure applied to the rail R from the vertical rollers 9 approximately uniform.

[0061] [Connection of front and rear road trolleys] As shown in Figure 3, the trolley frames 3 of the front trolley 1 and the rear trolley 2 have side surfaces extending in the forward / rearward direction which are drive surfaces I against which the friction rollers of the friction roller type drive device are pressed, and are positioned so as to be at approximately the same height as the rail R as the second connecting rod 14, which has on its side a drive surface J against which the friction rollers are pressed.

[0062] The trolley frame 3 of the front trolley 1 is connected to the second connecting rod 14 via the fifth left-right axis H5 and the third vertical axis V3. The trolley frame 3 of the rear trolley 2 is connected to the second connecting rod 14 via the fifth left-right axis H5 and the third vertical axis V3. In other words, the trolley frame 3 of the front trolley 1 and the second connecting rod 14 are connected to be swingable in the up-down and left-right directions, and the trolley frame 3 of the rear trolley 2 and the second connecting rod 14 are connected to be swingable in the up-down and left-right directions.

[0063] Therefore, for example, in the case where the intention is to increase the conveying weight of an existing conveying device having four vertical roller wheels on the front, back, left and right sides, such as a road trolley as in Patent Document 1, the existing conveying device can be replaced with a road trolley LT having eight vertical roller wheels 9 of an embodiment of the present invention without changing the height of the friction roller type drive device installed along the conveying path C and without significantly modifying the existing conveying device.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 3, the second connecting rod 14 connecting the front trolley 1 and rear trolley 2, which are the load trolley LT, can be extended and retracted in the front-rear direction by the connecting part N. Also, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, each of the trolley frame 3 of the front trolley 1 and the trolley frame 3 of the rear trolley 2 can rotate about a second vertical axis V2 at the middle part of the trolley frame 3 in the front-rear direction relative to the transported object support part B.

[0065] Therefore, when the carrier A moves along the horizontally curved rail R, the ability of the vertical roller 9 to follow the rail R is improved.

[0066] [Effects of the eight-wheeled road trolley] In the embodiment of the present invention, since an eight-wheeled load trolley LT having a front subtrolley 4 and a rear subtrolley 5 is used, the angle formed by the load trolley LT and the connecting rods 13, 14, 15 on the horizontally curved transport route C becomes larger under the same storage pitch condition compared to the case where a conventional trolley having four vertical roller wheels on the front, rear, left and right sides is used. That is, the angle formed by the first connecting rod 13 and the front trolley 1, the angle formed by the front trolley 1 and the second connecting rod 14, the angle formed by the second connecting rod 14 and the rear trolley 2, and the angle formed by the rear trolley 2 and the third connecting rod 15 become larger.

[0067] Therefore, when the carrier A is driven on the horizontally curved conveying path C by the friction rollers of the friction roller type drive device, the conveying device using the eight-wheeled load trolley LT having the front sub-trolley 4 and the rear sub-trolley 5 in the embodiment of the present invention has a smaller angular deviation between the direction in which the friction rollers arranged at the bends of the horizontally curved conveying path C push the connecting rods 13, 14, 15 and the direction in which the load trolley LT advances than a conveying device using a conventional trolley having four vertical roller wheels on the front, rear, left and right. Therefore, the load during conveying when the carrier A is driven on the horizontally curved conveying path C by the friction rollers of the friction roller type drive device is reduced, making it less likely that conveying defects will occur.

[0068] The load trolley LT equipped with eight vertical rollers 9 according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed of a trolley frame 3, and a front subtrolley 4 and a rear subtrolley 5 located at the front and rear below the trolley frame 3. The front subtrolley 4 and the rear subtrolley 5 each have a subtrolley body 6, a left bracket 7, a right bracket 8, and vertical rollers 9.

[0069] The subtrolley body 6 is attached to the trolley frame 3 so as to be rotatable about a first vertical axis V1. The left bracket 7 and right bracket 8 are located on the left and right of the subtrolley body 6, extend in the front-to-rear direction, are supported at their midpoints in the front-to-rear direction by a first left-to-right axis H1, and swing individually relative to the subtrolley body 6. The vertical rollers 9 roll on the rails R while being supported by a second left-to-right axis H2 at the front end portions E1 and a third left-to-right axis H3 at the rear end portions E2 of the left bracket 7 and right bracket 8, respectively.

[0070] With this configuration, the four vertical rollers 9 on the front, rear, left and right of the front subtrolley 4 and the four vertical rollers 9 on the front, rear, left and right of the rear subtrolley 5 can move up and down following the rail R even if the rail R on which they roll is curved up or down, or if the rail R is installed horizontally but has minute undulations. Therefore, it is expected that the surface pressure applied to the rail R from each vertical roller 9 will be approximately uniform, and since the load is borne by eight wheels, wear on the rail R can be reduced even when heavy loads are transported. Therefore, the eight vertical rollers 9 can be reliably grounded on the rail R to suppress early wear on the rail R, and the demand for transporting heavy loads W can be met.

[0071] [Variations] In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, both the front trolley 1 and rear trolley 2, which are the load trolley LT, are equipped with eight vertical rollers 9 as shown in Figures 5 and 6 (load trolleys with an eight-wheel configuration). The present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and it is also possible that only one of the front trolley 1 and the rear trolley 2 is a load trolley with an eight-wheel configuration. For example, when the load of the transported item W is biased toward the front, only the front trolley 1 can be a load trolley with an eight-wheel configuration, and when the load of the transported item W is biased toward the rear, only the rear trolley 2 can be a load trolley with an eight-wheel configuration.

[0072] When only one of the front trolley 1 and the rear trolley 2 is a load trolley with eight wheels, the other is equipped with four vertical rollers 9 (a four-wheel load trolley). An example of a four-wheel load trolley is shown in Figures 8 and 9. Figures 8 and 9 show an example in which only the rear trolley 2 is a load trolley with eight wheels when the load of the transported object W is biased rearward.

[0073] The four-wheel load trolley LT shown in Figure 8 shows an example in which a subtrolley having a structure similar to that of the front subtrolley 4 and rear subtrolley 5 shown in Figure 6 is provided below the trolley frame 3. The four-wheel load trolley LT shown in Figure 9 shows an example in which vertical rollers 9 are attached to both ends of the front and rear sixth left-right axis H6 and seventh left-right axis H7 which pass through the trolley frame 3, which is the base body.

[0074] When the conveying device of the present invention is used in an overhead conveyor, the structure of the rails laid on a specified conveying path and the carriers that can move along the rails are upside down compared to when the conveying device of the present invention is used in a floor conveyor.

[0075] That is, the rail is turned upside down in FIG. 2 and is supported by a support member supported by a ceiling, etc. The rail is made up of left and right rails in the shape of a channel with openings facing each other at a distance from each other, and the opposing edges of the lower flanges of the left and right rails have downward bent edges that receive horizontal rollers.

[0076] 2 to 4 is turned upside down, and frame material D is provided on the upper part of transported object support part B. The eight-wheeled load trolley of the carrier is composed of a trolley frame, and a front sub-trolley and a rear sub-trolley located at the front and rear above the trolley frame. The horizontal rollers are located below the front, rear, left and right vertical rollers when viewed from the left-right direction.

[0077] The above description of the embodiments is given by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 Front trolley 2 Rear trolley 3 Trolley frame 3A Through hole 4 Front sub-trolley 5 Rear sub-trolley 6 Sub-trolley body 6A Through hole 7 Left bracket 8 Right bracket 8A Through hole 9 Vertical roller 10 Horizontal roller 11 Front end trolley 12 rear end trolley 13 first connecting rod 14 Second connecting rod (connecting rod) 15 Third connecting rod 16 Bush 17,18 Mounting plate 18A Through hole 19A,19B Bolt 20 Cantilever pin 21 Left rail 21A Upper flange portion 21B Lower flange portion 21C Upward bent edge 22 Right rail 22A Upper flange portion 22B Lower flange portion 22C Upward bent edge A Carrier B Transported object support section C Transport path D Frame material E1 Front end E2 Rear end F Transport direction FT Free trolley G Floor surface H1 1st left and right axis H2 2nd lateral axis H3 3rd lateral axis H4 4th horizontal axis H5 5th horizontal axis H6 6th horizontal axis H7 7th horizontal axis I,J Drive surface K Engagement dog L: A line segment connecting the center of the second horizontal axis and the center of the third horizontal axis LT Road Trolley M Washer N Connection part O1 Center of the first left-right axis O2 Center of the second horizontal axis O3 Center of the third horizontal axis P,Q screw hole R rail S Support member T Support bolt U Anchor bolt V1 First vertical axis V2 2nd vertical axis V3 3rd vertical axis W Transported goods

Claims

1. A conveying device including a rail laid on a predetermined conveying path and a carrier movable along the rail, The carrier is A transport object support section that supports the transport object; The load trolley includes a front trolley and a rear trolley that support the transported object support portion, One or both of the front trolley and the rear trolley are A trolley frame; A front sub-trolley and a rear sub-trolley located at the front and rear of the lower or upper part of the trolley frame; It is composed of The front sub-trolley and the rear sub-trolley are A sub-trolley body, a left bracket, a right bracket, and a vertical roller, having The sub-trolley body includes: a trolley frame mounted to be rotatable about a first vertical axis; The left bracket and the right bracket are Located on the left and right of the sub-trolley body, extending in the front-rear direction, supported at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction by a first left-right shaft, and swinging independently with respect to the sub-trolley body, The vertical roller is the left bracket and the right bracket are supported by a second left-right shaft at a front end portion and a third left-right shaft at a rear end portion of each of the left bracket and the right bracket, respectively, and roll on the rail; Conveying device.

2. A frame member provided on the lower or upper part of the transported object support portion, a trolley frame of the front trolley, and a trolley frame of the rear trolley are connected to each other by a fourth left-right axis so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. The conveying device according to claim 1.

3. The rails are made up of left and right rails in the form of channels with openings facing each other at a distance from each other, The upper flange portion or the lower flange portion of the left rail and the right rail have, at their opposing edges, upwardly bent edges or downwardly bent edges for receiving horizontal rollers located at the front and rear of the sub-trolley body. The conveying device according to claim 1.

4. the sub-trolley body is located between the left rail and the right rail, the vertical rollers at the front and rear of the left bracket are disposed between an upper flange portion and a lower flange portion of the left rail, The vertical rollers at the front and rear of the right bracket are disposed between an upper flange portion and a lower flange portion of the right rail, The horizontal roller is located above or below the vertical roller when viewed from the left-right direction.

4. The conveying device according to claim 3.

5. The trolley frame includes: The side surface extending in the front-rear direction is a drive surface with which a friction roller of a friction roller type drive device is pressed, a connecting rod having a drive surface on a side surface against which the friction roller is in pressure contact, and the connecting rod is disposed at substantially the same height as the rail; The connecting rod is connected to the connecting rod so as to be swingable in the vertical and horizontal directions. A conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The connecting rod is extendable in its length direction and connects the trolley frame of the front trolley and the trolley frame of the rear trolley, Each of the trolley frames of the front trolley and the rear trolley is rotatable about a second vertical axis at a middle portion of the trolley frame in the front-rear direction relative to the transported object support portion.

6. The conveying device according to claim 5.

7. The horizontal roller is attached to the sub-trolley body by a cantilever pin.

5. The conveying device according to claim 3 or 4.

8. When viewed from the left-right direction, the center of the first left-right axis is located at approximately the midpoint of a line segment connecting the center of the second left-right axis and the center of the third left-right axis. The conveying device according to claim 1.

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