Support roller replacement mechanism

Abstract

To provide an exchange mechanism capable of exchanging a support roller in a shorter time.SOLUTION: An exchange mechanism for exchanging a support roller in a catenary type heat treatment furnace comprises: a first clamp small truck and a second clamp small truck having a function of grasping the support roller and respectively provided slidably in a direction made far from a direction made near to an opening; a support body respectively supporting the first clamp small truck and the second clamp small truck slidably; a truck mounting the support body; a first driving part slide-driving the first clamp small truck; a second driving part slide-driving the second clamp small truck; and a third driving part driving the support body so as to be replaceable between a position of the first clamp small truck and a position of the second clamp small truck.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a replacement mechanism for replacing support rollers that support a workpiece in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace. [Background technology]

[0002] A known catenary-type heat treatment furnace for heat treating workpieces such as metal strips is described in Patent Document 1. The heat treatment furnace in Patent Document 1 has two support rollers at each point to support the workpiece, one of which is raised and used as a work roller, and the other roller is kept waiting at a lower position as a standby roller.

[0003] As the heat treatment furnace operates, scale builds up on the surface of the work rollers, and the surface wears down due to friction with the workpiece, so the standby rollers are raised and the rollers are switched over. The rollers with scale buildup are replaced with new rollers when the heat treatment furnace is shut down, etc.

[0004] As a replacement mechanism for the support roller, mechanisms such as those described in Patent Documents 2 to 4 are known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 52-24109 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 51-52307 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 51-59411 [Patent Document 4] JP 2012-232332 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The support rollers of a catenary-type heat treatment furnace are heavy (e.g., about 500 kg) and need to be transported by a crane or the like when they are replaced, so the replacement work takes time. There is a demand for a system that enables the support rollers to be replaced in a shorter time, including the replacement mechanisms described in Patent Documents 2 to 4.

[0007] The present disclosure is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a support roller replacement mechanism that enables replacement of a support roller in a shorter time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A support roller replacement mechanism of one embodiment of the present disclosure is a replacement mechanism for replacing support rollers that support a workpiece in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace through an opening in a side of the heat treatment furnace, and includes a first clamp cart and a second clamp cart that have a function of gripping the support rollers and are slidably arranged in directions toward and away from the opening, respectively, a support that slidably supports the first clamp cart and the second clamp cart, respectively, a cart on which the supports are placed, a first drive unit that slides the first clamp cart, a second drive unit that slides the second clamp cart, and a third drive unit that drives the support so that the position of the first clamp cart and the position of the second clamp cart can be interchanged.

[0009] According to the above configuration, by having one of the clamp carriages hold a replacement support roller and keep it on standby, the support roller can be removed from the heat treatment furnace and held by one of the clamp carriages, and then the support body can be driven to instantly switch the positions of the first clamp carriage and the second clamp carriage, and the support roller held by the other clamp carriage can be attached to the heat treatment furnace. This allows the support roller to be replaced in a short time.

[0010] In the support roller replacement mechanism, the third drive unit may rotate the support. According to the above configuration, by using a so-called "revolver-type" roller replacement mechanism, it is possible to reduce the width of the support and the carriage, for example, to make the device more compact, compared to when the support is linearly driven.

[0011] The support roller replacement mechanism may further include a fourth drive unit that drives the support to slide in a direction intersecting the sliding direction of the clamp carriage. According to the above configuration, the positions of the first clamp carriage and the second clamp carriage can be adjusted in the width direction of the carriage, and when a pair of support rollers are provided in a heat treatment furnace, either of the two support rollers can be used.

[0012] The support roller replacement mechanism may further include a rail that enables the carriage to slide along the width direction of the heat treatment furnace. According to the above configuration, the position of the carriage can be adjusted with respect to the side of the heat treatment furnace, and by retracting the carriage when the roll replacement is not being performed, a working space can be secured along the side of the heat treatment furnace.

[0013] The support roller replacement mechanism may further include a rail that enables the carriage to slide along the length of the heat treatment furnace. According to the above configuration, the carriage can be moved along the side of the heat treatment furnace, and when a plurality of support rollers are provided in the heat treatment furnace, one carriage can be used to replace the support rollers in multiple locations.

[0014] In the support roller replacement mechanism, two sets of the first clamp carriage, the second clamp carriage, and the support may be provided and fixed to the carriages. This configuration can accommodate a case where two openings are arranged side by side on the side of the heat treatment furnace, and the structure and drive unit for sliding the support can be omitted.

[0015] The support roller replacement mechanism further includes a control unit, which drives the support body by the third drive unit so that the second clamp cart is at a replacement position, slides the second clamp cart by the second drive unit so that it approaches the opening and grips the used support roller, slides the second clamp cart gripping the support roller away from the opening by the second drive unit, drives the support body by the third drive unit so that the first clamp cart gripping a support roller other than the support roller is at the replacement position, slides the first clamp cart by the first drive unit so that it approaches the opening, and attaches the other support roller gripped by the first clamp cart to the heat treatment furnace. According to the above configuration, replacement of the support roller can be performed automatically in a short time. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present disclosure, the support roller can be replaced in a shorter time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] Schematic cross-sectional view of a heat treatment furnace according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a heat treatment furnace and a roller replacement mechanism according to the embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system for a roller replacement mechanism including a plurality of drive units and a control unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing a replacement operation of a support roller by a roller replacement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5A] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5B] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5C] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5D] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5E] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5F] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5G] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing a replacement operation of a support roller by a roller replacement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7A] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 7B] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 7C] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 7D] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 7E] An explanatory diagram for carrying out replacement work according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of a heat treatment furnace and a roller replacement mechanism according to a modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a roller replacement mechanism according to another modified example; [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a roller replacement mechanism according to still another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the support roll replacement mechanism of the catenary heat treatment furnace according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations of the following embodiments, and configurations based on similar technical ideas are included in the present disclosure.

[0019] (Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment furnace 2 in the embodiment.

[0020] The heat treatment furnace 2 is a catenary type heat treatment furnace that heat-treats a workpiece 3 as an object to be heated. The heat treatment furnace 2 in the embodiment is particularly an annealing furnace that heat-treats a strip-shaped workpiece 3 (e.g., a SUS steel strip) while transporting it in a transport direction A and then cools it.

[0021] The heat treatment furnace 2 shown in Fig. 1 includes a furnace body 4, a plurality of support rollers 6, and a control unit 8. In Fig. 1, the components of the heat treatment furnace 2 are illustrated in a simplified manner.

[0022] The furnace body 4 is a housing for heat-treating the workpiece 3. The strip-shaped workpiece 3 is carried into the furnace body 4 and continuously transported in a transport direction A. The transport direction A is roughly parallel to the furnace length direction B of the furnace body 4. The inside of the furnace body 4 is sealed and is kept at a pressure slightly negative than atmospheric pressure.

[0023] The support rollers 6 are rollers that support the workpiece 3 from below inside the furnace body 4. Each of the support rollers 6 is composed of a pair of support rollers 6A and 6B, one of which is a work roller and the other is a standby roller. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the support roller 6A is the lower standby roller, and the other support roller 6B is the upper work roller. In the example shown in FIG. 1, three pairs of support rollers 6A and 6B are shown, but any number of pairs may be used.

[0024] Both ends of each of the support rollers 6A and 6B are supported by a hanging mechanism provided outside the furnace body 4, and the support rollers 6A and 6B are configured to be movable up and down.

[0025] The control unit 8 is a member for controlling each component of the heat treatment furnace 2. The control unit 8 includes, for example, a microcomputer.

[0026] As the heat treatment furnace 2 operates, the surfaces of the support rollers 6B, which are work rollers, become worn down as scale accumulates and the surface is scraped off due to friction with the workpiece 3. Before excessive scale accumulates on the support rollers 6B or the surface becomes worn, the rollers are switched by reversing the up-down positions of the upper work rollers and the lower standby rollers. The used support rollers 6 that have been retracted downward are replaced with new support rollers 6. An exchange mechanism for replacing the support rollers 6 is provided outside the furnace body 4.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the heat treatment furnace 2 and the roller exchanging mechanism 10 of the embodiment.

[0028] 2 is a mechanism for replacing the support rollers 6 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The roller replacing mechanism 10 is provided outside the furnace body 4 near a side surface 11 of the furnace body 4. The roller replacing mechanism 10 has a length direction D and a width direction E, with the length direction D being approximately parallel to the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2 and the width direction E being approximately parallel to the furnace length direction B.

[0029] The roller exchange mechanism 10 includes two clamp carriages 12 and 14, a support 16, a slider 18, and a carriage 20.

[0030] The first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 are each a member for gripping the support roller 6. The first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 each have a gripping portion for gripping the support roller 6, and the gripping portion is configured to manually fix an openable and closable member with a bolt, for example.

[0031] The first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 are each attached to the support 16 in a slidable state. The first clamp carriage 12 is slidable in a sliding direction S1 along the rail 22 of the support 16, and the second clamp carriage 14 is slidable in a sliding direction S2 along the rail 24 of the support 16. Both sliding directions S1 and S2 are directions approaching / moving away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the second clamp carriage 14 is gripping the support roller 6B and is about to remove it from the heat treatment furnace 2.

[0032] The support body 16 is a member that slidably supports the first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14. The support body 16 has an elongated shape in the longitudinal direction D of the roller exchanging mechanism 10, and is formed by extending rails 22, 24 in the sliding directions S1, S2.

[0033] The support 16 is supported by a slider 18 in a state in which it can rotate in a rotation direction R about a rotation axis P. The rotation axis P coincides with the longitudinal direction D of the roller exchange mechanism 10. By rotating the support 16 in the rotation direction R, the positions of the clamp carts 12, 14 can be swapped.

[0034] 2, the first clamp carriage 12 is in a side standby position, and the second clamp carriage 14 is in an upper replacement position. The upper replacement position is a position for removing the used support roller 6 from the heat treatment furnace 2, and a position for mounting a new support roller 6 in the heat treatment furnace 2. The side standby position is a position for holding and waiting for a new replacement support roller 6.

[0035] The slider 18 is a member that allows the support 16 to slide in a sliding direction S3. The sliding direction S3 coincides with the width direction E of the roller exchanging mechanism 10. The slider 18 rides on a rail 28 on the upper surface of the carriage 20 and is slidable in the sliding direction S3. By allowing the support 16 to slide by the slider 18, the positions of the clamp carriages 12 and 14 can be adjusted. This allows either of the clamp carriages 12 and 14 to access the support rollers 6A and 6B spaced apart in the furnace length direction B of the heat treatment furnace 2 without moving the carriage 20 in the width direction E.

[0036] The cart 20 is a member that supports the support body 16 and the clamp carts 12, 14. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the cart 20 has a box shape and has four wheels 30 on its underside. The four wheels 30 ride on two rails 32 and are movable in the longitudinal direction D of the roller exchanging mechanism 10. As the cart 20 moves along the rails 32, the roller exchanging mechanism 10 including the cart 20 can move toward / away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2.

[0037] Openings 34A and 34B for exposing the ends of the support rollers 6A and 6B are formed on the side surface 11 of the furnace body 4. The end of the support roller 6A is inserted through the opening 34A, and the end of the support roller 6B is inserted through the opening 34B. The openings 34A and 34B are each sealed by a door (not shown) with both ends of the support rollers 6A and 6B exposed to the outside of the furnace, and the door is configured to be opened when the support roller 6 is replaced.

[0038] Hanging mechanisms 36A and 36B for hanging the support rollers 6A and 6B are provided on the outside of the furnace body 4. The hanging mechanisms 36A and 36B each have a clamp portion 38A or 38B at the tip, and can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction. The clamp portion 38A holds the end of the support roller 6A, and the clamp portion 38B holds the end of the support roller 6B. In FIG. 2, the clamp portion 38A holds the end of the support roller 6A, and the clamp portion 38B is separated into upper and lower portions.

[0039] Roller changing mechanism 10 has multiple built-in drive units (not shown). The multiple drive units are electrically connected to control unit 8 and are controlled by control unit 8. A block diagram of a control system for roller changing mechanism 10, including the multiple drive units and control unit 8, is shown in FIG. 3. Note that driving of the drive units also includes the possibility of operating them manually without using control unit 8.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, a first drive unit 40, a second drive unit 42, a third drive unit 44, and a fourth drive unit 46 are connected to the control unit 8.

[0041] The first drive unit 40 has a function of driving the first clamp carriage 12 to slide in a slide direction S1. The second drive unit 42 has a function of driving the second clamp carriage 14 to slide in a slide direction S2. The third drive unit 44 has a function of driving the support body 16 to rotate in a rotation direction R. The fourth drive unit 46 has a function of driving the slider 18 to slide in a slide direction S3.

[0042] The control unit 8 controls each of the driving units 40, 42, 44, and 46 based on instructions input by an operator or a pre-stored program.

[0043] Each of the driving units 40, 42, 44, 46 includes a motor (not shown) that is ON / OFF controlled by the control unit 8, and drives the target member by rotating the motor. The first driving unit 40, the second driving unit 42, and the fourth driving unit 46 include, for example, a chain extending in the sliding directions S1, S2, S3, and a sprocket engaged with the chain, and the target member is slidably driven by rotating the sprocket with the motor. The third driving unit 44, for example, drives the support 16 to rotate by rotating a rotating shaft connecting the support 16 to the slider 18 with the motor.

[0044] The replacement operation of the support rollers 6 by the roller replacement mechanism 10 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Figs. 5A to 5G. Fig. 4 is a flowchart relating to the replacement operation of the support rollers 6 by the roller replacement mechanism 10, and Figs. 5A to 5G are explanatory diagrams (sectional views) of a case where the roller replacement operation is performed according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4.

[0045] 5A to 5G, (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the rotational positions of the clamping carriages 12 and 14, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the clamping carriages 12 and 14 and the support roller 6, and (c) is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the support roller 6 and the workpiece 3. In addition, in Fig. 5A to 5G, used (damaged or dirty) support rollers 6 are shown with diagonal lines, and new support rollers 6 are shown in white.

[0046] First, the control unit 8 puts the clamp carts 12 and 14 on standby (S1). Specifically, by controlling the third drive unit 44 to rotate the support 16, the first clamp cart 12 is placed in a side standby position, and the second clamp cart 14 is placed in an upper replacement position, as shown in Fig. 5A. As shown in (a), a new replacement support roller 6C is attached to the first clamp cart 12 in the standby position. The method of attaching the support roller 6C will be described later (Figs. 7A to 7E).

[0047] As shown in (c), the heat treatment furnace 2 is operated with the support roller 6A serving as the lower standby roller and the support roller 6B serving as the upper work roller, out of the two support rollers 6. As the heat treatment furnace 2 operates, scale adheres to the surface of the support roller 6B, which is the work roller, and the surface is worn, so the work roller and the standby roller are switched at a desired timing.

[0048] The control unit 8 advances the second clamp carriage 14 (S2). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5B, the second drive unit 42 is controlled to slide the second clamp carriage 14, thereby moving it in a direction approaching the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The second clamp carriage 14 advances to a position near the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 where it can receive the end of the support roller 6B.

[0049] The control unit 8 raises the standby roller (S3). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, the control unit 8 controls the hanging mechanism 36A (not shown) to raise the lower support roller 6A. As shown in (c), both of the support rollers 6A and 6B support the workpiece 3.

[0050] The control unit 8 lowers the used work roller (S4). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5C, the suspension mechanism 36B is controlled to lower the support roller 6B. As shown in (c), the support roller 6A is in a state of supporting the work 3. As shown in (b), the end of the lowered support roller 6B is received by the second clamp cart 14. In this state, the worker tightens the fixing bolt (not shown) of the second clamp cart 14, so that the second clamp cart 14 grips the support roller 6B at only one end (S5). After that, the clamp unit 38B of the suspension mechanism 36B releases the clamp of the support roller 6B. This allows the second clamp cart 14 gripping the support roller 6B to retreat backward.

[0051] The control unit 8 retracts the second clamp cart 14 (S6). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5D, the second drive unit 42 is controlled to slide the second clamp cart 14, thereby moving it in a direction away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. As a result, the support roller 6B is removed from the heat treatment furnace 2.

[0052] The control unit 8 rotates the support 16 (S7). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5E, the third drive unit 44 is controlled to rotate the support 16 90 degrees so that the second clamp cart 14, which was in the upper exchange position, is placed in a side standby position, and the first clamp cart 12, which was in the side standby position, is placed in the upper exchange position. This switches the positions of the clamp carts 12 and 14. The first clamp cart 12, which is in the upper exchange position, becomes accessible to the opening 34B (reference number omitted) in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2 by the sliding drive.

[0053] The control unit 8 advances the first clamp cart 12 (S8). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5F, the first drive unit 40 is controlled to slide the first clamp cart 12 gripping the new support roller 6C, thereby moving it closer to the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The support roller 6C gripped only at one end by the first clamp cart 12 is inserted into the heat treatment furnace 2 through the opening 34B in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. After that, both ends of the support roller 6C are gripped by the clamp unit 38B of the hanging mechanism 36B, and then the grip of the support roller 6C by the first clamp cart 12 is released. The new support roller 6C is attached as a standby roller of the heat treatment furnace 2 (S9).

[0054] The control unit 8 retreats the first clamp cart 12 (S10). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5G, the first drive unit 40 is controlled to slide the first clamp cart 12, thereby moving it in a direction away from the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2.

[0055] 5A to 5G, the support roller 6A waiting as a standby roller is switched to a work roller, the used support roller 6B is removed from the heat treatment furnace 2, and a new support roller 6C is installed as a standby roller. The heat treatment furnace 2 can then continue to perform heat treatment on the workpiece 3 with the support roller 6A as the work roller and the support roller 6C as the standby roller.

[0056] In the above operation, since a new support roller 6C is held by the first clamp cart 12 in advance and is on standby, after the used support roller 6A is removed, the support roller 6C can be quickly attached to the heat treatment furnace 2. In addition, since this replacement work can be performed while the heat treatment furnace 2 is in operation, the productivity of the heat treatment furnace 2 can be maintained high.

[0057] In particular, in this embodiment, a so-called "revolver type" roller replacement mechanism 10 that rotates the support 16 is used as a mechanism for switching the positions of the clamp carts 12 and 14. This not only enables the support rollers 6 to be replaced in a short time, but also shortens the dimension of the roller replacement mechanism 10 in the width direction E, making it possible to make the mechanism more compact.

[0058] When the above-mentioned replacement work is completed, the carriage 20 is withdrawn along the rail 32 shown in Fig. 2. This allows another work to be performed by the withdrawn roller replacement mechanism 10 while securing a work space along the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The other work may be the work of replacing the used support roller 6B with a new support roller. The replacement work of the support roller 6B will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Figs. 7A to 7E.

[0059] Fig. 6 is a flowchart relating to the replacement operation of the support roller 6B in the roller replacement mechanism 10, and Fig. 7A to Fig. 7E are explanatory diagrams (sectional views) for carrying out the replacement operation according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 7A to Fig. 7E are continued from the state shown in Fig. 5G(a).

[0060] First, the control unit 8 rotates the support 16 (S11). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7A, the third drive unit 44 is controlled to rotate the support 16 clockwise (see the arrow). The first clamp cart 12 not gripping a roller is placed in a standby position on the side, and the second clamp cart 14 gripping the support roller 6B is placed in an exchange position above.

[0061] Thereafter, the used support roller 6B is removed (S12). Specifically, after the clamping of the support roller 6B by the second clamp cart 14 is released, as shown in Fig. 7B, a worker operates the crane to lift the support roller 6B (see the arrow). When removing the support roller 6B later, by placing the second clamp cart 14 at the upper replacement position, even if the clamping of the support roller 6B by the second clamp cart 14 is released, the support roller 6B naturally maintains a state of being placed on the second clamp cart 14, so there is no need to worry about the support roller 6B falling, and the support roller 6B can be safely removed at an appropriate time.

[0062] After that, a new support roller 6D is attached (S13). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7C, an operator operates the crane to lower the new support roller 6D toward the second clamp cart 14, which is at the upper replacement position (see arrow). The end of the support roller 6D is received by the second clamp cart 14, and the operator tightens the fixing bolts of the second clamp cart 14, so that the second clamp cart 14 grips the support roller 6D.

[0063] The control unit 8 drives and rotates the support 16 (S14). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7D, the third drive unit 44 is controlled to drive and rotate the support 16 counterclockwise (see the arrow). The second clamp cart 14 gripping the support roller 6D is placed in a standby position on the side, and the first clamp cart 12 not gripping the support roller 6 is placed in an exchange position above.

[0064] The control unit 8 drives the support 16 to slide (S15). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7E, the fourth drive unit 46 is controlled to drive the support 16 to slide along the width direction E of the carriage 20 (see the arrow). The first clamp carriage 12, which is in the upper replacement position, is moved to a position facing the opening 34A (Fig. 1) provided in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2, and becomes accessible to the support roller 6A, which is the current work roller, by the slide drive.

[0065] 7A to 7E, the used support roller 6B can be removed from the roller replacement mechanism 10, and a new support roller 6D can be held and kept on standby by the second clamp cart 14. Thereafter, when replacing the support roller 6A, which is the work roller, with the support roller 6D, the replacement work can be performed by executing the same operations as those shown in FIGS. 5A to 5G.

[0066] The operations described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7E can be performed in parallel with the operation of the heat treatment furnace 2, similar to the replacement operations described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5G.

[0067] As described above, the roller exchange mechanism 10 of the embodiment is an exchange mechanism for exchanging the support rollers 6 that support the workpiece 3 of the catenary-type heat treatment furnace 2 through the openings 34A and 34B in the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2. The roller exchange mechanism 10 includes the clamp carriages 12 and 14, the support 16, the carriage 20 carrying the support 16, the first drive unit 40, the second drive unit 42, and the third drive unit 44. The clamp carriages 12 and 14 each have a function of gripping the support roller 6, and are provided so as to be slidable in the direction toward and away from the openings 34A and 34B. The support 16 supports the first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 so as to be slidable. The first drive unit 40 drives the first clamp carriage 12 to slide, and the second drive unit 42 drives the second clamp carriage 14 to slide. The third drive unit 44 drives the support 16 so that the positions of the first clamp carriage 12 and the second clamp carriage 14 can be interchanged.

[0068] According to the above configuration, by having one of the clamp carts 12, 14 hold the replacement support roller 6C and keep it on standby, the support roller 6B can be removed from the heat treatment furnace 2 and held by one of the clamp carts 12, and then the support body 16 can be driven to instantly switch the positions of the first clamp cart 12 and the second clamp cart 14, and the support roller 6C held by the other clamp cart 14 can be attached to the heat treatment furnace 2. This allows the support roller 6 to be replaced in a short time.

[0069] In the roller exchanging mechanism 10 of the embodiment, the third drive unit 44 rotates the support 16. According to this configuration, by using a so-called "revolver type" roller exchanging mechanism 10, it is possible to reduce the width of the carriage 20, for example, and to achieve a more compact structure, compared to a case in which the support 16 is linearly driven.

[0070] Moreover, the roller exchanging mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a fourth drive unit 46 that drives the support body 16 to slide in the width direction E that is a direction intersecting the sliding directions S1, S2 of the clamp carts 12, 14. With this configuration, the positions of the first clamp cart 12 and the second clamp cart 14 can be adjusted in the width direction E of the cart 20, and when the support rollers 6 are provided in pairs, both support rollers 6 can be quickly accessed.

[0071] Moreover, the roller replacing mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes rails 32 that enable the carriage 20 to slide along the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2. According to this configuration, if the carriage 20 is retracted when the roller replacing operation is not being performed, a working space can be secured along the side surface 11 of the heat treatment furnace 2.

[0072] The roller replacement mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a control unit 8, which drives the support 16 by the third drive unit 44 so that the second clamp cart 14 is at the replacement position (S1, FIG. 5A). The control unit 8 further drives the second clamp cart 14 by the second drive unit 42 to slide closer to the opening 34B (S2, FIG. 5B) and grips the used support roller 6B (S5, FIG. 5C). The control unit 8 further drives the second clamp cart 14 holding the support roller 6B by the second drive unit 42 to slide away from the opening 34B (S6, FIG. 5D). The control unit 8 further drives the support 16 by the third drive unit 44 so that the first clamp cart 12 holding the support roller 6C different from the support roller 6B is at the replacement position (S7, FIG. 5E). The control unit 8 further causes the first drive unit 40 to slide the first clamp cart 12 so as to approach the opening 34B (S8, FIG. 5F), and attaches another support roller 6C held by the first clamp cart 12 to the heat treatment furnace 2 (S9, FIG. 5F). With this configuration, the support roller 6 can be replaced automatically in a short time.

[0073] (Modification) Although the invention of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the invention of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the rail 32 is provided to enable the carriage 20 to slide in the furnace width direction C of the heat treatment furnace 2, but the invention is not limited to such a case. For example, instead of the rail 32 extending in the furnace width direction C, a rail extending in the furnace length direction B may be provided.

[0074] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a roller replacement mechanism 100 and a heat treatment furnace 2 according to a modified example in a greatly simplified manner. The carriage 102 of the roller replacement mechanism 100 shown in FIG. 8 is placed on a rail 104 extending in the furnace length direction B of the heat treatment furnace 2. The carriage 102 slides along the rail 104, so that the position of the roller replacement mechanism 100 can be adjusted depending on whether one of the support rollers 6A and 6B is to be replaced. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the slider 18 and the fourth drive unit 46 for sliding the support 16 as shown in FIG. 2 can be omitted. In addition, since the carriage 102 can move in the furnace length direction B, the sets of the multiple support rollers 6A and 6B present in the furnace length direction B can be replaced in order by one carriage 102.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the clamp carriages 12, 14 and the support 16 are provided in one set, but this is not limiting and two or more sets may be provided. In a modified roller exchange mechanism 200 shown in Fig. 9, a set of clamp carriages 212A, 214A and support 216A, and a set of clamp carriages 212B, 214B and support 216B are provided. Each of the supports 216A and 216B is fixed to the carriage 202.

[0076] 9, the support roller 6A can be replaced using a set of the clamp carriages 212A, 214A and the support 216A, and the support roller 6B can be replaced using a set of the clamp carriages 212B, 214B and the support 216B. Since it is not necessary to slide the supports 216A and 216B laterally, a mechanism for driving the slides and a drive unit can be omitted. In addition, by providing a shared space H between the two sets, the dimension of the carriage 202 in the width direction E can be shortened, and the roller replacement mechanism 200 can be made compact.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the case where the support 16 is rotated to switch the positions of the clamp carts 12, 14 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, in the roller exchange mechanism 300 shown in Fig. 10, the support 306 supporting the clamp carts 302, 304 is configured to be slidable in the width direction E of the cart 308. By sliding the support 306 in the width direction E, the positions of the clamp carts 302, 304 can be switched without using a complicated rotation mechanism.

[0078] Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be adopted to achieve the effects of each of them.

[0079] Although the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various modifications and alterations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and alterations should be understood to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims, unless they deviate from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, changes in the combination and order of elements in each embodiment may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0080] The present disclosure is applicable to any replacement mechanism for replacing support rollers that support a workpiece in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 2. Heat treatment furnace 3 Work 4 Furnace body 6, 6A, 6B Support rollers 6C, 6D Support roller (replacement) 8. Control Unit 10 Roller exchange mechanism 11 Side 12 First clamp trolley 14 No. 2 clamp trolley 16 Support 18 Slider 20 Carts 22, 24 rail 28 Rail 30 wheels 32 Rail 34A, 34B opening 36A, 36B Suspension mechanism 38A, 38B Clamp section 40 First Drive Unit 42 Second Drive Unit 44 3rd Drive Unit 46 4th Drive Unit 100 Roller exchange mechanism 102 Trolley 104 Rail 200 Roller exchange mechanism 202 Trolley 212A, 214A, 212B, 214B Clamp Cart 216A, 216B Support 300 Roller exchange mechanism 302, 304 Clamp Cart 306 Support 308 Trolley A Conveying direction B Furnace length direction C Furnace width direction D Length direction E Width direction P Rotational axis R Rotation direction S1, S2, S3 slide direction H. Shared Space

Claims

1. A replacement mechanism for replacing a support roller supporting a workpiece in a catenary-type heat treatment furnace through an opening in a side surface of the heat treatment furnace, a first clamp carriage and a second clamp carriage that have a function of gripping the support roller and are provided so as to be slidable in a direction toward and away from the opening, respectively; A support body that slidably supports the first clamp carriage and the second clamp carriage, A cart carrying the support; and A first drive unit that slides and drives the first clamp cart; A second drive unit that slides and drives the second clamp carriage; and a third drive unit that drives the support body so that the position of the first clamp carriage and the position of the second clamp carriage can be interchanged. Support roller replacement mechanism.

2. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the third drive section rotates the support.

3. 3. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising a fourth drive unit that drives the support member to slide in a direction intersecting with a sliding direction of the clamp carriage.

4. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 1 , further comprising a rail that enables the carriage to slide along a width direction of the heat treatment furnace.

5. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 1 , further comprising a rail that enables the carriage to slide along a length direction of the heat treatment furnace.

6. 6. The support roller replacement mechanism according to claim 1, wherein two sets of the first clamp carriage, the second clamp carriage and the support are provided, each fixed to the carriage.

7. A control unit is further provided. The control unit is The third drive unit drives the support body so that the second clamp carriage is at an exchange position; The second drive unit slides and drives the second clamp carriage so as to approach the opening, and grips the used support roller; The second drive unit slides the second clamp carriage gripping the support roller so as to move away from the opening; The third drive unit drives the support so that the first clamp carriage gripping a support roller other than the support roller comes to the replacement position; The support roller replacement mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first drive unit slides the first clamp cart closer to the opening, and the other support roller gripped by the first clamp cart is attached to the heat treatment furnace.

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