Spacer for receiver of wheel conveyor

Abstract

To provide a spacer for receiver of a wheel conveyor for making an article to be conveyed smoothly flow only by being put under the receiver attached to a wheel conveyor unit.SOLUTION: A spacer 1 for receiver tilts a wheel conveyor unit 30 in a width direction W by being put under a hook-like receiver 4 attached to the wheel conveyor unit 30. Two upper and lower surfaces A, B have three-dimensional shapes, respectively, having a tapered shape tilting toward the inside. Out of the two upper and lower surfaces A, B, one surface A has a first contact surface 15 capable of being in contact with an outer peripheral surface of a first object, and the other surface B has a second contact surface 16 capable of being in contact with an outer peripheral surface of a second object, and one spacer 1 for the receiver makes the contact to the two object possible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor. More specifically, it belongs to the technical field of a spacer for a receiver that is placed under the hook portion of a receiver for attaching a wheel conveyor unit, which is passed between horizontal pipes at a predetermined interval constituting a flow rack, a conveyor, etc. used in an automobile assembly line or the like, raises one side in the width direction, and inclines a pair of opposing wheel conveyor units in an inverted V shape.

Background Art

[0002] It has been used in a first-in, first-out flow rack or the like at an automobile manufacturing site. A shelf made of a receiver that forms a wheel conveyor passed between horizontal pipes and has a pair of wheel conveyor units arranged in parallel and hooks the pair of wheel conveyor units between the horizontal pipes of the shelf has been conventionally known. However, as shown in FIG. 9, since the bottom surface of the conveyed object 5 comes into surface contact with the conveying surface on the wheels 31 of the wheel conveyor unit 30 that forms the wheel conveyor, for a conveyed object 5 such as a box with a sag at the bottom surface, or as shown in FIG. 8, on the outer surface of the bottom surface of a box for containing a product, reinforcing ribs are provided, and in a conveyed object 5 where the wheels 31 are fitted between the ribs, inconveniences such as stopping midway and not flowing smoothly occurred. When the angle in the conveying direction of the conveyor (see reference numeral K in FIG. 9) is suddenly changed while trying to make it flow, the flow rate of a normal box becomes too fast this time, causing problems. Therefore, attention was paid to the fact that if the pair of wheel conveyor units 30 are fixed in a state of facing each other in an inverted V shape, the bottom corner portion of the edge side of the bottom surface of a box that is less likely to deform will hit the wheels 31 of the wheel conveyor unit 30, so that the conveyed object 5 can flow smoothly (see FIG. 7).

[0003] In addition, regarding the prior art, in Patent Document 1 below, a conveyor-type shelf device as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 thereof is conveniently used, for example, installed near an automobile assembly line. This efficiently stacks a large number of transport containers a (boxes, the same hereinafter) storing assembly parts as objects to be transported in multiple stages, and in particular, the containers in the frontmost row are supported in a manner inclined at a steep gradient. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 of the conveyor-type shelf device, a long groove-shaped steel roller holding frame 2 (corresponding to a wheel conveyor unit) in which rollers 1 project slightly upward and both ends of the roller shafts are rotatably supported is prepared, and both ends of the roller holding frame 2 are installed on a conveyor frame 3 assembled using a pipe or the like. And a large number of rollers 1 are attached to the roller holding frame 2 at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction. In use, receivers 4 of the frame body in FIG. 6 are attached to both ends of the roller holding frame 2, and the receivers 4 are hooked to the conveyor frame 3 for installation. It is described that the receiver 4 is composed of a main body 41 having a groove-shaped portion 4a that is substantially Z-shaped steel and opened downward when viewed from the front direction, and a connector 42 placed on and integrally fixed to the L-shaped crank portion adjacent to the groove-shaped portion 4a (see the prior art section of the same Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a shelf (see FIG. 4) to which a wheel conveyor unit is attached using only the receiver 4 for a wheel conveyor as shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1, if the container a has a creep and the bottom surface bulges outward and deforms, the bulging bottom surface hits the wheel and it is difficult to flow. Also, if the inclination angle of the roller holding frame 2 itself, which is a wheel conveyor unit, is adjusted according to the poorly flowing container a, then for the container a with good flow, the speed will be too high, and problems such as breakage due to impact may occur depending on the conveyed object. Furthermore, in a multi-stage flow rack as shown in Fig. 4, when an inclination angle is provided, the interval between the inlet and outlet openings becomes wider, creating a dead space, and these are considered problems to be solved.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor that can fix a pair of wheel conveyor units in a state facing each other in an inverted V shape simply by placing it under the hook portion of the receiver for attaching the wheel conveyor unit, and that can make the bottom edge corner portion of the bottom surface of the box, which is difficult to deform, contact the wheels of the wheel conveyor so as to smoothly flow the conveyed object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] As a means for solving the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a spacer 1 for a receiver that is placed under a hook-shaped receiver 4 attached to a wheel conveyor unit 30 and inclines the wheel conveyor unit 30 in the width direction W, The upper and lower two surfaces A and B have a tapered shape that inclines inward, respectively, and are in a three-dimensional shape, One of the upper and lower two surfaces A and B, surface A, has a first contact surface 15 that can contact the outer peripheral surface of a first object, and the other surface B has a second contact surface 16 that can contact the outer peripheral surface of a second object, and one such spacer 1 for a receiver can contact two objects, It is a spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor, characterized by the above.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is used for a pair of the wheel conveyor units 30, 30 facing each other on the left and right that constitute a wheel conveyor 3, It is used by turning it upside down and bringing either the first contact surface 15 or the second contact surface 16 into contact with the first object or the second object, and it can be configured such that the left side L and the right side R of the inclined wheel conveyor unit 30 are at the same height and face each other symmetrically left and right. A spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is a spacer 1 for a receiver that is placed under a hook-shaped receiver 4 attached to a wheel conveyor unit 30 and inclines the wheel conveyor unit 30 in the width direction W. It is formed in a three-dimensional shape with a part of the center 17 cut out like a U shape when viewed from the plane direction. When the side surface 11 of the main body 10 of the spacer 1 for the receiver is compressed by hand, it deforms, and when released, it restores, and it has a detachable structure with respect to the receiver 4. A spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor, characterized in that.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is such that a locking hole 41 is formed in the side surface 40 of the receiver 4, and a protrusion 12 is provided on the side surface 11 of the main body 10 of the spacer 1 for the receiver. When the spacer 1 for the receiver is attached by being placed under the receiver 4, the protrusion 12 fits into the locking hole 41 when restoring after compression, and it has a detachable structure that is difficult to come off unless compressed by hand again. A spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor according to claim 4, characterized in that.

[0011] The invention described in claim 5 is a spacer 1 for a receiver that is placed under a hook-shaped receiver 4 attached to a wheel conveyor unit 30 and inclines the wheel conveyor unit 30 in the width direction W. The upper and lower two surfaces A and B each have a tapered shape that inclines inward, that is, from the outer side 13 toward the inner side 14, and are formed in a three-dimensional shape with a part of the center 17 cut out like a U shape when viewed from the plane direction. On one of the upper and lower surfaces A and B, there is a first contact surface 15 that can contact the outer peripheral surface 6a of the joint 6 as the first object, and on the other surface B, there is a second contact surface 16 that can contact the outer peripheral surface 20a of the pipe 20 as the second object. With one such spacer 1 for the receiver, it can contact two objects. The structure is such that when the width direction S of the side surface 11 of the main body 10 of the spacer 1 for the receiver is compressed by hand, it deforms, and when released, it restores. When installing it under the receiver 4, when restoring after compression, the protrusion 12 provided on the side surface 11 of the main body 10 of the spacer 1 for the receiver is fitted into the locking hole 41 formed on the side surface 40 of the receiver 4, and it has a structure that is difficult to come off and detachable unless compressed by hand again. It is a spacer for the receiver of a wheel conveyor, characterized by the above.

Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the spacer for the receiver of the wheel conveyor of the present invention, the following effects are achieved. (1) By simply placing the spacer for the receiver on one side under a normal horizontal hook-shaped receiver, the wheel conveyor unit can be easily constructed to be in an inverted V shape with an inclination, and anyone can easily manufacture a wheel conveyor with good flow. (2) The wheel conveyor made of a conventional receiver can be used as it is to improve the sliding performance. (3) Since it becomes easier to keep the conveyed object in the center, even a columnar or spherical conveyed object can flow. (4) Since the shapes of the first contact surface on one side and the second contact surface on the other side of the spacer for the receiver are changed, when turned over, it can correspond to two objects. Even if there is a step corresponding to the thickness of the joint like a shelf composed of a pipe and a joint, it is possible to create the same angles and heights on the left and right. Therefore, a wheel conveyor composed of a pair of wheel conveyor units with left and right line symmetry is realized. (5) The protrusion of the spacer for the receiver has a structure that is easily detachable from the locking hole of the receiver and is not easily detached from the receiver after installation. Therefore, it is easy to handle and has good workability for creating a flow rack.

Brief Explanation of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The spacer for the receiver of the wheel conveyor of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This spacer 1 for the receiver is a spacer for making an inverted V-shaped (see the illustrated examples in FIGS. 5 to 7) so that it can smoothly flow a conveyed object 5 that is difficult to flow merely by giving an inclination angle in the conveying direction K of the wheel conveyor 3, such as a deformed box, a deformed resin tray, or a box with a rib-shaped bottom surface (a shape that fits on a wheel). That is, for example, between pipes of a horizontal pipe 20 spanned across a column portion 23 of a flow rack 2 used in an automobile assembly line or the like as shown in FIG. 4, it is placed under a hook-shaped (grooved steel-shaped) receiver 4 attached to a pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 that are long in the conveying direction K of the conveyed object 5 and are arranged facing each other left and right. One side in the width direction W of the wheel conveyor unit 30 is raised, and the pair of juxtaposed wheel conveyor units 30, 30 are made into an inverted V shape when viewed from the front, and it is used to incline the wheel conveyor unit 30.

[0015] The spacer 1 for the receiver according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is made of a resin molded product, and its overall shape is a tapered shape in which the upper and lower two surfaces A and B are inclined from the outer side 13 toward the inner side 14 (see FIG. 2A). Also, as shown in FIG. 2(B), this spacer 1 for the receiver is formed in a three-dimensional shape with a part of the center 17 cut out like a U shape when viewed from the planar direction. In addition, recesses 18 are appropriately formed in this spacer 1 for the receiver within a range where the strength can be maintained with a minimum amount of material. When the side surface 11 of the main body 10 of the spacer 1 for the receiver is compressed by hand, it deforms, and when released, it restores to a structure that can be detachably attached to the receiver 4. Further, protrusions 12 are provided on both the left and right side surfaces 11 of the main body 10 of this spacer 1 for the receiver, and locking holes 41 corresponding to the protrusions 12 are formed on the left and right side surfaces 40 of the above-described receiver 4, respectively. Therefore, when the spacer 1 for the receiver is placed under the receiver 4 and attached, when it restores after compression, the protrusions 12 are fitted into the locking holes 41, and it has a structure that can be detachably attached and is difficult to come off and fall off unless it is compressed by hand again.

[0016] The first contact surface 15 and the second contact surface 16 will be described. On one of the upper and lower two surfaces A and B of the above-described spacer 1 for a receiving tool, a first contact surface 15 is formed, and on the other surface B, a second contact surface 16 is formed as a curved surface that curves along the long side in the length direction. Then, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the first contact surface 15 on the A side of the surface of the spacer 1 for a receiving tool corresponds to the outer peripheral surface 6a of the joint 6 that fixes the horizontal pipe 20 to the column portion 23. When the spacer 1 for a receiving tool is turned upside down, the second contact surface 16 on the B side of the surface of the spacer 1 for a receiving tool corresponds to the outer peripheral surface 20a of the horizontal pipe 20. Therefore, with one such spacer 1 for a receiving tool, it is possible to abut against two objects. Even for a conveyor 3 that straddles between a first object and a second object, where one is the outer peripheral surface 6a of the joint 6 and the other is the outer peripheral surface 20a of the horizontal pipe 20 as shown in FIG. 5, or even for a conveyor 3 that straddles between a second object and a second object, where one is the outer peripheral surface 20a of the horizontal pipe 20 and the other is also the outer peripheral surface 20a of the horizontal pipe 20 as shown in FIG. 6, and further, even for a conveyor 3 that straddles between a first object and a first object, where one is the outer peripheral surface 6a of the joint 6 and the other is also the outer peripheral surface 6a of the joint 6 as shown in FIG. 7, the spacer 1 for a receiving tool can create the same angles and heights on the left and right of the wheel conveyor units 30, 30. Therefore, a pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 can be formed in a line-symmetric shape on the left and right sides at the same height, and the same wheel conveyor 3 can be formed.

[0017] The spacer 1 for a receiving tool shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is preferably implemented with the following dimensions. The opening angle G is about 10° (see FIG. 2A), the total length P of each tapered side surface 11 is about 48 mm, the length V in the width direction S of the outer side 13 is about 35 mm, and the length in the width direction S of the inner side 14 is formed slightly shorter than the outer side 13 (see FIG. 2C). Also, the height E of the outer side 13 is formed to be about 22 mm, and the height F of the inner side 14 is formed to be about 14 mm (FIG. 2A). Then, with the dimension H1 from the pole of the concave curved surface of the first contact surface 15 on the A side of the upper surface of the spacer 1 for the receiver shown in FIG. 3(A) to the bottom base, and with the lower surface B shown in FIG. 3(B) facing upward, the dimension difference between the dimension H2 from the pole of the concave curved surface of the second contact surface 16 on the lower surface B of the spacer 1 for the receiver to the bottom base is the difference in the wall thickness of the joint 6 as the first object and the horizontal pipe 20 as the second object.

[0018] Therefore, for example, when used in a pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 facing each other left and right that make up the wheel conveyor 3 shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, turn the spacer 1 for the receiver upside down, and either the first contact surface 15 (upper surface A) or the second contact surface 16 (lower surface B) can be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 6a of the joint 6 as two different first objects or the outer peripheral surface 20a of the pipe 20 as the second object. Thus, it is possible to configure the left side L and the right side R of the wheel conveyor unit 30 with a step and tilted left and right to face each other in line symmetry at the same height and angle by means of one such spacer 1 for the receiver. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the first object is a pipe with a diameter of about φ = 28 mm as the horizontal pipe 20 and the second object is a joint 6 with a diameter of about φ = 33 mm, when implementing it in the wheel conveyor units 30, 30 where the height difference between the left and right sides is different due to the wall thickness of the joint, turn the spacers 1 for the receiver left and right upside down to make the contact surfaces match the respective objects, and use them so that the left and right sides face each other in line symmetry at the same height and angle.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of using the spacer 1 for the receiver for two objects, namely the first object and the second object, at both ends of a pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 will be described. <Example 1 (FIG. 5)> Between the joint 6 as the first object, which is higher by one step and continues from the pipe 20 as the second object, on the joint 6 as the first object, the first contact surface 15 is directed towards the spacer 1 for the receiver in the contact direction, and the protrusion 12 is inserted downward so as to fit into the hole 41 of the receiver 4 of the wheel conveyor unit 30. On the pipe 20 as the second object, the second contact surface 16 is directed towards the spacer 1 for the receiver in the contact direction, and the protrusion 12 is inserted downward so as to fit into the hole 41 of the receiver 4 of the wheel conveyor unit 30. The pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 are implemented on the wheel conveyor 3 in a configuration where they face each other symmetrically with the same height on the left and right. <Example 2 (Fig. 6)> On the left and right are on the pipe 20 as the second object. On the pipe 20 as the second object on the left side, the second contact surface 16 is directed towards the spacer 1 for the receiver in the contact direction, and the protrusion 12 is inserted downward so as to fit into the hole 41 of the receiver 4 of the wheel conveyor unit 30. On the second object on the right side, the second contact surface 16 is directed towards the spacer 1 for the receiver in the contact direction, and the protrusion 12 is inserted downward so as to fit into the hole 41 of the receiver 4 of the wheel conveyor unit 30. The pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 are implemented on the wheel conveyor 3 in a configuration where they face each other symmetrically with the same height on the left and right. Also, since the conveyor 3 is in an inverted V shape, the cylindrical or spherical conveyed object 5' gathers in the center of the conveyor 3 and flows, which could not be achieved with a normal conveyor, but the conveyed object 5' can flow. <Example 3 (Fig. 7)> On the left and right are on the joint 6 as the first object. On the joint 6 as the first object on the left side, the first contact surface 15 is directed towards the spacer 1 for the receiver in the contact direction, and the protrusion 12 is inserted downward so as to fit into the hole 41 of the receiver 4 of the wheel conveyor unit 30. On the pipe 20 as the second object on the right side, the first contact surface 15 is directed in the contact direction, and the protrusion 12 is inserted downward so as to fit the spacer 1 for the receiver into the hole 41 of the receiver 4 of the wheel conveyor unit 30. The pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 are implemented on the wheel conveyor 3 in a configuration where they face each other symmetrically with the same height on the left and right. In addition, the portion where the bottom surface of the conveyed object 5 is deformed and bulges outward escapes in the space at the central portion of the conveyor 3 that forms an inverted V shape, so it can flow without problems.

[0020] As described above, if the spacer 1 for the receiver is placed under the hook-shaped receiver 4 attached to the end of the wheel conveyor unit 30, the wheel conveyor unit 30 can be held in an inclined state. Thus, anyone can easily form a pair of wheel conveyors 30, 30 into an inverted V shape. Even on an existing shelf where the conventional receiver 4 is used, it can be tilted and modified, and even a novice operator can easily install it, so the work efficiency is good. In addition, since a pair of wheel conveyor units 30, 30 are attached so as to be inclined in an inverted V shape, the corners of the bottom surface of the box where the wheel conveyor unit 30 is inclined and less likely to be deformed contact the wheels 31 with a minimum contact surface, reducing the resistance. Even if the angle in the conveying direction K is small, the flow of the box is improved. Usually, the central portion is more likely to sag compared to the end portion of the box, and since the swelling at the central portion can be escaped during conveyance, the same sliding performance that is not affected by the central swelling can be maintained for a long time. Also, since the inclination angle for flowing the wheel conveyor 3 can be set to a low angle, the impact when the conveyed object 5 comes flowing during storage and hits the previous conveyed object 5 can be suppressed, so problems such as damage to the conveyed object 5 are also reduced.

[0021] Although the embodiments have been described based on the drawings above, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. For example, the inner side 14 of the tapered spacer 1 for the receiver is formed sharply inward from the outer side 13 with almost no inner side, or in a shelf composed of a joint having a square pipe and a square fitting cylinder into which the square pipe is inserted, the same technical idea can be applied. Therefore, it is noted that the scope includes design changes and application variations that are normally made by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical idea.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0022] 1 Spacer for Receiver 10 Main Body 11 Side Surface 12 Protrusion 13 Outer side 14 Inner side 15 First contact surface 16 Second contact surface 17 Center 18 Concave part A Upper surface B Lower surface S Width direction 20 Horizontal pipe 20a Outer peripheral surface (second object) 23 Column part 3 Wheel conveyor 30 Wheel conveyor unit L Left side R Right side 31 Wheel 4 Hook-shaped receiver 40 Side surface 41 Locking hole W Width direction 5 Object to be conveyed 6 Joint 6a Outer peripheral surface (first object) K Conveying direction

Claims

1. A spacer for a receiver, which is placed under a hook-shaped receiver attached to a wheel conveyor unit and tilts the wheel conveyor unit in the width direction, has a three-dimensional shape in which the upper and lower two surfaces each have a tapered shape that slopes inward, one of the upper and lower two surfaces has a first contact surface that can contact the outer peripheral surface of a first object, and the other surface has a second contact surface that can contact the outer peripheral surface of a second object, and one such spacer for a receiver can contact two objects, A spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor, characterized by the above.

2. It is used for a pair of the wheel conveyor units facing each other left and right that make up a wheel conveyor, is used by turning it upside down and bringing either the first contact surface or the second contact surface into contact with the first object or the second object, and it can be configured so that the left and right sides of the tilted wheel conveyor unit are at the same height and face each other symmetrically left and right, The spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. A spacer for a receiver, which is placed under a hook-shaped receiver attached to a wheel conveyor unit and tilts the wheel conveyor unit in the width direction, is formed in a three-dimensional shape with a part in the center cut out like a U shape when viewed from the plane direction, When the side surface of the main body of the spacer for a receiver is compressed by hand, it deforms, and when released, it restores, and it has a structure that is detachable from the receiver, The spacer for a receiver of a wheel conveyor, characterized by the above.

4. A locking hole is formed on the side surface of the receiver, and a protrusion is provided on the side surface of the main body of the spacer for a receiver, When the spacer for a receiver is placed under the receiver and attached, the protrusion fits into the locking hole when it restores after compression, and it has a structure that is difficult to come off and is detachable unless it is compressed by hand again, The spacer for the receiver of the wheel conveyor according to claim 4, characterized in that

5. A spacer for a receiver that is placed under a hook-shaped receiver attached to a wheel conveyor unit and tilts the wheel conveyor unit in the width direction, having a tapered shape in which the upper and lower two surfaces are each inclined inward, and formed in a three-dimensional shape with a part of the center cut out like a U-shape when viewed from the planar direction, one of the upper and lower two surfaces has a first contact surface that can contact the outer peripheral surface of the first object, and the other surface has a second contact surface that can contact the outer peripheral surface of the second object, and one such spacer for the receiver can contact two objects, when the width direction of the side surface of the main body of the spacer for the receiver is compressed by hand, it deforms and restores when released. When placing and attaching it under the receiver, when restoring after compression, a protrusion provided on the side surface of the main body of the spacer for the receiver is fitted into a locking hole formed on the side surface of the receiver, and it has a structure that is difficult to come off and is detachable unless compressed by hand again, The spacer for the receiver of the wheel conveyor, characterized in that

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