Conveying device and planar conveying device

Abstract

Developed are a conveyance device and a planar conveyance device which have a simple structure and are capable of conveying articles in an arbitrary direction. A conveyance device 1 which has an impelling mechanism 2 that impels an article so as to move the article and a rotation mechanism 3 that rotates the impelling mechanism, and in which the direction of movement of the article can be changed by rotating the impelling mechanism 2 via the rotation mechanism 3, said conveyance device being characterized in that: the impelling mechanism 2 has an impelling-mechanism-side motor 10; the impelling-mechanism-side motor 10 has a coil 32 which is toward the center and an outer body 30 which surrounds the coil 32, and is an outer rotor-type motor wherein the outer body 30 rotates; and the impelling-mechanism-side motor 10 is disposed such that the center axis of the outer body 30 is substantially horizontally oriented, and impels the article by the outer body 30 making contact with the article either directly or via a rotating body 7 which rotates freely.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device that conveys an article, and more particularly to a conveying device that conveys articles in a plurality of directions and out of a plurality of directions. [Background technology]

[0002] In distribution centers, collection centers, warehouses, etc., many kinds of goods may be handled. Also, many goods may be sorted, loaded onto trucks, or transported to specific shelves. In the prior art, articles were sorted using a sorting system equipped with a plurality of transfer devices such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1, 2 and 3. The transfer devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a main conveying path that allows articles to pass in a straight line and a sub-conveying path that transports articles in a perpendicular direction, and can transfer articles to another conveyor line. The transfer device described in Patent Document 3 has a main conveying path that allows articles to pass in a straight line and a discharge means that discharges articles at an angle, so that the articles can be transported at an angle and transferred to another conveyor line.

[0003] In the conventional sorting system, a large number of transfer devices as described above are arranged to branch the conveyor line in a complex manner. The sorting system transports the articles, and transfers them to the branch conveyor lines that branch off from the original conveyor line, gradually narrowing down the destinations to move the articles to their intended destinations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-163549 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-51680 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-163547 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The transfer device of the prior art selectively carries out introduced articles in two specific directions. Therefore, the sorting system of the prior art is a complex, branched conveyor line, and is quite large in scale. In other words, a large installation space is required to construct the sorting system of the prior art. Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention aims to develop a conveying device and a planar conveying device which have a simple structure and are capable of conveying objects in any direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems is a conveying device having a biasing mechanism for biasing an article to move and a rotation mechanism for rotating the biasing mechanism itself, and the rotation mechanism rotates the biasing mechanism to change the direction of movement of the article, wherein the biasing mechanism has a biasing mechanism side motor, which is an outer rotor type motor having a coil at its center and an outer casing surrounding the coil, and which rotates with the outer casing, and the biasing mechanism side motor is positioned so that the central axis of the outer casing is in an approximately horizontal position, and the outer casing comes into contact with the article directly or via a freely rotating rotor, thereby biasing the article.

[0007] The "central axis of the outer shell" is a virtual central axis of rotation. In most outer rotor motors, an axis is inserted through the center as an object, and in many cases, this axis becomes the "central axis of the outer shell," but there are also cases where the axis does not exist as an object. The "substantially horizontal position" is a position that is closer to horizontal than a vertical position. In the conveying device of this aspect, the biasing mechanism includes a biasing mechanism motor. The biasing mechanism motor is an outer rotor type motor that rotates at its outer casing. In the conveying device of this aspect, an article is moved by being in direct or indirect contact with the outer casing of the outer rotor type motor. The conveying device of this aspect also has a rotation mechanism, and the rotation mechanism can rotate the biasing mechanism to change the moving direction of the article. The conveying device of this embodiment does not require power transmission members such as gears in the mechanical parts that urge the articles, and the number of parts is small.

[0008] In the above-mentioned aspect, the rotation mechanism has a rotation mechanism side motor, which is an outer rotor type motor having a coil at the center and an outer casing surrounding the coil, and which rotates with the outer casing, and it is desirable that the rotation mechanism side motor is arranged so that the central axis of the outer casing is in an approximately vertical position, and that the outer casing is directly or indirectly engaged with the biasing mechanism.

[0009] The "central axis of the outer shell" is a virtual central axis of rotation. In most outer rotor motors, an axis is inserted through the center as an object, and in many cases, this axis becomes the "central axis of the outer shell," but there are also cases where the axis does not exist as an object. The "approximately vertical position to water" is a position that is closer to vertical than a horizontal position. In the transport device of this aspect, a rotation mechanism motor is provided in the rotation mechanism unit. The rotation mechanism motor is an outer rotor type motor that rotates an outer casing. The conveying device of this embodiment does not require power transmission members such as gears in the mechanical parts that change the moving direction of the articles, and therefore requires a small number of parts.

[0010] In each of the above aspects, it is desirable to have a freely rotatable roller, a part of which contacts the biasing mechanism motor, and a part of which contacts the article to bias the article.

[0011] In each of the above aspects, it is desirable for one or more of the rollers to have a degree of freedom in the up and down direction.

[0012] Also, a structure may be adopted in which a friction imparting member is provided on the outer periphery of the outer casing of the biasing mechanism motor, and the biasing mechanism motor comes into contact with an article to bias the article.

[0013] According to this aspect, the outer shell directly contacts the article and can bias the article.

[0014] Another aspect for solving a similar problem is a conveying device having a biasing mechanism that biases an article to move and a rotating mechanism that rotates the biasing mechanism itself, and the biasing mechanism is rotated by the rotating mechanism to change the direction of movement of the article, wherein the rotating mechanism has a rotating mechanism side motor, which is an outer rotor type motor that has a coil at its center and an outer casing surrounding the coil, and which rotates the outer casing, and the rotating mechanism side motor is positioned so that the central axis of the outer casing is in an approximately vertical position, and the outer casing is directly or indirectly engaged with the biasing mechanism.

[0015] In the transport device of this aspect, a rotation mechanism motor is provided in the rotation mechanism unit. The rotation mechanism motor is an outer rotor type motor that rotates an outer casing. In the conveying device of this aspect, an article is engaged with the outer casing of the outer rotor type motor directly or indirectly, thereby rotating the biasing mechanism. The conveying device of this embodiment does not require power transmission members such as gears in the mechanical parts that change the moving direction of the articles, and therefore requires a small number of parts.

[0016] An embodiment of the planar transport device is characterized in that a plurality of any one of the transport devices described above are arranged in a plane.

[0017] According to the planar transport device of this aspect, it is possible to send out articles in any direction. Effect of the Invention

[0018] The conveying device and planar conveying device of the present invention have a simple structure yet are capable of conveying articles in any direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention (including a base member of a planar conveying device). [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport device of FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the upper side of the conveying device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the conveying device in FIG. 1 separated into a biasing mechanism and a rotating mechanism. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the conveying device of FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a plan view of a planar transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of a conveying device according to another embodiment of the present invention (including a base member of the planar conveying device). [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of a conveying device according to still another embodiment of the present invention (including a base member of the planar conveying device). [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a planar transport device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view of one section of the planar transport device shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 10 is an exploded perspective view of one section of the planar transport device shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 12] 10 is a cross-sectional view of two compartments of the planar transport device shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 13] 10A, 10B, and 10C are drawings including a basic member of a conveying device used in the planar conveying device shown in FIG. 9, in which (a) is a front view thereof, (b) is a plan view thereof, and (c) is a bottom view thereof. [Figure 14] 10 is a perspective view showing a top surface member and a base member of the planar transport device shown in FIG. 9, each showing a state where a plurality of these members are combined together. [Figure 15] 10 is a perspective view of a top member of the planar transport device shown in FIG. 9, observed from the back side. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a transport device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 17 is a cross-sectional view of the upper side of the transport device of FIG. 16. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a planar transport device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Further embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The conveying device 1 of this embodiment is made up of a biasing mechanism 2 that biases and moves an article, and a rotation mechanism 3 that rotates the biasing mechanism itself. The biasing mechanism 2 has as its main component a biasing mechanism side motor 10 which is an outer rotor type motor, and the biasing mechanism side motor 10 is installed so that a central shaft 31 is in a horizontal position. The biasing mechanism side motor 10 rotates an outer shell 30. A roller (a freely rotating rotating body) 7 is installed on the upper part of the outer shell 30, and the roller 7 receives a rotational force from the outer shell 30 to rotate. An article (not shown) is placed on the rollers 7 and is moved by being urged by the rollers 7. That is, the rollers 7 function as an urging portion that urges the article.

[0021] The rotation mechanism unit 3 has as its main component a rotation mechanism side motor 20 configured as an outer rotor type motor, and the rotation mechanism side motor 20 is installed so that its central shaft is in a vertical position. The rotating mechanism side motor 20 rotates an outer shell 50. The biasing mechanism part 2 is engaged with the outer shell 50. Therefore, when the rotating mechanism side motor 20 rotates, the biasing mechanism part 2 rotates about a vertical axis, and the conveying direction changes.

[0022] Each component will be described below. The biasing mechanism 2 has a biasing mechanism side motor 10, a motor holding member 12, two rollers 7, and a cover member 13, as shown in FIGS. The biasing mechanism side motor 10 is an outer rotor type motor, and has a central shaft 31, a coil 32, and a magnet 33 built in an outer shell 30.

[0023] The central shaft 31 is hollow. The coil 32 is attached integrally to the central shaft 31. The outer shell 30 is a hollow drum-shaped member. The outer shape of the outer shell 30 is a barrel shape, with the outer diameter of the middle part being larger than the end sides, and the middle part being bulging. The outer shell 30 is rotatably attached to the central shaft 31 via a bearing 35 . The magnet 33 is integrally attached to the inner surface of the outer shell 30 .

[0024] To summarize the positional relationship of each member of the motor 10 on the biasing mechanism side, there is a central shaft 31 and a coil 32 on the central side, and a magnet 33 and an outer casing 30 surround the coil 32. Both ends of the central shaft 31 protrude from the outer casing 30. The central shaft 31 and the coil 32 do not rotate, but the magnet 33 and the outer casing 30 surrounding them rotate around the central shaft 31. As described above, the central axis 31 is hollow, and the power supply line 45 is inserted into the hollow portion to supply power from the outside to the internal coil 32, thereby rotating the outer shell 30. In this embodiment, the central axis 31 coincides with the central axis of the outer shell 30.

[0025] In this embodiment, for convenience of drawing, the outer shell 30 is illustrated as a single unit, but in reality, it is often divided into several parts because of the need to insert the coil 32, etc. There are also cases where the outer shell 30 is made up of multiple tubes nested inside.

[0026] The motor holding member 12 is a tube with an outer diameter that is large compared to its overall length. Both ends of the motor holding member 12 are open. The motor holding member 12 has locking grooves 36 at opposing positions on the periphery of the upper end side, based on the posture at the time of installation. Further, an engagement recess 38 is formed on the periphery of the lower end side of the motor holding member 12, based on the installed posture. 70 A cable holding portion 37 is provided on the side surface of the motor holding member 12.

[0027] The cover member 13 has a circular planar shape, and is formed with two parallel rectangular openings 40. A roller receiving portion 41 is provided on the side surface of the cover member 13. A shaft 46 protrudes from each end of the roller 7 .

[0028] Next, the positional relationship of each member constituting the biasing mechanism 2 will be described. In the biasing mechanism 2 of this embodiment, the biasing mechanism-side motor 10 is disposed on the upper side of the motor holding member 12 based on the posture at the time of installation, and the central shaft 31 protruding from both ends of the biasing mechanism-side motor 10 is engaged with the locking groove 36 of the motor holding member 12. A locking member (not shown) is provided between the central shaft 31 of the biasing mechanism-side motor 10 and the locking groove 36 of the motor holding member 12, and the central shaft 31 is unable to rotate with respect to the motor holding member 12.

[0029] Two rollers 7 are disposed on the upper portion of the biasing mechanism side motor 10, and a cover member 13 is further disposed thereon. A shaft 46 of the roller 7 is rotatably supported by a roller receiving portion 41 of the cover member 13. The roller 7 is held in a horizontal position, and an upper side thereof is exposed through an opening 40 in the cover member 13. On the other hand, the lower part of the roller 7 is in contact with the biasing mechanism motor 10. Therefore, when the biasing mechanism motor 10 rotates, the roller 7 receives power transmitted from the biasing mechanism motor 10 and rotates.

[0030] Next, the rotation mechanism 3 will be described. In this embodiment, it can be said that the rotation mechanism unit 3 is the rotation mechanism side motor 20 itself. The rotation mechanism side motor 20 is an outer rotor type motor in which a central shaft 51, a coil 52, and a magnet 53 are built into an outer shell 50.

[0031] The outer shell 50 of the motor 20 on the rotating mechanism side has a special shape. In this embodiment, the outer shell 50 of the motor 20 on the rotating mechanism side has a hollow portion 60 that covers the periphery of the coil 52, and a recessed portion 61 that covers the lower portion of the motor 10 on the biasing mechanism side. That is, the outer casing 50 of the rotation mechanism side motor 20 has a bowl-shaped recess 61 on the upper side and a hollow portion 60 below it, based on the posture at the time of installation. An engaging protrusion 58 is formed on the peripheral wall of the recess 61 . Further, a protrusion 57 is provided at the lower end of the outer shell 50. A cable holding portion 56 is provided on the side surface of the outer shell 50.

[0032] The central shaft 51 is hollow. The coil 52 is attached integrally to the central shaft 51. The outer shell 50 is rotatably attached to the central shaft 51 via a bearing 62 with the region of the coil 52 contained within a hollow portion 60. The magnet 53 is integrally attached to the inner surface of the cavity 60 of the outer shell 50 .

[0033] To summarize the positional relationship of each component of the rotation mechanism-side motor 20, there is a central shaft 51 and a coil 52 on the center side, and a magnet 53 and a hollow portion 60 of the outer shell 50 surround the coil 52. The upper end of the central shaft 51 is housed in a recess 61 on the upper side of the outer shell 50. The upper end of the central shaft 51 protrudes from the lower part of the outer shell 50. The central shaft 51 and the coil 52 do not rotate, but the magnet 53 and the outer casing 50 surrounding them rotate around the central shaft 51 . As described above, the central axis 51 is hollow, and the power supply line 55 is inserted into the hollow portion to supply power from the outside to the internal coil 52, thereby rotating the outer shell 50. In this embodiment, the central axis 51 coincides with the central axis of the outer shell 50.

[0034] In this embodiment, for convenience of drawing, the outer shell 50 is illustrated as a single unit, but in reality, it is often divided into several parts because of the need to insert the coil 52, etc. There are also cases where the outer shell 50 is made up of multiple tubes nested inside.

[0035] Next, the attitude and positional relationship between the biasing mechanism 2 and the rotation mechanism 3 will be described. 1, the rotation mechanism 3 is installed with the recess 61 facing upward and the central axis 51 in a vertical position. The biasing mechanism 2 is installed on top of the rotation mechanism 3 with the central axis 31 held in a horizontal position. In other words, the biasing mechanism 2 is stacked on top of the rotation mechanism 3, and the motor holding member 12 of the biasing mechanism 2 is installed coaxially with the outer casing 50 of the rotation mechanism-side motor 20. The lower part of the biasing mechanism side motor 10 of the biasing mechanism 2 enters the recess 61 of the turning mechanism 3 , and the engaging protrusion 58 of the turning mechanism 3 engages with the engaging recess 38 of the motor holding member 12 .

[0036] It is desirable that the conveying device 1 of this embodiment is used as a planar conveying device 70 in which a plurality of units are arranged in a plane as shown in FIG. 4 and 5, the planar transport device 70 has a base member 71. The base member is provided with a central hole 72 and an arc-shaped elongated hole 73 centered on the central hole 72. In addition, a cable insertion hole 75 is provided. The central shaft 51 protruding from the lower part of the rotation mechanism unit 3 of the conveying device 1 is engaged with the central hole 72 of the base member 71. A locking member (not shown) is provided between the central hole 72 of the base member 71 and the central shaft 51, so that the central shaft 51 cannot rotate with respect to the base member 71.

[0037] Furthermore, protrusion 57 protruding from the bottom of rotation mechanism 3 engages with arc-shaped long hole 73 of base member 71. Power supply line 55 of rotation mechanism 3 is led out from central shaft 51 through central hole 72 of base member 71 to the outside. Power supply line 45 of biasing mechanism 2 exits central shaft 31, is held by cable holding parts 37, 56, and is led out to the outside through cable insertion hole 75.

[0038] Power is supplied individually from the outside to each of the conveying devices 1 of the planar conveying device 70. That is, power is supplied individually to the biasing mechanism side motor 10 and the rotating mechanism side motor 20 of each of the conveying devices 1. When power is supplied to the biasing mechanism motor 10, the biasing mechanism motor 10 rotates, causing the roller 7 exposed at the top to rotate. The biasing mechanism motor 10 is turned on and off and its speed is controlled by a control device (not shown).

[0039] When power is supplied to the rotating mechanism motor 20, the outer casing 50 of the rotating mechanism motor 20 rotates, and the upper motor holding member 12 that engages with it rotates, changing the orientation of the biasing mechanism unit 2 and the direction in which the article is conveyed. The rotation mechanism side motor 20 is pulse-controlled or vector-controlled by a control device (not shown), and rotates within a certain angle range.

[0040] The planar transport device 70 of this embodiment is provided with a load sensor (not shown) corresponding to each transport device 1. When an article arrives on any one of the conveying devices 1 of the planar conveying device 70, the motor 20 on the rotating mechanism side rotates to follow the conveying direction of the article, changing the orientation of the biasing mechanism 2. Then, the motor 10 on the biasing mechanism side starts to move the article in the desired direction. Therefore, the planar transport device 70 of this embodiment can receive articles from any direction and transport articles in any direction.

[0041] In the embodiment described above, the cover member 13 is provided with two rollers 7. The present invention does not limit the number of rollers 7, and the number may be one, or three or more. 16 and 17 show an example equipped with three rollers. The conveying device 21 shown in Fig. 16 and 17 is provided with a roller 22 in addition to the two rollers 7 of the above-mentioned embodiment. The roller 22 is placed between the two rollers 7. The central roller 22 has a smaller diameter than the rollers 7 on either side. Also, the central roller 22 has a longer overall length than the rollers 7 on either side.

[0042] The central roller 22 is also rotatably supported by the cover member 13. However, the central roller 22 is attached to the cover member 13 with some slack in the vertical direction, and has some freedom of movement in the vertical direction. The roller 22 is held in a horizontal position, and its upper side is exposed through the opening in the cover member 13. On the other hand, the lower part of the roller 22 contacts the biasing mechanism side motor 10. Here, since the roller 22 has a degree of freedom in the up and down directions, when there is no article (conveyed object) above it, the contact pressure between the roller 22 and the biasing mechanism side motor 10 is small. In contrast, when an article (conveyed object) is placed on the roller 22, the roller 22 is urged toward the motor 10 of the urging mechanism by the weight of the article, and the joining force between the two increases. As a result, the slippage of the roller 22 decreases, and the roller 22 rotates strongly to urge the article above.

[0043] As described above, the reason why the central roller 22 is designed to be able to move up and down is that due to dimensional tolerances, it is difficult to bring the three rollers 7, 22 into contact with the circular outer body 30 simultaneously and evenly.

[0044] The biasing mechanism side motor 10 used in the conveying device 21 has a frictional force imparting member 23 provided on the outer casing 30, and the frictional force imparting member 23 comes into contact with the rollers 7 and 22. The frictional force imparting member 23 is made of a material with a high friction coefficient, such as rubber. The friction imparting member 23 is a part of the outer shell 30 and rotates integrally with the other part of the outer shell 30 . In the conveying device 21 of the present embodiment, there is little slippage between the outer shell 30 and the rollers 7, 22, and the rotational force of the biasing mechanism side motor 10 can be transmitted to articles more efficiently.

[0045] FIG. 18 is a plan view of a planar transport device 25 in which transport devices 21 are arranged in a plane.

[0046] The conveying device 1 described above employs a structure in which a freely rotating roller 7 is disposed on the outer casing 30 of the motor 10 on the biasing mechanism side, and the roller 7 is rotated by the rotational force of the outer casing 30 to bias the article. That is, in the above-mentioned conveying device 1, the motor 10 on the biasing mechanism side is arranged so that the central axis of the outer casing 30 is in an approximately horizontal position, and the outer casing 30 comes into contact with an article via a freely rotating body (roller 7) to bias the article. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the outer shell 30 may be brought into direct contact with an article to urge the article.

[0047] The conveying device 80 shown in Fig. 7 biases an article by directly contacting the outer shell 30 with the article. The conveying device 80 shown in Fig. 7 does not have the roller 7, and the outer shell 30 of the biasing mechanism side motor 10 is directly exposed to the outside and contacts the article. The biasing mechanism side motor 10 employed in the transport device 80 of this embodiment has a friction imparting member 83 provided on the surface of the outer shell 30. The friction imparting member 83 is, for example, a ring-shaped rubber, and is wound around the surface of the main body of the outer shell 30. In this embodiment, an engagement groove 85 is provided on the surface of the main body of the outer shell 30, and a rib 86 provided on the inner circumference of the friction imparting member 83 engages with the engagement groove 85. Other parts of the conveying device 80 are the same as those of the conveying device 1 described above, so the same members are given the same numbers and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0048] In the embodiment described above, the engaging protrusion 58 is provided on the rotating mechanism 3, and the engaging recess 38 is provided on the motor holding member 12, so that the two engage with each other. This configuration is merely one example of a structure for transmitting the rotational force of the rotating mechanism 3 to the biasing mechanism 2, and either may be concave or convex. The rotating mechanism 3 and the biasing mechanism 2 may be integrally joined with screws, adhesive, or the like. Furthermore, the biasing mechanism motor 10 may be directly supported on the upper part of the outer casing 50 of the rotating mechanism motor 20. Both the biasing mechanism side motor 10 and the rotating mechanism side motor 20 have magnets 33, 53, but the magnets may be replaced with coils. That is, the biasing mechanism side motor 10 and the rotating mechanism side motor 20 may be reluctance motors. When a reluctance motor is used as the motor type, a coil is attached to the inner surface of the outer casings 30, 50.

[0049] In the embodiment described above, the power supply line 45 on the side of the biasing mechanism 2 is held by the cable holding portions 37, 56 provided on the external side. However, as shown in FIG. 8, an opening 63 may be provided in a part of the outer casing 50, etc., so that the power supply line 45 can be led into the outer casing 50 and then led to the outside via the central axis 51 of the rotating mechanism 3. According to this embodiment, the power supply lines 45 are organized.

[0050] The above-described conveying devices 1 and 80 do not have any power transmission members such as gears or belts, and have a simple structure and a small number of parts. This makes manufacturing and maintenance easy. In the conveying devices 1 and 80 described above, both the biasing mechanism unit 2 and the rotating mechanism unit 3 are outer rotor type motors, but either one may be a different type of motor, or the drive mechanism may have gears or the like.

[0051] Next, a planar transport device 65 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The planar transport device 65 has a plurality of top surface members 67 arranged thereon, and a plurality of biasing portions (rollers 7) are arranged on the top surface members 67. The planar transport device 65 has a plurality of top surface members 67 and a plurality of base members 68. A large number of pillar members 76 are provided between the top surface members 67 and the base members 68, and the top surface members 67 are supported by the pillar members 76. Some of the pillar members 76 are located at the boundaries between adjacent top surface members 67, and support the plurality of top surface members 67 across them. A plurality of transport devices 1 are disposed between the top surface members 67 and the base members 68.

[0052] A common bottom plate 77 is provided at the bottommost level of the planar transport device 65 . A sensor 108 is attached to the pole member 76 as shown in Fig. 11. A signal line 106 is provided inside the pole member 76. A terminal 105 is provided at the bottom of the pole member 76 as shown in Fig. 11, and the terminal 105 and the signal line 106 are connected as shown in Fig. 12. 11, there is a terminal receiving member 107 on the base member 68, and the terminals 105 of the pillar members 76 are inserted into the terminal receiving member 107 for electrical connection. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, a control board 130 is disposed inside the base member 68.

[0053] 9, the planar transport device 65 of this embodiment is divided into a plurality of blocks 66. Specifically, the planar transport device 65 is divided into 12 blocks 66. As shown in FIG. 11, each block 66 includes one top surface member 67, one base member 68, and four conveying devices 1. As shown in FIG. 11, many of the pillar members 76 are located on the boundary lines of each block 66, and many of the pillar members 76 are shared between adjacent blocks 66. In this embodiment, a sensor 108 is provided on each pillar member 76 .

[0054] Each component will be described below. The top surface member 67 is a plate-like member made of metal or resin, and has a substantially square planar shape as shown in Figures 11, 14, and 15. Four large circular openings 87 are provided in the center of the top surface member 67 in a matrix. A small circular opening 78 is provided in the center of the top surface member 67. Also, notches 88 and 90 are provided on each side of the top surface member 67. The notches 88 in the center of each side are semicircular, and the notches 90 at the corners of each side are quarter-circular. The notches 88, 90 on each side are shaped to form a small circle when mated with the notches 88, 90 on the top surface member 67 of the adjacent block 66.

[0055] 15, an upper support frame 120 having a square edge is provided on the back side of the top surface member 67, centered on a small circular opening 78 in the center. Similarly, upper frame pieces 121, 122 are provided on the back side of each side of the top surface member 67.

[0056] In this embodiment, the square upper support frame 120 provided at the center of the back surface of the top surface member 67 is a frame of a standard size. The upper frame pieces 121, 122 provided on each side are shaped to form a square of the standard size when combined with the upper frame pieces 121, 122 provided on the top surface member 67 of the adjacent block 66. That is, the upper frame pieces 121, 122 provided on each side constitute part of a square upper support frame of a standard size. Specifically, the upper frame pieces 121 provided at the center of each side are rectangular in shape, half the size of a square of the standard size, and are U-shaped with a long side and a short side. The upper frame pieces 122 provided at the corners of each side are square, one-fourth the size of the standard size square, and have a triangular shape surrounded by two short sides.

[0057] The base member 68 is composed of a main body portion 82 and a cover member 92 . The main body 82 is molded from resin, and has a peripheral wall 93 and a bottom 95. The main body 82 is provided with four engagement portions 91 arranged in a matrix. The engagement portions 91 are frames formed on the bottom 95 and protrude from the bottom 95. The engagement portions 91 are frames, and their inner surfaces form engagement recesses 96 of a specific shape. The engagement recesses 96 are of a shape other than circular, and in this embodiment, are generally "D" shaped with part of a circle missing. An opening 123 is provided at the bottom of the engagement recess 96, which communicates with the back surface side.

[0058] A square pillar insertion frame 97 is provided at the center of the main body 82. Furthermore, pillar insertion frame pieces 98 and 100 with portions missing are provided on each side of the main body 82. The centrally located square pillar insert frame 97 is shaped to form a square of a standard size in this embodiment. The pillar insertion frame pieces 98, 100 provided on each side are shaped to form a square of a standard size when combined with the pillar insertion frame pieces 98, 100 provided on the main body portion 82 of the adjacent base member 68.

[0059] That is, the pillar insertion frame pieces 98, 100 provided on each side constitute a part of a square opening of a standard size. Specifically, the pillar insertion frame piece 98 provided at the center of each side is shaped to form a rectangle that is half the size of a square of the standard size, and is U-shaped with a long side and a short side. The pillar insertion frame pieces 100 provided at the corners of each side are square, one-fourth the size of the standard size square, and have a triangular shape surrounded by two short sides. A terminal receiving member 107 is provided at the bottom of each of the pillar insertion frames 97 and the pillar insertion frame pieces 98, 100.

[0060] The cover member 92 is a metal plate that is placed over the main body 82. The cover member 92 is provided with openings 101, 102, 103, and 104 that are positioned and sized to correspond to the engagement portion 91, the pillar insertion frame 97, and the pillar insertion frame pieces 98 and 100 of the main body 82.

[0061] The pillar member 76 is a pillar made of resin and has a square cross section. The inside of the pillar member 76 is hollow. A sensor 108 is provided at the top of the pillar member 76. The sensor 108 is a photoelectric sensor that has a light emitting part and a light receiving part (not shown) and is a sensor that determines whether or not there is an object in front. In this embodiment, the sensor is used as a load presence sensor that determines whether or not there is an object (transported object) above.

[0062] A terminal 105 protrudes from the bottom of the pillar member 76 . Furthermore, a signal line 106 is provided inside the pole member 76, and the upper sensor 108 and the lower terminal 105 are connected by the signal line 106. The signal line 106 may be provided on the outside of the pole member 76 and along the pole member 76.

[0063] A base member 110 having a different shape from that of the above-described embodiment is integrally attached to the transport device 1. The base member 110 has a substantially square shape in plan view, with notches 112 provided at each corner. The surface side of the base member 110 has a recess into which the lower part of the transport device 1 fits. An engagement protrusion 115 protrudes from the back surface of the base member 110. The shape of the engagement protrusion 115 matches the shape of the engagement portion 91 of the main body portion 82.

[0064] Next, the positional relationship between the members constituting the planar transport device 65 will be described. In the planar transport device 65 of this embodiment, a common bottom plate 77 is disposed at the lowest layer, and other members are disposed on the common bottom plate 77 and integrated therewith. That is, the members constituting the blocks 66 are spread out on the common bottom plate 77. For example, in the planar transport device 65 shown in FIG.

[0065] The lower diagram of FIG. 14 shows a state in which the base members 68 are laid out on a common bottom plate (not shown) 77. As is clear from FIG. 14, when the base members 68 are generally laid out, the rectangular column insertion frames 131 are arranged in a matrix. That is, a column insertion frame 97 and a corresponding opening (cover member) 102 are provided at the center of each base member 68. The column insertion frame 97 and the corresponding opening 102 are rectangular in shape similar to the cross-sectional shape of the column member 76, and the column insertion frame 97 alone constitutes a column insertion frame 131.

[0066] As described above, there are column insert frame pieces 98, 100 and corresponding openings (cover members) 103, 104 on the sides of each base member 68. Focusing on the column insert frame pieces 98 provided in the center of each side, the column insert frame pieces 98, etc. are rectangular, but when combined with the column insert frame pieces 98 of the adjacent base members 68, they appear to have a quadrangle similar to the cross-sectional shape of the column member 76, thereby forming a column insert frame 131. Looking at the column insertion frame pieces 100 provided at the corners of each side, the column insertion frame pieces 100 are small triangular in shape, but when combined with the column insertion frame pieces 100 at each corner of the adjacent base member 68, they appear to be a rectangle similar to the cross-sectional shape of the column member 76, and the column insertion frame 131 is formed. Therefore, as described above, when the base members 68 are laid out, the rectangular column insertion frames 131 are arranged in a row.

[0067] The upper diagram in FIG. 14 shows a state in which the top surface members 67 are laid out. As is clear from FIG. 14, when the top surface members 67 are generally laid out, large circular openings 87 are arranged in a matrix. Smaller openings 135 surround the larger opening 87 and are arranged in a matrix. That is, each base member 68 has a circular opening 78 in its center.

[0068] As described above, there are cutouts 88, 90 on the sides of each top surface member 67. Looking at the cutout 88 provided in the center of each side, the cutout 88 is semicircular, but when combined with the adjacent top surface member 67, it appears to be a circular opening 135. Looking at the notches 90 provided at the corners of each side, the notches 90 are in the shape of a quarter circle, but when combined with the notches 90 at the corners of the adjacent top surface member 67, they form an opening 135 that appears to be circular.

[0069] As shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 14, when the top surface members 67 are laid out, there are rectangular upper support frames 140 on the back surface side, and the upper support frames 140 are arranged in a matrix. That is, an upper support frame 120 having a square edge with a circular opening 78 as its center is provided on the back side of the top surface member 67. The upper support frame 120 alone constitutes an upper support frame 140. As described above, there are upper frame pieces 121, 122 on the sides of each top surface member 67. Focusing on the upper frame piece 121 provided in the center of each side, the upper frame piece 121 is rectangular, but when combined with the upper frame piece 121 of the adjacent top surface member 67, it appears to have a quadrangle similar to the cross-sectional shape of the column member 76, and the upper support frame 140 is formed. Looking at the upper frame pieces 122 provided at the corners of each side, the upper frame pieces 122 are small triangular in shape, but when combined with the upper frame pieces 122 at each corner of the adjacent top panel member 67, they appear to be rectangular in shape similar to the cross-sectional shape of the pillar member 76, thereby forming the upper support frame 140.

[0070] In the planar conveying device 65 of this embodiment, the lower part of each pillar member 76 is inserted into a rectangular pillar insertion frame 131 arranged in a matrix at the bottom, and the upper part of each pillar member 76 is inserted into a rectangular upper support frame 140 arranged in a matrix at the top. That is, the planar conveying device 65 of this embodiment has a rectangular pillar insertion frame 131 at the bottom formed by the openings of each base member 68 and the cutouts of each base member 68 coming together, and a rectangular upper support frame 140 at the top formed by the upper support frame 120 of each top member 67 and the frame pieces 121, 122 of each top member 67 coming together, with the pillar member 76 between the two.

[0071] Four conveying devices 1 are attached between each of the top surface members 67 and the base members 68. The upper part of the transport device 1 is attached to the circular opening 87 of the top surface member 67. Looking at the lower part of the transport device 1, the engagement protrusion 115 of the base member 110 engages with the engagement portion 91 of the main body portion .

[0072] When observing the assembled planar transport device 65 from above and focusing on one transport device 1, sensors 108 are located at positions corresponding to the four corners of the transport device 1. That is, in one corner of the area including one conveying device 1, there is a small circular opening 78 formed in the center of the top surface member 67, and at the bottom of the opening 78, the tip of the pillar member 76 is located and a sensor 108 is provided.

[0073] At a diagonal position from the opening 78 past the center point of the conveying device 1, there is a small circular opening 135 formed by the corner notches 90 of the four top panel members 67, and at the bottom of the opening 135 there is a pillar member 76 on which a sensor 108 is mounted. Furthermore, at the remaining diagonal position, there is a small circular opening 135 formed by the notches 88 provided in the center of each side coming together, and a pillar member 76 is placed in this opening 132 and a sensor 108 is provided therein. Therefore, in the planar transport device 65 of this embodiment, sensors 108 are provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of each transport device 1.

[0074] As described above, in the planar transport device 65 of this embodiment, the lower portion of each pillar member 76 is inserted into the rectangular pillar insertion frames and rectangular openings arranged in a matrix at the bottom. As described above, the terminal 105 protrudes from the lower part of the pole member 76. Meanwhile, the terminal receiving member 107 is provided at the bottom of the pole insertion frame 97 and the pole insertion frame pieces 98, 100 on which the pole member 76 is installed. Therefore, by mounting the pole member to the pole insertion frame 97 and the pole insertion frame pieces 98, 100, the terminal 105 of the pole member 76 is joined to the terminal receiving member 107 of the pole insertion frame 97 etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a control board 130 that controls the conveying device 1 is disposed within the base member 68, and the terminal receiving member 107 is connected to the control board 130. Therefore, by attaching the pillar member 76, the sensor 108 is connected to the control board 130. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1, 80 Conveyor device 2 Biasing mechanism section 3 Rotation mechanism 7 Roller (freely rotating body, biasing part) 10. Motor on the biasing mechanism side 12 Motor holding member 20 Rotation mechanism side motor 30 Outer Body 31 Center axis 32 Coil 33 Magnet 50 Outer Body 51 Center axis 52 Coil 53 Magnet 65, 70 Planar conveying device 83 Friction-imparting member

Claims

1. A conveying device having a biasing mechanism for biasing an article to move and a rotation mechanism for rotating the biasing mechanism itself, the rotation mechanism being capable of rotating the biasing mechanism to change the moving direction of the article, the biasing mechanism has a biasing mechanism side motor, the biasing mechanism side motor has a coil on the central side and a biasing mechanism side outer casing as an outer casing surrounding the coil, and is an outer rotor type motor in which the biasing mechanism side outer casing rotates; the biasing mechanism side motor is disposed so that the central axis of the biasing mechanism part outer casing is in a substantially horizontal position, and the biasing mechanism part outer casing comes into contact with the article directly or via a freely rotating rotor, and biases the article; and The rotation mechanism includes a rotation mechanism motor and a rotation mechanism outer casing as an outer casing thereof, and further includes: A conveying device characterized by having no power transmission members.

2. A conveying device having a biasing mechanism for biasing an article to move and a rotation mechanism for rotating the biasing mechanism itself, the rotation mechanism being capable of rotating the biasing mechanism to change the direction of movement of the article, the biasing mechanism has a biasing mechanism side motor, the biasing mechanism side motor has a coil on the central side and a biasing mechanism side outer casing as an outer casing surrounding the coil, and is an outer rotor type motor in which the biasing mechanism side outer casing rotates; the biasing mechanism side motor is disposed so that the central axis of the biasing mechanism part outer casing is in a substantially horizontal position, and the biasing mechanism part outer casing comes into contact with the article directly or via a freely rotating rotor, and biases the article; and The rotation mechanism is a rotation mechanism side motor itself, and has a rotation mechanism outer shell as an outer shell, and further has The conveying device is characterized in that the outer casing of the rotation mechanism has a recess which covers a lower portion of the motor of the biasing mechanism.

3. the rotating mechanism side motor is an outer rotor type motor having a coil at the center and the rotating mechanism part outer shell as an outer shell surrounding the coil, the rotating mechanism part outer shell rotating, The conveying device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rotation mechanism side motor is arranged so that the central axis of the rotation mechanism outer casing is in an approximately vertical position, and the rotation mechanism outer casing is directly or indirectly engaged with the biasing mechanism.

4. The rotating body is a roller, 4. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the rollers have a degree of freedom in the vertical direction.

5. A conveying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer casing of the biasing mechanism has a friction-imparting member on its outer periphery, and the biasing mechanism side motor comes into contact with the article to bias the article.

6. A conveying device having a biasing mechanism for biasing an article to move and a rotation mechanism for rotating the biasing mechanism itself, the rotation mechanism being capable of rotating the biasing mechanism to change the moving direction of the article, the rotating mechanism includes a rotating mechanism side motor, the rotating mechanism side motor having a coil on the central side and a rotating mechanism side outer casing as an outer casing surrounding the coil, the rotating mechanism side motor being an outer rotor type motor that rotates the rotating mechanism side outer casing, A conveying device characterized in that the rotating mechanism side motor is arranged so that the central axis of the rotating mechanism outer casing is in an approximately vertical position, and the rotating mechanism outer casing is directly or indirectly engaged with the biasing mechanism.

7. A conveying device having a biasing mechanism for biasing an article to move and a rotation mechanism for rotating the biasing mechanism itself, the rotation mechanism being capable of rotating the biasing mechanism to change the direction of movement of the article, The biasing mechanism includes a biasing mechanism motor and a biasing mechanism outer casing as an outer casing thereof. the biasing mechanism side motor is disposed so that the central axis of the biasing mechanism part outer casing is in a substantially horizontal position, the biasing mechanism part outer casing contacts the article via a freely rotating rotor and biases the article; and The rotation mechanism includes a rotation mechanism motor and a rotation mechanism outer casing as an outer casing thereof, and further includes: A conveying device characterized in that the rotating body is a roller, and one or more of the rollers have a degree of freedom in the vertical direction.

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