Conveying device and conveying method

Abstract

To change a conveyance pitch while conveying a work.SOLUTION: A conveying device 1 comprises: a conveyance mechanism 10 which includes a plurality of support members 11 arranged along the conveying direction to support a work W, and a track rail 12 for setting the track of the support members 11, and conveys the support members 11 along the conveying direction; and a pitch adjustment mechanism 40 for adjusting a conveyance pitch between the adjoining support members 11. The pitch adjustment mechanism 40 includes: a pitch setting rail 41 provided on the track rail 12 with its distance from the track rail 12 varied; and a link mechanism 50 which is provided on the support member 11, operates in conjunction with the pitch setting rail 41, and reduces a conveyance pitch of the support members 11 when the distance of the pitch setting rail 41 from the track rail 12 becomes smaller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport device and a transport method for transporting a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a pallet conveying device that includes a pallet rail on which the pallets are mounted, a plurality of rotating pulleys provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the pallet rail, and a plurality of circulating belts that are provided along the longitudinal direction of the pallet rail and connected in sequence via the rotating pulleys, and that moves the pallets along the longitudinal direction. In this pallet conveying device, the conveying pitch between pallets can be set arbitrarily by locking the pallets at any position on the circulating belt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-189420 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the pallet conveying device described in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to arbitrarily set the conveying pitch between pallets, it is not possible to change the conveying pitch between pallets while the pallets are being conveyed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to change the conveying pitch while the workpiece is being conveyed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a conveying device that conveys workpieces in a conveying direction includes a conveying mechanism that includes a plurality of support members that are arranged along the conveying direction and support the workpieces, and track rails that set tracks for the support members, and that conveys the support members along the conveying direction, and a pitch adjustment mechanism that adjusts the conveying pitch between adjacent support members, and the pitch adjustment mechanism includes a pitch setting rail that is arranged along the track rail and whose distance from the track rail changes, and a link mechanism that is arranged on the support members and operates in conjunction with the pitch setting rail, and that reduces the conveying pitch of the support members when the distance of the pitch setting rail from the track rail becomes smaller.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, in a transport method for transporting workpieces in a transport direction, a plurality of support members that are provided along the transport direction and support the workpieces are transported along a track rail, and in conjunction with a pitch setting rail that is provided along the track rail and whose distance from the track rail changes, the transport pitch between adjacent support members is reduced when the distance of the pitch setting rail from the track rail becomes smaller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In these embodiments, a pitch setting rail is provided whose distance from the track rail changes, and in conjunction with the pitch setting rail, the conveying pitch between adjacent support members decreases when the distance between the pitch setting rail and the track rail decreases. Therefore, by providing the pitch setting rail, the conveying pitch between the support members can be changed, and therefore the conveying pitch can be changed while the work is being conveyed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a state in which the conveying pitch between pallets is at its maximum. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a state in which the conveying pitch between pallets is reduced by the pitch setting rail. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a conveying device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in each drawing, the scale of each component has been appropriately changed for the sake of convenience of explanation, and the illustration is not necessarily precise. Furthermore, for multiple identical components, only some of them may be assigned reference numerals, and the reference numerals may be omitted for the rest.

[0011] First, the overall configuration of the conveying device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. Fig. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the conveying device 1. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of part II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along III-III in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front view illustrating a state in which the conveying pitch between pallets is at its maximum.

[0012] In the following, as shown in FIG. 1 etc., three orthogonal axes are set as absolute coordinate axes, with the X-axis direction being the "front-rear direction," the Y-axis direction being the "left-right direction," and the Z-axis direction being the "up-down direction." The front-rear and left-right directions are directions parallel to the horizontal. The up-down direction is a direction along the vertical axis. Furthermore, as a direction based on the workpiece W, the direction in which the workpiece W is transported is also referred to as the "transport direction" or "longitudinal direction," and the direction defining the thickness of the workpiece W is also referred to as the "thickness direction." The longitudinal direction corresponds to the transport direction of the workpiece W, and corresponds to the aforementioned front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction and thickness direction always coincides with the left-right direction of the transport device 1, and therefore the width direction of the workpiece W is also referred to as the left-right direction.

[0013] 1, the conveying device 1 conveys workpieces W supplied from upstream in a conveying direction. More specifically, when conveying workpieces W intermittently placed on a conveying path, the conveying device 1 reduces the distance between adjacent workpieces W and arranges the workpieces W continuously in the conveying direction, thereby enabling continuous processing such as coating and surface treatment.

[0014] The conveying device 1 includes a conveying mechanism 10, a plurality of pallets 20, a pallet guide rail 25 (see FIG. 3), a driving mechanism 30, a pitch adjustment mechanism 40, an upstream conveying mechanism 81, and a downstream conveying mechanism 82.

[0015] The transport mechanism 10 has a plurality of support members 11, a track rail 12, a driving sprocket 14 as a first sprocket, and a driven sprocket 15 as a second sprocket. The transport mechanism 10 transports the support members 11 along the transport direction in a part of the transport path for the workpieces W.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 3, a pair of transport mechanisms 10 are provided at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction. The pair of transport mechanisms 10 operate in synchronization with each other. A single transport mechanism 10 may be provided on only one side. Since the pair of transport mechanisms 10 have the same configuration, only one of the transport mechanisms 10 will be described below.

[0017] 1 and 2, a plurality of support members 11 are provided along the conveying direction in which the workpieces W are conveyed, and support the workpieces W via pallets 20. A plurality of support members 11 are provided along the track rail 12 even in positions where the workpieces W are not being conveyed. All of the support members 11 are connected to adjacent support members 11 by connecting members 51 and link members 52, which will be described later, and are arranged in a ring shape around the outer periphery of the track rail 12.

[0018] The upper surface of the support member 11 is formed flat so as to come into contact with the pallet 20. The lower end of the support member 11 is formed in a U-shape and branches out in the left and right directions (see FIG. 3). The support member 11 has a first roller 17, a second roller 18, and a positioning pin 19 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The support member 11 is also provided with a link mechanism 50 of the pitch adjustment mechanism 40, which will be described later.

[0019] The first rollers 17 are arranged with their rotation axes facing in the left-right direction and run on the outer circumferential surface of the track rail 12. A pair of first rollers 17 are provided in the conveying direction of one support member 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the first rollers 17 are provided on the left and right sides of the support member 11, respectively. The left and right first rollers 17 are rotatably supported by support shafts 17a extending in the left-right direction.

[0020] 1 and 2, the second roller 18 is arranged with its rotation axis facing the left-right direction, and runs on the inner circumferential surface of the track rail 12. A single second roller 18 is provided between a pair of first rollers 17 in the conveying direction of one support member 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the second roller 18 is also provided on each of the left and right sides of the support member 11. The left and right second rollers 18 are rotatably supported by support shafts 18a extending in the left-right direction.

[0021] In this way, by providing the first roller 17 and the second roller 18, the support member 11 is supported by the track rail 12 even at the opposite position (here, below) opposite to the position along the conveying path of the pallet 20 on the track rail 12 (see Figure 1).

[0022] The positioning pins 19 protrude upward from the top surface of the support member 11. The positioning pins 19 are inserted into the positioning holes 24 of the pallet 20 transported from the upstream transport mechanism 81. The positioning pins 19 determine the relative positions of the support member 11 and the pallet 20 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. By inserting the positioning pins 19 into the positioning holes 24, the support member 11 and the pallet 20 are transported together by the transport device 1. The positioning pins 19 are removed from the positioning holes 24 at a position where the pallet 20 is handed over to the downstream transport mechanism 82. Note that the positioning pins 19 are not the only mechanism that can determine the relative positions of the support member 11 and the pallet 20, and any other mechanism may be used as long as it can determine the relative positions of the support member 11 and the pallet 20.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1 , the track rail 12 sets the track for the support member 11. The track rail 12 defines an endless circulation path 13. The track rail 12 forms a track that approaches the pallets 20 at the end of the upstream conveying mechanism 81. The track rail 12 forms a track that moves away from the pallets 20 just before the start of the downstream conveying mechanism 82. This allows the conveying mechanism 10 to receive and convey the pallets 20 conveyed by the upstream conveying mechanism 81, and then hand over the pallets 20 conveyed by the conveying mechanism 10 to the downstream conveying mechanism 82.

[0024] 3, the track rails 12 are provided on the left and right sides of the support member 11. The track rails 12 are fixed to the device body 2.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1, the drive sprocket 14 is provided at one end (here, the downstream end) in the conveying direction of the circulation path 13. The drive sprocket 14 is driven to rotate by an electric motor 31, which will be described later. As the drive sprocket 14 rotates, the multiple support members 11, which are connected in an annular shape, move along the track rail 12.

[0026] The driven sprocket 15 is provided at the other end (here, the upstream end) in the conveying direction of the circulation path 13. The driven sprocket 15 rotates when the rotation of the drive sprocket 14 is transmitted via a plurality of support members 11 connected in an annular shape.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of pallets 20 are provided so as to be movable in a tangential direction of the circulation path 13. The pallets 20 move from left to right in FIG. 1. That is, the left side of FIG. 1 is the upstream side in the conveying direction of the pallets 20, and the right side of FIG. 1 is the downstream side in the conveying direction of the pallets 20. The pallets 20 are guided from an upstream conveying mechanism 81 onto a track that follows the circulation path 13. The pallets 20 are guided from the track that follows the circulation path 13 to a downstream conveying mechanism 82.

[0028] In this way, the support members 11 that travel along the endless circulation path 13 support the pallets 20 that are provided in multiple positions so as to be movable in the tangential direction of the circulation path 13. Therefore, the support members 11 support the pallets 20 that are supplied from the tangential direction of the circulation path 13 only in a partial section of the circulation path 13, and while the support members 11 are supporting the pallets 20, the conveying pitch between the support members 11 can be changed, allowing continuous processing such as coating and surface treatment to be performed.

[0029] The transfer pitch between the support members 11 is the distance between adjacent support members 11 in the transfer direction. The transfer pitch between the support members 11 is the same as the transfer pitch of the pallet 20 and the transfer pitch between the workpieces W.

[0030] The pallets 20 are each supported by a support member 11 and support the workpiece W. That is, the support member 11 supports the workpiece W via the pallets 20. The pallets 20 transport the workpiece W while adsorbing it using negative pressure supplied from the support member 11. This prevents the workpiece W from deviating from its trajectory, allowing stable processing such as coating and surface treatment. The pallets 20 are guided by pallet guide rails 25 (see FIG. 3).

[0031] The pallet 20 is formed to have approximately the same size as the workpiece W in the front-rear and left-right directions.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the pallet 20 has a first roller 21, a second roller 22, a third roller 23, and a positioning hole 24.

[0033] The first rollers 21 are arranged with their rotation axes facing in the left-right direction, and run on the upper surface of the pallet guide rails 25. A plurality of first rollers 21 are provided at intervals in the conveying direction of one pallet 20 (not shown). The first rollers 21 are provided on the left and right sides of the pallet 20, respectively.

[0034] The second rollers 22 are arranged with their rotation axes facing the left-right direction, and run on the underside of the pallet guide rails 25. A plurality of second rollers 22 are provided at intervals in the conveying direction of one pallet 20 (not shown). The second rollers 18 are provided on the left and right sides of the pallet 20, respectively.

[0035] The third rollers 23 are arranged with their rotation axes facing in the vertical direction, and run on the inner surfaces of a pair of pallet guide rails 25 facing each other in the left-right direction. A plurality of third rollers 23 (not shown) are provided at intervals in the conveying direction of one pallet 20. The third rollers 23 are provided on the left and right sides of the pallet 20, respectively.

[0036] In this way, by providing the first roller 21, the second roller 22, and the third roller 23, the pallet 20 is supported by the pallet guide rail 25 at a position on the track rail 12 along the conveyance path of the pallet 20.

[0037] The positioning holes 24 are formed in a concave shape on the lower surface of the pallet 20. The positioning pins 19 are inserted into the positioning holes 24. The positioning holes 24 are formed in substantially the same shape as the positioning pins 19.

[0038] The pallet guide rails 25 are provided at both ends of the width direction of the pallet 20. The pallet guide rails 25 are provided linearly across a position where the pallet is transported by the upstream transport mechanism 81, a position where the pallet is supported and transported by the support members 11, and a position where the pallet is transported by the downstream transport mechanism 82. The pallet guide rails 25 guide the multiple pallets 20 to move linearly.

[0039] 1, the drive mechanism 30 moves the support member 11 along the circulation path 13. The drive mechanism 30 has an electric motor 31.

[0040] The electric motor 31 rotates the drive sprocket 14. The electric motor 31 may also rotate the driven sprocket 15, or may rotate both the drive sprocket 14 and the driven sprocket 15. In other words, the electric motor 31 rotates at least one of the drive sprocket 14 and the driven sprocket 15.

[0041] The pitch adjustment mechanism 40 adjusts the conveying pitch between adjacent support members 11. The pitch adjustment mechanism 40 has a pitch setting rail 41 and a link mechanism 50.

[0042] The pitch setting rail 41 is provided along the track rail 12. The distance between the pitch setting rail 41 and the track rail 12 varies. The pitch setting rail 41 has a pair of first rail portions 41a and a plurality (four in this example) of second rail portions 41b.

[0043] The first rail portion 41a has a varying distance from the track rail 12. The first rail portion 41a is provided at an incline such that the distance from the track rail 12 increases as the first rail portion 41a moves away from the second rail portion 41b.

[0044] The second rail portion 41b maintains a state in which the distance from the track rail 12 is smaller than that of the first rail portion 41a. The second rail portion 41b is provided between the pair of first rail portions 41a in the conveying direction.

[0045] Specifically, the first rail portion 41a, which is disposed upstream of the second rail portion 41b, has a distance from the track rail 12 that is substantially the same as that of the second rail portion 41b at a position adjacent to the second rail portion 41b. The distance from the first rail portion 41a to the track rail 12 gradually increases as the first rail portion 41a moves away from the second rail portion 41b toward the upstream side. On the other hand, the first rail portion 41a, which is disposed downstream of the second rail portion 41b, has a distance from the track rail 12 that is substantially the same as that of the second rail portion 41b at a position adjacent to the second rail portion 41b. The distance from the first rail portion 41a to the track rail 12 gradually increases as the first rail portion 41a moves away from the second rail portion 41b toward the downstream side.

[0046] The conveying pitch of the support member 11 gradually decreases as the support member 11 moves along the upstream first rail portion 41a due to the inclination of the first rail portion 41a. The conveying pitch of the support member 11 does not change as the support member 11 moves along the second rail portion 41b. The conveying pitch of the support member 11 gradually increases as the support member 11 moves along the downstream first rail portion 41a due to the inclination of the first rail portion 41a.

[0047] That is, the conveying pitch of the support member 11 becomes smaller when the support member 11 moves from a position along one of the first rail portions 41a to a position along the second rail portion 41b, and becomes larger when the support member 11 moves from a position along the second rail portion 41b to a position along the other first rail portion 41a.

[0048] As a result, when the support members 11 move along the upstream first rail portion 41a, the conveying pitch can be gradually reduced, and when the support members 11 move along the downstream first rail portion 41a, the conveying pitch can be gradually increased. Therefore, the conveying pitch of the support members 11 can be changed smoothly.

[0049] The conveying pitch of the support member 11 will be explained in detail later when explaining the link mechanism 50 and the operation of the conveying device 1.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 2, a reference distance between the first rail portion 41a and the second rail portion 41b and the track rail 12 is set by a position adjustment shaft 43.

[0051] The position adjustment shaft 43 is provided perpendicular to the fixed plate 3 attached to the device body 2. The position adjustment shaft 43 is a screw shaft that screws into the fixed plate 3. The position adjustment shaft 43 adjusts the positions of the first rail portion 41a and the second rail portion 41b relative to the fixed plate 3 depending on the screw engagement position of the position adjustment shaft 43 relative to the fixed plate 3.

[0052] The link mechanism 50 is provided on the support member 11 and operates in conjunction with the pitch setting rail 41. The link mechanism 50 makes the conveying pitch smaller when the support member 11 moves along the second rail portion 41b than when the support member 11 moves along the first rail portion 41a. The link mechanism 50 has a connecting member 51 and a link member 52.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 4, the connecting member 51 connects adjacent support members 11 via link members 52. Specifically, one end of the connecting member 51 is rotatably connected to a support shaft 18a that supports the second roller 18 of the support member 11. The connecting member 51 is disposed between a pair of link members 52 provided in the left-right direction (see Fig. 3). The other end of the connecting member 51 is rotatably connected to a connecting shaft 54 ​​of the link member 52, which will be described later.

[0054] 2, the angle of the connecting member 51 changes as the conveying pitch between the support members 11 changes. When the conveying pitch between the support members 11 is at its maximum, the connecting member 51 is pulled by the front support member 11 via the link member 52, thereby maintaining a substantially horizontal state. When the conveying pitch between the support members 11 decreases, the connecting shaft 54 ​​moves upward as the link member 52 rotates, causing the other end of the connecting member 51 to move upward, increasing the angle.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the link member 52 connects the support member 11 and the other end of the connecting member 51. The link member 52 is provided between the left and right branched portions of the U-shaped lower end of the support member 11 (see FIG. 3). The link member 52 has a contact roller 53 and a connecting shaft 54. The link member 52 has a portion that abuts against the pitch setting rail 41. Specifically, the contact roller 53 of the link member 52 abuts against the pitch setting rail 41.

[0056] The link member 52 is formed in the shape of a substantially triangular plate. A pair of link members 52 are provided in the left-right direction. A support shaft 18a, a contact roller 53, and a connecting shaft 54 ​​are provided at each vertex of the triangle of the link member 52. The link member 52 rotates when pressed toward the support member 11 from the first rail portion 41a via the contact roller 53.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 3, the contact roller 53 is provided between a pair of link members 52. The pair of contact rollers 53 are provided side by side in the left-right direction. As shown in Fig. 2, when the support member 11 moves along the pitch setting rails 41, the contact roller 53 comes into contact with the pitch setting rails 41 and runs on the pitch setting rails 41. The contact roller 53 is pressed by the pitch setting rails 41 to rotate the link members 52.

[0058] The connecting shaft 54 ​​rotatably supports the other end of the connecting member 51. The connecting shaft 54 ​​rotatably connects the connecting member 51 and the link member 52 together.

[0059] The link member 52 changes the angle of the connecting member 51 so as to reduce the conveying pitch between the support members 11 when the support members 11 move along the first rail portion 41a. The link member 52 maintains the angle of the connecting member 51 so as to maintain the conveying pitch by being pressed by the second rail portion 41b toward the support members 11.

[0060] Specifically, when the conveying pitch between the support members 11 is at its maximum, the link member 52 is pulled by the front support member 11 and also pulls the rear support member 11 via the connecting member 51, thereby maintaining the support shaft 18a and the connecting shaft 54 ​​in a substantially horizontal state. When the contact roller 53 abuts against the upstream first rail portion 41a, the contact roller 53 moves upward as the first rail portion 41a inclines, causing the link member 52 to rotate about the support shaft 18a. When the conveying pitch between the support members 11 decreases, the connecting shaft 54 ​​moves upward as the link member 52 rotates, causing the other end to move upward and increasing the angle.

[0061] In this way, the connecting member 51 having the contact roller 53 that contacts the pitch setting rail 41 is pressed by the first rail portion 41a and rotates, thereby changing the angle of the connecting member 51 so as to reduce the conveying pitch of the support member 11. Therefore, by providing the link mechanism 50, the conveying pitch can be changed while the workpiece W is being conveyed.

[0062] 1, the upstream conveying mechanism 81 moves the pallet 20 linearly along the conveying direction of the workpiece W. The pallet 20 conveyed by the upstream conveying mechanism 81 is delivered to the support member 11 at the end of the upstream conveying mechanism 81. The upstream conveying mechanism 81 is configured by, for example, a linear motor.

[0063] The downstream conveying mechanism 82 moves the pallet 20 linearly along the conveying direction of the workpiece W. The pallet 20 conveyed by the support member 11 is handed over to the downstream conveying mechanism 82 at the starting end of the downstream conveying mechanism 82. The downstream conveying mechanism 82 is configured by, for example, a linear motor.

[0064] The upstream conveying mechanism 81 and the downstream conveying mechanism 82 may be a single continuous conveying mechanism. In this case, while the support member 11 is supporting the pallet 20, the conveying force of the single conveying mechanism is weakened so that the pallet 20 is conveyed by the conveying mechanism 10.

[0065] Next, the operation of the conveying device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7. Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4. Figure 6 is a front view illustrating a state in which the conveying pitch between pallets 20 has become smaller. Figure 7 is a plan view of Figure 6. The states shown in Figures 6 and 7 are states in which the support member 11 has moved along the second rail portion 41b and the conveying pitch between pallets 20 has become smaller.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece W supplied from upstream is placed on a pallet 20 and transported in the transport direction by an upstream transport mechanism 81.

[0067] At the end of the upstream conveying mechanism 81, the support member 11 that has been conveyed along the track rail 12 approaches the pallet 20. As a result, the positioning pins 19 of the support member 11 are inserted into the positioning holes 24 of the pallet 20, and the pallet 20 is handed over to the conveying mechanism 10.

[0068] As shown in Figure 4, when the pallet 20 is handed over to the transport mechanism 10, the support members 11 do not face the pitch setting rails 41. At this time, the front support member 11 pulls the rear support member 11 via the link member 52 and the connecting member 51, so the connecting member 51 maintains a substantially horizontal state. At this time, the transport pitch between the support members 11 is at its maximum. Also, as shown in Figure 5, the transport pitch between adjacent pallets 20 (the transport pitch between the workpieces W) is the same as when the pallet 20 was being transported by the upstream transport mechanism 81.

[0069] 2, the support member 11 moves in the conveying direction along the upstream first rail portion 41a. At this time, the contact roller 53 comes into contact with the upstream first rail portion 41a, causing the link member 52 to rotate to one side (here, clockwise). As the link member 52 rotates, the connecting shaft 54 ​​moves upward, causing the connecting member 51 to rotate at an angle that increases from the horizontal state. As a result, the conveying pitch between the support members 11 gradually decreases.

[0070] Next, the support member 11 moves to a position facing the second rail portion 41b and moves in the conveying direction along the second rail portion 41b. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the contact roller 53 abuts against the second rail portion 41b, so that the angle of the link member 52 does not change. Since the angle of the link member 52 is maintained, the angle of the connecting member 51 is also maintained. This maintains the conveying pitch between the support members 11.

[0071] 6 and 7 show a state in which the support member 11 moves along the second rail portion 41b, reducing the conveying pitch between the pallets 20. Therefore, the distance between adjacent pallets 20 (the conveying pitch between the workpieces W) is reduced to the point where the pallets 20 come into contact with each other.

[0072] In this way, a pitch setting rail 41 is provided which has a first rail portion 41a whose distance from the track rail 12 changes and a second rail portion 41b whose distance from the track rail 12 remains smaller than that of the first rail portion 41a, and the conveying pitch between adjacent support members 11 becomes smaller when the support members 11 move along the first rail portion 41a in conjunction with the pitch setting rail 41. Therefore, by providing the pitch setting rail 41, the conveying pitch between the support members 11 is changed, and so the conveying pitch can be changed while the workpiece W is being conveyed.

[0073] This makes it possible to transport workpieces W that are intermittently placed on the transport path by reducing the distance between adjacent workpieces W and arranging the workpieces W continuously in the transport direction, thereby enabling continuous processing such as coating and surface treatment.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 2, once processing such as coating and surface treatment is completed, the support member 11 moves in the conveying direction along the downstream first rail portion 41a. At this time, the contact roller 53 abuts against the upstream first rail portion 41a, causing the link member 52 to rotate to the other side (counterclockwise in this case). As the link member 52 rotates, the connecting shaft 54 ​​moves downward, causing the angle of the connecting member 51 to decrease and rotate closer to a horizontal state. As a result, the conveying pitch between the support members 11 gradually increases.

[0075] At the start end of the downstream transport mechanism 82 , the positioning pins 19 of the support member 11 being transported along the track rail 12 come out of the positioning holes 24 of the pallet 20 , and the pallet 20 is handed over to the downstream transport mechanism 82 .

[0076] In this way, the conveying pitch between pallets 20 (the conveying pitch between workpieces W) becomes smaller when processing such as coating or surface treatment is performed, and the conveying pitch between pallets 20 becomes larger when processing is completed. Therefore, when removing the workpieces W from the conveying device 1, the distance between adjacent workpieces W becomes larger, so that each workpiece W can be easily removed individually.

[0077] The effects of this embodiment will be summarized below.

[0078] The conveying device 1 that conveys the workpiece W in the conveying direction has support members 11 that are arranged in plurality along the conveying direction and support the workpiece W, and track rails 12 that set the track for the support members 11. The conveying device 10 also has a pitch adjustment mechanism 40 that adjusts the conveying pitch between adjacent support members 11, and the pitch adjustment mechanism 40 has a pitch setting rail 41 that is arranged along the track rail 12 and whose distance from the track rail 12 changes, and a link mechanism 50 that is arranged on the support members 11 and operates in conjunction with the pitch setting rail 41, and that reduces the conveying pitch of the support members 11 when the distance of the pitch setting rail 41 from the track rail 12 becomes smaller.

[0079] In addition, in the transport method for transporting the workpiece W in the transport direction, a plurality of support members 11 are provided along the transport direction and support the workpiece W, and are transported along a track rail 12, and in conjunction with a pitch setting rail 41 provided along the track rail 12 and whose distance to the track rail 12 changes, the transport pitch between adjacent support members 11 is reduced when the distance of the pitch setting rail 41 to the track rail 12 becomes smaller.

[0080] In these configurations, pitch setting rails 41 are provided whose distance to the track rail 12 changes, and in conjunction with the pitch setting rails 41, the conveying pitch between adjacent support members 11 becomes smaller when the distance of the pitch setting rails 41 to the track rail 12 becomes smaller. Therefore, by providing the pitch setting rails 41, the conveying pitch between the support members 11 is changed, so the conveying pitch can be changed while the workpiece W is being conveyed.

[0081] This makes it possible to transport workpieces W that are intermittently placed on the transport path by reducing the distance between adjacent workpieces W and arranging the workpieces W continuously in the transport direction, thereby enabling continuous processing such as coating and surface treatment.

[0082] The pitch setting rail 41 has a first rail portion 41a whose distance from the track rail 12 changes, and a second rail portion 41b whose distance from the track rail 12 is maintained at a smaller value than that of the first rail portion 41a. The link mechanism 50 has a connecting member 51 whose one end is connected to the support member 11 and whose angle changes as the conveying pitch changes, and a link member 52 whose portion abuts against the pitch setting rail 41 and connects another support member 11 to the other end of the connecting member 51. The link member 52 rotates when pressed by the first rail portion 41a toward the support member 11, changing the angle of the connecting member 51 so as to reduce the conveying pitch of the support member 11, and maintains the angle of the connecting member 51 so as to maintain the conveying pitch when pressed by the second rail portion 41b toward the support member 11.

[0083] According to this configuration, the connecting member 51, which has a portion (contact roller 53) that abuts against the pitch setting rail 41, is pressed by the first rail portion 41a and rotates, thereby changing the angle of the connecting member 51 so as to reduce the conveying pitch of the support member 11. Therefore, by providing the link mechanism 50, the conveying pitch can be changed while the workpiece W is being conveyed.

[0084] Furthermore, the first rail portion 41a is provided at an incline so that the distance from the track rail 12 increases the further away from the second rail portion 41b. The second rail portion 41b is provided between the pair of first rail portions 41a in the conveying direction, and the conveying pitch decreases when the support member 11 moves from a position along one of the first rail portions 41a to a position along the second rail portion 41b, and increases when the support member 11 moves from a position along the second rail portion 41b to a position along the other first rail portion 41a.

[0085] According to this configuration, the second rail portion 41b is provided between the pair of first rail portions 41a in the conveying direction, and the first rail portion 41a is inclined so that the distance from the track rail 12 increases the further away from the second rail portion 41b. Therefore, when the support members 11 move along the upstream first rail portion 41a, the conveying pitch can be gradually reduced, and when the support members 11 move along the downstream first rail portion 41a, the conveying pitch can be gradually increased. Therefore, the conveying pitch of the support members 11 can be smoothly changed.

[0086] The track rail 12 also defines an endless circulation path 13, and is provided with a plurality of pallets 20 that are movable in a tangential direction of the circulation path 13 and are each supported by a support member 11 to support a workpiece W, and a drive mechanism 30 that moves the support member 11 along the circulation path 13. The drive mechanism 30 drives and rotates at least one of a drive sprocket 14 provided at one end of the circulation path 13 in the conveying direction and a driven sprocket 15 provided at the other end of the circulation path 13 in the conveying direction.

[0087] In this configuration, support members 11 traveling along the endless circulation path 13 support a plurality of pallets 20 that are provided so as to be movable in the tangential direction of the circulation path 13. Therefore, the support members 11 support the pallets 20 supplied from the tangential direction of the circulation path 13 only in a partial section of the circulation path 13, and while the support members 11 are supporting the pallets 20, the conveying pitch between the support members 11 can be changed to perform processing such as coating or surface treatment.

[0088] The pallet 20 also transports the workpiece W while adsorbing it by the negative pressure supplied from the support member 11.

[0089] According to this configuration, the workpiece W is transported while being adsorbed to the pallet 20 by the negative pressure supplied from the support member 11, which prevents the workpiece W from deviating from its trajectory and allows stable processing such as coating and surface treatment.

[0090] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1. Conveyor device 10. Conveying mechanism 11 Support member 12 Track rail 13 Circulation Route 14 Drive sprocket (first sprocket) 15 Driven sprocket (second sprocket) 20 palettes 30 Drive mechanism 40 Pitch adjustment mechanism 41 Pitch setting rail 41a First rail section 41b Second rail section 50 Link mechanism 51 Connecting member 52 Link member

Claims

1. A conveying device that conveys a workpiece in a conveying direction, a conveying mechanism including a plurality of support members provided along the conveying direction to support the workpiece, and a track rail that sets a track for the support members, and conveys the support members along the conveying direction; a pitch adjustment mechanism that adjusts the conveying pitch between adjacent support members; Equipped with The pitch adjustment mechanism is a pitch setting rail provided along the track rail and having a variable distance from the track rail; a link mechanism that is provided on the support member and operates in conjunction with the pitch setting rail, and that reduces the conveying pitch of the support member when the distance between the pitch setting rail and the track rail becomes smaller; having Conveying device.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, The pitch setting rail is a first rail portion whose distance from the track rail changes; a second rail portion that maintains a state in which the distance from the track rail is smaller than that of the first rail portion; and The link mechanism includes: a connecting member whose one end is connected to the support member and whose angle changes in accordance with a change in the conveying pitch; a link member having a portion that abuts against the pitch setting rail and that connects the other end of the support member to the other end of the connecting member; and the link member is pressed by the first rail portion toward the support member to rotate, and changes the angle of the connecting member so that the conveying pitch of the support member becomes smaller, and is pressed by the second rail portion toward the support member to maintain the angle of the connecting member so that the conveying pitch is maintained. Conveying device.

3. The conveying device according to claim 2, The first rail portion is inclined such that the distance from the track rail increases as the first rail portion moves away from the second rail portion. Conveying device.

4. The conveying device according to claim 3, the second rail portion is provided between the pair of first rail portions in the conveying direction, the conveying pitch decreases when the support member moves from a position along one of the first rail portions to a position along the second rail portion, and increases when the support member moves from a position along the second rail portion to a position along the other of the first rail portions. Conveying device.

5. The conveying device according to claim 1, the track rail defines an endless circulation path; a plurality of pallets provided so as to be movable in a tangential direction of the circulation path, each of which is supported by the support member to support the workpiece; a drive mechanism that causes the support member to travel along the circulation path; Further comprising: Conveying device.

6. The conveying device according to claim 5, the drive mechanism rotates and drives at least one of a first sprocket provided at one end of the circulation path in the conveying direction and a second sprocket provided at the other end of the circulation path in the conveying direction; Conveying device.

7. 7. The conveying device according to claim 5 or 6, The pallet transports the workpiece while adsorbing it by negative pressure supplied from the support member. Conveying device.

8. A conveying method for conveying a workpiece in a conveying direction, comprising: a plurality of support members that are provided along the conveying direction and support the workpieces are conveyed along a track rail; a pitch setting rail provided along the track rail and having a variable distance from the track rail, so that the conveying pitch between the adjacent support members is reduced when the distance of the pitch setting rail from the track rail is reduced; Transportation method.

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