Transfer device

Abstract

To provide a transfer device capable of efficiently transmitting a drive force of a drive motor to a conveyance roller.SOLUTION: A transfer device has: a main conveyance conveyor part having a main conveyance passage, a plurality of main conveyance rollers and a conveyor side gear part interlocked with the main conveyance rollers; a sub-conveyance conveyor part having a sub-conveyance passage; and a lifting mechanism. A posture can be changed between a main conveyance posture capable of conveying a conveying object through the main conveyance passage in which the main conveyance passage is positioned higher than the sub-conveyance passage, and a sub-conveyance posture capable of conveying the conveying object through the sub-conveyance passage in which the sub-conveyance passage is positioned higher than the main conveyance passage, by the lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism has a main conveyance drive motor having a drive side gear part. It is so constituted that the sub-conveyance posture has a state where a pitch circle of the drive side gear part and a pitch circle of the conveyor side gear part are separated from each other, and the pitch circle of the drive side gear part and the pitch circle of the conveyor side gear part approach each other as the posture is changed from the sub-conveyance posture to the main conveyance posture, though an addendum circle of the conveyor side gear part enters into an addendum circle of the drive side gear part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer device that transfers an object in a plurality of directions. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in product assembly plants and goods delivery sites, multiple conveyor lines have been installed to transport goods (transported items), and at the intersections of the conveyor lines, transfer devices are placed to transfer goods to the desired conveyor line (for example, Patent Document 1). In the transfer device of Patent Document 1, a main conveying path for transporting materials to the downstream side of a main conveying line and a sub-conveyor path for transporting materials to a sub-conveyor line are arranged overlapping each other in a certain flat area, and when transporting materials from the main conveying line to the sub-conveyor line, the lifting means raises the sub-conveyor path above the main conveying path, making it possible to transfer materials from the main conveying path onto the sub-conveyor path, and then transport them to the sub-conveyor line by the sub-conveyor path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6706745 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in the main transport conveyor section of Patent Document 1, the rotational force of the belt drive roller is transmitted to the short rollers via the belt to rotate the short rollers, thereby enabling the transport of transported objects. However, in the main transport conveyor of Patent Document 1, although tension is applied to the belt by the pulley, if slippage occurs between the short rollers and the belt, a part of the rotational force is lost, which is a problem.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device capable of efficiently transmitting the driving force of a drive motor to a transport roller. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have investigated a method of transmitting the rotational force of the drive roller to the short rollers using a gear mechanism in the transfer device of Patent Document 1. That is, in order to efficiently transmit the driving force of the motor of the drive roller to the roller, it is considered to transmit it by a gear mechanism that does not cause slippage. This allows for more efficient transmission of force than when the drive roller and the short roller are linked by a belt. However, as in Patent Document 1, when the main conveying path and the sub-conveying path rise and fall relative to each other, if the short rollers and drive rollers are linked by a gear mechanism, it has been found that as the main conveying path rises, the gear portion on the short roller side and the gear portion on the drive roller side separate, and when the gear portion on the short roller side and the gear portion on the drive roller side separate completely, even if the main conveying path descends again, the gear portion on the short roller side and the gear portion on the drive roller side may not mesh.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem is a conveyor having a main transport conveyor section, a sub-transport conveyor section, and a lifting mechanism, the main transport conveyor section having a main transport path, a plurality of main transport rollers, and a conveyor side gear section interlocking with the main transport rollers, the sub-transport conveyor section having a sub-transport path, and the lifting mechanism is operable to set a main transport position in which the main transport path is positioned higher than the sub-transport path and an object can be transported on the main transport path, and a main transport position in which the sub-transport path is positioned higher than the main transport path and an object can be transported on the sub-transport path. This is a transfer device that is capable of performing a posture change operation to change between a sub-conveying posture in which transport is possible, and the lifting mechanism has a main transport drive motor with a drive side gear portion, and in the sub-conveying posture, the tip circle of the conveyor side gear portion is within the tip circle of the drive side gear portion, but the pitch circle of the drive side gear portion and the pitch circle of the conveyor side gear portion are separated, and as the posture is changed from the sub-conveying posture to the main transporting posture, the pitch circle of the drive side gear portion and the pitch circle of the conveyor side gear portion become closer.

[0008] According to this aspect, the main transport rollers and the main transport drive motor are linked by the gear mechanism, so that the power of the main transport drive motor can be transmitted to the main transport rollers more efficiently. According to this aspect, when the position is changed from the secondary conveying position to the primary conveying position, the conveyor side gear portion and the drive side gear portion are constantly meshed, so that the conveyor side gear portion and the drive side gear portion do not come apart, and the position can be changed more stably.

[0009] In a preferred aspect, the tip circle of the drive-side gear portion is within the pitch circle of the conveyor-side gear portion in the main conveying position.

[0010] According to this aspect, in the main transport position, the power of the main transport drive motor can be transmitted more efficiently to the main transport rollers.

[0011] In a preferred aspect, the tip circle of the drive-side gear portion is separated from the pitch circle of the conveyor-side gear portion in the sub-transport position.

[0012] According to this aspect, the distance between the drive-side gear portion and the conveyor-side gear portion can be made large in the secondary transport position.

[0013] In a more preferred aspect, the main transport roller has a roller side gear portion, the main transport conveyor portion has an inter-roller interlocking gear portion that meshes with the roller side gear portion and interlocks adjacent main transport rollers in the transport direction of the main transport path, and the inter-roller interlocking gear portion meshes with the conveyor side gear portion.

[0014] According to this aspect, power is transmitted from the drive-side gear portion to the roller-side gear portion via the inter-roller interlocking gear portion, so that power can be transmitted from the drive-side gear portion to the roller-side gear portion more stably. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the transfer device of the present invention, the driving force of the drive motor can be efficiently transmitted to the transport rollers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a conveyor line equipped with a transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the transfer device of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the transfer device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the main transport conveyor section of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the roller unit of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the auxiliary transport conveyor unit of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the base portion of FIG. 3. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the guide member of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 3 is an explanatory diagram of the transfer device in the main conveying position of Figure 2, where (a) is a side view showing the state of the main conveying conveyor section, (b) is a side view showing the state of the sub-conveyor conveyor section, and (c) is a side view showing the state of the base section. [Figure 10] 3 is an explanatory diagram of a transfer device in an intermediate position where the transfer device is changed from the main conveying position in Figure 2 to the auxiliary conveying position, where (a) is a side view showing the state of the main conveying conveyor section, (b) is a side view showing the state of the auxiliary conveying conveyor section, and (c) is a side view showing the state of the base section. [Figure 11] 3 is an explanatory diagram of the transfer device in the sub-transport position of Figure 2, where (a) is a side view showing the state of the main transport conveyor section, (b) is a side view showing the state of the sub-transport conveyor section, and (c) is a side view showing the state of the base section. [Figure 12] 3 is an explanatory diagram of the main parts of the transfer device of Figure 2, where (a) is a side view showing the positional relationship between the conveyor side gear portion and the drive side gear portion in the main conveying position, and (b) is a side view showing the positional relationship between the conveyor side gear portion and the drive side gear portion in the sub-conveying position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The transfer device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0018] The transfer device 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention is suitable for use in automated warehouses, logistics centers, etc., and is installed at the branch point where an item 200 (transported object) branches from a main conveyor line 201 to a secondary conveyor line 202, as shown in Figure 1. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the upstream side of the main transport conveyor line 201 with respect to the transfer device 1 will be referred to as the upstream conveyor line 203, and the downstream side of the main transport conveyor line 201 will be referred to as the downstream conveyor line 205.

[0019] The transfer device 1 includes a main transport conveyor section 2, a sub-transport conveyor section 3, a base section 5, a transport drive source 6, and a change drive source 7, as shown in FIGS. The transfer device 1 is capable of executing a posture changing operation for changing the posture between the main transport posture and the sub-transport posture by driving the posture changing drive source 7. The main conveying position is a position in which the main conveying path 27 of the main conveyor section 2 rises and the secondary conveying path 43 of the secondary conveyor section 3 descends, as shown in Figure 9, so that the main conveying path 27 is at a higher position than the secondary conveying path 43 and items 200 can be conveyed on the main conveying path 27. The auxiliary conveying position is a position in which, as shown in Figure 11, the main conveying path 27 of the main conveying conveyor section 2 descends and the auxiliary conveying path 43 of the auxiliary conveying conveyor section 3 rises, so that the auxiliary conveying path 43 is at a higher position than the main conveying path 27 and items 200 can be conveyed on the auxiliary conveying path 43.

[0020] The main transport conveyor section 2 is a conveyor unit that transports articles 200 transported from an upstream conveyor line 203 to a downstream conveyor line 205. As shown in FIG. 4, the main transport conveyor section 2 includes a plurality of roller units 10a, 10b, connecting frames 11a, 11b, and regulating plates 12a to 12d. The roller units 10a and 10b are elongated members that have a width in the vertical direction Y (horizontal direction) and extend in the horizontal direction X (horizontal direction) when viewed in a plan view, and transport the article 200 in the horizontal direction X. As shown in FIG. 5, the roller units 10a and 10b each include a support frame 20, main transport rollers 21a to 21e, inter-roller interlocking gear portions 22a to 22d, and a conveyor-side gear portion . The support frame 20 is a member that supports the main transport rollers 21a to 21e, the inter-roller interlocking gear portions 22a to 22d, and the conveyor-side gear portion 23, and is a long frame that extends in the lateral direction X. The support frame 20 is composed of a pair of frame bodies 24a and 24b.

[0021] The main transport rollers 21a to 21e are transport rollers that transport the article 200, are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction X, and are supported by being sandwiched between a pair of frame main bodies 24a, 24b. The main transport rollers 21a to 21e each have a roller portion 25 and a roller side gear portion 26, and a transport surface is formed by the top of the roller portion 25. The main transport conveyor section 2 defines a main transport path 27 along which items 200 can be transported by the transport surfaces of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e. The main transport path 27 transports the articles 200 in the transport direction of the main transport conveyor line 201. In other words, the main transport path 27 transports the articles 200 in a straight line from the upstream conveyor line 203 to the downstream conveyor line 205.

[0022] In each of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e, the roller portion 25 and the roller side gear portion 26 are coaxial. As shown in FIG. 5, the roller portion 25 has an outer diameter larger than that of the roller-side gear portion 26, and is exposed upward from an opening 28 of the support frame 20. 5, the inter-roller interlocking gear portions 22a to 22d are provided between the main transport rollers 21a to 21e, respectively, and are supported by being sandwiched between a pair of frame bodies 24a, 24b. That is, the inter-roller interlocking gear portions 22a to 22d are arranged side by side in the lateral direction X. The inter-roller interlocking gear portions 22a to 22d mesh with the roller side gear portions 26 of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e, and are portions which interlock the roller side gear portions 26, 26 of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e adjacent in the lateral direction X. The conveyor-side gear portion 23 is a portion that meshes with the inter-roller interlocking gear portion 22b, and is supported by being sandwiched between a pair of frame bodies 24a, 24b.

[0023] The connecting frames 11a and 11b are frames that extend in the vertical direction Y and connect the roller units 10a and 10b together, and as shown in FIG. 4, include main transport cam follower portions 30a and 30b. The main transport cam follower portions 30a and 30b are rollers having rotation axes parallel to the rotation axes of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e. The main transport cam follower portions 30a, 30b are disposed below and inside the connecting frames 11a, 11b, and provided near both ends of the connecting frames 11a, 11b in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction Y). Looking at the main transport conveyor section 2 as a whole, the main transport conveyor section 2 is equipped with four main transport cam follower sections 30a, 30b, 30a, and 30b, and the main transport cam follower sections 30a, 30b, 30a, and 30b are provided near the four corners, respectively.

[0024] The regulating plates 12a to 12d are members that regulate only the vertical direction of movement of the main transport conveyor section 2. In other words, the regulating plates 12a to 12d allow the main transport conveyor section 2 to move up and down linearly in the vertical direction. The regulating plates 12a to 12d are provided on the lower surfaces of the connecting frames 11a and 11b. The regulating plates 12a to 12d are provided at both ends of the connecting frames 11a, 11b in the juxtaposed direction of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e (horizontal direction X) in a plan view, and are located inside the roller units 10a, 10b in the vertical direction Y. The regulating plates 12a to 12d are leaf springs that have elasticity and are easy to bend in the thickness direction but are difficult to twist. As shown in FIG. 3, the regulating plates 12a to 12d extend obliquely from the connecting frames 11a and 11b so that their thickness directions face the vertical direction, and are attached to the connecting frames 11a and 11b in a cantilever manner.

[0025] The auxiliary conveyor section 3 is a conveyor unit that conveys articles 200 conveyed from an upstream conveyor line 203 to the auxiliary conveyor line 202. As shown in FIG. 6, the auxiliary transport conveyor section 3 is a roller conveyor including a frame member 40, auxiliary transport rollers 41a to 41h, and regulating plates 42a to 42d, and the auxiliary transport rollers 41a to 41h are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction Y. In the auxiliary transport conveyor section 3, a transport surface is formed by the tops of the auxiliary transport rollers 41a to 41h, and the transport surface constitutes an auxiliary transport path 43 along which the article 200 can be transported. The auxiliary transport path 43 transports the articles 200 in a direction intersecting (in this embodiment, perpendicular to) the transport direction (first transport direction) of the main transport path 27 of the main transport conveyor section 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the frame member 40 includes a pair of support frames 45a, 45b and connecting frames 46a, 46b. The support frames 45a and 45b are support members that extend in the vertical direction Y and axially support both ends of the sub-conveyor rollers 41a to 41h in the longitudinal direction.

[0026] The connecting frames 46a, 46b are connecting members that extend in the lateral direction X and connect the ends of the support frames 45a, 45b together. The connecting frames 46a, 46b are provided with sub-conveyor cam follower portions 50a, 50b. The sub-conveyor cam follower portions 50a and 50b are rollers having rotation axes parallel to the rotation axes of the main conveyor cam follower portions 30a and 30b. The sub-conveyor cam follower portions 50a, 50b are disposed below the connecting frames 46a, 46b, inside the connecting frames 46a, 46b, and provided near both ends of the connecting frames 46a, 46b in the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction X). Looking at the sub-conveyor section 3 as a whole, the sub-conveyor section 3 is provided with four sub-conveyor cam follower sections 50a, 50b, 50a, and 50b, and the sub-conveyor cam follower sections 50a, 50b, 50a, and 50b are provided near the four corners, respectively.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, the main bodies of the sub-conveyor rollers 41a to 41h are rotatably supported by support frames 45a and 45b, and are arranged in the sub-conveyor path 43 in the conveying direction (second conveying direction) with a certain gap therebetween. Among the sub-transport rollers 41a to 41h, one or more of the sub-transport rollers are motor-embedded rollers, and a motor and a reducer are built into the roller body. The roller body of the sub-transport roller can be rotated by supplying power to the motor. On the other hand, the remaining sub-conveyor rollers among the sub-conveyor rollers 41a to 41h are driven rollers, and a belt 48 is suspended between them and the above-mentioned motor-incorporated roller, so that the roller bodies can rotate by receiving power transmitted from the motor-incorporated roller. In this embodiment, the sub-conveyor roller 41e is a drive roller and includes a built-in motor, and the remaining sub-conveyor rollers 41a to 41d and 41f to 41h are driven rollers that rotate by receiving power from the sub-conveyor roller 41e. Any of the sub-conveyor rollers 41a to 41h may be motorized rollers.

[0028] The regulating plates 42a to 42d are members that regulate the movement direction of the sub-conveyor section 3 only in the up and down direction. In other words, the regulating plates 42a to 42d allow the sub-conveyor section 3 to move up and down linearly in the vertical direction. The restricting plates 42a to 42d are provided on the lower surfaces of the support frames 45a and 45b. The regulating plates 42a to 42d are provided at the middle portions of the support frames 45a and 45b in the direction in which the sub-conveyor rollers 41a to 41h are arranged side by side (the vertical direction Y). The restricting plates 42a to 42d are leaf springs that have elasticity and are easy to bend in the thickness direction but are difficult to twist. The restricting plates 42a to 42d extend obliquely from the support frames 45a and 45b so that their thickness directions face the up-down direction, and are attached in a cantilever manner to the support frames 45a and 45b.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 7, the base portion 5 includes a base main body portion 60, guide members 61a and 61b, and support members 62a and 62b. The base main body 60 is a portion to be placed on the ground, and is a vertically long rectangular plate. The guide members 61a and 61b are elongated bodies having a width in the vertical direction Y and extending in the horizontal direction X, and are members for guiding the main transport conveyor section 2 and the sub transport conveyor section 3 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the guide members 61a, 61b include a first horizontally moving member 65, a second horizontally moving member 66, a connecting member 67, and a guide roller 68, and the first horizontally moving member 65 and the second horizontally moving member 66 are integrated with the connecting member 67 in between.

[0030] The first horizontally moving member 65 is a long plate having a thickness in the vertical direction Y and a length extending in the horizontal direction X, and is capable of reciprocating movement only in the extension direction (horizontal direction X). The first horizontally moving member 65 includes first linear cam portions 70a and 70b and a first rack portion 71, as shown in FIG.

[0031] The first linear cam portions 70a and 70b are portions that function as linear cams, and are provided on the upper surface of the first horizontally moving member 65. The first linear cam portions 70a, 70b include first high position portions 75a, 75b and first low position portions 76a, 76b in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction X). The first high position portions 75a and 75b are the highest portions on the upper surface of the first horizontally moving member 65. The first low position portions 76a, 76b are portions of the upper surface of the first horizontally moving member 65 that are lower than the first high position portions 75a, 75b. The first low position portion 76a of the first linear cam portion 70a and the first high position portion 75b of the first linear cam portion 70b are formed on both ends of the first horizontally moving member 65 in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction X).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 7, the first rack portion 71 is a portion that engages with a pinion portion 96a of the shift drive source 7, which will be described later, and constitutes a rack-and-pinion mechanism. As shown in FIG. 8, the first rack portion 71 is provided in the middle of the first horizontally moving member 65 in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction X), and is formed with a plurality of rack teeth.

[0033] The second horizontally moving member 66 is a long plate that has a thickness in the vertical direction Y and a length that extends in the horizontal direction X, and is capable of reciprocating movement only in the extension direction (horizontal direction X). The second horizontally moving member 66 includes second linear cam portions 80a and 80b and a second rack portion 81, as shown in FIG.

[0034] The second linear cam portions 80a and 80b are portions that function as linear cams, and are provided on the upper surface of the second horizontally moving member 66. The second linear cam portions 80a, 80b have a different shape from the first linear cam portions 70a, 70b of the first horizontally moving member 65, and include second high position portions 85a, 85b and second low position portions 86a, 86b. The second high position portions 85a and 85b are the highest portions on the upper surface of the second horizontally moving member 66. The second low position portions 86a, 86b are portions of the upper surface of the second horizontally moving member 66 that are lower than the second high position portions 85a, 85b. The second high position portion 85a of the second linear cam portion 80a and the second low position portion 86b of the second linear cam portion 80b are formed on both ends of the second horizontally moving member 66 in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction X).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7, the second rack portion 81 is a portion that engages with a pinion portion 96b of the shift drive source 7, which will be described later, and constitutes a rack-and-pinion mechanism. As shown in FIG. 8, the second rack portion 81 is provided in the middle of the second horizontally moving member 66 in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction X), and is formed with a plurality of rack teeth. The rack teeth of the second rack portion 81 have the same shape as the rack teeth of the first rack portion 71 .

[0036] The connecting member 67 is a member that connects the first horizontal movement member 65 and the second horizontal movement member 66, and is a spacing maintaining member that is sandwiched between the first horizontal movement member 65 and the second horizontal movement member 66 and maintains the spacing between the first horizontal movement member 65 and the second horizontal movement member 66.

[0037] The guide rollers 68 are rollers that guide the guide members 61a and 61b in the lateral direction X, and each of the guide members 61a and 61b in this embodiment includes four guide rollers 68.

[0038] The support members 62a and 62b are attached to the base main body 60, and are members for supporting the motor-incorporated roller 90 of the transport drive source 6 and the geared motor 95 of the conversion drive source . The support members 62a and 62b are provided on the outer sides of the guide members 61a and 61b in the vertical direction Y, and also function as restricting members that restrict the outward movement of the guide members 61a and 61b.

[0039] The transport drive source 6 includes a motor-incorporated roller 90 (main transport drive motor) and drive gear portions 91a and 91b. The motor-integrated roller 90 has a motor and a reducer built into the roller body, and the roller body can be rotated by supplying power to the motor. The drive gears 91a and 91b are attached to the outer periphery of the roller body of the motor-incorporated roller 90, and are components that transmit the rotational force of the motor-incorporated roller 90 to the conveyor-side gear section 23.

[0040] The shift drive source 7 includes a geared motor 95 and pinion portions 96a, 96b, 96a, and 96b. The geared motor 95 includes a motor and a reducer, and the output shaft can be rotated by supplying power to the motor. The pinion portions 96a, 96b are attached to a power transmission shaft directly or indirectly connected to the output shaft of the geared motor 95, and engage with the rack portions 71, 81 to form a rack-and-pinion mechanism, transmitting the rotational force of the geared motor 95 to the horizontally moving members 65, 66.

[0041] Next, the positional relationship of each member in the main transport posture of the transfer apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transfer device 1 has a base section 5, a main conveyor section 2, and a secondary conveyor section 3 arranged in a single planar area 100, and within the planar area 100, the base section 5, the main conveyor section 2, and the secondary conveyor section 3 are stacked in this order from the bottom to the top. In the roller units 10a, 10b of the main transport conveyor section 2, the roller portions 25 of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e are exposed between the sub transport rollers 41a, 41b and between the sub transport rollers 41g, 41h of the sub transport conveyor section 3, as shown in FIG.

[0043] The transfer device 1 has a lifting mechanism for the main conveying conveyor section 2 and the sub-conveyor conveyor section 3, which is composed of the main conveying cam follower sections 30a, 30b, the first linear cam sections 70a, 70b of the first horizontal movement member 65, and the sub-conveyor cam follower sections 50a, 50b and the second horizontal movement member 66. In the main transport conveyor section 2, as shown in FIG. 9, a main transport path 27 formed by the tops of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e is positioned higher than a sub-transport path 43 formed by the tops of the sub-transport rollers 41a to 41h. The main transport cam follower portions 30a, 30b are placed on the first high position portions 75a, 75b of the first horizontal moving member 65 as shown in Figure 9(a), and the sub-transport cam follower portions 50a, 50b are placed on the second low position portions 86a, 86b of the second horizontal moving member 66 as shown in Figure 9(b). As shown in Figure 9(c), when viewed from the side in the vertical direction Y, the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b are located above the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b, and their rotation axes are aligned in a straight line vertically with the rotation axes of the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b.

[0044] The regulating plates 12a to 12d have one end fixed to the connecting frames 11a and 11b, and the other end fixed to the base portion 5. The thickness direction of each of the regulating plates 12a to 12d is oriented vertically. That is, the movement direction of the main transport conveyor section 2 is restricted to the vertical direction by the restricting plates 12a to 12d.

[0045] The regulating plates 42a to 42d have one end fixed to the support frames 45a and 45b, and the other end fixed to the base portion 5. The thickness direction of each of the regulating plates 42a to 42d is oriented vertically. That is, the movement direction of the sub-conveyor section 3 is restricted to the vertical direction by the restricting plates 42a to 42d.

[0046] As shown in Figure 9(a), the conveying drive source 6 has drive side gear portions 91a, 91b meshed with the conveyor side gear portion 23 of the main conveying conveyor section 2, so that the rotational force of the motor-integrated roller 90 can be transmitted to the conveyor side gear portion 23. Specifically, the tip circle C1 of the drive-side gear portions 91a, 91b is within the tip circle C2 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23, as shown in FIG. 12(a), and is also within the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23. The pitch circle C3 of the drive-side gear portions 91a, 91b is inserted into the tip circle C2 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23 and is in contact with or close to the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23. In other words, the tip circle C1 of the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b is located closer to the center of the conveyor side gear portion 23 than the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor side gear portion 23, and the tip circle C2 of the conveyor side gear portion 23 is located closer to the center of the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b than the pitch circle C3 of the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b. As shown in FIG. 9, in the shift drive source 7, the pinion portions 96a and 96b are engaged with the rack portions 71 and 81, and the rotational force of the geared motor 95 can be transmitted to the rack portions 71 and 81.

[0047] Next, a case where the transfer device 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention changes the posture from the main transfer posture to the auxiliary transfer posture and transfers the object from the main transfer conveyor line 201 to the auxiliary transfer conveyor line 202 will be described.

[0048] When the article 200 passes through the upstream conveyor line 203 and reaches the flat area 100 in which the transfer device 1 is arranged, the geared motor 95 of the changeover drive source 7 is rotated forward, and the guide members 61a, 61b are moved in one direction of the extension direction (horizontal direction X) by the rack-and-pinion mechanism between the pinion portions 96a, 96b and the rack portions 71, 81. As shown in Figure 10(a), as the guide members 61a, 61b move, the main transport cam follower portions 30a, 30b run on the first linear cam portions 70a, 70b and move from above the first high position portions 75a, 75b of the first horizontally moving member 65 toward above the first low position portions 76a, 76b. Similarly, as shown in Figure 10 (b), as the guide members 61a, 61b move, the sub-conveying cam follower portions 50a, 50b run on the second linear cam portions 80a, 80b, and move from above the second low position portions 86a, 86b of the second horizontally moving member 66 toward above the second high position portions 85a, 85b.

[0049] At this time, as the main transport cam follower sections 30a, 30b run on the first linear cam sections 70a, 70b, the main transport conveyor section 2 descends, and as the sub transport cam follower sections 50a, 50b run on the second linear cam sections 80a, 80b, the sub transport conveyor section 3 ascends. In addition, the rotation shafts of the main transport cam follower sections 30a, 30b and the rotation shafts of the sub transport cam follower sections 50a, 50b rise and fall while always remaining at constant positions in the horizontal direction X.

[0050] As the guide members 61a, 61b move, the conveying conveyor sections 2, 3 rise and fall, and when the main conveying path 27 of the main conveying conveyor section 2 and the sub-conveyor path 43 of the sub-conveyor section 3 reach the same height as shown in Figure 10, the item 200 is transferred from the main conveying path 27 of the main conveying conveyor section 2 to the sub-conveyor path 43 of the sub-conveyor section 3, the main conveying conveyor section 2 descends further, and the sub-conveyor conveyor section 3 rises further.

[0051] As the conveying drive source 6 changes its posture from the main conveying posture to the sub-conveying posture, the pitch circle C3 of the driving side gear portions 91a and 91b moves away from the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor side gear portion 23.

[0052] Then, when the transfer device 1 assumes the auxiliary transport posture, the article 200 is transported to the auxiliary transport conveyor line 202 on the auxiliary transport path 43 of the auxiliary transport conveyor section 3.

[0053] At this time, in the auxiliary transport conveyor section 3, as shown in FIG. 11(c), the auxiliary transport path 43 formed by the tops of the auxiliary transport rollers 41a to 41h is positioned higher than the main transport path 27 formed by the tops of the main transport rollers 21a to 21e. The main transport cam follower portions 30a, 30b are placed on the first low position portions 76a, 76b of the first horizontal moving member 65 as shown in Figure 11(a), and the sub-transport cam follower portions 50a, 50b are placed on the second high position portions 85a, 85b of the second horizontal moving member 66 as shown in Figure 11(b). As shown in Figure 11(c), when viewed from the side in the vertical direction Y, the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b are located below the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b, and their rotation axes are aligned in a straight line vertically with the rotation axes of the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b. As shown in Figure 11(a), the conveying drive source 6 has drive side gear portions 91a, 91b meshing with the conveyor side gear portion 23 of the main conveying conveyor section 2, but the distance between the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b and the conveyor side gear portion 23 is greater than in the main conveying posture. Specifically, the tip circle C1 of the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b is inserted into the tip circle C2 of the conveyor side gear portion 23, as shown in Figure 12(b), and is either tangent to the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor side gear portion 23 or located outside the pitch circle C4. The pitch circle C3 of the drive-side gear portions 91a and 91b is located outside the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23 and is further located outside the tip circle C2 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23. That is, the tip circle C1 of the drive-side gear portions 91a, 91b is located toward the center of the tip circle C2 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23, but is separated from and does not intersect with the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23. The tip circle C2 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23 is located toward the center of the tip circle C1 of the drive-side gear portions 91a, 91b, but is separated from and does not intersect with the pitch circle C3 of the drive-side gear portions 91a, 91b. The pitch circle C3 of the drive-side gear portions 91a, 91b does not intersect with the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23. As shown in FIG. 11, in the shift drive source 7, the pinion portions 96a and 96b are engaged with the rack portions 71 and 81, and the rotational force of the geared motor 95 can be transmitted to the rack portions 71 and 81.

[0054] When an article 200 is transported from the flat area 100 to the secondary transport conveyor line 202, the position is changed from the secondary transport position to the primary transport position. That is, the geared motor 95 of the shift drive source 7 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the guide members 61a, 61b are moved in the opposite direction to the extension direction by the rack-and-pinion mechanism between the pinion portions 96a, 96b and the rack portions 71, 81. As the guide members 61a, 61b move, the main transport cam follower portions 30a, 30b run on the first linear cam portions 70a, 70b and move from above the first low position portions 76a, 76b of the first horizontally moving member 65 to above the first high position portions 75a, 75b. Similarly, as the guide members 61a, 61b move, the sub-conveying cam follower portions 50a, 50b run on the second linear cam portions 80a, 80b, and move from above the second high position portions 85a, 85b of the second horizontally moving member 66 to above the second low position portions 86a, 86b, thereby changing from the sub-conveying position to the main conveying position.

[0055] At this time, the main conveying conveyor section 2 rises as the main conveying cam follower sections 30a, 30b run over the first linear cam sections 70a, 70b, and the sub-conveyor conveyor section 3 descends as the sub-conveyor cam follower sections 50a, 50b run over the second linear cam sections 80a, 80b. As the conveying drive source 6 changes its posture from the sub-conveying posture to the main-conveying posture, the pitch circle C3 of the driving gear portions 91a and 91b approaches the pitch circle C4 of the conveyor-side gear portion 23. Furthermore, the rotation shafts of the main transport cam follower portions 30a and 30b and the rotation shafts of the sub-transport cam follower portions 50a and 50b move up and down in the lateral direction X while always remaining at constant positions.

[0056] When the transfer device 1 assumes the main transport posture, the following article 200 can be received by the main transport path 27 of the main transport conveyor section 2 from the upstream conveyor line 203 .

[0057] When the main transport conveyor line 201 is to transport the article 200 as is, the article 200 is transported on the main transport path 27 in the main transport position without being changed to the secondary transport position.

[0058] 9, 10 and 11, in the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the sub transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b are arranged on a first horizontal movement member 65 and a second horizontal movement member 66, respectively, and the rotation axes of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the rotation axes of the sub transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b are aligned substantially vertically during the position change operation. Therefore, during the position change operation, the support positions of the main transport conveyor part 2 and the sub transport conveyor part 3 are always constant, the article 200 is less likely to tilt, and even if the article 200 is heavy, it can be transferred stably. According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the rotation axes of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b are aligned substantially vertically during posture change operations, so that the travel distance of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b on the first linear cam parts 70a, 70b and the travel distance of the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b on the second linear cam parts 80a, 80b required for lifting and lowering can be shortened, and the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b can be provided on both end sides of the guide members 61a, 61b.

[0059] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b are arranged on separate first horizontal movement member 65 and second horizontal movement member 66, respectively, and the spacing between the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the spacing between the sub-conveyor cam follower parts 50a, 50b can be made wide. Therefore, even if the item 200 is heavy and placed in an offset position in the longitudinal direction of the guide members 61a, 61b, the main transport conveyor part 2 and the sub-conveyor conveyor part 3 can be prevented from tilting, and the main transport path 27 and the sub-conveyor path 43 can be maintained horizontal.

[0060] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, since the horizontally moving members 65, 66 are fixed integrally, it is possible to simultaneously move the horizontally moving members 65, 66 with one change driving source 7. In addition, the positional relationship of the heights of the cam follower parts 30a, 30b, 50a, 50b can be fixed.

[0061] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, when viewed from the rotation axis direction of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b, the second high position parts 85a, 85b are located above the first low position parts 76a, 76b, and the first high position parts 75a, 75b are located above the second low position parts 86a, 86b, so that the travel distance of the main transport cam followers 30a, 30b on the first linear cam parts 70a, 70b and the travel distance of the auxiliary transport cam followers 50a, 50b on the second linear cam parts 80a, 80b can be shortened.

[0062] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the pinion portions 96a, 96b and the rack portions 71, 81 form a rack-and-pinion mechanism, so that the rotational force of the geared motor 95 can be converted into a moving force in the lateral direction X of the horizontally moving members 65,66.

[0063] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the main conveying rollers 21a to 21e of the main conveying conveyor section 2 rise and fall through the gaps between adjacent sub-conveying rollers 41a, 41b (41g, 41h) of the sub-conveying conveyor section 3, so that the size of the planar area 100 can be reduced and the entire device can be made compact.

[0064] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, when changing from the main conveying posture to the auxiliary conveying posture during the posture change operation, the rotation axis of the main conveying cam follower parts 30a, 30b descends from a position higher than the rotation axis of the auxiliary conveying cam follower parts 50a, 50b, passes through a position at the same height as the rotation axis of the auxiliary conveying cam follower parts 50a, 50b, and then becomes a position lower than the rotation axis of the auxiliary conveying cam follower parts 50a, 50b, so that the item 200 can be smoothly transferred from the main conveying path 27 to the auxiliary conveying path 43.

[0065] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the main conveying rollers 21a-21e and the motor-integrated roller 90 are linked by a gear mechanism consisting of the conveyor side gear sections 23, 23 and the drive side gear sections 91a, 91b, so that the power of the motor-integrated roller 90 can be transmitted more efficiently to the main conveying rollers 21a-21e. According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, when the posture is changed from the auxiliary conveying posture to the main conveying posture, the conveyor side gear portions 23, 23 and the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b are always engaged with each other, so that the conveyor side gear portions 23, 23 and the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b do not come out of alignment, and the posture can be changed more stably.

[0066] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the tip circle of the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b is within the pitch circle of the conveyor side gear portion 23 in the main conveying position, so that the power of the motor-integrated roller 90 can be more efficiently transmitted to the main conveying rollers 21a to 21e in the main conveying position.

[0067] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the tip circle of the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b is separated from the pitch circle of the conveyor side gear portion 23 in the sub-transport position, so that the distance between the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b and the conveyor side gear portion 23 can be made large in the sub-transport position.

[0068] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, power is transmitted from the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b to the roller side gear portions 26 of each main conveying roller 21a to 21e via the inter-roller interlocking gear portions 22a to 22d, so that power can be transmitted more stably from the drive side gear portions 91a, 91b to the roller side gear portions 26 of each main conveying roller 21a to 21e.

[0069] According to the transfer device 1 of this embodiment, the height of the follower sections 30a, 30b, 50a, 50b changes depending on the uneven shape of the linear cam sections 70a, 70b, 80a, 80b, and the heights of the cam follower sections 30a, 30b, 50a, 50b of each conveying conveyor section 2, 3 are maintained at the same height, so there is no variation in the height of the conveying conveyor sections 2, 3.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the main transport conveyor section 2 is provided with two roller units 10a, 10b, but the present invention is not limited to this. The main transport conveyor section 2 may be provided with three or more roller units.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the transport conveyor units 2 and 3 are roller conveyors, but the present invention is not limited to this. The transport conveyor units 2 and 3 may be other conveyors such as belt conveyors or roller conveyors.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the main transport conveyor section 2 has the main transport rollers 21a-21e linked by the gears 22a-22d and 26, but the present invention is not limited to this. The main transport conveyor section 2 may have the main transport rollers 21a-21e linked by a belt.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the sub-conveyor unit 3 is linked to the sub-conveyor rollers 41a-41h by the belt 48 suspended therearound, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the sub-conveyor unit 3, the sub-conveyor rollers 41a-41h may be linked to each other by a gear unit, similar to the main conveyor unit 2.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the main conveyor section 2 is provided on the main conveyor line 201, and the sub-conveyor section 3 is provided on the sub-conveyor line 202, but the present invention is not limited to this. The conveyor section 2 may be provided on the sub-conveyor line 202, and the sub-conveyor section 3 may be provided on the main conveyor line 201. In other words, the transfer device 1 may be used by rotating it 90 degrees in a plan view.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the connecting member 67 is interposed between the horizontally moving members 65, 66, but the present invention is not limited to this. The horizontally moving members 65, 66 may be directly connected to each other.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the horizontally moving members 65, 66 are connected by the connecting member 67 without a rotation function, but the present invention is not limited to this. A guide roller 68 may be interposed between the horizontally moving members 65, 66 as a connecting member of the present invention, and the horizontally moving members 65, 66 may be connected by the guide roller 68. In this case, the guide roller 68 may be provided on the outside of the horizontally moving members 65, 66, or may be omitted.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the pinion portion of the changeover driving source 7 is composed of two pinion portions 96a and 96b, but the present invention is not limited to this. The pinion portion of the changeover driving source 7 may be composed of one pinion portion.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the diameter of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the diameter of the sub-transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b are the same, but the present invention is not limited to this. The diameter of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the diameter of the sub-transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b may be different.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the height of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the height of the sub-transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b are the same, but the present invention is not limited to this. The height of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the height of the sub-transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b may be different.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the rotation axes of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the sub-transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b are aligned substantially vertically during the position changing operation, but the present invention is not limited to this. The main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b and the sub-transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b may be shifted horizontally within a range where they overlap vertically when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the main transport cam follower part 30a. In other words, they may be shifted horizontally within a range where the sub-transport cam follower parts 50a, 50b are positioned on the vertical projection plane of the main transport cam follower parts 30a, 30b.

[0081] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be freely substituted or added between the respective embodiments as long as it falls within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1 Transfer equipment 2 Main conveyor section 3. Sub-conveyor section 21a to 21e Main conveying rollers 22a~22d Roller interlocking gear section 23 Conveyor side gear part 26 Roller side gear part 27 Main transport route 43 Sub-transport route 90 Motor-equipped roller (main conveyor drive motor) 91a, 91b Drive side gear part

Claims

1. The conveyor includes a main conveyor section, a sub-conveyor section, and a lifting mechanism. The main transport conveyor section has a main transport path, a plurality of main transport rollers, and a conveyor side gear section interlocked with the main transport rollers, The auxiliary transport conveyor section has an auxiliary transport path, the lifting mechanism can change the position between a main transport position in which the main transport path is positioned higher than the sub-transport path and the transported object can be transported on the main transport path, and a sub-transport position in which the sub-transport path is positioned higher than the main transport path and the transported object can be transported on the sub-transport path, The lifting mechanism includes a main conveying drive motor having a drive side gear portion, In the auxiliary conveying position, the tooth tip circle of the conveyor side gear portion is within the tooth tip circle of the drive side gear portion, but the pitch circle of the drive side gear portion and the pitch circle of the conveyor side gear portion are separated, and as the position is changed from the auxiliary conveying position to the main conveying position, the pitch circle of the drive side gear portion and the pitch circle of the conveyor side gear portion become closer to each other.

2. 2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a tip circle of the drive-side gear portion is within a pitch circle of the conveyor-side gear portion in the main transport position.

3. 3. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a tip circle of the drive-side gear portion is separated from a pitch circle of the conveyor-side gear portion in the secondary transport position.

4. The main transport roller has a roller side gear portion, the main transport conveyor section has an inter-roller interlocking gear section that meshes with the roller side gear section and interlocks adjacent main transport rollers in a transport direction of the main transport path, The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inter-roller interlocking gear portion meshes with the conveyor-side gear portion.

Images