Ball carrying conveyor

Abstract

To provide a low-cost ball carrying conveyor capable of speedily changing a carrying direction of a to-be-carried article.SOLUTION: A ball carrying conveyor comprises: a plurality of rotational shafts each having a longitudinal direction along an X-axis and arranged side by side at intervals in a Y-axis direction; a first motor configured to rotationally drive a first rotational shaft; a second motor configured to rotationally drive a second rotational shaft; a plurality of first cylindrical support bodies externally fitted to the first rotational shaft at intervals; a plurality of second cylindrical support bodies externally fitted to the second rotational shaft in correspondence to the first cylindrical support bodies; rotating support bodies rotatably arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction between the first rotational shaft and the second rotational shaft; and a control part configured to control rotation directions and rotational speeds of the first motor and the second motor. A first sphere arranged between the first rotational shaft and the second rotational shaft in a pair is supported at three points: an end surface on one side in the X-axis direction of the first cylindrical support body, an end surface on one side in the X-axis direction of the second cylindrical support body, and the rotating support body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a ball transport conveyor having a plurality of spheres rotatably arranged along a transport surface that transports an object to be transported. [Background technology]

[0002] This type of ball transport conveyor is not only used to transport the transported objects in one direction (linear transport), but also to branch, sort and one-sided transport of the transported objects. The sorting device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 comprises a ball conveyor (ball transport conveyor) having a plurality of free balls (spheres) and a disk-shaped turntable. A rotating shaft is provided at the center of the turntable, and this rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive motor. After the transported objects are transported to the center of the turntable by the ball conveyor, the turntable is rotated around the rotating shaft, so that the transport (discharge) direction of the transported objects can be changed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-190023 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the provision of a turntable complicates the structure of the device, leading to increased facility costs, and further reduces usability because the objects cannot be transported while the turntable is rotating to change the transport direction of the objects, resulting in waiting time.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a low-cost ball transfer conveyor that can quickly change the transfer direction of a transferred object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a ball conveying conveyor having a plurality of spheres rotatably arranged along a conveying surface that conveys an object to be conveyed. The ball conveying conveyor includes: two directions perpendicular to each other on the conveying surface are defined as X-axis direction and Y-axis direction; a plurality of rotating shafts elongated in the X-axis direction arranged in parallel with a gap in the Y-axis direction; a pair of adjacent rotating shafts among the plurality of rotating shafts being defined as a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft; a first motor for rotating the first rotating shaft; a second motor for rotating the second rotating shaft; a plurality of first cylindrical supports extrapolated to the first rotating shaft with a gap; a plurality of second cylindrical supports extrapolated to the second rotating shaft corresponding to the first cylindrical supports; a rotating support rotatably arranged between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft with a gap in the X-axis direction; and a control unit for controlling the rotation direction and rotation speed of the first motor and the second motor. The sphere disposed between the pair of first and second rotation axes is designated as the first sphere, and the first sphere is supported at three points: the end face on one side in the X-axis direction of the first cylindrical support, the end face on one side in the X-axis direction of the second cylindrical support, and the rotating support.

[0007] The second aspect has the following feature in addition to the first aspect: A sphere disposed between the second rotation axis and another adjacent pair of first rotation axes is a second sphere, and the second sphere is supported at three points: an end face on the other side in the X-axis direction of the first cylindrical support, an end face on the other side in the X-axis direction of the second cylindrical support, and the rotation support.

[0008] The third aspect has the following features in addition to the second aspect. The first cylindrical support and the second cylindrical support are each provided with an O-ring on both end faces in the X-axis direction. The first sphere and the second sphere are supported at three points: the O-ring provided on the first cylindrical support, the O-ring provided on the second cylindrical support, and the rotating support.

[0009] The fourth aspect has the following features in addition to those of the third aspect. The ball transporting conveyor further includes a cover constituting a transport surface. The cover has a plurality of openings that are opened corresponding to the plurality of spheres. A contact prevention material that protrudes into the opening is provided on the underside of the edge of each opening, so as to prevent each sphere from contacting the edge.

[0010] The fifth aspect has the following features in addition to those of the first aspect: A vertical direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis directions is defined as a Z-axis direction, and a support point of the first sphere by the rotating support is located below a support point by the first cylindrical support and the second cylindrical support in the Z-axis direction and above a lowermost part of the first sphere in the Z-axis direction.

[0011] A sixth aspect has the following feature in addition to the first aspect. At least one first cylindrical support selected from among a plurality of first cylindrical supports fitted around each first rotating shaft and at least one second cylindrical support selected from a plurality of second cylindrical supports fitted around each second rotating shaft are each formed with a groove recessed radially inward. A drive belt for transmitting the rotational force of the first motor or the second motor is wound around the groove.

[0012] A seventh aspect has the same features as any one of the first to sixth aspects, and further includes the following features: The rotating support is a ball caster.

[0013] However, while ball casters can rotate in all directions, dust can get into and accumulate in the gap between the ball part and the case part of the ball caster, increasing the rotational resistance of the ball caster, and as a result, the first sphere and the second sphere cannot rotate smoothly. Therefore, the eighth aspect has the following feature in addition to any one of the first to sixth aspects: the rotation support is a bearing. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, by controlling the rotation method and rotation speed of the first and second rotating shafts, it is possible to rotate each of the multiple spheres in a desired direction and transport the transported object in that direction. Since there is no need to provide a turntable as described in Patent Document 1, the device structure can be simplified and a low-cost ball transport conveyor can be provided. Moreover, since the rotation direction of the spheres can be quickly changed, the ball transport conveyor is easy to use. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an application example of the ball transport conveyor according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the ball transport conveyor with the cover removed. [Diagram 3] 4 is a partial schematic cross-sectional view showing a first motor and a second motor of the ball transport conveyor and a control unit. FIG. [Figure 4] 13(a) to 13(h) are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the rotation direction and rotation speed of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis, and the rotation direction of a sphere. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a ball transport conveyor according to a modified example of the first embodiment with the cover removed. [Figure 6] 11 is a schematic plan view showing a ball transport conveyor according to a second embodiment with the cover removed. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the cylindrical support member shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a contact prevention material provided on the edge of an opening formed in a cover. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a transport system to which a ball transport conveyor according to a second embodiment is applied. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which four ball transport conveyors are arranged so as to rotate the transported object. [Figure 11]11(a) and 11(b) are diagrams illustrating a method for transporting an object using the four ball transport conveyors shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, when the number, quantity, amount, range, etc. of each element is mentioned in the embodiments shown below, this disclosure is not limited to the mentioned number unless it is specifically stated or clearly specified in principle. Furthermore, the structures etc. described in the embodiments shown below are not necessarily essential to this disclosure unless it is specifically stated or clearly specified in principle.

[0017] [Embodiment 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an application example of the ball transport conveyor according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the ball transport conveyor with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the first and second motors and the control unit of the ball transport conveyor.

[0018] In the present embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 1, a case where a ball conveyor 1 is connected to three belt conveyors 2, 3, and 4 will be described as an example. In this case, the ball conveyor 1 sorts the objects To conveyed by the belt conveyor 2 into one of the two belt conveyors 3 and 4. As the belt conveyors 2, 3, and 4, known ones capable of linearly conveying the objects To in one direction can be used, so detailed explanations are omitted here. In the following, the two directions perpendicular to each other on the conveying surface Ts that conveys the objects To are described as the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction perpendicular to these X-axis direction and Y-axis direction is described as the Z-axis direction. The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are based on FIG. 1.

[0019] The ball transport conveyor 1 comprises a plurality of spheres 10 rotatably disposed along the transport surface Ts. The spheres 10 are positioned above a cover 101, the upper portion of which constitutes the transport surface Ts. The spheres 10 are free balls. The cover 101 constitutes a top plate of a frame 100. The frame 100 is made of, for example, stainless steel. An end of the cover 101 is bent downward and fitted from above onto the outside of a side wall 102 (see FIG. 3).

[0020] The ball conveyor 1 includes a plurality of rotating shafts 11 that are elongated in the X-axis direction. The rotating shafts 11 are made of, for example, stainless steel so that they can convey heavy loads. These rotating shafts 11 are arranged in parallel with intervals in the Y-axis direction. Both ends of each rotating shaft 11 in the X-axis direction are machined to have a smaller diameter than the center portion, and the small-diameter end portion 110 is rotatably supported by a bearing 103 provided on the side wall 102 of the frame 100. These rotating shafts 11 are paired with each other in pairs. In the example shown in FIG. 2, 12 rotating shafts 11 are arranged in six pairs. The number of rotating shafts 11 (the number of pairs) can be appropriately set according to the size of the conveying surface Ts of the ball conveyor 1. Hereinafter, of the two rotating shafts 11 that form a pair, the rotating shaft 11 on the left side in the Y-axis direction is referred to as the first rotating shaft 11a, and the rotating shaft 11 on the right side in the Y-axis direction is referred to as the second rotating shaft 11b.

[0021] A plurality of first cylindrical supports 12a (six in the example shown in FIG. 2) are fitted around the first rotating shaft 11a at intervals in the X-axis direction. A plurality of second cylindrical supports 12b are also fitted around the second rotating shaft 11b in correspondence with the first cylindrical supports 12a. Making the second cylindrical support 12b correspond to the first cylindrical support 12a means that the positions of the cylindrical supports 12a and 12b in the X-axis direction are made equal. The cylindrical supports 12a and 12b are made of, for example, resin. As the resin, a soft resin material such as vulcanized urethane can be used so that frictional force acts between the spheres 10a and 10b. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the X-axis length of the cylindrical supports 12a and 12b located near the side wall 102 on the other side in the X-axis direction is set shorter than the other cylindrical supports 12a and 12b, but may be set to the same length. In the following, when there is no need to distinguish between the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b, they may be simply referred to as the rotating shaft 11. Similarly, when there is no need to distinguish between the first cylindrical support 12a and the second cylindrical support 12b, they may be simply referred to as the cylindrical support 12.

[0022] A plurality of rotating supports 13 are rotatably arranged between the plurality of rotating shafts 11 at intervals in the X-axis direction. The rotating supports 13 are, for example, ball casters (also called "ball bearings"). As the ball casters 13, a known one having a rotatable ball portion 131 and a case portion 132 that holds the ball portion 131 can be used, so a detailed description is omitted here. There is a small gap between the ball portion 131 and the case portion 132. The ball caster 13 located on the right side of the first rotating shaft 11a in the Y-axis direction is arranged so that the ball portion 131 faces the other side in the X-axis direction. The ball caster 13 located on the right side of the second rotating shaft 11b in the Y-axis direction, in other words, the ball caster 13 located on the left side of the first rotating shaft 11a in the Y-axis direction, is arranged so that the ball portion 131 faces one side in the X-axis direction. This allows for a staggered arrangement of the spheres 10, which will be described later.

[0023] If the sphere 10 located on the right side of the first rotating shaft 11a in the Y-axis direction is the first sphere 10a, the first sphere 10a is supported at three points: the end face of the first cylindrical support 12a on one side in the X-axis direction, the end face of the second cylindrical support 12b on one side in the X-axis direction, and the ball caster 13 with the ball part 131 pointing to the other side in the X-axis direction. On the other hand, if the sphere 10 located on the right side of the second rotating shaft 11b in the Y-axis direction is the second sphere 10b, the second sphere 10b is supported at three points: the end face of the first cylindrical support 12a on the other side in the X-axis direction, the end face of the second cylindrical support 12b on the other side in the X-axis direction, and the ball caster 13 with the ball part 131 pointing to the one side in the X-axis direction. At this time, the upper part of the sphere 10 protrudes upward from the cover 101 through an opening 101a that is circular in plan view and opened in the cover 101. As a result, the sphere 10 to which a rotational force in a predetermined direction is applied comes into contact with the bottom surface of the transported object To, and the transported object To can be transported in the predetermined direction. The installation angle of the ball caster 13 is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set within a range in which the ball portion 131 can rotatably support the spheres 10a and 10b.

[0024] Here, the spheres 10a and 10b are supported at three points using different surfaces in the X-axis direction of the cylindrical supports 12a and 12b, so that the first sphere 10a and the second sphere 10b can be rotated in the same direction. This allows the first sphere 10a and the second sphere 10b to be arranged in a staggered pattern (see FIG. 2). In this case, the pitch of the spheres 10 can be narrower than when the spheres 10 are arranged in a lattice pattern as in the modified example shown in FIG. 5 described later, and the transport object To can be transported stably even when the size of the transport object To is small. When the spheres 10 are arranged in a lattice pattern as in the modified example shown in FIG. 5, the diameter of the rotating shaft 11 is reduced and the number of rotating shafts 11 is increased in order to transport the small-sized transport object To stably, but the strength of the rotating shaft 11 may be reduced. For this reason, when the weight of the transport object To is heavy, the modified example shown in FIG. 5 cannot be adopted.

[0025] The positions of the three points supporting the sphere 10 in the Z-axis direction can be set to be equal, but are not limited to this. For example, the contact point (support point) Cp of the sphere 10 with the ball caster 13 may be positioned lower in the Z-axis direction than the contact point (support point) with the cylindrical supports 12a, 12b. That is, the support point Cp of the sphere 10 by the ball caster 13 may be positioned lower in the Z-axis direction than the support point of the sphere 10 by the cylindrical supports 12a, 12b. This makes it possible to make the ratio of the load of the transported object To applied to the cylindrical supports 12a, 12b via the sphere 10 smaller than the ratio applied to the ball caster 13, and to suppress the load applied to the rotating shafts 11a, 11b. Here, the fact that the positions of the three contact points (support points) in the Z-axis direction are equal does not mean that the positions in the Z-axis direction are strictly the same.

[0026] Here, the line passing through the center of the sphere 10 and extending in the Z-axis direction is the central axis Ca. Although not shown, if the ball caster 13 is arranged so that the center of the ball part 131 is located on the central axis Ca, the lowest part Bp of the sphere 10 in the Z-axis direction and the support point Cp will coincide, and this can minimize the load on the rotation axes 11a and 11b. On the other hand, this will cause the sphere 10a (10b) to shift to one side (the other side) in the X-axis direction. Therefore, it is preferable to position the support point Cp above the lowest part Bp by arranging the ball caster 13 with the ball part 131 offset to one side (the other side) in the X-axis direction from the central axis Ca of the sphere 10a (10b). This makes it possible to prevent the sphere 10 from shifting to the X-axis direction while suppressing the load on the rotation axes 11a and 11b.

[0027] Furthermore, when the weight of the transported object To is light, taking into consideration that a large load is not applied to the rotating shafts 11a and 11b, the contact point with the ball casters 13 may be positioned higher in the Z-axis direction than the contact point with the cylindrical supports 12a and 12b. In other words, the support point Cp of the sphere 10 by the ball casters 13 may be positioned higher in the Z-axis direction than the support point of the sphere 10 by the cylindrical supports 12a and 12b.

[0028] Pulleys 14a and 14b are provided on the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b, respectively, at positions shifted in the X-axis direction (so as not to interfere with each other). A drive belt (or chain) 17 is wound around the pulley 14a and a rotating roller 16a elongated in the Y-axis direction, which is driven to rotate by the first motor 15a. As a result, when the first motor 15a is driven to rotate, the rotational force is transmitted to the first rotating shaft 11a. Similarly, a drive belt (not shown) is wound around the pulley 14b and a rotating roller 16b elongated in the Y-axis direction, which is driven to rotate by the second motor 15b. As a result, when the second motor 15b is driven to rotate, the rotational force is transmitted to the second rotating shaft 11b. The rotating rollers 16a and 16b are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the side wall 104 of the frame 100.

[0029] The first motor 15a and the second motor 15b are communicatively connected to the control unit 18. The control unit 18 controls the rotation direction and rotation speed of the first motor 15a and the second motor 15b according to the transported object To. That is, the control unit 18 controls the rotation direction and rotation speed of the first motor 15a and the second motor 15b, and further the rotation direction and rotation speed of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b, so that the sphere 10 rotates in a direction according to the transport destination (belt conveyor 3 or belt conveyor 4) of the transported object To. At this time, for example, the control unit 18 can be configured to read a barcode (not shown) attached to the transported object To to obtain the transport destination of the transported object To and input the obtained transport destination to the control unit 18.

[0030] Next, the relationship between the rotation direction and rotation speed of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b and the rotation direction of the sphere 10 will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the rotation direction and rotation speed of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b and the rotation direction of the sphere 10. In the following, in order to simplify the explanation, an example will be described in which the rotation speed is controlled in two stages, "fast" and "slow".

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the spheres 10a and 10b can be rotated toward the right in the Y-axis direction by rotating the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b counterclockwise at the same speed. This allows the transported object To to be transported (sorted) toward the belt conveyor 4 shown in FIG. 1, i.e., toward the right in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 4(b), the spheres 10a and 10b can be rotated toward the left in the Y-axis direction by rotating the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b clockwise at the same speed. This allows the transported object To to be transported toward the left in the Y-axis direction.

[0032] Also, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the first rotating shaft 11a is rotated counterclockwise and the second rotating shaft 11b is rotated clockwise at the same speed, thereby rotating the spheres 10a and 10b toward one side in the X-axis direction. This allows the transported object To to be transported (sorted) toward the belt conveyor 3 shown in FIG. 1, i.e., toward one side in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 4(d), the first rotating shaft 11a is rotated clockwise and the second rotating shaft 11b is rotated counterclockwise at the same speed, thereby rotating the spheres 10a and 10b toward the other side in the X-axis direction. This allows the transported object To to be transported (returned) toward the belt conveyor 2 shown in FIG. 1, i.e., toward the other side in the X-axis direction.

[0033] Also, as shown in FIG. 4(e), the first rotating shaft 11a is rotated counterclockwise at a high speed and the second rotating shaft 11b is rotated clockwise at a low speed, so that the spheres 10a and 10b can be rotated obliquely upward to the right in the figure. This allows the objects To to be conveyed (sorted) toward the belt conveyor 4 shown in FIG. 1 (i.e., toward the right in the Y-axis direction) and while being shifted to one side in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 4(f), the first rotating shaft 11a is rotated clockwise at a low speed and the second rotating shaft 11b is rotated counterclockwise at a high speed, so that the spheres 10a and 10b can be rotated obliquely downward to the right in the figure. This allows the objects To to be conveyed (sorted) toward the belt conveyor 4 shown in FIG. 1 (i.e., toward the right in the Y-axis direction) and while being shifted to the other side in the X-axis direction.

[0034] Also, as shown in FIG. 4(g), the first rotating shaft 11a is rotated clockwise at a high speed and the second rotating shaft 11b is rotated counterclockwise at a low speed, thereby rotating the spheres 10a and 10b diagonally downward to the left in the figure. This allows the transported object To to be transported diagonally downward to the left. As shown in FIG. 4(h), the first rotating shaft 11a is rotated counterclockwise at a low speed and the second rotating shaft 11b is rotated clockwise at a high speed, thereby rotating the spheres 10a and 10b diagonally upward to the left in the figure. This allows the transported object To to be transported diagonally upward to the left.

[0035] As shown in Figures 4(e) to 4(h), when the spheres 10a, 10b are rotated diagonally in the figure, i.e., when the transported object To is transported diagonally in the figure, the width of the transported object To in the X-axis and Y-axis directions can be adjusted by appropriately setting the rotational speeds of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b.

[0036] As described above, according to the first embodiment, by controlling the rotation method and rotation speed of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b, it is possible to rotate each of the multiple balls 10 in a desired direction, and to transport the transported object To in that direction. Since there is no need to provide a turntable as described in the above Patent Document 1, it is possible to simplify the device structure and provide a low-cost ball transporting conveyor 1. Moreover, since the rotation direction of the balls 10 can be quickly changed, there is no waiting time for rotating the turntable on the ball transporting conveyor 1, and the ball transporting conveyor 1 is easy to use.

[0037] In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, both the first sphere 10a and the second sphere 10b are provided, but it is sufficient to provide either one (for example, the first sphere 10a), and either the other (for example, the second sphere 10b) may be omitted. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a ball conveying conveyor 1 according to a modified example of embodiment 1 with the cover removed. In this modified example, the first spheres 10a are arranged in a lattice pattern. Therefore, the pitch Pi of the spheres 10 in the Y-axis direction is larger than that of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, but if the size of the conveyed object To is sufficiently larger than the pitch Pi, there is no problem in the conveying stability of the conveyed object To. In this case, the number of parts can be reduced, and further cost reduction can be achieved. In addition, this modified example can also be applied to embodiment 2 described later.

[0038] In addition, in the above embodiment 1, an example has been described in which the transported objects To are sorted, but the present disclosure can be applied to cases in which the traveling direction (angle) of the transported objects To is controlled, such as by branching off a portion of the multiple transported objects To or transporting them in a unilateral manner.

[0039] [Embodiment 2] Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the ball transport conveyor 1 according to the embodiment 2 with the cover removed. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the cylindrical support body shown in Fig. 6.

[0040] When the ball caster 13 is used as described in the first embodiment, the lubricant used to rotate the ball portion 131 may adhere to the surfaces of the spheres 10a, 10b via the ball portion 131. In this case, the frictional force between the cylindrical support 12 and the spheres 10a, 10b is reduced, so that the cylindrical support 12 may be formed of a soft resin material with low durability such as vulcanized urethane in order to increase the frictional force. If the cylindrical support 12 is formed of a soft resin material, the cylindrical support 12 is easily scraped by friction with the spheres 10a, 10b, which generates powder. If this powder gets stuck in the gap between the ball portion 131 and the case portion 132 of the ball caster 13, the rotation resistance of the ball caster 13 increases. As a result, the spheres 10a, 10b do not rotate smoothly, which may cause a problem in the transportation of the transported object To. In addition to the above powder, dust floating in the space below the cover 101 may also get into and clog the gap of the ball caster 13.

[0041] Therefore, in the second embodiment, instead of the ball caster 13, a resin bearing (hereinafter also referred to as a "resin bearing") 130 molded in a ring shape is used as a rotation support instead of the ball caster 13. A commercially available known resin bearing can be used as the resin bearing 130, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The ring-shaped bearing 130 is not limited to one made of resin, and may be made of metal, for example. As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of fixed shafts 19 extending in the Y-axis direction are fixed to the side wall 104 of the frame 100 at intervals in the X-axis direction. A plurality of resin bearings 130 are extrapolated to each fixed shaft 19 at intervals in the Y-axis direction. That is, the fixed shaft 19 is inserted through the plurality of resin bearings 130, and both axial ends of the fixed shaft 19 are fixed to the side wall 104 using a bolt or the like, so that each resin bearing 130 can rotate freely around the fixed shaft 19. The first sphere 10a is supported at three points, namely, the end face of the first cylindrical support 12a on one side in the X-axis direction, the end face of the second cylindrical support 12b on one side in the X-axis direction, and the resin bearing 130. Similarly, the second sphere 10b is supported at three points, namely, the end face of the first cylindrical support 12a on the other side in the X-axis direction, the end face of the second cylindrical support 12b on the other side in the X-axis direction, and the resin bearing 130. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the diameter of the resin bearing 130 located near the side wall 102 on one side in the X-axis direction is set to be shorter than the diameters of the other resin bearings 130, but the diameters of all the resin bearings 130 may be set to be the same.

[0042] In addition, forming the cylindrical support 12 from vulcanized urethane as described in the first embodiment leads to an increase in manufacturing costs. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the cylindrical support 12 is formed from a hard resin material, and O-rings 122 are provided on both end faces of the cylindrical support 12 in the axial direction so that a desired frictional force acts between the cylindrical support 12 and the spheres 10a and 10b. That is, a circumferential groove 121, which is a recess recessed inward in the radial direction, is formed on both end faces of the cylindrical support 12 in the axial direction, and the O-ring 122 is fitted into the circumferential groove 121. The shape of the circumferential groove 121 can be appropriately selected so that the O-ring 122 does not come off. For example, polyvinyl chloride resin, acrylic resin, polystyrene resin, etc. can be used as the hard resin material. These hard resin materials and the O-ring 122 are inexpensive materials, and the processing for forming the circumferential groove 121 (for example, processing for reducing the diameter of both axial ends of the cylindrical support 12) can be performed inexpensively and easily. Therefore, compared to the first embodiment, the manufacturing cost of the cylindrical support body 12 can be reduced, and therefore the device cost can be reduced.

[0043] In addition, a groove 123 recessed radially inward is formed in at least one (one in the example shown in FIG. 6) cylindrical support 12 selected from a plurality (six in the example shown in FIG. 6) of cylindrical supports 12 provided (extrapolated) on each rotating shaft 11. The drive belt 17 is wound around this groove 123. This makes the pulleys 14a and 14b provided in the first embodiment unnecessary, and reduces the number of parts, thereby reducing the cost of the device. Moreover, by forming the groove 123 in the axial center of the cylindrical support 12, it does not interfere with the O-ring 122 supporting the spheres 10a and 10b. When the cylindrical support 12 is formed of the hard resin material, the groove 123 can be formed inexpensively and easily.

[0044] The relationship between the rotation direction and rotation speed of first rotating shaft 11a and second rotating shaft 11b and the rotation direction of sphere 10 is similar to that in the above-mentioned first embodiment (see FIG. 4), and therefore will not be described here.

[0045] Now, consider the case where a pair of rotating shafts 11a, 11b (and cylindrical supports 12a, 12b) adjacent in the Y-axis direction are rotated outward at the same speed as each other, as shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a contact prevention member 105 provided on the edge of an opening 101a formed in a cover 101. As shown by the arrows in Fig. 8, when the rotating shaft 11a on the left side of the figure is rotated counterclockwise and the rotating shaft 11b on the right side of the figure is rotated clockwise, the sphere 10 moves to both sides in the Y-axis direction and comes into contact with the edge of the opening 101a, and it has been found that this contact generates an abnormal noise (metallic sound).

[0046] The inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive research and have discovered that when the above-mentioned O-ring 122 exerting a desired frictional force is provided on each of the cylindrical supports 12a and 12b, the frictional force between the O-ring 122 and the sphere 10 increases, causing the sphere 10 to move wildly in the Y-axis direction. In other words, when the frictional force between the sphere 10 and the O-ring 122 of the cylindrical support 12a and the frictional force between the sphere 10 and the O-ring 122 of the cylindrical support 12b become unbalanced, the sphere 10 moves wildly in the Y-axis direction and comes into contact with the edge of the opening 101a.

[0047] Therefore, in the second embodiment, the contact prevention material 105 is provided on the lower surface of the edge of each opening 101a so as to overhang the opening 101a, and the sphere 10 is brought into contact with the contact prevention material 105 to prevent the sphere 10 from contacting the edge. For example, a hook-and-loop fastener such as a long Velcro tape (registered trademark) can be used as the contact prevention material 105. Since this type of hook-and-loop fastener is well known, a detailed description is omitted here. For example, a plastic material can be used as the contact prevention material 105. Since the contact prevention material 105 comes into contact with the sphere 10, it is preferable to use a material having durability against friction (wear) (hereinafter also referred to as "wear resistance") as the contact prevention material 105, or to use a material in which a base material such as a plastic material is coated with a material having wear resistance. By using the long contact prevention material 105, the contact prevention material 105 can be collectively attached to a plurality (six) of openings 101a arranged in the Y-axis direction, and the attachment work can be performed efficiently. The contact-preventing material 105 is attached to two edge portions facing each other in the Y-axis direction. The length of the contact-preventing material 105 that protrudes into the opening 101a can be adjusted as appropriate according to the rotation speed of the rotating shafts 11a and 11b. It was confirmed that when the contact-preventing material was attached around the entire circumference of the opening 101a, the sphere 10 was excessively pressed by the contact-preventing material, hindering the smooth rotation of the sphere 10.

[0048] As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. That is, by using the resin bearing 130, which does not have a gap through which dust or powder can enter, as a rotating support, it is possible to prevent an increase in the rotational resistance of the resin bearing 130. Also, in the first embodiment, it is necessary to use a lubricant to reduce friction between the ball part 131 and the caster part 132 of the ball caster 13, which is generally made of metal. If the amount of lubricant is too much, the lubricant will adhere to the sphere 10, which may reduce the frictional force between the cylindrical support 12 and the sphere 10 and cause problems in transportation. In contrast, in the second embodiment, a metal ball caster that requires lubricant is not used, that is, a resin bearing 130 that does not require lubricant is used, so that the lubricant will not adhere to the sphere 10 via the resin bearing 130, and the frictional force between the cylindrical support 12 and the sphere 10 will not be reduced by the lubricant.

[0049] Therefore, there is no need to form the cylindrical supports 102 from an expensive soft resin material, and they can be formed from an inexpensive and durable hard resin material. Accordingly, by providing O-rings 122 at both axial ends of each cylindrical support 12 and supporting the spheres 10 with the O-rings 122, frictional force with the spheres 10 can be secured. Combined with the fact that the circumferential grooves 121 for the O-rings 122 can be easily and inexpensively formed in each cylindrical support 12, the manufacturing cost of the cylindrical supports 12, and therefore the cost of the device, can be reduced.

[0050] Furthermore, by providing a contact prevention material 105 on the edge of the opening 101a of the cover 101, it is possible to prevent the sphere 10 from colliding with the edge and generating abnormal noise.

[0051] Next, an application example of the ball transport conveyor 1 will be described. FIG. 9 shows a ball transport conveyor 1 according to the second embodiment. 1 ~1 4 As shown in FIG. 9, the conveyance system CS includes four ball conveyors 1. 1 ~1 4The system is equipped with four belt conveyors 51, 52, 53, and 54, and two automatic guided vehicles 61 and 62.

[0052] Ball transport conveyor 1 1 ~1 4 Although different reference numerals are used to facilitate understanding, the ball transport conveyor 1 is the ball transport conveyor 1. 1 ~1 4 have the same hardware configuration. As the belt conveyors 51 to 54, known conveyors that linearly convey the object To in one direction can be used, and detailed explanations are omitted here. As the automated guided vehicles 61 and 62, known conveyors having platforms 611 and 621 on which the object To is placed and a pair of drive wheels 612 and 622 for traveling to the target position can be used, and detailed explanations are omitted here.

[0053] The belt conveyors 51 and 52, whose conveying directions are perpendicular to each other, are feeding devices for feeding the objects To. 1 is a merging device for merging the objects To fed from the mutually orthogonal belt conveyors 51 and 52. 1 The conveyor 53 conveys the objects To that are joined from the two systems to the belt conveyor 53. The belt conveyor 53 is a ball conveyor 1 1 The transported object To is transported to the downstream ball transport conveyor 1 2 Send to.

[0054] 3 ball transport conveyors 1 2 ~1 4 is a sorting device for sorting the transported objects To. The number of sorting devices is not limited to three, and may be one or more. These ball transport conveyors 1 2 ~1 4 is also a branching device for branching the transported object To. 2 In accordance with the destination of the transported object To, the transported object To sent from the belt conveyor 53 is transported to the ball transport conveyor 1 on the downstream side in the X-axis direction. 3The ball is then fed to the platform 611 of the automatic guided vehicle 61 on one side in the Y-axis direction, or to the belt conveyor 54 on the other side in the Y-axis direction. 3 Depending on the destination of the transported object To, the ball transport conveyor 1 2 The transported object To is transported to the downstream ball transport conveyor 1 4 The balls are then fed to the belt conveyor 54 on the other side of the Y-axis direction. 4 Depending on the destination of the transported object To, the ball transport conveyor 1 3 The conveyor 54 conveys the conveyed object To sent from the conveyor 54 to the platform 621 of the automatic guided vehicle 62 on one side in the Y-axis direction, or to the belt conveyor 54 on the other side in the Y-axis direction. 2 ~1 4 can be sorted or branched in at least two directions depending on the destination of the transported object To. The destination of the transported object To can be read using a barcode or RFID tag attached to the transported object To. Known techniques can be used as these reading techniques, and therefore detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0055] Conventionally, it was necessary to have a junction device and a sorting device, which have different hardware configurations, separately, and it was not possible to convert a junction device into a sorting device or a sorting device into a junction device. Therefore, it was necessary to manage the number of junction devices and the number of sorting devices separately. In addition, it was not easy to change the layout of the conveyor system.

[0056] In contrast, in the second embodiment, the junction device and the sorting device constituting the conveying system CS are ball conveying conveyors 1 (1 1 ~1 4) can be used. Therefore, if multiple ball transport conveyors 1 are provided, they can be used as a junction device and as a sorting device. This has the advantage that it is easy to respond to layout changes in the transport system CS and also easy to manage the number of devices.

[0057] FIG. 10 shows a conveyor system in which four ball conveyors 1 can rotate the conveyed object To. 1 ~1 4 As shown in FIG. 10, between the belt conveyor 51 and the belt conveyor 52, there are four ball transport conveyors (ball transport conveyor group) 1, two in the X-axis direction and two in the Y-axis direction. 1 ~1 4 A total of 13 position sensors 106 for detecting the presence or absence of the transported object To are arranged at intervals in a cross shape between adjacent ball transport conveyors. As the position sensors 106, for example, a known optical position sensor can be used, and therefore a detailed description will be omitted here. The number of position sensors 106 is not limited to 13, and can be determined according to the size of the transported object To. The control unit 18 controls the position sensors 106 of each ball transport conveyor 1 while acquiring the detection signals of the position sensors 106. 1 ~1 4 The rotation directions of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b in the conveyor 11 are controlled so that the conveyed object To is conveyed in the direction shown by the arrow in the figure. 1 ~1 4 In addition, by reversing the conveying direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, it is possible to rotate the conveyed object To in a clockwise direction.

[0058] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a method of transporting the transported object To using the configuration shown in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 11(a), the upstream belt conveyor 51 transports the rectangular parallelepiped transported object To with its short side facing downstream in the X-axis direction. The control unit 18 (see FIG. 3) controls the ball transport conveyor 1 1 ,1 2The rotation directions of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b in the ball transport conveyor 11 are controlled so that the transported object To is transported in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 11(a). Then, the transported object To rotates counterclockwise, and assumes a posture in which the long side of the transported object To faces downstream in the X-axis direction, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 11(a). In this posture, the ball transport conveyor 1 2 ,1 3 The rotation directions of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b in the conveyor 51 are controlled so that the transported object To is transported in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 11(b). Then, as shown by the imaginary line in Fig. 11(b), the transported object To is sent to the downstream belt conveyor 52. At this time, as described in the first embodiment, the rotation speeds of the first rotating shaft 11a and the second rotating shaft 11b can also be controlled to shift the transported object To to one side in the Y-axis direction.

[0059] In this way, four ball transport conveyors 1 1 ~1 4 By using a ball transport conveyor group that combines the above, it is also possible to rotate the transported object To counterclockwise (or clockwise) and transport it. This allows the transported object To to be transported in a desired posture according to the downstream belt conveyor 52. This is advantageous when the posture of the transported object To is restricted by the size of the downstream belt conveyor 52, etc.

[0060] Although the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the first and second embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the first and second embodiments are described above using ball casters 13 and resin bearings 130 as the rotating support, but any rotatable object that supports a sphere 10 can be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1,1 1 ,1 2 ,1 3 ,1 4...Ball transport conveyor, 2, 3, 4, 51, 52, 53, 54...Belt conveyor, 10...Sphere, free ball, 10a...First sphere, 10b...Second sphere, 11...Rotating shaft, 11a...First rotating shaft, 11b...Second rotating shaft, 12...Cylindrical support, 12a...First cylindrical support, 12b...Second cylindrical support, 121...Circumferential groove, 122...O-ring, 13...Rotating support, ball caster, 130...Rotating support, resin bearing, 14a, 14b...Pulley, 15a ...First motor, 15b...Second motor, 16a, 16b...Rotary roller, 17...Drive belt, 18...Control unit, 19...Fixed shaft, 61, 62...Automatic guided vehicle, 611, 621...Platform, 612, 622...Drive wheel, 100...Frame, 101...Cover, 101a...Opening, 102, 104...Side wall, 103...Bearing, 105...Contact prevention material, 106...Position sensor, Bp...Lowest part, Cp...Support point of first sphere 10a by rotation support 13, CS...Transport system

Claims

1. A ball transport conveyor includes a plurality of balls rotatably arranged along a transport surface for transporting objects, Two directions perpendicular to each other on the conveying surface are defined as X-axis direction and Y-axis direction, and a plurality of rotating shafts elongated in the X-axis direction are arranged in parallel at intervals in the Y-axis direction; a first motor for rotating the first rotating shaft, the first rotating shaft being a pair of adjacent rotating shafts among the plurality of rotating shafts; and A second motor for driving the second rotating shaft to rotate; a plurality of first cylindrical supports fitted around the first rotation shaft at intervals; a plurality of second cylindrical supports that are fitted around the second rotation shaft in correspondence with the first cylindrical supports; a rotation support disposed between the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft and rotatably arranged at an interval in the X-axis direction; A control unit that controls a rotation direction and a rotation speed of the first motor and the second motor; Equipped with A ball transport conveyor in which a sphere disposed between the pair of the first and second rotating shafts is a first sphere, and the first sphere is supported at three points: the end face on one side of the X-axis direction of the first cylindrical support, the end face on one side of the X-axis direction of the second cylindrical support, and the rotating support.

2. 2. The ball transport conveyor according to claim 1, A ball transport conveyor in which a sphere is disposed between the second rotating shaft and another adjacent pair of the first rotating shafts, and the second sphere is supported at three points: the end face on the other side of the X-axis direction of the first cylindrical support, the end face on the other side of the X-axis direction of the second cylindrical support, and the rotating support.

3. 3. The ball transport conveyor according to claim 2, The first cylindrical support and the second cylindrical support are each provided with an O-ring on an end surface on both sides in the X-axis direction, A ball transport conveyor in which the first sphere and the second sphere are supported at three points: the O-ring provided on the first cylindrical support, the O-ring provided on the second cylindrical support, and the rotating support.

4. 4. The ball transport conveyor according to claim 3, A cover that configures the conveying surface is further provided, the cover has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of spheres, A ball transport conveyor configured such that a contact prevention material is provided on the underside of the edge of each opening, protruding into the opening, to prevent each sphere from contacting the edge.

5. 2. The ball transport conveyor according to claim 1, A ball transporting conveyor in which the vertical direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis directions is the Z-axis direction, and the support point of the first sphere by the rotating support is located below the support points of the first cylindrical support and the second cylindrical support and above the lowest part of the first sphere in the Z-axis direction.

6. 2. The ball transport conveyor according to claim 1, A ball transport conveyor in which a radially inward recessed groove is formed in at least one first cylindrical support selected from the plurality of first cylindrical supports which is extrapolated onto each first rotating shaft, and in at least one second cylindrical support selected from the plurality of second cylindrical supports which is extrapolated onto each second rotating shaft, and a drive belt which transmits the rotational force of the first motor or the second motor is wound around the recessed groove.

7. 7. A ball transport conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the rotating support is a ball caster.

8. 7. A ball transport conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rotary support is a bearing.

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