Side roller mounting structure and chain with side rollers

Abstract

To facilitate the attachment and detachment of side rollers of a moving body such as a chain while firmly fixing them. 【Solution means】In the initial state, the insert pin 32 is in a released state where the tip 54c of the lock pin 54 is accommodated in the through hole 53. When the insert pin 32 is inserted into the sleeve 33, the slide rod 52 is attracted by the magnetic force of the locking magnet 55 and displaced in the cylinder 51 in the tip direction, so that the locking portion 52e, which is the large-diameter portion of the slide rod 52, overlaps with the position of the through hole 53 to reach the locking position. The locking portion 52e abuts against the rear end portion 54a of the lock pin 54 in the through hole 53, projects the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 from the through hole 53 and engages with the locking groove 33d, and the side roller 40 is fixed to the insert pin 32 with one touch.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment structure of side rollers and a chain with side rollers, and more particularly to an attachment structure of side rollers that enables easy attachment and detachment to a moving body such as a chain, and a chain with side rollers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, side rollers that are attached to the side of a moving body such as a chain and that roll to stably move an article, and a chain with side rollers in which such side rollers are provided on the side of the chain have been used.

[0003] FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing a part of an example of this type of chain 11 with side rollers, with a part broken away. This type of chain 11 with side rollers has side rollers 40 attached to a chain 12 and moves in the moving direction X. The chain 11 with side rollers includes a shaft member 30. This shaft member 30 has a portion of a chain pin 31 and a portion of an insert pin 32. The chain pin 31 is a portion that functions as a pin for connecting the chain 12 at the central portion in the longitudinal direction (width direction Y) of the shaft member 30. The insert pin 32 is provided at a portion that protrudes outside the outer link 18 of the shaft member 30 and is integrated with the chain pin 31 to rotate integrally. The insert pin 32 serves as a shaft for supporting the side roller 40. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the side roller 40 includes a roller member 42, a ball bearing 41, and a sleeve 33. The ball bearing 41 is attached to the inner circumference of the roller member 42. The sleeve 33 is mounted on the inner circumference of the ball bearing 41. The side roller 40 is attached to the insert pin 32 via the sleeve 33. Since the side roller 40 includes the ball bearing 41, the roller member 42 is rotatable with respect to the insert pin 32.

[0004] On the one hand, Fig. 26 is a partial broken perspective view of the side roller 140 mounted on the outer link plate 117 of the chain 112 with side rollers described in Patent Document 1, which is the prior art. Fig. 27 shows a cross-sectional view before inserting the insert pin 132 into the conventional side roller 140. Fig. 28 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the insert pin 132 is inserted into the side roller 140 shown in Fig. 27.

[0005] As shown in Fig. 26, in the side roller 140 mounted on the chain 112 with side rollers disclosed in Patent Document 1, an insert pin retaining ring 135 is fitted into a sleeve groove 133a on the inner circumference of the sleeve 133 as shown in Fig. 27. Then, as shown in Fig. 28, an insert pin groove 132a is formed at the tip of the insert pin 132. When the insert pin 132 is inserted into the sleeve 133, the fixing plate 136 is inserted while expanding the insert pin retaining ring 135 along its outer surface. When the insert pin groove 132a comes to the position of the insert pin retaining ring 135, the insert pin retaining ring 135 elastically fits into the insert pin groove 132a. And the insert pin 132 is fixed by the sleeve 133. In such a procedure, the side roller 140 was fixed to the insert pin 132.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the operation of attaching the side roller 140 to the insert pin 132, such as fitting the insert pin retaining ring 135 into the sleeve groove 133a on the inner periphery of the sleeve 133 in advance, was complicated. Further, since the side roller 140 was fixed by the flexible insert pin retaining ring 135, the fixing strength was weak, and an improvement in the fixing strength was desired.

[0008] The problem to be solved by the side roller mounting structure and the chain with side rollers of the present invention is to facilitate the attachment and detachment of the side rollers of a moving body such as a chain and to firmly fix them.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, in the mounting structure of the side roller of the present invention, a side roller supported by inserting an insertion shaft protruding from the side portion of the moving body from the tip is provided. The side roller includes a roller member, a bearing that rotatably supports the roller member, and a cylindrical sleeve mounted on the inner peripheral side of the bearing. The side roller mounting structure mounts the roller member via the sleeve and the bearing to the insertion shaft. The insertion shaft has a cylinder portion having a cylindrical peripheral wall and a slide rod accommodated in the cylinder portion. The cylinder portion has a through hole penetrating the peripheral wall and a lock pin inserted into the through hole. The slide rod has a large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter portion. The sleeve has an engaging portion that engages with the tip of the lock pin protruding from the through hole. The slide rod is movable in the cylinder portion along the axial direction of the peripheral wall. When the large-diameter portion of the slide rod overlaps with the through hole in the radial direction of the peripheral wall to reach the lock position, the rear end portion of the lock pin abuts against the large-diameter portion of the slide rod, so that the tip of the lock pin protrudes from the through hole and engages with the engaging portion. At the same time, when the small-diameter portion of the slide rod overlaps with the through hole in the radial direction of the peripheral wall to reach the release position, the tip of the lock pin is configured to be accommodated in the through hole. The slide rod has a regulating member that regulates the movement of the slide rod so as to maintain the lock position.

[0010] It may also be provided with a transition portion composed of an inclined surface portion that connects the small-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion. The slide rod may be made of a magnetic material, and the regulating member may be a magnet disposed on the side roller.

[0011] The cylinder portion may have a temporary fixing member that temporarily fixes the slide rod to the release position. The slide rod may be made of a magnetic material, and the temporary fixing member may be a magnet disposed at the base end portion of the cylinder portion.

[0012] The sleeve has a reduced-diameter portion whose inner diameter gradually decreases in the direction from the base end portion to the tip end portion, and the lock pin may be displaced in a direction in which the tip end portion of the lock pin abuts against the reduced-diameter portion and is received in the small-diameter portion of the slide rod at the release position.

[0013] It is also possible to bias the tip end portion of the lock pin to be received in the through hole in the small-diameter portion of the slide rod. In this case, the slide rod has magnetism, the lock pin is made of a magnetic material, and the lock pin can be attracted to the slide rod to bias the tip end portion of the lock pin to be received in the through hole.

[0014] The restricting member has the magnet disposed on the tip end side of the insertion shaft, the magnet is configured to be movable in a direction opposite to the insertion direction in which the insertion shaft is inserted, and by pressing the magnet in the opposite direction, the slide rod can be displaced from the locked position to the release position, and the side roller can be configured to be removable from the insertion shaft.

[0015] The engaging portion can be provided with a locking groove provided in the circumferential direction on the inner circumference of the sleeve. In this case, a notch is formed on the base end side of the columnar insertion shaft, and a rotation stopper corresponding to the shape of the notch is provided inside the opening on the base end side of the sleeve, and a rotation restricting portion for restricting the rotation of the insertion shaft with respect to the sleeve by the notch portion and the rotation stopper can also be provided when the insertion shaft is inserted.

[0016] In another aspect, a side roller supported by inserting an insertion shaft protruding from a side portion of a moving body from a tip is provided. The side roller includes a roller member, a bearing that rotatably supports the roller member, and a cylindrical sleeve attached to an inner peripheral side of the bearing. A mounting structure of the side roller for attaching the roller member to the insertion shaft via the sleeve and the bearing, wherein the insertion shaft has a cylinder portion having a cylindrical peripheral wall and a slide rod housed in the cylinder portion. The cylinder portion has a through hole penetrating the peripheral wall and a lock pin inserted into the through hole. The slide rod has a large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter portion. The sleeve has an engaging portion that engages with a tip portion of the lock pin protruding from the through hole. The slide rod is movable in the cylinder portion along the axial direction of the peripheral wall. When the large-diameter portion of the slide rod overlaps with the through hole in the radial direction of the peripheral wall to reach a lock position, the rear end portion of the lock pin abuts against the large-diameter portion of the slide rod, so that the tip portion of the lock pin protrudes from the through hole and engages with the engaging portion. At the same time, when the small-diameter portion of the slide rod overlaps with the through hole in the radial direction of the peripheral wall to reach a release position, the lock pin is configured to be displaceable radially inward. The slide rod has a regulating member that regulates the movement of the slide rod so as to maintain the lock position. The engaging portion includes a locking hole provided on an inner periphery of the sleeve and locking with a tip of the lock pin. The tip of the lock pin protrudes radially at the release position, and the sleeve has a guide groove that receives and guides the protruding lock pin along the central axis direction from a base end portion to the locking hole on an inner peripheral surface of the sleeve. At the lock position, the lock pin may be further displaced radially outward and locked in the locking hole so that the insertion shaft is restricted from rotating about the central axis with respect to the sleeve.

[0017] Further, in the mounting structure of the side roller of the present invention, the moving body can be a chain.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] The attachment structure of the side roller and the chain with side rollers of the present invention can be firmly fixed while facilitating the attachment and detachment of the side rollers to a moving body such as a chain.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

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Figure 28

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, the attachment structure of the side roller of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 25, taking the attachment structure of the side roller 40 to the chain 12 in the chain 11 with side rollers, where the side roller 40 is attached to the chain 12, as the first to third embodiments. In the description of this embodiment, when referring to the "tip side", it means the insertion direction of the insert pin 32, in other words, the outer direction away from the chain 12 in FIG. 1. On the contrary, the "base end side" means the direction approaching the chain 12.

[0021] <Problems of the prior art> As described in the background art of the present invention, the conventional attachment structure of the side roller 140 had the above-mentioned problems. However, in this embodiment, since it further addresses the following issues, supplementary explanations are provided.

[0022] In the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, an insert pin 132, which is an insertion shaft, is inserted into the side roller 140 shown in FIG. 27 as shown in FIG. 28. At the tip of the insert pin 132, a fixed plate 136 in the shape of a donut with a tapered tip is fastened and fixed by a bolt 134. There is a recess at the peripheral edge on the base end side of this fixed plate 136. When it is attached to the insert pin 132 by the bolt 134, an annular insert pin groove 132a is formed at the peripheral edge of the tip of the insert pin 132.

[0023] On the other hand, an annular sleeve groove 133a is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the back side in the insertion direction of the sleeve 133. A flexible insert pin retaining ring 135 is fitted into this annular sleeve groove 133a.

[0024] When the insert pin 132 is inserted into the sleeve 133, the fixing plate 136 pushes and expands while bending the flexible annular insert pin retaining ring 135, and the insert pin 132 enters. When the insert pin groove 132a comes to the position of the insert pin retaining ring 135, it fits into the insert pin groove 132a due to the elasticity of the insert pin retaining ring 135. Then, the insert pin 132 is fixed to the sleeve 133 by the insert pin retaining ring 135. In such a procedure, the side roller 140 was fixed to the insert pin 132. The roller member 142 can be smoothly rotated with respect to the insert pin 132 by the ball bearing 141.

[0025] In the invention as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the insert pin 132 and the sleeve 133 are fixed by the friction between the insert pin groove 132a and the insert pin retaining ring 135, and the friction between the sleeve groove 133a and the insert pin retaining ring 135. However, the ball bearing 141 may have increased rotational friction due to reasons such as wear, entry of foreign matter, and deterioration of the lubricant. In such a case, when the rotational resistance of the ball bearing 141 becomes larger than the frictional force between the insert pin 132 and the sleeve 133, slippage may occur between the insert pin 132 and the sleeve 133. When such slippage occurs, there is a problem that wear occurs on the insert pin 132, the fixing plate 136, the insert pin retaining ring 135, the sleeve groove 133a, etc.

[0026] Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a rotation prevention device 137 is provided at the base end portion of the insert pin 132 and locked to the notch of the stop device 133b at the opening of the sleeve 133 to suppress the rotation of the sleeve 133. However, these operations require aligning the notch positions at the final stage of inserting the insert pin 132 into the sleeve 133. In this case, there is no gap between the outer peripheral surface of the insert pin 132 and the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 133. Further, when the insert pin retaining ring 135 is pushed in while being deflected by the fixing plate 136 of the insert pin 132, the protruding force of the insert pin retaining ring 135 strongly acts on the outer peripheral surface of the fixing plate 136. For this reason, there is a problem that the frictional resistance for rotating the insert pin 132 is large and it is difficult to align the notch positions.

[0027] In addition, the insert pin retaining ring 135 needs to have flexibility in order to be elastically deformed and mounted in the sleeve groove 133a or the insert pin groove 132a, and cannot be made highly strong. Therefore, there is a problem that it is also likely to shift in the insertion direction.

[0028] <Overview of the First Embodiment> FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a partial cross-section before attaching the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32. In FIG. 2, the insertion direction of the insert pin 32 (downward in the width direction Y of FIG. 2) is defined as the tip side, and the opposite direction is defined as the base end side. As shown in FIG. 2, in the attachment structure of the side roller 40 of the present embodiment, the insert pin 32 includes a cylinder 51 having a cylindrical peripheral wall 51a and a slide rod 52 accommodated in the cylinder 51. The cylinder portion 50 has a through hole 53 penetrating the peripheral wall 51a and a lock pin 54 inserted into the through hole 53. The slide rod 52 has a large-diameter lock portion 52e and a small-diameter release portion 52g having an outer diameter smaller than that of the lock portion 52e.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2, the inner peripheral surface 33i of the sleeve 33 has an annular locking groove 33d along the circumferential direction that engages with the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 protruding from the through hole 53. The slide rod 52 is movable within the cylinder 51 along the central axis C (width direction Y) of the peripheral wall 51a.

[0030] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the state where the side roller 40 is attached to the insert pin 32. As shown in Fig. 3, when it reaches the lock position where the lock portion 52e of the slide rod 52 overlaps with the through hole 53 in the radial direction of the peripheral wall 51a, the rear end portion 54a of the lock pin 54 abuts against the lock portion 52e of the slide rod 52. Thus, the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 is configured to protrude from the through hole 53 and engage with the locking groove 33d.

[0031] When it is displaced to the release position where the release portion 52g of the slide rod 52 overlaps with the through hole 53 in the radial direction of the peripheral wall 51a, the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 is configured to be accommodatable within the through hole 53 (see Fig. 17). The side roller 40 has a locking magnet 55 which is a regulating member that regulates the movement of the slide rod 52 so that the slide rod 52 maintains the lock position.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3, in the attachment structure of the side roller 40 of the present embodiment, by inserting the insert pin 32 into the sleeve 33, the side roller 40 can be surely fixed to the insert pin 32 with one touch by the lock pin 54.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2, at the initial position at the start of insertion of the insert pin 32, the lock pin 54 is in the released state. That is, the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 is accommodated in the through hole 53. When the insert pin 32 in such a released state is inserted into the sleeve 33, as shown in Fig. 3, the stepped portion 32b of the insert pin 32 and the base end portion 33h of the sleeve 33 come into contact with each other. In this state, the slide rod 52 is attracted by the locking magnet 55 by magnetic force and is displaced in the tip direction within the cylinder 51. Then, the locking portion 52e of the slide rod 52 comes to a position overlapping the position of the through hole 53. The locking portion 52e, which is a large-diameter portion, abuts against the rear end portion 54a of the lock pin 54 within the through hole 53. As a result, the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 protrudes from the through hole 53 and engages with the locking groove 33d, and the side roller 40 can be fixed to the insert pin 32 with one touch. The slide rod 52 is maintained at the locking position by the locking magnet 55, and the state in which the side roller 40 is fixed to the insert pin 32 is maintained.

[0034] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the side roller chain 11 of the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 to 18.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 1, the side roller chain 11 includes a chain 12 as an example of a moving body, and side rollers 40 rotatably provided on insert pins 32 protruding from the side portions of the chain 12. The side rollers 40 move in the moving direction X while rolling on a rail (not shown) as the chain 12 moves.

[0036] <Chain 12> The chain 12 includes a plurality of inner links 16 each having a pair of inner link plates 15 arranged to face each other and separated in the width direction Y. The chain 12 also includes a plurality of outer links 18 each having a pair of outer link plates 17 arranged to sandwich the pair of inner link plates 15 from the outside in the width direction Y. The inner link plates 15 of the inner links 16 and the outer link plates 17 of the outer links 18 are formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape extending along the moving direction X.

[0037] The inner link plates 15 and the outer link plates 17 facing each other in the width direction Y are arranged to be parallel to each other. Therefore, the chain 12 of the present embodiment is a so-called flat type chain configured such that the intervals between the inner link plates 15 and the intervals between the outer link plates 17 are equal at one end side and the other end side of the inner links 16 and the outer links 18 in the moving direction X thereof.

[0038] Circular bush insertion holes 15a are formed at both ends of the inner link plate 15 in the moving direction X so as to penetrate in the width direction Y which is also the thickness direction of the inner link plate 15. Between a pair of opposed inner link plates 15 in the inner link 16, two cylindrical bushes 19 are assembled so as to maintain the distance between the pair of inner link plates 15. Both ends of the bush 19 are respectively fitted into the bush insertion holes 15a of the pair of inner link plates 15. The bush 19 rotatably supports the roller 20 by being inserted through the cylindrical roller 20. That is, the bush 19 is loosely fitted to the roller 20.

[0039] <Shaft member 30> At both ends of the outer link plate 17 in the moving direction X, circular pin insertion holes 17a into which cylindrical shaft members 30 having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the bush 19 are inserted are formed so as to penetrate in the width direction Y which is also the thickness direction of the outer link plate 17.

[0040] The central portion of the shaft member 30 in the width direction Y has a portion that functions as a chain pin 31 which is a connecting shaft for connecting the chain 12. Further, both ends of the shaft member 30 in the width direction Y protrude from the outer link plate 17 to become insert pins 32.

[0041] The inner link 16 is formed by assembling the bush 19 between a pair of inner link plates 15 by the bush 19. Further, the outer link plate 17 of the outer link 18 is rotatably connected to the inner link plate 15 of the inner link 16 via the shaft member 30 from the outside of the inner link plate 15.

[0042] In this case, the shaft member 30 is in a state where the portion of the chain pin 31 in the middle part other than both ends is inserted into the bush 19 assembled between the pair of inner link plates 15 of the inner link 16. In this state, both ends are fitted to the pin insertion holes 17a of the pair of outer link plates 17 of the outer link 18. Both ends of the shaft member 30 protrude through the pair of outer link plates 17, respectively. Further, the inner link plate 15 of the inner link 16 and the outer link plate 17 of the outer link 18 adjacent to each other in the moving direction X are rotatably connected to each other at the ends in the moving direction X via the portion of the chain pin 31 and the bush 19. Note that the chain 12 of the present embodiment is made of a steel material.

[0043] <Mounting structure of the side roller 40> FIG. 4 is an exploded partial cross-sectional view of the main part of the mounting structure of the side roller 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting structure of the side roller 40 includes a shaft member 30 having an insert pin 32, and the insert pin 32 includes a cylinder portion 50 having a cylinder 51. The cylinder portion 50 includes a pair of through holes 53, and a lock pin 54 is accommodated in the through holes 53. In the cylinder 51, a temporary fixing magnet 51i is disposed at the base end portion.

[0044] In the cylinder 51, a slide rod 52 supported by a slide rod sleeve 51e is accommodated so as to be displaceable in the central axis C direction of the cylinder 51. As will be described later, the side roller 40 includes a sleeve 33 for inserting the insert pin 32. A lid member 43 is disposed on the tip side of the side roller 40 (not shown). The lid member 43 closes the opening of the side roller 40. A locking magnet 55, which is a regulating member, is fitted into the central regulating member accommodation hole 43c of the lid member 43 via an O-ring 55a.

[0045] The following will be described respectively. <Insert pin 32> FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the insert pin 32 of the first embodiment in a plan view. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the insert pin 32 of the first embodiment in a perspective view. As shown in FIG. 5, the insert pin 32 is a generally cylindrical portion formed at the tip of the cylindrical shaft member 30. Its outer peripheral surface 32a is composed of a large-diameter portion 32c, a stepped portion 32e, and a small-diameter portion 32f.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 6, the large-diameter portion 32c of the insert pin is generally formed in a cylindrical shape, but a part of it is notched generally parallel to the central axis C (see FIG. 5), and a notch portion 32d that constitutes a rotation restricting portion is formed. This notch portion 32d abuts against a rotation stopper 33j (see FIG. 10) that constitutes a rotation restricting portion of the sleeve 33, and restricts the rotation of the insert pin 32 with respect to the sleeve 33.

[0047] Further, a stepped portion 32b (see FIG. 5) of the insert pin 32 has a step formed, and by abutting against a base end portion 33h (see FIG. 10) of the sleeve 33, the positional relationship between the insert pin 32 and the sleeve 33 at the time of insertion is defined.

[0048] <Cylinder portion 50> As shown in FIG. 5, the tip side of the insert pin 32 is provided with a cylinder portion 50. The cylinder portion 50 has a cylinder 51 which is a space provided with a cylindrical peripheral wall 51a, and its central axis C is the same as the central axis C of the insert pin 32.

[0049] On the proximal end side of the cylinder 51, a small-diameter portion 51c having a generally cylindrical shape with a relatively small inner diameter is formed in a portion approximately one-third from the proximal end. A disk-shaped temporary fixing magnet 51i that constitutes a temporary fixing member is press-fitted into the proximal end portion 51b of the cylinder 51. From here, a cylindrical portion with an increasing diameter follows through a stepped portion 51d. An annular slide rod sleeve 51e is fitted here. The slide rod sleeve 51e is disposed between the cylinder 51 and the slide rod 52 (see Fig. 2) to reduce friction so that the slide rod 52 can smoothly displace within the cylinder 51.

[0050] Furthermore, an inclined surface portion 51f with a gradually increasing diameter is formed from a portion approximately one-fourth from the tip, and a portion approximately one-fifth from the tip is a large-diameter portion 51g of a cylindrical portion with a relatively large inner diameter. And an opening 51h is provided at the tip portion.

[0051] <Through-hole 53> In a generally central portion of the peripheral wall 51a of the small-diameter portion 51c, a pair of opposing through-holes 53 are formed in a radial direction orthogonal to the central axis C. As shown in Fig. 6, the through-hole 53 includes a through-passage 53b having a circular cross-sectional space, an inner opening 53a facing the slide rod 52, and an outer opening 53c facing the sleeve 33. Its inner diameter is such that the lock pin 54 can slide.

[0052] <Lock pin 54> As shown in Fig. 2, a lock pin 54 is disposed in the through-hole 53. As shown in Fig. 5, the lock pin 54 is a rod-shaped member and is made of a magnetic material such as steel or cast iron, for example. The lock pin 54 has a cylindrical shaft portion 54b, a rear end portion 54a facing the slide rod 52, and a front end portion 54c facing the sleeve 33. The shaft portion 54b has an outer diameter with a gap such that it can slide with respect to the inner diameter of the through-hole 53. The front end portion 54c has a hemispherical shape and is shaped to smoothly slide on the inner peripheral surface 33i of the sleeve 33. The rear end portion 54a also has a hemispherical shape and is shaped to smoothly slide on the release portion 52g and the lock portion 52e of the slide rod 52 via a transition portion 52f.

[0053] FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing the lock pin 54 when the slide rod 52 is in the release position. FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing the lock pin 54 when the slide rod 52 is in the locked position. As shown in FIG. 17, the length of the lock pin 54 is such that when the slide rod 52 is in the release position and the rear end portion 54a abuts against the release portion 52g which is the small diameter portion, the tip end portion 54c does not project radially outward from the outer opening 53c of the through hole 53. Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the length of the lock pin 54 is such that when the slide rod 52 is in the locked position, the rear end portion 54a abuts against the lock portion 52e which is the large diameter portion. At this time, the tip end portion 54c projects radially outward from the outer opening 53c of the through hole 53 and has a length that is inserted into the locking groove 33d of the sleeve 33.

[0054] <Slide rod 52> FIG. 7 is a plan view of the slide rod 52 of the first embodiment in a plan view. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the slide rod 52 of the first embodiment in a perspective view. The slide rod 52 is a metal round bar-shaped member made of a magnetic material such as steel or cast iron. It has a base end portion 52c on the base end side (upper side in FIGS. 7 and 8) and a tip end portion 52k on the tip end side, and these have the same outer diameter. A step portion 52d is formed in a portion approximately one-fifth from the base end, and from here it has a lock portion 52e which is a large diameter portion with an outer diameter approximately 1.3 times that of the base end portion 52c. The lock portion 52e is approximately one-tenth of the total length, and on the tip end side thereof, a transition portion 52f is formed which gradually reduces in diameter at a constant rate towards the tip. In the transition portion 52f, the outer diameter continues to be slightly smaller than that of the base end portion 52c. In the transition portion 52f, a slope of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the central axis C is formed. From the tip of the transition portion 52f, it has a release portion 52g which is a cylindrical small diameter portion slightly smaller than the base end portion 52c. That is, the lock portion 52e and the release portion 52g are formed as a smoothly continuous surface by the transition portion 52f. For this reason, as the slide rod 52 is displaced within the cylinder 51 as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the rear end portion 54a of the lock pin 54 can slide smoothly.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the tip side of the release portion 52g is provided with an inclined portion 52h that gradually expands in diameter at a constant rate as it goes toward the tip. In the inclined portion 52h, the outer diameter is continuous until it becomes substantially equal to the outer diameter of the lock portion 52e. In the inclined portion 52h, a slope of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the central axis C is formed. From the tip of the inclined portion 52h, there is a locking portion 52i having a cylindrical shape with the same diameter as the lock portion 52e. On the tip side of the locking portion 52i, a stepped portion 52j having a surface orthogonal to the central axis is formed and is continuous with the tip portion 52k. The stepped portion 52j on the tip side of the locking portion 52i regulates the locked position of the slide rod 52 by coming into contact with the slide rod sleeve 51e disposed in the cylinder 51 when the slide rod 52 is displaced to the locked position.

[0056] The base end surface 52a of the slide rod 52 is made of a magnetic material, and the slide rod 52 is temporarily fixed in the release position by being attracted by the temporary fixing magnet 51i. The base end peripheral portion 52b of the base end surface 52a is chamfered to smooth the sliding of the slide rod 52.

[0057] The tip end surface 52m of the slide rod 52 is also made of a magnetic material, and the slide rod 52 is displaced to the locked position by being attracted by the locking magnet 55. The tip peripheral portion 52l of the tip end surface 52m is chamfered to smooth the sliding of the slide rod 52.

[0058] <Sleeve 33> FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve 33 of the first embodiment in plan view. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the sleeve 33 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the sleeve 33 has an overall generally cylindrical shape, and the omitted portion has a shape symmetrical to the cross-section. The sleeve 33 includes a large-diameter portion 33a with a relatively large diameter at the proximal end side (the upper side in FIGS. 9 and 10), which is approximately 30% of the whole, and a small-diameter portion 33b with a relatively small diameter at the distal end side thereof. On the outer peripheral surface 33e, the distal end side end portion of the large-diameter portion 33a has an inclined surface inclined by approximately 30 degrees with respect to the central axis C. It is provided with a stepped portion 33c having a surface orthogonal to the central axis C following this. The stepped portion 33c is a continuous surface orthogonal to the small-diameter portion 33b. This stepped portion 33c abuts against the proximal end side of the seal chamber 46 shown in FIG. 11, and the displacement to the distal end side is restricted.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a fixing groove 33f engraved in the circumferential direction is formed near the distal end of the outer peripheral surface 33e of the small-diameter portion 33b. As shown in FIG. 11, an annular retaining ring 33g is fitted into this fixing groove 33f, and it is fixed by the inner side on the distal end side of the inner ring 41a of the ball bearing 41, and the displacement to the proximal end side is restricted.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, on the inner peripheral surface 33i of the large-diameter portion 33a, although it is formed in an overall cylindrical shape, a rotation stopper 33j that constitutes a rotation restricting portion for notching a circular shape is provided inside the opening 33k on the proximal end side of the sleeve 33. This rotation stopper 33j has a shape corresponding to the notch portion 32d (see FIG. 6), which is the rotation restricting portion of the insert pin 32 when the insert pin 32 is inserted. For this reason, when the insert pin 32 is inserted into the sleeve 33, the surfaces of the rotation stopper 33j and the notch portion 32d abut against each other so as to correspond. For this reason, these configurations function as a rotation restricting portion for restricting the rotation of the insert pin 32 with respect to the sleeve 33.

[0061] The sleeve 33 has a diameter-reducing portion 33l whose inner diameter gradually decreases in the direction from the large-diameter portion 33a on the proximal end side to the small-diameter portion 33b on the distal end side. As shown in FIG. 12, when the insert pin 32 is inserted, the lock pin 54 is displaced in the direction in which the rear end portion 54a abuts against the release portion 52g, which is the small-diameter portion of the slide rod 52 in the release position, by the tip portion 54c abutting against the diameter-reducing portion 33l.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, an annular locking groove 33d engraved in the circumferential direction is provided approximately at the center of the inner peripheral surface 33i of the small-diameter portion 33b. As shown in FIG. 18, the locking groove 33d locks the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 to fix the insert pin 32 so as not to come out of the sleeve 33.

[0063] <Side roller 40> FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the side roller 40 of the first embodiment in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 11, the insert pin 32 is inserted and fixed to the side roller 40. The side roller 40 includes a cylindrical roller member 42 on the outermost side. A ball bearing 41 is provided inside the roller member 42 as an example of a bearing. Further, a sleeve 33 is provided inside the ball bearing 41. The roller member 42 is rotatably supported with respect to the insert pin 32 via the ball bearing 41 (ball bearing) and rolls as the chain 12 (FIG. 1) moves in the moving direction X.

[0064] <Ball bearing 41> As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, two ball bearings 41 are provided adjacent to each other in the width direction Y which is also the axial direction thereof. The ball bearing 41 includes an annular inner ring 41a (inner race) fixed to the outer peripheral surface 32a of the insert pin 32 via the sleeve 33. Further, it includes an annular outer ring 41b (outer race) fixed to the inner peripheral surface 42a of the roller member 42. And a plurality of balls 41c interposed between the inner ring 41a and the outer ring 41b and held by a cage (not shown) in a state of being arranged in a row at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 11, for the ball bearing 41 on the chain 12 side (the upper side in FIG. 11) of the two ball bearings 41, the inner ring 41a abuts against the stepped portion 33c of the sleeve 33 via the sealing material 43a. Further, the outer ring 41b abuts against the corner portion 42b on the inner peripheral surface 42a of the roller member 42 to regulate the displacement of the position in the insertion direction (width direction Y).

[0066] Furthermore, for the outer ring 41b of the outer ball bearing 41 (the lower side in FIG. 11) of the two ball bearings 41, the lower side abuts against the annular retaining ring 45 fitted into the annular groove 42c provided on the inner peripheral surface 42a of the roller member 42 to regulate the displacement of the position in the insertion direction (width direction Y).

[0067] Also, for the inner ring 41a of the outer ball bearing 41 (the lower side in FIG. 11) of the two ball bearings 41, the lower side abuts against the annular retaining ring 33g fitted into the annular fixing groove 33f provided on the outer peripheral surface 33e of the sleeve 33 to regulate the displacement of the position in the insertion direction (width direction Y).

[0068] Note that grease or the like is enclosed for the lubrication of the ball bearing. Note that as the lubricant, a material obtained by impregnating a synthetic resin with grease or the like may be used. <Cover member 43> As shown in FIG. 11, inside the opening at the tip (the lower side in FIG. 11) of the roller member 42 which is entirely cylindrical, a step 42d with a smaller inner diameter from the opening is provided annularly in the circumferential direction. A disc-shaped cover member 43 is mounted on this step 42d so as to seal the inside of the roller member 42. An annular sealing material accommodation groove 42e for accommodating the sealing material 43a is provided on the inner periphery of the opening of the roller member 42, above the step 42d. The cover member 43 is fitted in a state where its outer peripheral edge is sealed by the sealing material 43a accommodated in the sealing material accommodation groove 42e.

[0069] The cover member 43 seals this opening in a state where its lower peripheral edge abuts against the step 42d. This cover member 43 is prevented from coming off the roller member 42 by the cover member retaining ring 43b which is elastically biased outward and accommodated in the annular retaining ring accommodation groove 42f provided on the inner peripheral surface 42a of the opening of the roller member 42.

[0070] <Magnet 55 for locking> As shown in FIG. 11, a circular through-hole is provided as a regulating member accommodation hole 43c at the center of the lid member 43. The inner diameter of the regulating member accommodation hole 43c is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the pressing portion 55b of the magnet 55 for locking, which is a regulating member, and the pressing portion 55b of the magnet 55 for locking slides within the regulating member accommodation hole 43c. Further, an O-ring accommodation groove 43g for accommodating the O-ring 55a in the circumferential direction is provided above the regulating member accommodation hole 43c. And the O-ring 55a accommodated in the O-ring accommodation groove 43g maintains airtightness between the regulating member accommodation hole 43c and the pressing portion 55b of the magnet 55 for locking so that they can slide.

[0071] On the proximal end side of the magnet 55 for locking, an attracting portion 55c made of a magnet is provided. The attracting portion 55c is in the shape of a disk with a larger diameter than the pressing portion 55b. The attracting portion 55c is exposed on the proximal end side of the lid member 43 and faces the tip surface 52m of the slide rod 52 in the locked state and attracts the slide rod 52 with magnetic force.

[0072] <Sealing chamber 46> As shown in FIG. 11, in the width direction Y, an annular sealing chamber 46 is formed in the portion between the roller member 42 and the insert pin 32 at a position adjacent to the chain 12 side with respect to the ball bearing 41. The sealing chamber 46 is partitioned and formed by the roller member 42, the sleeve 33, and the ball bearing 41. An oil seal (not shown) as an example of a sealing member is disposed in the sealing chamber 46. In this sealing chamber 46, the intrusion of metal powder and sewage from the chain side is prevented. As this oil seal, a contact-type sealing member using elastic force, a non-contact labyrinth seal, a felt seal, etc. can be used.

[0073] (Operation of the First Embodiment) The side roller chain 11 configured as described above has the following operations. (Attachment of the Side Roller 40) FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an initial state where the side roller 40 starts to be attached to the insert pin 32. First, when starting to attach the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32, the slide rod 52 is temporarily fixed at the release position with its base end surface 52a attracted by the temporary fixing magnet 51i. In this state, the insert pin 32 is inserted into the sleeve 33 in the insertion direction indicated by the arrow. At this time, even if the lock pin 54 protrudes outward, the tip end portion 54c of the lock pin 54 is displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow and accommodated in the through hole 53 by the reduced diameter portion 33l of the sleeve 33.

[0074] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in the middle of attaching the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32. Here, since the lock pin 54 is accommodated in the through hole 53, it does not prevent the insertion of the insert pin 32.

[0075] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the attachment of the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32 is completed. As shown in FIG. 14, when the stepped portion 32b of the insert pin 32 abuts against the base end portion 33h of the sleeve 33, the insertion of the insert pin 32 into the sleeve 33 is restricted and the position is defined.

[0076] At this time, the notch portion 32d, which is the rotation restricting portion of the insert pin 32, abuts against the rotation stopper 33j (see FIG. 10), which is the rotation restricting portion of the sleeve 33, and the rotation of the insert pin 32 with respect to the sleeve 33 is restricted.

[0077] At the position where the insertion is completed in this way, the tip end surface 52m of the slide rod 52 is attracted by the locking magnet 55 by magnetic force, and the slide rod 52 separates from the base end surface 52a that was attracted by the temporary fixing magnet 51i. Then, the slide rod 52 is displaced in the insertion direction indicated by the arrow, and the tip end surface 52m of the slide rod 52 is fixed at a position close to the locking magnet 55. That is, the slide rod 52 is displaced from the release position to the locking position.

[0078] When the slide rod 52 reaches the locked position, in the radial direction of the peripheral wall 51a of the cylinder 51, it is at the locked position where the locking portion 52e of the slide rod 52 overlaps with the through hole 53. When it reaches the locked position, the rear end portion 54a of the locking pin 54 abuts against the locking portion 52e of the slide rod 52, so that the front end portion 54c of the locking pin 54 protrudes from the through hole 53 in the direction indicated by the arrow and engages with the locking groove 33d. Then, the displacement of the insert pin 32 with respect to the sleeve 33 is restricted.

[0079] <Removal of the side roller 40> FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the removal of the insert pin 32 from the side roller 40 is started. First, the pressing portion 55b of the locking magnet 55 exposed at the center of the lid member 43 at the tip of the side roller 40 is pressed by an operator in the direction of the arrow (the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the insert pin 32). Then, the pressing portion 55b fixed by the frictional force of the O-ring 55a is displaced toward the base end side, and the adsorption portion 55c is also displaced toward the base end side according to the displacement. In FIG. 15, there is a gap between the adsorption portion 55c and the front end surface 52m of the slide rod 52, but by further pressing the pressing portion 55b, the adsorption portion 55c and the front end surface 52m come into contact. When the adsorption portion 55c and the front end surface 52m come into contact, the slide rod 52 itself is displaced toward the base end side in the direction of the arrow, and the base end surface 52a of the slide rod 52 abuts against and is adsorbed by the temporary fixing magnet 51i. When the base end surface 52a of the slide rod 52 abuts against the temporary fixing magnet 51i, the slide rod 52 reaches a position where the release portion 52g of the slide rod 52 overlaps with the through hole 53. That is, it is displaced from the locked position to the released position. For this reason, the locking pin 54 is adsorbed so that the rear end portion 54a abuts against the release portion 52g of the slide rod 52 by the magnetic force of the slide rod 52 and is displaced in the direction of the arrow. Then, the front end portion 54c of the locking pin 54 is accommodated in the through hole 53, and the locking with the locking groove 33d is released. Since the base end surface 52a of the slide rod 52 is adsorbed by the temporary fixing magnet 51i, the slide rod 52 maintains the released state.

[0080] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the removal of the insert pin 32 from the side roller 40 is completed. When the engagement between the tip 54c of the lock pin 54 and the engagement groove 33d is released, the insert pin 32 becomes free to displace toward the proximal end side. In this state, as shown in FIG. 16, when the side roller 40 is relatively pulled out from the insert pin 32 in the direction of the arrow, the locking magnet 55 displaces in the direction of the arrow while being adsorbed to the tip surface 52m of the slide rod 52. Then, the removal of the insert pin 32 from the side roller 40 is completed.

[0081] <Reattachment of the side roller 40> As shown in FIG. 16, in the state where the side roller 40 is removed from the insert pin 32, the locking magnet 55 is in a state of being adsorbed to the tip surface 52m of the slide rod 52. Therefore, when attempting to reattach the side roller 40, the locking magnet 55 is separated from the tip surface 52m of the slide rod 52, inserted again from the proximal end side into the regulating member accommodation hole 43c of the lid member 43, and returned to the state shown in FIG. 12. After that, the side roller 40 can be attached to the insert pin 32 again with one touch by the attachment method shown in FIGS. 12 to 13.

[0082] (Effects of the First Embodiment) The first embodiment has the following effects. (1-1) According to the attachment structure of the side roller 40 and the chain 11 with side rollers of the present embodiment, there is an effect that the attachment and detachment of the side roller 40 of the chain 11, which is a moving body, can be facilitated and firmly fixed.

[0083] (1-2) In this embodiment, the slide rod 52 is movable along the axial direction within the cylinder portion 50. When the lock portion 52e, which is the large-diameter portion of the slide rod 52, overlaps with the through-hole 53, it reaches the locked position. When it reaches the locked position, the rear end portion 54a of the lock pin 54 abuts against the lock portion 52e of the slide rod 52, so that the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 protrudes from the through-hole 53. The protruding tip portion 54c engages with the locking groove 33d. With such a configuration, there is an effect that the attachment and detachment of the side roller 40 to the chain 11, which is a moving body, can be facilitated and firmly fixed.

[0084] (1-3) The side roller 40 has a locking magnet 55 as a regulating member that regulates the movement of the slide rod 52 so that the slide rod 52 maintains the locked position. Therefore, there is an effect that the slide rod 52 can be stably maintained in the locked state.

[0085] (1-4) The slide rod 52 includes a transition portion 52f formed of an inclined surface that connects the release portion 52g and the lock portion 52e. Therefore, there is an effect that the transition between the locked state and the released state can be made smoothly.

[0086] (1-5) The slide rod 52 is made of a magnetic material and includes a locking magnet 55 as a regulating member. Therefore, there is an effect that the locked position of the slide rod 52 can be maintained without friction even if the slide rod 52 and the locking magnet 55 rotate relative to each other.

[0087] (1-6) The insert pin 32 has a temporary fixing magnet 51i as a temporary fixing member that temporarily fixes the slide rod 52 to the base end portion 51b of the cylinder portion 50 at the release position. Therefore, there is an effect that the release position can be stably maintained when the insert pin 32 is inserted into the side roller 40.

[0088] (1-7) The sleeve 33 has a reduced-diameter portion 33l whose inner diameter gradually decreases in the direction from the large-diameter portion 33a at the base end to the small-diameter portion 33b at the tip end. When the tip end 54c of the lock pin 54 abuts against the reduced-diameter portion 33l, it is displaced in the direction of abutting against the release portion 52g. Therefore, even if the tip end 54c of the lock pin 54 protrudes, by accommodating it in the through-hole 53, there is an effect that the side roller 40 can be smoothly attached to the insert pin 32.

[0089] (1-8) The slide rod 52 has magnetism, the lock pin 54 is made of a magnetic material, and the tip end 54c of the lock pin 54 is biased by magnetic force so as to be accommodated in the through-hole 53. Therefore, there is an effect that the lock pin 54 can be surely accommodated in the through-hole 53 at the release position of the slide rod 52.

[0090] (1-9) The locking magnet 55 is held by the friction of the O-ring 55a in the central regulating member accommodation hole 43c of the lid member 43. When this locking magnet 55 is pressed toward the base end side, the slide rod 52 is displaced from the locked position to the released position. Therefore, there is an effect that the side roller 40 can be easily removed from the insert pin 32.

[0091] (1-10) It is provided with a locking groove 33d provided in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface 33i of the sleeve 33 as an engaging portion. Therefore, there is an effect that the lock pin 54 can be locked in the locking groove 33d regardless of the rotation direction of the insert pin 32.

[0092] (1-11) A notch 32d is formed on the base end side of the columnar insert pin 32, and a rotation stopper 33j corresponding to the shape of the notch 32d is provided inside the opening 33k on the base end side of the sleeve 33. Therefore, when the insert pin 32 is inserted, there is an effect that the rotation of the insert pin 32 with respect to the sleeve 33 can be restricted by the notch 32d and the rotation stopper 33j.

[0093] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment, which is an example of another aspect of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve 33 of the second embodiment in a plan view. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the sleeve 33 of the second embodiment. FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a partial cross-section of the side roller 40 and the insert pin 32 before assembly in the second embodiment.

[0094] In the first embodiment, an annular locking groove 33d provided on the inner circumference of the sleeve 33 is provided as an engaging portion. In contrast, in the second embodiment, instead of this, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a pair of locking holes 33d′ corresponding to the shape of the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 provided on the inner circumference of the sleeve 33 is provided. Further, by making the locking groove 33d into the locking hole 33d′, a guide groove 33m is provided to easily introduce the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 into the locking hole 33d′. In the second embodiment, at the release position of the slide rod 52, when the rear end portion 54a of the lock pin 54 abuts against the release portion 52g, the tip portion 54c thereof protrudes slightly from the through hole 53. The protruding amount is smaller than the protruding amount in the locked position. And the guide groove 33m guides the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 that protrudes slightly from the through hole 53 in the released state. The guide groove 33m receives and guides the protruding tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 along the central axis direction parallel to the central axis C from the base end portion on the inner peripheral surface 33i of the sleeve 33 to the locking hole 33d′.

[0095] (Operation of the Second Embodiment) When inserting the insert pin 32 into the sleeve 33, in the first embodiment, the lock pin 54 was completely accommodated in the through hole 53 by the reduced diameter portion 33l. However, in the second embodiment, even by the reduced diameter portion 33l, it is not completely accommodated in the through hole 53, and in the small diameter portion 33b, in principle, the lock pin 54 cannot be inserted due to the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54 that protrudes slightly.

[0096] However, the guide groove 33m of the second embodiment receives the tip 54c of the protruding lock pin 54 and guides it on the inner peripheral surface 33i of the sleeve 33 along the central axis C direction from the base end portion to the locking hole 33d'. For this purpose, the tip 54c of the lock pin 54 protruding from the inserted insert pin 32 abuts against the reduced diameter portion 33l when shifting from the reduced diameter portion 33l to the small diameter portion 33b. At this time, the insert pin 32 is rotated around the central axis C to align the tip 54c of the protruding lock pin 54 with the guide groove 33m. The aligned insert pin 32 is further inserted. After that, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, if the insert pin 32 is completely inserted into the side roller 40, the side roller 40 can be easily attached to the insert pin 32 with one touch.

[0097] (Effect of the Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, in addition to the effects common to the first embodiment, there are the following effects.

[0098] (2-1) By making the engaging portion the locking hole 33d', the relative rotation between the insert pin 32 and the sleeve 33 can be restricted by the lock pin 54. For this reason, there is an effect that the rotation restricting portion including the notch 32d of the insert pin 32 and the rotation stopper 33j of the sleeve 33 as in the first embodiment can be omitted and a simple shape can be obtained.

[0099] (2-2) Also, since the guide groove 33m is provided, there is an effect that the tip 54c of the lock pin 54 can be easily introduced into the locking hole 33d'. <Third Embodiment> FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the side roller 40 and the insert pin 32 after assembly in the third embodiment. FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the side roller 40 and the insert pin 32 at the time of attachment / detachment in the third embodiment.

[0100] The features of the third embodiment are as follows. First, in the first embodiment, the slide rod 52 was maintained at the locked position by the locking magnet 55 as a regulating member (see FIG. 3). In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, the slide rod 52 is maintained at the locked position by a return spring 51k as a regulating member. Next, in the first embodiment, a temporary fixing magnet 51i as a temporary fixing member for temporarily fixing in the released state was used (see FIG. 12). Instead of this, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, the unlocking pin 56 is used as a temporary fixing member for temporarily fixing in the released state, and the insert pin 32 at the time of mounting is maintained in the released state. Further, instead of the rod-shaped locking pin 54 (see FIG. 2) in the first embodiment, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, a ball-shaped locking ball 154 is used to maintain the locked state. Note that the locking ball 154 corresponds to the locking pin 54 of the first embodiment of the present invention regardless of its name, and is a modification thereof. In other words, it can be understood as a pin having the same length and diameter. Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25 centering on these features. Regarding the same configurations as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the same reference numerals will be given and the description will be omitted.

[0101] (When using the side roller 40) As shown in FIG. 24, in the third embodiment, the cylinder portion 50 has a disk-shaped spring washer 51j disposed at the base end portion (upper side in FIG. 24) of the cylinder 51, and the slide rod 52 has a stepped portion 52d. Between the spring washer 51j and the stepped portion 52d, there is a return spring 51k composed of a coil spring fitted to the base end portion 52c of the slide rod 52. Therefore, the slide rod 52 is biased toward the tip side within the cylinder 51. The tip end surface of the stepped portion 52j of the slide rod 52 biased by the return spring 51k abuts against the base end surface of the slide rod sleeve 51e and is positioned. In this state, the large-diameter lock portion 52e of the slide rod 52 and the lock ball 154 disposed within the through-hole 53 are in opposing positions. The lock ball 154 is accommodated within the through-hole 53 disposed opposite to each other about the central axis on the outer side in the radial direction of the cylinder 51 so as to be displaceable in the radial direction. The opening of the through-hole 53 facing the sleeve 33 is formed to be slightly narrower than the outer diameter of the lock ball 154 and has an inner diameter such that it can slightly protrude toward the sleeve 33 side but will not fall off. For this reason, a part of the lock ball 154 is pushed radially outward by the lock portion 52e and partly enters into the locking hole 33d' (see FIG. 25), which is the engaging portion of the sleeve 33. That is, the slide rod 52 is in the locked position by the return spring 51k, which is a regulating member, and the locked state of the insert pin 32 is maintained.

[0102] As described above, when the side roller 40 is in use, the slide rod 52 is always in the locked position by the return spring 51k, which is a regulating member, and the locked state of the insert pin 32 is maintained.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 24, the opening at the tip side (lower side in FIG. 24) of the side roller 40 is closed by a lid member 43. Further, a detachable operation hole 43e is opened at the center of the lid member 43, and an operation hole lid 43f is inserted therein from the outside. The operation hole lid 43f is generally cylindrical as a whole, and a head portion 43i having a large diameter is formed at the tip portion, and is adapted to be accommodated in a recess 43d provided at the peripheral edge of the outer opening of the detachable operation hole 43e. For this reason, when the operation hole lid 43f is inserted into the detachable operation hole 43e from the outside, the head portion 43i abuts against the recess 43d and its position is restricted. At this time, since the head portion 43i is accommodated in the recess 43d, the lid member 43 and the operation hole lid 43f are substantially flush with each other. The operation hole lid 43f is kept watertight by an O-ring 43h fitted in an O-ring accommodation groove 43g formed along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the detachable operation hole 43e, and suppresses accidental dropping of the operation hole lid 43f.

[0104] (Removal of the side roller 40) As shown in Fig. 25, to remove the side roller 40, remove the operation hole cover 43f, insert the unlocking pin 56 into the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e, and operate it. The unlocking pin 56 is thinner than the outer diameter of the operation hole cover 43f and has an outer diameter that can smoothly enter and exit the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e. When the unlocking pin 56 is inserted into the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e, first, the contact surface 56a on the proximal end side of the unlocking pin 56 contacts the front end surface 52m on the distal end side of the slide rod 52. Further, when the unlocking pin 56 is inserted into the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e, the slide rod 52 compresses the return spring 51k against the biasing force of the return spring 51k. Therefore, the slide rod 52 is displaced toward the proximal end side (upward in Fig. 25) within the cylinder 51. Then, the large-diameter locking portion 52e of the slide rod 52 is displaced from the position where it faces the lock ball 154 disposed in the through hole 53 to the position where the small-diameter release portion 52g faces the lock ball 154 disposed in the through hole 53. That is, the slide rod 52 changes from the locked position to the released position, and the insert pin 32 changes from the locked state to the released state. That is, with respect to the side roller 40, the insert pin 32 can freely displace relatively in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow.

[0105] At this time, the outer diameter of the lock ball 154 disposed in the through hole 53 is large enough to easily escape over the step from the locking hole 33d'. For this reason, it disengages from the locking hole 33d' and slides in the guide groove 33m formed in the direction of the central axis C on the inner peripheral surface 33i of the sleeve 33. In the first embodiment, the slide rod 52 and the lock pin 54 were configured to be attracted by magnetic force. On the other hand, since the lock ball 154 of the third embodiment has a sufficient outer diameter, it can easily overcome the step of the locking hole 33d' and be displaced in the central axis direction (inward) without being biased in the central axis direction by magnetic force. As long as the slide rod 52 is pressed by the unlocking pin 56, the insert pin 32 maintains the released state, so the side roller 40 can be pulled out from the insert pin 32.

[0106] (Mounting of Side Roller 40) When attaching the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32, the procedure is the reverse of removing the side roller 40 from the insert pin 32 as shown in Fig. 25. First, remove the operation hole lid 43f at the center of the lid member 43 of the side roller 40, and insert the unlocking pin 56 into the detachable operation hole 43e. Next, insert the unlocking pin 56 into the tip of the insert pin 32 and pass it through. Then, press the unlocking pin 56 against the tip surface 52m of the slide rod 52. Before pressing, the cylinder part 50 is in the same state as in Fig. 24, and the slide rod 52 is in the locked position by the biasing force of the return spring 51k. Here, by pressing the unlocking pin 56 against the tip surface 52m of the slide rod 52, as shown in Fig. 25, the slide rod 52 compresses the return spring 51k and displaces to the release position, and the insert pin 32 is in the released state. That is, the insert pin 32 can freely displace relative to the side roller 40 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow. While maintaining the state of pressing the unlocking pin 56 against the tip surface 52m of the slide rod 52, insert the insert pin 32 into the side roller 40. The lock ball 154 is pushed into the through hole 53 in the axial direction by the reduced-diameter portion 33l of the sleeve 33. Then, it abuts against the release portion 52g. In the third embodiment, in the same state as in the second embodiment, the lock ball 154 protrudes slightly outside the outer peripheral surface 32a of the insert pin 32. Then, as shown in Fig. 25, when transitioning from the reduced-diameter portion 33l of the sleeve 33 to the inner peripheral surface 33i of the small-diameter portion 33b, the lock ball 154 abuts against the inner peripheral surface 33i of the small-diameter portion 33b. On the inner peripheral surface 33i of the small-diameter portion 33b of the sleeve 33, guide grooves 33m are formed that are parallel to the central axis and symmetric with respect to the central axis. By relatively rotating the insert pin 32 and the side roller 40, the lock ball 154 coincides with the position of the end of the guide groove 33m. When the positions coincide, the protruding portion outside the lock ball 154 is accommodated in the guide groove 33m, and the insertion of the insert pin 32 into the side roller 40 becomes possible. Further, while maintaining the state of pressing the slide rod 52 with the unlocking pin 56, the lock ball 154 comes to the position of the locking hole 33d'.Then, as shown in FIG. 24, the stepped portion 32b of the insert pin 32 (see FIG. 5) abuts against the base end portion 33h of the sleeve 33 (see FIG. 10), thereby restricting the insertion, and the positional relationship between the insert pin 32 and the sleeve 33 is defined. In this state, the state of pressing the slide rod 52 with the unlocking pin 56 is released. Then, the slide rod 52 is displaced to the locked position by the return spring 51k, and the locking ball 154 enters the locking hole 33d′ by the locking portion 52e of the slide rod 52, and the insert pin 32 is in the locked state. Thus, the attachment of the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32 is completed. If the unlocking pin 56 is pulled out from the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e and the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e is closed with the operation hole lid 43f, it is in the use state.

[0107] (Operation of the Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, when attaching the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32, first, the operation hole lid 43f at the center of the lid member 43 of the side roller 40 is removed, and the unlocking pin 56 is inserted into the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e. Next, the contact surface 56a, which is the tip of the unlocking pin 56, is inserted from the tip of the insert pin 32 into the cylinder 51. Then, the cylinder portion 50 of the insert pin 32 is in the released state, and when further inserted while maintaining this state, there is resistance and insertion becomes impossible. At this time, when the sleeve 33 is rotated with respect to the insert pin 32, the locking ball 154 is introduced into the guide groove 33m of the sleeve 33 at a predetermined position, and subsequent insertion becomes possible. Then, insert until it abuts, and pull out the unlocking pin 56, and the attachment of the side roller 40 to the insert pin 32 is completed. Finally, if the operation hole lid 43f is placed on the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e, it can be used without foreign matter entering the inside of the side roller 40.

[0108] Also, to remove the side roller 40 from the insert pin 32, remove the operation hole lid 43f at the center of the lid member 43 of the side roller 40, and insert the unlocking pin 56 into the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e. Next, press while inserting the unlocking pin 56. Then, the cylinder part 50 of the insert pin 32 will be in the released state, and if it is pulled out while maintaining this state, the removal is completed. Finally, pull out the unlocking pin 56 and place the operation hole lid 43f in the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e to complete the removal.

[0109] (Effect of the Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, in addition to the effects common to the first and second embodiments, there are the following effects.

[0110] (3-1) The slide rod 52 is always maintained at the locked position where the lock ball 154 is engaged with the locking hole 33d' by the return spring 51k. Therefore, there is an effect that the locked state can be stably maintained.

[0111] (3-2) By simply pressing the slide rod 52 while inserting the unlocking pin 56 into the attachment / detachment operation hole 43e, the slide rod 52 moves to the released position. Therefore, there is an effect that the side roller 40 can be attached to the insert pin 32 or detached from the insert pin 32 with a single touch by a simple operation.

[0112] (3-3) Since the locked state cannot be released without inserting the unlocking pin 56, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the side roller 40 from being inadvertently removed from the insert pin 32.

[0113] (3-4) Since it is provided with a spherical lock ball 154 having a relatively large diameter, compared with the rod-shaped lock pin 54, the transition from the locking hole 33d' of the sleeve 33 and the release portion 52g of the slide rod 52 to the locking portion 52e can be smoothly performed. For this reason, even without a transition portion 52f (see FIG. 7) as in the first embodiment, there is an effect that the switching between the locked state and the released state of the insert pin 32 can be made smooth.

[0114] <Modified Example> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. The first to third embodiments and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically non-contradictory range.

[0115] · FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing a modified example of the lock pin 54. The lock pin 54 of the first embodiment was a rod-shaped member having the same diameter with spherical ends. In this modified example, a head 54d is provided at the rear end portion of the lock pin 54. The head 54d has a cylindrical head 54d with a larger diameter than the shaft portion 54b. Note that the shape of the head 54d is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may be a hemispherical shape or the like. Further, the through hole 53 of the cylinder portion 50 is provided with a head receiving portion 53d so that the head 54d can be received in the peripheral wall 51a. And the lock pin 54 in the released state shown by the solid line in FIG. 22 is displaced to the position shown by the two-dot chain line by the locking portion 52e and received in the head receiving portion 53d in the locked state.

[0116] By configuring in this way, there is an effect that the lock pin 54 does not fall out from the through hole 53. · FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing another modification of the lock pin 54. Basically, the lock pin 54 itself is common to that shown in FIG. 22. This modification also includes a head receiving portion 53d so that the head 54d can be received in the peripheral wall 51a of the through hole 53. Further, a spring receiving portion 53e is provided so as to be continuous therewith. The spring receiving portion 53e has a space having the same diameter as the head receiving portion 53d up to the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface 32a of the insert pin 32. The space of the spring receiving portion 53e houses a spring 54e which is a compression coil spring fitted to the shaft portion 54b of the lock pin 54. The spring 54e is disposed between the head 54d and the outer end portion of the spring receiving portion 53e, and biases the head 54d in a direction to press it against the slide rod 52.

[0117] By configuring in this way, even if the slide rod 52 and the lock pin 54 are not attracted to each other by magnetic force, at the release position of the slide rod 52, the head 54d which is the rear end portion of the lock pin 54 can always be brought into contact with the release portion 52g. For this reason, the slide rod 52 and the lock pin 54 can be made of a non-magnetic material.

[0118] · The engaging portion of the present embodiment has been exemplified by the locking groove 33d and the locking hole 33d′ that engage with the tip portion 54c of the lock pin 54, but is not limited to such a configuration, and various configurations can be adopted by those skilled in the art.

[0119] · The regulating member of the present embodiment maintains the locked state using the locking magnet 55. However, in order to regulate the movement of the insert pin 32 with respect to the sleeve 33, the movement may be regulated by a ratchet structure using a leaf spring as a regulating member.

[0120] · The rotation restricting portion of the present embodiment is constituted by the notch portion 32d of the insert pin 32 and the rotation stopper 33j of the sleeve 33, but the rotation restricting portion is not limited to such a configuration, and various configurations can be adopted by those skilled in the art.

[0121] ·Either one of the two ball bearings 41 may be omitted. Also, three or more ball bearings 41 may be used. ·Regardless of the type of the bearing of the present invention, instead of the ball bearing 41 as the bearing, a roller bearing, a fluid bearing, or the like may be used. Further, other types of bearings can also be used.

[0122] ·The moving body of the present invention is not limited to the chain 12, and may be a belt conveyor, a conveying tray, a case, or the like as the moving body. ·The drawings are schematic drawings for explaining the configuration of the present embodiment, and the quantity, shape, dimensions, etc. thereof do not reflect the actual form.

[0123] ·Each numerical value, numerical range, shape, material, etc., such as the quantity, shape, and dimensions, are examples and do not limit the present invention. Needless to say, they will be appropriately optimized by those skilled in the art. ·In the present invention, metal parts that are magnetic bodies are used, but regardless of the type of appropriate metal for the members, resin parts can be adopted when the load is small. Further, the roller member 42 may be made of rubber or the like.

[0124] ·Needless to say, the configuration of the present invention can be added, deleted, or changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the description of the claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0125] X... Moving direction Y... Width direction (insertion direction) C... Central axis 11... Chain with side rollers 12, 112... Chain (as an example of a moving body) 30... Shaft member 32, 132... Insertion pin (as an insertion shaft) 32d... Notch (rotation restricting portion) 33, 133... Sleeve 33d... Locking groove (engaging portion) 33d′... Locking hole (engaging portion) 33j…Rotation stopper (rotation restricting part) 33l…Diameter-reducing part 33m…Guide groove 40, 140…Side roller 41, 141…Ball bearing (as an example of a bearing) 42, 142…Roller member 50…Cylinder part 51…Cylinder 51a…Peripheral wall 51i…Temporary fixing magnet (temporary fixing member) 52…Slide rod 52a…Base end face 52e…Lock part (large diameter part) 52f…Transition part 52g…Release part (small diameter part) 52m…Tip end face 53…Through hole 54…Lock pin 54a…Rear end part 54c…Tip end part 55…Lock magnet (restricting member)

Claims

1. The side roller is supported by inserting an insertion shaft protruding from a side of the moving body from a tip end thereof, The side roller includes a roller member, a bearing that rotatably supports the roller member, and a cylindrical sleeve that is attached to the inner periphery of the bearing, A side roller mounting structure for mounting the roller member to the insertion shaft via the sleeve and the bearing, The insertion shaft has a cylinder portion having a cylindrical peripheral wall and a slide rod accommodated in the cylinder portion, The cylinder portion has a through hole penetrating the peripheral wall and a lock pin inserted into the through hole, The slide rod has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion, the sleeve has an engagement portion that engages with a tip portion of the lock pin protruding from the through hole, The slide rod is movable within the cylinder portion along an axial direction of the peripheral wall, When the large diameter portion of the slide rod is placed at a locked position in the radial direction of the peripheral wall, where the large diameter portion overlaps with the through hole, a rear end portion of the lock pin abuts against the large diameter portion of the slide rod, whereby a tip portion of the lock pin protrudes from the through hole and engages with the engagement portion; When the small diameter portion of the slide rod is placed at a release position where it overlaps with the through hole in a radial direction of the peripheral wall, a tip end of the lock pin can be accommodated in the through hole, 13. A side roller mounting structure comprising: a restricting member for restricting movement of the slide rod so as to maintain the slide rod in the locked position.

2. 2. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 1, further comprising a transition portion formed of a slope that connects said small diameter portion and said large diameter portion.

3. 2. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the slide rod is made of a magnetic material, and the regulating member is a magnet disposed on the side roller.

4. 2. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder portion has a temporary fixing member for temporarily fixing the slide rod at the release position.

5. 5. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 4, wherein the slide rod is made of a magnetic material, and the temporary fastening member is a magnet disposed at the base end of the cylinder portion.

6. The sleeve has a tapered portion whose inner diameter gradually decreases in a direction from the base end to the tip end, 2. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the lock pin is displaced in a direction to be accommodated in the small diameter portion of the slide rod in the release position by abutting the tip portion of the lock pin against the reduced diameter portion.

7. 2. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the small diameter portion of the slide rod biases the tip of the lock pin so as to be received in the through hole.

8. 8. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 7, characterized in that the slide rod is magnetic, the lock pin is made of a magnetic material, the lock pin is attracted to the slide rod, and a tip portion of the lock pin is biased to be accommodated in the through hole.

9. The restricting member has the magnet disposed on the tip side of the insertion shaft, The magnet is configured to be movable in a direction opposite to an insertion direction in which the insertion shaft is inserted, The side roller mounting structure according to claim 3, characterized in that the magnet is pressed in the opposite direction to displace the slide rod from the locked position to the released position, thereby enabling the side roller to be removed from the insertion shaft.

10. 2. The side roller mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion has an engaging groove provided in the circumferential direction on the inner periphery of the sleeve.

11. The side roller mounting structure described in claim 10, characterized in that a notch is formed on the base end side of the cylindrical insertion shaft, and a rotation stopper corresponding to the shape of the notch is provided on the inside of the opening on the base end side of the sleeve, and a rotation regulating portion is provided that regulates the rotation of the insertion shaft relative to the sleeve by the notch and the rotation stopper when the insertion shaft is inserted.

12. The side roller is supported by inserting an insertion shaft protruding from a side of the moving body from a tip end thereof, The side roller includes a roller member, a bearing that rotatably supports the roller member, and a cylindrical sleeve that is attached to the inner periphery of the bearing, A side roller mounting structure for mounting the roller member to the insertion shaft via the sleeve and the bearing, The insertion shaft has a cylinder portion having a cylindrical peripheral wall and a slide rod accommodated in the cylinder portion, The cylinder portion has a through hole penetrating the peripheral wall and a lock pin inserted into the through hole, The slide rod has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion, the sleeve has an engagement portion that engages with a tip portion of the lock pin protruding from the through hole, The slide rod is movable within the cylinder portion along an axial direction of the peripheral wall, When the large diameter portion of the slide rod is placed at a locked position in the radial direction of the peripheral wall, where the large diameter portion overlaps with the through hole, a rear end portion of the lock pin abuts against the large diameter portion of the slide rod, whereby a tip portion of the lock pin protrudes from the through hole and engages with the engagement portion; When the small diameter portion of the slide rod is placed at a release position where it overlaps with the through hole in the radial direction of the peripheral wall, the lock pin is configured to be displaceable radially inward, a restricting member that restricts movement of the slide rod so that the slide rod is maintained at the locked position, the engaging portion includes an engaging hole that is provided on an inner periphery of the sleeve and engages with a tip of the lock pin, a guide groove is provided in an inner peripheral surface of the sleeve, the guide groove receiving the protruding lock pin so as to extend from a base end of the lock pin along a central axial direction to the lock hole, the guide groove being configured to receive and guide the protruding lock pin in the radial direction at the release position, A side roller mounting structure characterized in that, in the locked position, the lock pin is displaced further radially outward and engaged with the engagement hole, thereby restricting rotation of the insertion shaft about the central axis relative to the sleeve.

13. The movable body is a chain, and the chain has a side roller mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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