Vacuum conveyor

Abstract

This vacuum conveyor provides stable, wobble-free conveyance that does not impair the functions performed when the conveyor belt passes over the material, thanks to the mutual cooperation of the conveyor belt and the suction holes provided in the square pipes, which exhibit high suction power. [Solution] In a vacuum conveyor that transports a workpiece placed on the surface of a belt while holding it by suction in a predetermined direction, a wide belt that is wound between a pair of rotating shafts and moves continuously is provided with a large number of suction holes in the transport direction, and a plurality of square pipes are laid in the width direction on the lower part of the surface of the wide belt so as to form one surface parallel to the surface of the belt, and the square pipes are provided with suction holes that all or partially overlap with the suction holes provided on the wide belt during transport.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum conveyor that is installed in a post-process of a sheet feeding device and a ruler conveyor, and conveys a workpiece to the next process while adsorbing the workpiece on the surface of a wide belt.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, an adsorption conveyance device that adsorbs a workpiece on the surface of a belt and conveys it in a predetermined direction, as disclosed in the following prior art documents, is known.

[0003]

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] Now, in the conveyance process using a vacuum conveyor, it is possible to add various work processes during the conveyance process by loading a paper surface inspection device, an inkjet printer, an inserter, a sticker, etc. on the upper part of the conveyance belt. However, in order to ensure the accuracy of the additional work, it is necessary to adsorb and hold the entire surface of each workpiece without any vibration or floating while corresponding to various workpieces to be conveyed.

[0006]

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vacuum conveyor that maintains the flatness of the belt surface during conveyance by laying a plurality of square pipes on the lower part of the conveyor belt surface so as to form one surface parallel to the belt surface, and by having the suction holes provided in the conveyor belt and the square pipes cooperate with each other to exhibit high suction performance corresponding to various types of workpieces, thereby enabling stable conveyance without vibration that does not impair the functions performed when the conveyor belt passes over it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As described in claim 1, the present invention relates to a vacuum conveyor that transports a workpiece placed on a belt surface in a predetermined direction while holding it by suction, wherein a wide belt wound between a pair of rotating shafts and moving continuously has a large number of suction holes arranged in a row in the transport direction, and a plurality of square pipes are laid in the width direction on the lower part of the wide belt surface so as to form one surface parallel to the belt surface, and the square pipes are provided with rows of suction holes that all or partially overlap with the suction holes arranged in the wide belt during transport.

[0009] As described in claim 2, the present invention is a vacuum conveyor that transports a workpiece placed on a belt surface in a predetermined direction while holding it by suction, wherein a wide belt wound between a pair of rotating shafts and moving continuously has a large number of suction holes arranged in the transport direction, and a plurality of square pipes are laid in the width direction on the lower part of the wide belt surface so as to form one surface parallel to the belt surface, and the square pipes have rows of suction holes that all or partially overlap with the suction holes arranged in the wide belt during transport, and the pitch of the suction holes arranged in the wide belt is a multiple of the pitch of the suction holes arranged in the square pipes.

[0010] As described in claim 3, the present invention relates to a vacuum conveyor as described in either claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the suction holes of the wide belt are arranged in a row in a linear fashion in the conveying direction, and the spacing between the rows of suction holes located in the center in the width direction is narrower than the spacing between the rows of suction holes located on both outer sides.

[0011] As described in claim 4, the present invention is a vacuum conveyor according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the suction holes of the wide belt are arranged in a row in a linear fashion in the conveying direction, and the spacing between the rows of suction holes located in the center in the width direction is wider than the spacing between the rows of suction holes located on both outer sides. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] Since the present invention employs the configuration described in claims 1 to 4, it maintains the flatness of the belt surface during transport and exhibits high suction properties that can accommodate various types of workpieces, thereby enabling stable transport without wobbling. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows the positional relationship of the suction holes during conveyance in one embodiment of the vacuum conveyor according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows the belt surface in one embodiment of the vacuum conveyor according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows the belt surface in one embodiment of the vacuum conveyor according to the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows the arrangement of square pipes in one embodiment of the vacuum conveyor according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of the vacuum conveyor according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Hereinafter, the configuration of the vacuum conveyor according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0015] The configuration of the entire apparatus X of the vacuum conveyor according to the present invention is, as shown in the conceptual diagram of the overall configuration in FIG. 5, a wide belt B in which suction holes are formed, and a square pipe S provided with suction holes provided at the lower part of the wide belt surface on the inner peripheral portion of the wide belt. The basic aspect of the configuration is composed of a vacuum pump V that exhibits an intake action communicating with the square pipe S via a conduit H.

[0016] That is, by making the inside of the square pipe S negative pressure via the vacuum pump V, a suction action is generated in the suction holes of the wide belt B, so that the workpiece is adsorbed on the surface of the wide belt B, and while the workpiece is adsorbed and held, the wide belt B is moved to convey the workpiece to the next process.

[0017] Both ends of the endless wide belt B are wound between a pair of pulleys P as drive rotation shafts and continuously move, and the workpiece to be conveyed is placed on the flat moving surface of the wide belt B arranged on the upper surface of the apparatus.

[0018] On the surface of the wide belt B, a large number of circular holes are arranged as suction holes B1 in the conveying direction over the entire surface.

[0019] That is, the suction holes B1 are formed linearly at equal intervals in the conveying direction with respect to the surface of the wide belt B, and by forming a plurality of linearly formed suction hole rows in the width direction, the suction holes B1 are provided over the entire surface of the wide belt B.

[0020] The shape, size, pitch, etc. of the circular holes are appropriately selected and designed according to the size of the surface of the wide belt B and the form of the workpiece. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the suction holes B1 are circular holes with a true circular hole diameter of 6 mm, and a plurality of circular holes with a pitch of 30 mm between each circular hole are formed linearly in the conveying direction. Here, the "pitch" means the distance between the centers of adjacent circular holes in one row of suction holes formed linearly in the conveying direction.

[0021] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above, the width of the wide belt surface is 550 mm, the interval (in the width direction) between the three adsorption hole rows near the center (in the width direction) is 31 mm, and the interval (in the width direction) between the eight adsorption hole rows at both outer sides is 51 mm (embodiment of the invention described in claim 3).

[0022] Also, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, an adsorption hole row in which a plurality of circular holes having a true circular hole diameter of 6 mm and a pitch of 30 mm for each circular hole are linearly formed in the conveyance direction, and a plurality of circular holes having a pitch of 15 mm for each circular hole are linearly formed in the conveyance direction are mixed. An aspect in which adsorption hole rows having different pitches is also assumed.

[0023] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 above, one adsorption hole row with a pitch of 30 mm is formed at the center (in the width direction) of the wide belt surface, and two adsorption hole rows with a pitch of 15 mm are formed on the left and right of the center adsorption hole row.

[0024] And, the width of the wide belt surface is 550 mm, the interval (in the width direction) between the center adsorption hole row (pitch of 30 mm) and the adjacent adsorption hole row with a pitch of 15 mm is 31 mm, the interval (in the width direction) between the adsorption hole rows with a pitch of 15 mm is 30 mm, the interval (in the width direction) between the adsorption hole row with a pitch of 15 mm at the outer side and the adjacent adsorption hole row with a pitch of 30 mm is 21 mm, and the interval (in the width direction) between the other adsorption hole rows with a pitch of 30 mm is 51 mm.

[0025] Thus, by mixing wide and narrow intervals of the adsorption hole rows, it becomes possible to improve the convenience when transporting workpieces of different sizes with one conveyor belt.

[0026] Also, by narrowing the interval between the adsorption hole rows at the center of the wide belt surface, or by mixing adsorption hole rows with a narrow pitch in addition to this, the dot density of the circular holes at the center of the belt can be increased, and for example, it becomes possible to securely adsorb a small and rigid workpiece such as a postcard.

[0027] Although not shown in the figures, as in the invention described in claim 4, by setting the spacing between the rows of suction holes on both outer sides (in the width direction) to be narrower than the spacing between the rows of suction holes near the center of the wide belt surface (in the width direction), it may be effective, for example, for conveying workpieces that tend to curl upwards on the outside.

[0028] Furthermore, an configuration in which the spacing between circular holes is narrowed in both the conveying direction and the width direction so that the suction holes overlap, that is, a configuration in which suction holes are drilled all over the entire surface of the belt, is considered to have difficulties in maintaining the durability of the belt and the flatness during conveying. Therefore, a configuration in which linear rows of suction holes having a constant pitch are arranged regularly at constant intervals, as in the configuration of the present invention, is preferred.

[0029] As shown in the embodiment in Figure 4, the square pipes S are installed so as to form one surface parallel to the belt surface in a horizontal state directly below the belt surface of the wide belt, and multiple square pipes S are laid in the width direction. (Note that the suction holes are not shown in Figure 4.)

[0030] When using air suction on a wide belt B, the underside of the belt surface must be a single flat surface to prevent the belt from undulating during transport. Therefore, it is optimal to use square pipes S, which can form a single surface by laying multiple pipes.

[0031] Furthermore, machining numerous small-diameter holes in a straight line at a small pitch is more suitable for flat surfaces than curved surfaces, and square pipes are also advantageous when slightly machining the contact surface with the belt to improve the contact accuracy with a wide belt.

[0032] As described above, during transport, the inside of each square pipe is kept under negative pressure by a vacuum pump via a hose and valve (not shown).

[0033] The square pipe S has a number of circular holes arranged in a row in the direction of transport, which serve as suction holes S1.

[0034] In other words, the suction holes S1 are formed in a straight line at equal intervals in the conveying direction, and depending on the width of the square pipe S and the configuration of the suction holes of the wide belt described later, it is conceivable that one or multiple rows of linearly formed suction holes may be formed on a single square pipe S in the width direction.

[0035] The following describes the relative relationship between the suction holes B1 of the wide belt B and the suction holes S1 of the square pipe S.

[0036] By configuring the suction holes of the wide belt and the suction holes of each pipe to overlap during transport, i.e., when the belt surface moves, a constant suction effect is generated, thereby stabilizing the suction of the workpiece.

[0037] For example, by setting the pitch of the suction holes on the belt surface to a length that is a multiple of the pitch of the suction holes on the square pipe, the relative relationship between the suction holes on the belt surface and the suction holes on the square pipe will always be the same for all holes.

[0038] For example, if the suction holes S1 of the square pipe S are set to have a diameter of 2 mm and a pitch of 3 mm, and the suction holes B1 of the wide belt B are set to have a diameter of 6 mm and a pitch of 15 mm, then as shown in (1) to (5) of Figure 1, when the wide belt B moves 0.5 mm to the left (in the conveying direction) relative to the square pipe S, the suction holes S1 of the square pipe S will overlap with the suction holes B1 of the belt by approximately two widths, regardless of the position of the wide belt B.

[0039] As mentioned above, the operations performed during the conveying process require that all conveyed objects be kept in a constant state at all times. Therefore, it is extremely important that the suction holes on the belt surface and the suction holes on the square pipes are always in the same relative position, in order to prevent the workpiece from undulating and to ensure uniform conveying conditions.

[0040] Square pipes come in several standard sizes, making it extremely easy to arrange and combine square pipes with suction holes corresponding to the arrangement of suction holes on the belt surface at the appropriate locations.

[0041] In the embodiment in which elongated holes are formed as suction holes in the square pipe, it is considered that there are difficulties in maintaining the durability of the square pipe and the flatness of the belt surface. Therefore, as in the configuration of the present invention, it is preferable to have a configuration in which a row of linear suction holes having a certain pitch is arranged regularly at a certain interval to correspond to the suction holes on the belt surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] B Wide belt S-shaped square pipe B1 Adsorption hole S1 Adsorption hole

Claims

1. A vacuum conveyor that transports a workpiece placed on a belt surface in a predetermined direction while holding it in suction, characterized in that a wide belt wound between a pair of rotating shafts and moving continuously has a large number of suction holes arranged in a row in the transport direction, and a plurality of square pipes are laid in the width direction on the lower part of the wide belt surface so as to form one surface parallel to the belt surface, and the square pipes have rows of suction holes that all or partially overlap with the suction holes arranged in a row on the wide belt during transport.

2. A vacuum conveyor that transports a workpiece placed on a belt surface in a predetermined direction while holding it by suction, wherein a wide belt wound between a pair of rotating shafts and moving continuously has a large number of suction holes arranged in the transport direction, and a plurality of square pipes are laid in the width direction on the lower part of the wide belt surface so as to form one surface parallel to the belt surface, and the square pipes have rows of suction holes that all or partially overlap with the suction holes arranged on the wide belt during transport, and the pitch of the suction holes arranged on the wide belt is a multiple of the pitch of the suction holes arranged on the square pipes.

3. The vacuum conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the suction holes of the wide belt are arranged in multiple straight lines in the conveying direction, and the spacing between the rows of suction holes located in the center in the width direction is narrower than the spacing between the rows of suction holes located on both outer sides.

4. The vacuum conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the suction holes of the wide belt are arranged in multiple straight lines in the conveying direction, and the spacing between the rows of suction holes located in the center in the width direction is wider than the spacing between the rows of suction holes located on both outer sides.

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