Workpiece locking member for conveyor

Abstract

To provide a work locking member hardly damaging a work.SOLUTION: This work locking member 100 is composed of a projecting strip extending in the width direction of the conveyor belt A, and locks and carries the work placed on the conveyor belt A. A work locking member 100 is provided with a locking member main body 10 for locking a work and a fixing means 20 for controlling the locking member main body 10 to a conveyor belt A. The locking member body 10 comprises a coil spring 11 and a mesh belt 12 covering the coil spring 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece locking member for a belt conveyor that prevents a workpiece being transported by the belt conveyor from slipping in the direction opposite to the transport direction of the belt conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a belt conveyor that lifts metal parts from a quenching tank is provided with a workpiece retaining member in the shape of a vertical plate that extends in the width direction of the conveyor belt to prevent the workpiece from sliding down the slope of the conveyor belt (see, for example, reference numeral 15 in Figures 1 and 8 of Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, since such a workpiece retaining member is made of metal such as aluminum, there is a problem in that if a workpiece being put into a quenching tank from a heating furnace collides with the workpiece retaining member, the workpiece is damaged.

[0004] Therefore, the inventors came up with the idea of ​​a workpiece locking member 9, as shown in Figure 7, in which an aluminum plate-shaped member 91 is covered with a mesh belt 12. The purpose of the workpiece locking member 9 is to provide cushioning properties to the workpiece locking member 9 by covering the plate-shaped member 91 with the cushioned mesh belt 12. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-321193 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-159427 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2021-014329 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the workpiece retaining member 9 of Figure 9, the deformation of the mesh belt 12 is restricted by the inner plate-shaped member 91, so the cushioning properties of the mesh belt 12 cannot be fully utilized, and there is a problem in that scratches on the workpiece cannot be sufficiently prevented. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a workpiece locking member that is less likely to scratch a workpiece. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention made to solve the above problem is a work locking member that is provided on the surface of a conveyor belt, extends in the width direction of the conveyor belt, locks a workpiece, and transports it in the transport direction, and is characterized by comprising a locking member body consisting of a coil spring and a mesh belt that covers the coil spring, and a fixing means for fixing the locking member body to the conveyor belt.

[0008] As described above, the workpiece locking member of the present invention has a coil spring provided inside the mesh belt, and therefore has improved cushioning properties compared to the workpiece locking member 9 of Figure 7, which has an aluminum plate-shaped member provided inside the mesh belt.

[0009] It is preferable that the coil spring has an axial direction in the width direction, and the mesh belt is wound around the coil spring in a cylindrical shape with the axial direction in the width direction, thereby making it easier to wind the mesh belt around the coil spring during production.

[0010] The coil spring preferably has a maximum diameter portion having the largest diameter and a minimum diameter portion having a smaller diameter than the maximum diameter portion, thereby providing a gap between the coil spring and the mesh belt, thereby further enhancing the cushioning properties of the locking member body.

[0011] The coil spring preferably has an inclined portion whose diameter gradually decreases from the maximum diameter portion to the minimum diameter portion, so that when a falling workpiece collides with the inclined portion, the impact of the collision can be dissipated in the axial direction of the coil spring.

[0012] It is preferable that a plurality of the coil springs are arranged with gaps between them in the width direction, which allows gaps to be provided between the coil springs, thereby further improving the cushioning properties of the locking member body.

[0013] The fixing means preferably includes a substrate made of a plate-shaped member extending in the width direction between the coil spring and the conveyor belt side of the mesh belt, and a fixing bolt fixed to the substrate and provided to pass through the mesh belt. By placing the substrate inside the mesh belt in this way, damage to the workpiece caused by the substrate can be prevented. Furthermore, by providing a fixing bolt fixed to the substrate and passing through the mesh belt, the fixing bolt that passes through the mesh belt can be further passed through the conveyor belt and fixed from below with a nut or bolt head. Therefore, the locking member body can be fixed to the conveyor belt without fixing the substrate and mesh belt.

[0014] The mesh belt is preferably formed by weaving together metal wires in a wire mesh pattern, extending in the width direction of the mesh belt, and including multiple right-handed and left-handed spiral members arranged in parallel and alternately in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the width direction; wavy rod-shaped reinforcing ribs that are inserted through both adjacent right-handed and left-handed spiral members to connect the two types of spiral members; and wavy spring members that are inserted through both right-handed and left-handed spiral members to bias the two adjacent types of spiral members in a direction that increases the distance between the axes of the two types of spiral members. In mesh belts in which a right-handed spiral member and a left-handed spiral member are connected by wavy rod-shaped strength ribs (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3), a mesh belt in which some of the strength ribs are replaced with spring members that expand and contract in the longitudinal direction, as in the mesh belt of Patent Document 3, has superior cushioning properties compared to mesh belts that do not have such spring members. When wavy spring members are used as these spring members, the pitch at which the spiral members of the mesh belt are arranged in the longitudinal direction becomes smaller, making it easier to wind the mesh belt around an elastic member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] As described above, the mesh belt of the present invention can sufficiently prevent the workpiece from being damaged. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A is a partially transparent front view of a workpiece locking member according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a partially transparent bottom view, FIG. 1C is a side cross-sectional view, and FIG. 1D is an enlarged view of the X portion in FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the coil spring shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 6 is a partially transparent front view of a workpiece locking member according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10A is a partially transparent plan view of a workpiece locking member according to a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10B is a partially transparent front view of the workpiece locking member according to the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10C is a bottom view of the workpiece locking member according to the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10D is a side view of the workpiece locking member according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10E is an enlarged view of the Y portion [Figure 5] 10A is a partially transparent front view of a workpiece locking member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged side view thereof. [Figure 6] 1 is a development view of a mesh belt according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a side view of a workpiece support member according to a comparative example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0018] (First embodiment) 1 shows a workpiece locking member 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The workpiece locking member 100 is provided to protrude from the upper surface of a conveyor belt A (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(a)) of a belt conveyor (not shown) that lifts metal parts from a quenching tank, for example, and is used to lock the workpiece and transport it in the transport direction while preventing the workpiece from slipping down the slope of the conveyor belt A. The workpiece locking member 100 is made of ridges extending in the width direction of the conveyor belt A, and includes a locking member body 10 for locking the workpiece, and a fixing means 20 for fixing the locking member body 10 to the conveyor belt A. The belt used as the conveyor belt A is not particularly limited, but for example, the mesh belts described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, as well as the mesh belt 12 described below, can be used.

[0019] (Lock member body) The locking member body 10 includes a plurality of coil springs 11 (four in the example of FIG. 1) aligned in a straight line with the same axial direction, and a mesh belt 12 covering the coil springs.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1(a), the multiple coil springs 11, 11, ... are aligned linearly in the width direction of the conveyor belt A (left-right direction in Fig. 1(a)), with gaps 13 provided within the mesh belt 12, with the axial direction being the width direction of the conveyor belt A, and are wound integrally by the mesh belt 12. In the example of Fig. 1, the locking member body 10 has five gaps 13 at both ends and the middle part in the direction in which the coil springs 11 are aligned.

[0021] The coil spring 11 is formed by winding a metal wire for a spring into a coil shape, and as shown in FIG. 1, has a maximum diameter portion 11a where the outer diameter is maximum, a minimum diameter portion 11b where the outer diameter is smaller than the maximum diameter portion 11a and is the smallest, and a sloped portion 11c where the outer diameter gradually decreases from the maximum diameter portion 11a to the minimum diameter portion 11b. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the coil spring 11 has two maximum diameter portions 11a and three minimum diameter portions 11b, of which two minimum diameter portions 11b are provided at both ends of the coil spring 11. The sloped portion 11c has a truncated cone shape. As such, the coil spring 11 has the maximum diameter portion 11a and the minimum diameter portion 11b, so that a gap 14 is formed between the coil spring 11 and the mesh belt 12.

[0022] The mesh belt 12 is wound in a cylindrical shape with its axial direction aligned with the width direction of the conveyor belt A, and covers the coil springs 11, 11, ... As shown in Fig. 6, the mesh belt 12 includes a right-handed spiral member 3, a left-handed spiral member 4, a rib 5, and a wavy spring member 6. All of these are formed from metal wire such as stainless steel or iron.

[0023] The right-handed spiral member 3 is formed to extend in a right-handed spiral from one end of the mesh belt 12 to the other end when viewed from one end (upper side in FIG. 6(b)) in the width direction (direction in FIG. 6(b)) of the unfolded mesh belt 12, and the left-handed spiral member 4 is formed to extend in a left-handed spiral from the one end to the other end. The spiral members 3 and 4 extend in the width direction of the mesh belt 12 and are arranged in parallel and alternately in the longitudinal direction.

[0024] The reinforcing rib 5 is made of metal wire and has a wavy rod shape, and has many waves 5a and 5b arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction (width direction of the mesh belt 12). The waves 5a engage the loop 3a of the right-handed helical member 3, and the waves 5b engage the loop 4a of the left-handed helical member 4, connecting the adjacent helical members 3 and 4 while preventing misalignment in the width direction.

[0025] As shown in Figure 6, the wavy spring member 6 is formed in a wavy shape with continuous waves 6a at a pitch P2 that is larger than the pitch P1 of the loops 3a, 4a of the helical members 3, 4. By making the pitch P2 larger than the pitch P1, the waves 2a of the wavy spring member 6 are prevented from entering between the loops 3a, 4a of the helical members 3, 4. This allows the wavy spring member 6 to be inserted through the helical members 3 and 4 while the helical members 3 and 4 are spaced apart. When the axial distance between the helical members 3 and 4 is reduced, the waves 6a are pushed by the loops 3a, 4a of the helical members 3, 4, causing deformation that reduces the wave height of the waves 6a, thereby generating elastic force in the wavy spring member 6. The pitch P2 is preferably at least twice the pitch P1, more preferably at least three times, even more preferably at least four times, and particularly preferably at least five times.

[0026] Both ends of the wavy spring member 6 are fixed by welding to only one of the helical members 3, 4, and are not fixed to the other helical member 3, 4. This allows the wavy spring member 6 to move freely within the helical members 3, 4, and the movement of the wavy spring member 6 causes the axis-to-axis distance between the adjacent helical members 3, 4 to expand and contract.

[0027] The wavy spring member 6 may have both ends 6b, 6b welded to the ends of the spiral member 3 or the spiral member 4, but when the wavy spring member 6 is deformed to reduce the wave height, it stretches in the length direction (width direction of the mesh belt 12). If both ends are fixed by welding, the stretching is restricted, and there is a risk that the deformation to reduce the wave height will not be possible.

[0028] In addition, the wavy spring member 6 does not need to be welded to both ends, but if both ends are free, there is a risk that the wavy spring member 6 will become misaligned in the width direction of the mesh belt 12 as the mesh belt 12 repeatedly expands and contracts.

[0029] By welding only one end of the wavy spring member 6 to the end of the spiral member 3 or the spiral member 4, the wavy spring member 6 can undergo elastic deformation to reduce the wave height without being restricted in extension or causing misalignment, thereby effectively generating elastic force, making the mesh belt 12 stretchable and providing cushioning properties to the mesh belt 12.

[0030] When arranging a plurality of wavy spring members 6 in parallel, it is preferable to weld the end 6b of at least some of the wavy spring members 6 on the side opposite the reinforcing bar 5 to the helical member 3 or 4. It is more preferable to change the end 6bw to which a certain number of the arranged wavy spring members 6 are welded between one end and the other end in the width direction of the mesh belt 12, and it is even more preferable to change the end 6bw to which each member is welded alternately. This allows the mesh belt 12 to expand and contract uniformly.

[0031] The mesh belt 12 is formed into a cylindrical shape by winding the coil springs 11, 11, . . . and then connecting the ribs 5, 5 at both ends in the circumferential direction with a spiral member having an appropriate outer diameter.

[0032] (Fixing means) The fixing means 20 includes a base plate 21 made of a long metal plate, and a fixing bolt 22 extending from the bottom surface of the base plate 21 .

[0033] As shown in Fig. 1(a), the base plate 21 is in the shape of a long plate, and is sandwiched between the coil spring 11 and the mesh belt 12 on the conveyor belt A side of the coil spring 11, with the width direction of the conveyor belt A as its longitudinal direction. A pair of spring locking members 24, 24 made of metal round bars extending in the longitudinal direction of the base plate 21 are fixed by welding to both ends in the width direction (left and right direction in Fig. 1(c)) on the upper surface of the base plate 21. As shown in Fig. 1(d), the spring locking members 24 abut against the outer periphery of the coil spring 11 to prevent the coil spring 11 from falling off the base plate 21 and to guide the expansion and contraction of the coil spring in the axial direction.

[0034] The fixing bolt 22 is a flat head bolt, and is welded through the base plate 21 with its head embedded in the base plate 21. The fixing bolt 22 extends through the mesh belt 12 and the meshes of the conveyor belt A, and is fixed to the conveyor belt A by a nut 23 through a bolt hole in a base B consisting of a C channel provided on the underside of the conveyor belt A. In this way, the locking member body 10 is fixed to the conveyor belt A. However, the fixing bolt 22 does not have to be a flat head bolt, and its head may protrude above the base plate 21. Conversely, a female screw hole and a nut may be provided on the base plate 21 side on the inside of the mesh belt 12, and the fixing bolt 22 inserted from the underside of the conveyor belt A may be passed through the mesh belt 12 from the outside to be fixed.

[0035] (Actions and Effects) The workpiece locking member 100 according to the first embodiment has the above-described configuration and thus has the following functions and effects. (1) The coil spring 11 is provided inside the mesh belt 12, so that the cushioning properties of the locking member body 10 can be improved. (2) Since the mesh belt 12 is wound around the axis of the coil spring 11, it is easy to wind the mesh belt 12 around the coil spring 11. (3) The gap 14 is provided between the mesh belt 12 and the minimum diameter portion 11b and the inclined portion 11c of the coil spring 11, so that the cushioning properties of the locking member body 10 can be further improved. (4) The coil spring 11 has an inclined portion 11c, so that when a workpiece collides with the inclined portion, the impact can be dissipated in the axial direction of the coil spring 11, thereby further improving the cushioning properties of the locking member body 10. (5) Since the multiple coil springs 11 are arranged with gaps 13 between them, the coil springs 11 can easily expand and contract in the axial direction, further improving the cushioning properties of the locking member body 10. By providing gaps 13 at both ends of the locking member body 10, the coil springs 11 can be prevented from protruding from both ends of the mesh belt 12. (6) The mesh belt 12 is sandwiched between the base plate 21 and the conveyor belt A, and the locking member body 10 is connected to the conveyor belt A with the fixing bolt 22, so the effort of fixing the base plate and the mesh belt can be eliminated. (7) Since the substrate 21 is placed inside the mesh belt 12, damage to the workpiece caused by the substrate 21 can be prevented. (8) As the mesh belt 12, the wavy spring member 6 having a small pitch between the spiral members 3 and 4 is used, so that the mesh belt 12 can be easily wound around the coil spring 11.

[0036] (Second embodiment) 3 shows a workpiece locking member 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The workpiece locking member 200 is made up of the same materials as those in the first embodiment, except that four coil springs 211, each having a different shape from those in the first embodiment, are arranged with gaps 13 between them.

[0037] The coil spring 211 in the workpiece locking member 200 has a right-cylindrical minimum diameter portion 211b with the smallest outer diameter between two right-cylindrical maximum diameter portions 211a, 211a with the largest outer diameter, and a step portion 211c between the maximum diameter portion 211a and the minimum diameter portion 211b. Because the coil spring 211 has the minimum diameter portion 211b and the step portion 211c, a cylindrical gap portion 214 is formed between the coil spring 211 and the mesh belt 12. This increases the cushioning properties of the locking member main body 210.

[0038] (Third embodiment) 4 shows a workpiece locking member 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The coil spring 311 of the workpiece locking member 300 is made up of a single coil spring with the same outer diameter over the entire length of the locking member body 310. Therefore, the workpiece locking member 300 does not have a gap in the middle portion.

[0039] In addition, the fixing means 320 of this embodiment includes cover plates 323, 323 at both ends of the substrate 21 that abut against both ends of the coil spring 311 to prevent the coil spring 311 from escaping from the mesh belt 12, and U-shaped frame members 324, 324 whose both ends are welded to both ends of the substrate 21 to accommodate both ends of the coil spring 311.

[0040] (Fourth embodiment) 5 shows a workpiece locking member 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of coil springs 411 (six in the example of FIG. 4) of the workpiece locking member 400 are arranged on the substrate 21 with their axial directions perpendicular to the substrate 21 and the conveyor belt A, and are pressed down from above by a presser foot 423. Because the coil springs 411 of the workpiece locking member 400 are arranged perpendicular to the conveyor belt A, the impact of the workpiece from above can be absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the coil springs 411, thereby further improving the cushioning properties of the locking member main body 410.

[0041] As described above, the workpiece locking member of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The mesh belt may use spring members other than wavy spring members, or may use mesh belts that are not made of woven spiral members or ribs. The coil springs may be axially oriented in the width direction of the locking member body. The mesh belt may be divided into multiple sections in the width direction of the conveyor belt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 100, 200, 300, 400 Workpiece retaining member 11 Coil spring 12 Mesh Belt 10 Locking member body 20 Fixing means 11a Maximum diameter part 11b Minimum diameter part 11c Inclined section 13 Gap 21 PCB 22 Fixing bolt 3 Right-hand spiral member 4 Left-handed spiral member 5 Strength bone 6. Wavy spring member

Claims

1. A workpiece locking member that is provided on the surface of the conveyor belt, extends in the width direction of the conveyor belt, and locks the workpiece and transports it in the transport direction, a locking member body including a coil spring and a mesh belt covering the coil spring; a fixing means for fixing the locking member body to a conveyor belt; A workpiece locking member comprising:

2. The coil spring has an axial direction aligned with the width direction, 2. The workpiece locking member according to claim 1, wherein the mesh belt is wound in a cylindrical shape with the width direction as an axial direction and covers the coil spring.

3. 3. The workpiece locking member according to claim 2, wherein the coil spring has a maximum diameter portion having a largest diameter and a minimum diameter portion having a diameter smaller than the maximum diameter.

4. 5. The workpiece locking member according to claim 4, wherein the coil spring has an inclined portion whose diameter gradually decreases from the maximum diameter portion toward the minimum diameter portion.

5. 3. The workpiece locking member according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the coil springs are arranged with gaps between them in the width direction.

6. The fixing means is a base plate made of a plate-like member extending in the width direction between the coil spring and the conveyor belt side of the mesh belt; a fixing bolt fixed to the base plate and provided to pass through the mesh belt; The workpiece locking member according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

7. The mesh belt is It is made by weaving metal wires together into a wire mesh. a right-handed spiral member and a left-handed spiral member extending in the width direction of the mesh belt and arranged in parallel and alternately in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the width direction; a wavy rod-shaped reinforcement rib that is inserted through both the adjacent right-handed spiral member and the adjacent left-handed spiral member to connect the two types of spiral members; a wavy spring member that is inserted through both the right-handed spiral member and the left-handed spiral member and that biases the two adjacent spiral members in a direction that increases the distance between the axes of the two spiral members; The workpiece locking member according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

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