Conveyor

Abstract

To solve the problem of sticking of oil on a friction clutch by employing a belt transmission mechanism instead of a chain transmission mechanism, since conventionally, a carrying force is transmitted by the chain transmission mechanism to respective roller bodies in an accumulate conveyor which transmits the carrying force to the roller bodies arranged in parallel along a carrying direction, and oil may stick on the friction clutch in oiling the chain transmission mechanism to hinder transmission efficiency.SOLUTION: A belt transmission mechanism is used as a power transmission mechanism 30. A belt 31 is extended between adjacent pulleys 20 adjoining a downstream side and an upstream side in a tandem fashion to transmit power. A V-ribbed belt is used as the belt 31. In the tandem fashion, the pulleys 20 are supported by two bearings. Oiling is not required differently from a conventional chain transmission mechanism, the trouble that oil sticks on the friction clutch can be prevented to improve maintainability.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device, for example called an accumulation conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an accumulating conveyor, which is a conveying device (roller conveyor) in which multiple roller bodies are arranged in parallel along the conveying direction, and transmits a rotational driving force to each roller body to impart a conveying force. Each roller body is rotatably supported via a bearing on a support shaft that is stretched between frames arranged on both the left and right sides of the conveying direction. One sprocket is arranged facing one side of each roller body. Each sprocket is rotatably supported on the support shaft via a bearing. A friction clutch is provided between each sprocket and the side of the roller body. The rotational power of the sprocket is transmitted to the roller body by friction between a friction plate on the sprocket side and a friction plate on the roller body side. The friction plate on the roller body side is pressed against the friction plate on the sprocket side by the biasing force of, for example, a compression spring interposed between the roller body and the support shaft, thereby transmitting the rotational power. One endless chain is stretched around the sprockets arranged along the conveying direction, and the rotational power of an electric motor is transmitted to each roller body.

[0003] Each roller body rotates due to the rotational power transmitted through the chain. As each roller body rotates, an item such as a cardboard box is transported along its upper surface (transport surface). When the movement of the transported item is stopped by a stopper, slippage occurs in the friction clutch and the rotational power of the chain is cut off. The roller body stops due to the slippage of the friction clutch, and the transported item is held stopped. When the movement resistance to the transported item is removed, the friction clutch engages and the roller body rotates again. This resumes the transport of the transported item. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-81026 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a chain is used to transmit a rotational driving force to each roller body. Usually, the chain and sprockets are lubricated as necessary by applying grease or the like. A friction clutch is disposed adjacent to each sprocket. For this reason, there is a risk that oil may scatter and adhere to the friction clutch as the chain moves. In this case, unnecessary slippage occurs in the friction clutch, hindering efficient power transmission. This disclosure makes it possible to prevent the efficiency of power transmission for conveying from being hindered in an accumulation conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the conveying device has, for example, a plurality of roller bodies arranged in parallel in the conveying direction, and a support shaft that is inserted through each roller body and rotatably supports each roller body. For example, a pulley is adjacent to each roller body. For example, each pulley is rotatably supported on the support shaft. For example, each pulley and each roller body are axially separably connected by a friction clutch. The plurality of pulleys may be configured to rotate in conjunction with each other via a belt. At least one of the plurality of pulleys may be configured to rotate around the axis of the support shaft by a power transmission mechanism.

[0007] Therefore, the roller body rotates by a power transmission mechanism having a belt and a pulley to convey the article. A belt transmission that does not require oiling is used instead of the conventional chain transmission. Therefore, oiling of the power transmission mechanism is not required. This allows efficient power transmission via a friction clutch.

[0008] In one or more embodiments, for example, the pulley is rotatably supported on the support shaft via two bearings arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the support shaft. With this configuration, the pulley is firmly supported against radial external forces, which are tensions for power transmission. This suppresses uneven wear of the belt and improves the efficiency of power transmission. By increasing the support rigidity of the pulley, the inclination of the pulley against the external force applied from the belt is suppressed. This ensures high power transmission efficiency of the friction clutch.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, for example, two bearings may be arranged in parallel at a fixed interval, which increases the support rigidity of the pulley and more reliably reduces uneven wear of the belt.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the clearance of the spindle with respect to the inner ring of the bearing may be set to be greater than the fit tolerance, which makes it easier to assemble the pulley to the spindle and improves maintainability.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the bearing may be a ball bearing, for example, which can reduce costs while ensuring the support rigidity of the pulley.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, for example, an upstream belt is interposed between one pulley in the conveying direction and an upstream pulley adjacent to the upstream side of the one pulley. For example, a downstream belt is interposed between one pulley in the conveying direction and a downstream pulley adjacent to the downstream side of the one pulley. A configuration can be adopted in which external forces in mutually opposite radial directions are applied to one pulley via the upstream belt and the downstream belt to transmit power.

[0013] According to this configuration, power is transmitted sequentially via belts stretched between adjacent pulleys in the conveying direction. Belts are stretched around one pulley in the conveying direction from both the upstream and downstream sides. By increasing the support rigidity of one pulley, it becomes possible to apply a sufficiently large external force (tension for power transmission) to one pulley from the upstream and downstream sides via the upstream and downstream belts. This increases the power transmitted by the power transmission mechanism, making it possible to transport heavier objects.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, for example, a common belt may be configured to press one pulley in the conveying direction and at least two pulleys adjacent to the one pulley on both the upstream and downstream sides from one radial direction, in which case an external force in one radial direction is applied to at least three pulleys to transmit power.

[0015] According to this configuration, at least three adjacent roller bodies are rotated by one belt pressed against at least three adjacent pulleys in the conveying direction. Since one belt is pressed in the same direction to transmit power, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism is simplified. Since an external force is applied to the pulley from one radial direction, for example, when power is transmitted using a flat belt, the pulley can be configured to be supported by one bearing. In this case, the inclination of the pulley is suppressed by configuring the belt to be pressed against the bearing from directly below. This ensures high power transmission efficiency of the friction clutch.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the belt may be a V-ribbed belt, a machine belt, or a flat belt. By using a V-ribbed belt, high transmission efficiency of the power transmission mechanism is ensured. By using a highly flexible V-ribbed belt, the power transmission mechanism can be made compact while ensuring high transmission efficiency. The V-ribbed belt can apply a larger tension than the machine belt.

[0017] By using a perforated belt, high transmission efficiency of the power transmission mechanism is ensured. By using a perforated belt, which is more flexible and bendable than a V-ribbed belt, the pulley diameter can be reduced, thereby making the power transmission mechanism more compact. By using a perforated belt, which is less expensive than a V-ribbed belt, the cost of the power transmission mechanism can be reduced. By using a flat belt, it becomes easy to configure the power transmission mechanism by pressing one flat belt in the same direction against multiple pulleys, for example three or more adjacent in the conveying direction. By using a single flat belt, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism and maintenance work can be simplified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall plan view of a conveying device according to a first embodiment, in which an object flows from the right side to the left side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part II in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a view taken along the arrow III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 1 and is a vertical cross-sectional view of the roller body. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a roller body according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a transport device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 9 is a view taken along the arrow IX in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a roller body according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion XI in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] 1 and 3 show a conveying device 1 of the first embodiment. The conveying device 1 is exemplified by a roller conveyor known as an accumulation conveyor. In an accumulation conveyor, the conveyed object M can be temporarily held by a stopper or a human hand without stopping the conveying operation of the entire conveyor. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the conveying direction of the conveyed object M is the leftward direction. The configuration exemplified below can be applied in substantially the same manner to the case where the conveying direction is the opposite direction.

[0020] The conveying device 1 has a frame 2 long in the conveying direction, a number of roller bodies 10 supported by the frame 2, and a power transmission mechanism 30 that rotates the number of roller bodies 10. The frame 2 has left and right side frames 3, 4 in the conveying direction and legs 5. The left and right side frames 3, 4 are arranged parallel to each other along the conveying direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right side frames 3, 4 are connected to each other via a connecting frame 6. The legs 5 are arranged at two locations, one at the front and one at the back of the left and right side frames 3, 4 in the conveying direction. The conveying surface H is set to approximately the waist height of a person by the four legs 5 in total. A screw-tightened adjuster 5a is provided at the bottom of each leg 5. The height and inclination of the conveying surface H are adjusted by adjusting the amount of tightening of the adjuster 5a.

[0021] A number of roller bodies 10 are supported between the left and right side frames 3, 4. The roller bodies 10 are supported in parallel at regular intervals in the conveying direction. Each roller body 10 has a cylindrical shape with the same diameter. The support structure of each roller body 10 is shown in Figures 5 and 6.

[0022] Each roller body 10 is supported between the left and right side frames 3, 4 via one support shaft 11. The support shaft 11 is supported across the left and right side frames 3, 4 so as not to rotate about its axis. Fasteners 18, 19 restrict the axial movement of the support shaft 11, thereby preventing it from falling off the side frames 3, 4.

[0023] Bearing cases 12, 13 are attached to the inner periphery of the left and right ends of the roller body 10, respectively. Ball bearings 14, 15 are held on the inner periphery of the left and right bearing cases 12, 13, respectively. The roller body 10 is rotatably supported on a support shaft 11 via the left and right ball bearings 14, 15. Axial displacement of the roller body 10 relative to the support shaft 11 is permitted within an extremely small range.

[0024] A flange-shaped spring receiver 16 is provided in a midway position on the left side of the axial direction of the support shaft 11, between the ball bearings 14 and 15. A compression spring 17 is interposed between the left-side ball bearing 14 and the spring receiver 16. The biasing force of the compression spring 17 acts in a direction to displace the roller body 10 leftward.

[0025] A pulley 20 is supported on the support shaft 11 between the left side frame 3 and the roller body 10. The pulley 20 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 11 via two ball bearings 21, 22. The two ball bearings 21, 22 are held in an inner peripheral hole 20a of the pulley 20. The two ball bearings 21, 22 are of two different sizes, large and small, in terms of outer ring diameter and width. The ball bearing 22 on the roller body 10 side is smaller in size than the ball bearing 21 on the side frame 3 side. The hole diameters of the inner rings of the two ball bearings 21, 22 are the same. The inner peripheral hole of the pulley 20 is formed with a step. The small-sized ball bearing 22 is held on the small-diameter side of the inner peripheral hole 20a. The large-sized ball bearing 21 is held on the large-diameter side of the inner peripheral hole 20a.

[0026] A ring 23 is disposed between the two ball bearings 21, 22. The ring 23 keeps a constant distance between the two ball bearings 21, 22 in the axial direction. A regulating member 24 regulates the pulley 20 from being displaced to the left.

[0027] The shaft diameter (outer diameter) of the support shaft 11 at the portion inserted into the inner ring holes of the ball bearings 21 and 22 is set smaller than usual in consideration of the ease of assembly of the pulley 20 to the support shaft 11. For example, when the inner ring hole diameter of the ball bearings 21 and 22 is 12 mm, the shaft diameter of the support shaft 11 is set to 11.9 mm to ensure a clearance of 0.1 mm. For example, by ensuring a clearance larger than the usual fit tolerance of about h7 (+0 to -0.018), a larger inclination of the support shaft 11 with respect to the inner ring holes of the ball bearings 21 and 22 is allowed. This makes it easier to assemble the pulley 20 to the support shaft 11, improving the ease of assembly and maintenance of the conveyor device 1.

[0028] Belts 31 and 34 of a power transmission mechanism 30 are hung around the pulley 20. The rotational power of the power transmission mechanism 30 is transmitted to the pulley 20 via the belts 31 and 34. A friction clutch 25 is interposed between the pulley 20 and the roller body 10. The rotational power of the pulley 20 is transmitted to the roller body 10 via the friction clutch 25. The rotational power transmitted to the roller body 10 becomes the power for transporting the transported object M (transport power).

[0029] The friction clutch 25 has two friction plates 26, 27 having an annular shape of approximately the same diameter. One of the friction plates 26 is attached to the right side of the pulley 20 by being stuck or fitted in. The other friction plate 27 is attached to the left side of the bearing case 12 by being stuck or fitted in. The friction plate 27 on the roller body 10 side is pressed in face-to-face contact with the friction plate 26 on the pulley 20 side by the biasing force of the compression spring 17. The friction force in the rotation direction generated by this is used to transmit the rotational power of the pulley 20 to the roller body 10. Although not shown in the figure, the friction plates 26, 27 are connected to the right side of the pulley 20 and the left side of the bearing case 12, respectively, with a spacer having appropriate elasticity in the plate thickness direction sandwiched therebetween. This allows the friction plates 26, 27 to be more reliably pressed against each other in face-to-face contact, and power transmission from the pulley 20 to the roller body 10 is more efficiently performed.

[0030] When slippage occurs between friction plates 26 and 27 of friction clutch 25, the power transmission path is interrupted and rotation of roller body 10 is stopped. Slippage between friction plates 26 and 27 occurs, for example, when movement of transported object M is restricted by a stopper. This allows transported object M to be retained on the transport path. The retention, whereby rotation of roller body 10 is stopped, prevents transported object M from being damaged or soiled.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, two belts 31 are hung on each pulley 20. The two belts 31 are hung with a shift in the width direction of the pulley 20 (the axial direction of the support shaft 11). One of the two belts 31 is hung on the adjacent pulley 20 on the downstream side, and the other is hung on the adjacent pulley 20 on the upstream side. The rotational power of the power transmission mechanism 30 is transmitted to the entire conveying path by the belt 31 hung between the two pulleys 20 adjacent in the conveying direction. In this embodiment, a belt suspension method called tandem hanging is adopted. In the tandem hanging, external forces P of the same magnitude are applied to one pulley 20 in mutually opposite directions from both above and below via the two belts 31. This external force P corresponds to the tension for power transmission.

[0032] In the first embodiment, an endless belt called a V-ribbed belt is used for each belt 31. A pulley for a V-ribbed belt (V-ribbed pulley) is used for each pulley 20. A rib having a V-shaped cross section is integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface of each belt 31 over the entire circumference. A plurality of ribs are provided in parallel in the width direction of the belt 31. This gives each belt 31 high power transmission and flexibility. Each belt 31 has an annular shape large enough to be stretched between two adjacent pulleys 20. A groove into which each rib of the belt 31 fits is provided over the entire circumference on the outer peripheral surface of the pulley 20.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, an electric motor 32 is used as a power source for the power transmission mechanism 30. The electric motor 32 is supported by the frame 2. The electric motor 32 is disposed below the conveying surface (below the roller body 10). The sides and bottom of the electric motor 32 are covered by a motor cover 35 that also serves as a motor base. An output pulley 33 is attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 32. The output pulley 33 is a V-ribbed pulley similar to the pulleys 20. Two output belts 34 are hung around the output pulley 33. The output belts 34 are V-ribbed belts similar to the belts 31.

[0034] One of the two output belts 34 is hung on one of the two adjacent pulleys 20 at the top, and the other output belt 34 is hung on the other pulley 20. When the electric motor 32 is started, the rotational power is transmitted to the two adjacent pulleys 20 at the top via the two output belts 34. The rotational power transmitted to the two pulleys 20 via the output belt 34 is transmitted to all the roller bodies 10 via the tandem belts 31 and the friction clutch 25. For example, when an operator stops the movement of the transported object M by hand during transport, the friction clutch 25 of the roller body 10 on which the transported object M is placed slips, and the rotation of the roller body 10 is stopped. When the operator releases his / her hand from the transported object M and the transport resistance is removed, the friction clutch 25 is connected and the roller body 10 rotates again. This restarts the transport of the transported object M.

[0035] According to the conveying device 1 of the first embodiment configured as described above, the roller body 10 is rotated by the power transmission mechanism 30 having the belt 31 and the pulley 20 to convey the conveyed object M. A belt transmission that does not require oiling is used instead of the conventional chain transmission. Therefore, oiling of the power transmission mechanism 30 is not required. This avoids problems such as adhesion of oil to the friction plates 26, 27 of the friction clutch 25, and allows efficient power transmission to the roller body 10 via the friction clutch 25.

[0036] Each pulley 20 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 11 via two ball bearings 21, 22 arranged in parallel in the axial direction. This increases the support rigidity of the pulley 20 to which external forces P (tension of the belts 31) are applied in opposite directions from both the upper and lower radial sides via the two belts 31. Increasing the support rigidity of the pulley 20 reduces or eliminates the inclination of the pulley 20 due to the external forces P. This suppresses uneven wear of the belts 31 and improves the efficiency of power transmission. Also, one-sided contact of the friction plates 26, 27 is avoided, ensuring high power transmission efficiency of the friction clutch 25.

[0037] The two ball bearings 21, 22 are arranged in parallel at a fixed interval by the ring 23 to expand the support span, thereby further increasing the support rigidity of the pulley 20 relative to the support shaft 11.

[0038] The clearance of the shaft 11 relative to the inner race holes of the ball bearings 21, 22 is set larger than the fit tolerance. By setting a larger clearance than usual, a larger inclination of the shaft 11 relative to the inner race hole is permitted. This makes it easier to assemble the pulley 20 to the shaft 11 (inserting the shaft 11 into the inner race hole), improving the maintainability of the conveyor device 1.

[0039] 5 and 6, the upper part of the power transmission path is covered by an upper path cover 28 that is long in the conveying direction. The lower part of the power transmission path is also covered by a lower path cover 29 that is long in the conveying direction. This prevents, for example, interference with the pulley 20 and the belt 31 by other members and contact with human hands. In addition, accumulation of dust and the like is reduced, and malfunctions are avoided in advance.

[0040] Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. For example, although a V-ribbed belt is used as the belt 31 of the power transmission mechanism 30, a machine-sewn belt may be used instead. Fig. 7 shows a second embodiment in which a machine-sewn belt is used as the belt 41. The same reference numerals are used for members and configurations that do not require modification, and their description will be omitted.

[0041] Between the left side frame 3 and the roller body 10, a pulley 42 is supported on the support shaft 11 in place of the pulley 20 of the first embodiment. A pulley for a sewing machine belt is used as the pulley 42. On the outer circumferential surface of the pulley 42, two V-shaped grooves 42a are provided side by side in the axial direction, into which the belt 41 is fitted. As in the first embodiment, two belts 41 are wound around the pulley 42. A so-called sewing machine belt is used as the belt 41. For this reason, a large number of trapezoidal convex portions are integrally formed at regular intervals on the inner circumferential surface of the belt 41 in the circumferential direction. This ensures high flexibility and abrasion resistance for the belt 41.

[0042] The pulley 42 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 11 via two ball bearings 43. The two ball bearings 43 have the same size, such as an outer diameter, an inner diameter, and a width. The two ball bearings 43 are held in an inner peripheral hole 42b of the pulley 42 in a state of contact with each other in the axial direction of the support shaft 11. Supported by the two ball bearings 43, high support rigidity of the pulley 42 to the support shaft 11 is ensured. As in the first embodiment, a ring may be sandwiched between the two ball bearings 43 to increase the support span of the pulley 42. Conversely, the ring 23 of the first embodiment may be omitted and the two ball bearings 21, 22 may be arranged adjacent to each other.

[0043] In the second embodiment as well, the shaft diameter of the support shaft 11 is set so as to ensure a larger than usual clearance with respect to the inner race holes of the two ball bearings 43. This ensures ease of assembly of the pulley 42 to the support shaft 11 and ease of maintenance.

[0044] Similar to the first embodiment, a friction clutch 25 is interposed between the pulley 42 and the left side of the roller body 10. The axial movement of the pulley 42 is restricted by a restricting member 44.

[0045] The belt 41 is stretched in tandem between the pulleys 42 adjacent to each other in the conveying direction, so that the rotational power of the power transmission mechanism 40 is transmitted to all of the roller bodies 10 .

[0046] The second embodiment using a sewing machine belt for the belt 41 also eliminates the need for oiling, unlike conventional chain transmission, and therefore ensures a high power transmission function while preventing adhesion of oil to the friction clutch 25. In addition, the trouble of oil adhering to the friction clutch 25 is avoided.

[0047] 8 to 11 show a power transmission mechanism 50 according to a third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a flat belt is used for the belt 51. As in the first and second embodiments, a plurality of roller bodies 10 are supported parallel to each other at a fixed interval in the conveying direction between the left and right side frames 3 and 4 of the frame 2.

[0048] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, each roller body 10 is rotatably supported on a support shaft 11 via left and right ball bearings 14, 15. A pulley 52 is supported on the support shaft 11 between the left side frame 3 and the roller body 10. The pulley 52 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 11 via one ball bearing 53. A pulley for a flat belt is used as the pulley 52. ​​Displacement of the pulley 52 to the left is restricted by a restricting member 54. A friction clutch 25 is interposed between the right side of the pulley 52 and the bearing case 12 of the roller body 10.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 9, the power transmission mechanism 50 according to the third embodiment includes an electric motor 55 as a drive source. The electric motor 55 is disposed below the conveying surface H. A belt 51 is looped around a drive pulley 56 attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 55. The tension of the belt 51 can be adjusted by changing the position of a tension roller 57. The belt 51 is pressed against each pulley 52 from below.

[0050] The pressure rollers 58 are disposed at appropriate intervals in the conveying direction. In the third embodiment, one pressure roller 58 is disposed for each pair of adjacent two pulleys 52. An appropriate tension is applied to the belt 51 by each pressure roller 58. The tension of the belt 51 acts on each pulley 52 as an external force (pressing force) Q in the radially upward direction. A rotational force is transmitted to the pulley 52 by the external force Q. The rotational force transmitted to the pulley 52 is transmitted to the roller body 10 via the friction clutch 25. This causes each roller body 10 to rotate and convey the conveyed object M. The strength of the external force Q can be adjusted by displacing the position of the tension roller 57.

[0051] 11, the belt 51 is pressed directly below the ball bearing 53. This suppresses the inclination of the pulley 52. ​​By suppressing the inclination of the pulley 52, uneven wear of the friction clutch 25 is suppressed, and high power transmission efficiency is maintained.

[0052] The conveying device 1 of the third embodiment also does not require oiling the power transmission path, unlike conventional chain transmission, and therefore can ensure a high power transmission function while preventing adhesion of oil to the friction clutch 25. Also, since the trouble of oil adhering to the friction clutch 25 is avoided, maintenance work becomes easier. Furthermore, the use of a flat belt as the power transmission belt 51 increases the noise reduction of the power transmission mechanism 50.

[0053] In the third embodiment, since the belt 51 is pressed directly below the bearing 53, the inclination of the pulley 52 is suppressed by the single bearing 53.

[0054] The third embodiment can be further modified. For example, the pulley may be supported by two bearings, as in the first and second embodiments. In this case, the belt may be pressed directly below the two bearings to prevent a tilting moment from being applied to the pulley.

[0055] In the third embodiment, one belt 51 is pressed against pulleys 52 in almost the entire area in the conveying direction, and the entire conveying area is operated by one power transmission mechanism 50. Alternatively, the entire conveying area may be divided into a plurality of areas, and each area may have its own power transmission mechanism. Alternatively, the power transmission mechanism 50 may be arranged only in a portion of the area in the conveying direction. In either case, the belt-type power transmission mechanism eliminates the need to oil the power transmission path.

[0056] Instead of the V-ribbed belt, sewing machine belt, and flat belt, a cheaper round belt can be used. A toothed belt (timing belt) can also be used. When using a toothed belt, a toothed pulley is used as the pulley. The use of a toothed belt ensures reliable power transmission without slippage. It is particularly suitable for transporting heavy objects.

[0057] Roller bearings or other rolling bearings may be used instead of the ball bearings illustrated as bearings supporting the pulleys 20, 42, 52. Instead of rolling bearings, sliding bearings such as oil-retaining bushes may be used.

[0058] The clearance of the shaft 11 with respect to the inner race holes of the ball bearings 21, 22, 43, 53 that support the pulleys 20, 42, 52 may be set to be greater than or equal to the fit tolerance h9 instead of the exemplified fit tolerance h7. By making the shaft diameter of the shaft 11 with respect to the inner race hole smaller, the ease of assembly and maintenance is further improved.

[0059] The conveying device 1 of the embodiment is an example of a conveying device in one aspect of the present disclosure. The roller body 10 of the embodiment is an example of a roller body in one aspect of the present disclosure. The support shaft 11 of the embodiment is an example of a support shaft in one aspect of the present disclosure. The pulleys 20, 42, 52 of the embodiment are an example of a pulley in one aspect of the present disclosure. The friction clutch 25 of the embodiment is an example of a friction clutch in one aspect of the present disclosure. The belts 31, 41, 51 of the embodiment are an example of a belt in one aspect of the present disclosure. The power transmission mechanisms 30, 40, 50 of the embodiment are an example of a power transmission mechanism in one aspect of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1...Transportation device M: Transported item H: Conveying surface 2. Frame 3...Side frame (left) 4...Side frame (right) 5…Legs 5a…Adjuster 6…Combined frame 10...Roller body 11...Spindle 12,13…Bearing case 14,15…Ball bearings 16...Spring support part 17…Compression spring 18,19…Fastener 20...Pulley (V-ribbed pulley) 20a…Inner hole 21, 22...Ball bearings 23...Ring 24...Regulatory components 25…Friction clutch 26...Friction plate (pulley side) 27...Friction plate (roller body side) 28…Upper path cover 29…Lower passage cover 30...Power transmission mechanism (first embodiment) 31...Belt (V-ribbed belt) 32...Electric motor 33...Output pulley 34…Output belt 35…Motor cover 40...Power transmission mechanism (second embodiment) 41...Belt (sewing belt) 42…Pulley 42a...Groove, 42b...Inner hole 43...Ball bearing 44...Regulation member 50...Power transmission mechanism (third embodiment) 51...Belt (flat belt) 52…Pulley 53...Ball bearing 54...Regulatory member 55...Electric motor 56…Drive pulley 57...Tension roller 58…Pressure roller

Claims

1. A conveying device, comprising: A plurality of roller bodies arranged in parallel in a conveying direction to form a conveying surface; a support shaft that is inserted through each of the roller bodies and rotatably supports each of the roller bodies; pulleys adjacent to the roller bodies and rotatably supported on the support shafts; each friction clutch is interposed between each of the roller bodies and each of the pulleys, and connects each of the pulleys and each of the roller bodies in an axially separable manner; A belt that rotates the plurality of pulleys in conjunction with each other; a power transmission mechanism for rotating at least one of the plurality of pulleys about an axis of the support shaft, the power transmission mechanism includes an output pulley that is disposed below the conveying surface and that is rotated by an electric motor, and an output belt that is stretched around the output pulley and at least one of the plurality of pulleys, the belt includes an upstream belt that is stretched between one pulley in the conveying direction and an upstream pulley adjacent to the one pulley on the upstream side, and a downstream belt that is stretched between the one pulley and a downstream pulley adjacent to the one pulley on the downstream side, and external forces in mutually opposite radial directions are applied to the one pulley via the upstream belt and the downstream belt, so that the one pulley, the upstream pulley, and the downstream pulley rotate in conjunction with each other; A conveying device in which each of the friction clutches slips due to rotational resistance applied to each of the roller bodies, and each of the roller bodies stops rotating independently of the other roller bodies.

2. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, The pulley is rotatably supported on the support shaft via two bearings arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the support shaft.

3. The conveying device according to claim 2, A conveying device in which the two bearings are arranged in parallel at a fixed interval.

4. The conveying device according to claim 2 or 3, A conveying device in which the clearance between the support shaft and the inner ring of the bearing is set to be larger than the fit tolerance.

5. A conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The conveying device, wherein the bearing is a ball bearing.

6. A conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, A conveying device in which the upstream belt and the downstream belt are hung on the pulleys so as to be located radially outward of the two bearings and within a width region of the two bearings in the axial direction.

7. A conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, the upstream belt is wound around the pulley so as to be positioned radially outward of one of the two bearings and at least a portion of the upstream belt is positioned within an axial width region of one of the bearings; A conveying device in which the downstream belt is hung on the pulley so that at least a portion of the downstream belt is positioned radially outward of the other one of the two bearings and within an axial width region of the other one of the bearings.

8. A conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A conveying device in which a V-ribbed belt or a sewing machine belt is used as the belt.

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